Are we frustrated using databases to see only CFOs, COO and CMOs? This is a regular occurrence we see. “Thanks for researching information on the C-Level / ELT, but what about our actual buyers???”
Here is what we’ll cover this week:
- Sell to a super niche buyer? ZoomInfo / Apollo won’t answer your needs.
- How critical ongoing “TAM Mapping & Data Enrichment” is to a prospecting strategy.
- Having “the list” is only half the equation. “The Right List” has compelling events.
Sell to a super niche buyer? ZoomInfo / Apollo won’t answer your needs.
Sell to UX Design, Compliance Officers, Head of Localization, or Director of Scheduling? These are small examples of customers who were frustrated that their sales team couldn’t answer their needs. That’s not ZoomInfo / Apollo or other “database” companies’ problem. They are in the business of mass data. Wow, you know the size of their database, not the depth.
Let’s face it; you know that all your buyers are on LinkedIn. 900M users with nearly every B2B employee you want to reach on planet Earth. This is why our customers seek us to mine from the world’s B2B database… drink right from the source. This is where data becomes “sales intelligence.” Data is just bits and bites of information. In contrast, a partner helping you contextualize your buying committee, filtering every Title, Role, Geography, Vertical, etc., for your exact buyer committee… that’s valuable “sales intelligence.” This saves your sellers 100’s of man hours a year at scale being the filtration system.
How critical ongoing “TAM Mapping & Data Enrichment” is to a prospecting strategy.
It’s insane to see how many customers we meet are “single-threaded” – maintaining a database with 5,000 key accounts and 5,001 contacts in that database. The sales team is firing one arrow in their quiver at moving targets, hoping and praying for customer engagement. Unfortunately, it’s more based on luck than a foundational GTM strategy.
Best-in-class companies have a “chicken before the eggs” strategy that helps their marketing campaigns and sellers drive sales opportunity after-sales opportunities.
Step #1 – Draw a map around your world.
To begin, you have to know what your sales world is/could be. Typically we see customers segment their sales world into the following:
- Geographic Markets
- Verticals/Industries
- Named Accounts (Fortune 2000 examples)
Clearly understand the market(s) you want to serve.
Step #2 – Structure the “Rules to your road”.
Develop the criteria in which geography, vertical, etc., can be segmented:
- Number of Employees
- Revenue
- Number of Sites, Stores, Facilities
- Etc.
But these are table stakes. Our best-in-class customers will get within the data and segment the rules to create Tiers:
- Decision-Makers to Users ratios (for example – how many UX Designers per Product Leader).
- Roles that only have SVP or C-Level executives.
Small examples. Get super detailed. The right buyers are the “riches in the niches.”
Step #3 – Monitor the Account/Contact change each month.
A TAM (Total Addressable Market) is NOT stagnant. Your buyers are changing at a rate of 3% per MONTH. Yes, 3% of your buying committee is:
- Leaving
- Being Promoted
- Getting Hired
If you part your database, it will be up to 50% incorrect within 1 year. This is a travesty to your underlying goal. Why have an asset decay like that?
Never miss an opportunity again.
Having “the list” is only half the equation. “The Right List” has compelling events.
My buddy Brandon Bornancin, CEO of Seamless.ai, likes to say, “We are only one list” away from sales success. That is a good point, but only half the equation. A list is merely data – structured or unstructured-just names, titles, emails, phones, etc. There is no context.
Where sellers fall is the context around Account Selection & Prioritization. This is where Time Management plays a massive role in making lists “Right.”
Why should I call Company A vs. Company B?
Why call Company B today, not tomorrow?
There has to be context. Otherwise, you are calling through a phone book.
So yes, you can do good things with a list if you have all the time in the world (and let’s not assume automation will magically solve this challenge). Make the RIGHT LISTS based on the following:
- Buying Intent
- Product Integration / Usage
- Executive Job Changes
- M&A / IPO readiness
- Competitive Threats / Action
These compelling events make your lists “Right”.
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Never miss the ‘Window of Change’ ever again. The ‘Window of Change’ is a magical time between Day 30-Day 100 when new executives are most open to new people, processes, and technology for their new team.
Free Fortune 2000 – Executive Job Change Database
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