Today's economic climate has lead most companies to be more budget constrained and risk adverse than ever before. As a result, more project strategies and purchase decisions have been shifted upwards. This trend makes it more important to implement marketing programs that enable sales teams to engage and sell to senior level executives directly. Yet these executives are suffering from Frugalnomics – more overloaded, skeptical and frugal than ever before – plus they are plain busy, making successful engagements harder than ever. In this webinar we will discuss ways you can fight Frugalnomics, and answer the following important questions: How can you overcome Frugalnomics to better reach, engage and sell senior level executives? What techniques work best to break-the-ice and engage with value? What needs to change when traditional lead generation programs aren't yielding the same return? Based on proven methods, implemented by B2B leaders such as HP, IBM and Microsoft, this webinar will present 5 proven and practical ways, with specific case studies, of how to best break through the noise and achieve senior level engagement success. Our speakers will guide you through specific advice and examples to achieve better revenue marketing effectiveness with senior level executives. This webinar is recommended for marketing and sales executives, content marketers and sales enablement teams who need to better connect, engage and sell.

1. Powering B2B sales to economic buyers
Mari Anne Vanella - CEO/Founder Tom Pisello - Chairman & Founder
Twitter: @vanellagroup Twitter: @tpisello
Top 5 Ways to Connect, Engage and Sell C-
x Level Executives

2. Today’s Speakers
Mari Anne Vanella Tom Pisello
CEO & Founder of The Vanella Group Chairman & Founder of Alinean
Top 20 Women to Watch in 2011 by the Sales Who’s Who in B2B Demand Generation
Lead Management Assn.
Parallel entrepreneur
The Vanella Group - Teleservices for Enterprise Ex-Gartner Managing VP
Technology Companies
Alinean - Leading provider of value-based
Delivers customized, strategic teleservices- interactive content marketing campaigns and
based lead generation solution to energize the diagnostic sales tools
pipeline and become a true partner for
success.
Solutions:
Solutions: • Interactive White Papers
• Teleprospecting, identifying active buy-cycles • Diagnostic Assessment Tools
for large deals • ROI Calculators & Sales Tools
• Telenurturing, integrating live communication
• TCO Comparison Tools
with email or automated communication
Fast Facts: Fast Facts:
 10 Year milestone in 2011  10 year milestone in 2011
 Pioneering work with enterprise technology  Over 2000 value-focused campaigns
providers worldwide
 42 Rules of Cold Calling Executives—best
seller © 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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3. A New Buyer Requires New Strategy & Tactics
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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4. Today’s Buyer - More Overloaded
• Rapidly increasing rate of new information available to buyers
• Calls 15+ a day
• Email 200+ a day
• Increase in available channels
• E-mails, tweets, Internet, webinars, search engines, videos, micro-sites, banner ads,
newsletters, magazines, demos, white papers, blogs, Facebook, forums, case studies,
research, advertisements, etc....
• A low signal-to-noise ratio on most messages / campaigns
• 62% of B2B vendors need more leads
in order to generate the same amount
of sales
• 72% indicate an increase in sales cycle
time over the past 6 months
• Over past 5 years, average sales cycle
has become 22% longer (SiriusDecisions)
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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5. Today’s Buyer – More Empowered
• Buyers do more research independently and online
• Arm themselves with ideas, solution, competitive product knowledge
• Firmly in control of buying process
• Using online vendor content + 3rd party sources / social groups
• Inviting sales later, after set strategy, budget and solution roadmap
At Same Time, Perceived Sales Readiness Is
On the Decline
Not Prepared
Well Prepared
29%
35%
Somewhat
Prepared
36%
IDC 2010
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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6. Today’s Buyer - More Skeptical
Internal Events / Triggers Drive Early Stages of Buying Cycle
Most often
selected
3rd Parties such as Peers, Analysts & Trade Pubs Most Influence – Mid / Later Stages
35%
30% Internal events/triggers
Peers
25%
Industry analysts
20%
Trade publications
15%
Search engine results
10% VARs/Partners
5% Consultants
Vendors
0%
Early Middle Late
Source: SiriusDecisions 2010
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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7. Today’s Buyer – More Complex Decision Cycle
Took more time to research and consider solutions 48%
Utilized a wider variety of sources to research options 36%
Did more detailed analysis of costs/ROI of solution before 34%
finalizing the process
More internal team members provided their input into 30%
decision process
Relied more on live customer feedback/recommendations 21%
Fewer internal team members provided their input into 16%
decision process
Demand Creation Specialists B2B Buyer Survey - 2011
Multiple Responses Allowed
• Do More Research From More Sources
• More Stakeholders, More Financial Due Diligence
• Taking More Time
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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8. Today’s Buyer – More Frugal & Value Focused
• #1 Reason for NOT Meeting Sales
Quotas – Inability to Communicate Value
Messages (27%) – SiriusDecisions 2010
• Only 38% of sales reps understand the
customer’s issues and can identify how
vendor can help – Forrester 2010
• CFOs responsible for more groups
• Taking control of strategy + buying-
cycle
• More financial due-diligence on all
purchases
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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9. Today’s Buyer – Buyer Frugalnomicus
• Size
More Leads to Close Same Executive Scrutiny Reduced Deal Size
Amount of Business
Longer Sales Cycles Increased Competition
More Stakeholders
Stalled Deals
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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10. Top 5 Ways to Connect, Engage & Sell to Cx Level Executives
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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11. Tip #1: Cut Through the Noise
• Don’t make your prospect try to figure out the fit
• One-size-fits-all messaging tunes out prospects
• Don’t desensitize prospects—Res-ensitize them through point solutions
for THEIR business
• Seeking ―tell me more‖ not ―stop talking!‖
• Ask:
– Would you listen to YOU?
• Test the message on yourself
• Value Added Content / Insights
Greatest resource you already have—your customers © 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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12. Tip #2: Persistence Pays
• Leads have a shelf life—don’t let them expire
• Typical exec requires 6+ attempts to reach
• Most sales teams give up at 3 or less
3-5 Additional Attempts Needed
7
6
Calls to Connect
5
4
3
2
1
0
Reps Execs
Attempts Required To Connect After Initial Interest
© 2011 The Vanella Group, Inc. Proprietary | Do Not Distribute 12
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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13. Tip #3: Engage at Right Time
• Don’t let BANT downgrade good leads
• Early engagements make a difference
• Richest form of communication—use it early and effectively
• Deal size and decision patterns
• Effectively hand off the baton—build systemized lead hand-off
© 2011 The Vanella Group, Inc. Proprietary | Do Not Distribute 13
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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14. Tip #4: Engage with Right Content
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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15. Tip #4: The Engagement Path
• Keep it relevant to their need, not your company
• Lead them to a conclusion
• Today’s execs scan info and make connections quickly
• Don’t drive them away with making it too hard to learn more
• Build on each step to keep it moving forward
© 2011 The Vanella Group, Inc. Proprietary | Do Not Distribute 15
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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16. Tip #5: Appeal to Frugal Buyer
Product Focus Solution Focus Value Focus
Discussion: Discussion:
Discussion:
• Customer knows issue • Prescriptive & Quantified
• Customer knows issues &
• Tie features / functions to desired outcome • Discover… Is customer
needs aware of issue?
• Questions to discover pain
• Compares product points
alternatives • Diagnose… How bad is it?
• Feature • Function • Price • Recommend solution to • Quantify … Value of change
solve pain
• Compare … Value vs. Status
Drive: Sales Led: Product Drive: Sales Led: Pain-Point Quo / Competition
Driven Driven
Drive: Diagnostic Led: What
is issue & value of change?
Solution
Vendor Trusted Advisor
Provider © 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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17. Tip #5: Value Focus a Requirement, But Gaps Exist
Forrester Sales Enablement Forum- 2011
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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18. Challenges of Connecting and Engaging
• Reps are challenged:
• To engage early / being invited later into cycle
• On average, not outcome / value focused enough
• Perceived as not adding enough value in sales process
• Not incented to develop long-term opportunities / short term focus
• Buyers are challenged:
• Overloaded: getting a lot of calls, email—all looks/sounds the same
• Empowered: More information to help drive decisions
• Skeptical
• More Complex Decision Cycle – risk adverse / more stakeholders involved
• Frugal – Bottom-line & Value focused
• Buyers have their own urgent issues and teams to manage
• Conversations are forgotten without proper documentation
© 2011 The Vanella Group, Inc. Proprietary | Do Not Distribute 18
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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19. Better Connections & Engagement Yield Significant
Value
• Sales lead expert, Mac McIntosh, found that
• six months after inquiring, 23% of the surveyed subjects had bought the product or
service, from the promoter or from a competitor.
• An additional 67% indicated that they still intended to buy but they were not ready.
• According to Forrester Research, companies that excel at lead nurturing are able to
generate 50% more sales-ready leads at 33% lower cost per lead.
• According to CSO Insights, companies that excel at lead nurturing have 9% more sales
reps make quota, and enjoy a 10% shorter ramp up time for new reps.
• According to DemandGen Report, nurtured leads produce, on average, a 20 percent
increase in sales opportunities versus non-nurtured leads.
• According to IDC, a value focused interactive content & diagnostic tools:
• Deliver 50% more qualified leads compared to traditional content
• Reduce sales cycles by 20-30%
• Reduce discounting / increase deal size by 20%
• Increase competitive win rate by 60%
© 2011 The Vanella Group, Inc. Proprietary | Do Not Distribute 19
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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20. Questions?
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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21. Next Steps
Insights Into Cold Calling
42 Rules of Cold Calling Executives
http://www.fightfrugalnomics.com
http://www.alinean.com/faq/
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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22. Thank You!
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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