1. Shifting the B2B
Marketing Paradigm
from Contacts to People:
4 Steps For Getting Ready
Sponsored by
A
White Paper

2. E-marketing tools and tactics have and those sales executives that
made B2B marketers much more are using their connections
effective at generating leads and effectively and adding value will
building their contact database, but the win more deals.
bar continues to be raised as buying
3. Avoid social silos — Many B2B
behavior evolves and social media
channels become mainstream.
activity of their employees for a
In order to connect with B2B buyers in social strategy. In order to realize
2012, marketing has to expand beyond the full potential of a 360° view
thinking about contacts. Gathering of prospects, companies need to
email IDs may help to track behaviors develop a cohesive strategy that
such as white paper downloads factors in a company’s entire social
and webinar registrations, but that graph. This enables sales and
approach is missing the vital link of marketing to tap into relationships
integrating social intelligence into the across the organization, rather
demand generation strategy. than solely at an individual level.
By focusing on the company
To keep pace with the new paradigm,
social graph, sales and marketing
industry experts recommend B2B
can tap into exponentially more
organizations start by taking the
relationships, become more
following steps:
effective and increase conversion
1. Shift the mindset from a rates across the revenue cycle.
contact to a person — Contacts
4. Reach the right people at the
are simply records that get
right time — B2B buying cycles
passed around from marketing
are much more agile than they
to sales based on their activity
were just a few years ago, with
or lead score. Those companies
budgets shifting from one line item
that view prospects as people
to another based on changing
needs. Therefore, it is critical that
intelligence around tweets, posts
as companies focus on people
and conversations to increase the
rather than contacts. This strategy
relevance of messaging.
also adds deeper intelligence
2. Integrate the “people capabilities and alerts to connect
approach” across the with people after a major event,
organization--This new paradigm such as an acquisition, promotion
is not just about marketing or relocation. Relevancy is key with
changing its focus, sales also today’s buyer and delivering the
needs to develop more 1-to-1 right message to the right person
conversations. Buyers are turning at the right time is a great way to
to social media for feedback and build relationships.
answers to business challenges,
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3. The following white paper will present
insights from industry experts, as well as While the digital model has been a
case study examples from companies big improvement over more manual
that have successfully made the switch analog methods, industry insiders
from focusing on contacts to delivering a argue changing buyer behavior
personalized message to the right person and the emergence of new media
at the right time. channels dictate both marketing
and sales teams need to rethink
Changing Buyer Behavior their demand generation models.
Dictates Shift From
Contacts To People
messaging and information at every point
The traditional approach of demand in their buying cycle.
generation had sales driving leads by
Illustrating these changing rules of
placing cold calls and marketing sending
engagement, the 2010 B2B Buyer
out batch and blast email campaigns
Transformation Survey conducted by
DemandGen Report found:
industry experts point out that this
Only 10% of buyers who had
purchased a solution were
of the messages they receive as they contacted cold by the provider.
try to manage overcrowded email and The remaining 90% reached out
voicemail inboxes. directly to the solution provider
or requested to be contacted after
This breakdown is especially problematic
visiting their site.
in 2012 because today’s connected
buyers are less tolerant of unsolicited Nurturing and ongoing dialogue
outreach, and increasingly reliant on is now a necessity, as 95% of
web research, deeper relationships and recent purchasers said the solution
feedback from their peer networks when provider they chose provided
making purchasing decisions. them with ample content to help
navigate through each stage of the
The reality is today’s buyer is expecting
buying process.
to have an ongoing dialogue with solution
providers, and they are demanding Social media is now a critical
that companies add value with relevant part of the sales and marketing
engagement model, as 59% of
buyers said they engaged with
peers who addressed a similar
challenge before making a purchase
decision, and 48% followed industry
conversations on the topic they
were researching via social media.
3 A DEMANDGEN REPORT WHITE PAPER 2011

4. Adding Social
Intelligence To Demand In the new demand generation
Generation: Moving paradigm, B2B organizations are
From Contacts To Social focusing on building out a 360
Connections
intelligence on work history,
While many B2B organizations have begun
to test the waters with social media, most
have not truly made it part of their overall
Another key component to building
engagement strategy. A common scenario
a personalized demand generation
is that company individuals are active on
strategy is connecting with prospects
LinkedIn and marketing may be trying
across all relevant channels. For many
some ads on social sites, but these efforts
companies that have traditionally
are often disjointed.
focused on contact databases with email
New research has shown that the failure addresses and telephone numbers, the
to truly integrate social into broader
marketing and demand generation their key prospects and engaging with
strategies is a missed opportunity. them through social channels.
A recent study of more than 700
According to Marketing Sherpa’s 2011
Social Marketing Benchmark Report,
Interactive, found that those companies
that have included social media as part
to measure the impact of social media on
of their overall strategy have seen the
areas such as:
following payoffs:
Web site visitors (85%)
88% said social has helped grow
brand awareness; Conversion rate (54%)
85% said it helps to engage in Leads generated (51%)
dialogue; and
Sales revenue generated (35%)
58% said in increases sales and
partnerships. In addition to communicating with
their target audience through social
In the new demand generation media, smart companies also are using
paradigm, B2B organizations are tools that identify mutual connections
to get warm introductions to people
of their prospects that includes social or insights into target companies via
social networks.
social media conversations.
4 A DEMANDGEN REPORT WHITE PAPER 2011

5. By building deeper intelligence into
their demand generation efforts, these “B2B marketing boils down to one
companies following the new model all-important fact: It’s all about
are able to identify mutual connections creating relationships,” Pergolino
within their own networks, and across said. “Today’s demand generation
companies. With a strategic approach has created a long cycle in online
that incorporates social intelligence,
these organizations are able to maximize sealing the deal, trust and rapport
connections between companies and are critical to the sales process.”
- Maria Pergolino
prospects and move beyond individuals Senior Director of Marketing
and contacts. Marketo
The New Model For Maria Pergolino, Senior Director of
Marketing: Migrating
Demand Generation at Marketo, recently
From Contacts To
wrote about the shifting focus of demand
Conversions
generation in a post on the company’s
The adoption of automated systems Modern B2B blog. “B2B marketing boils
and demand generation strategies down to one all-important fact: It’s all
has brought tremendous efficiencies about creating relationships,” Pergolino
and measurement capabilities to said. “Today’s demand generation
has created a long cycle in online lead
some companies have fallen victim to
is using these powerful systems only deal, trust and rapport are critical to the
for email purposes. sales process.”
In their early quest to show results from Pergolino points out that practices
automation platforms, marketers often such as lead nurturing and lead
become enamored with metrics such scoring help to create a more personal
as open rates and click-throughs, and approach to demand generation,
subsequently treat all prospects as which is becoming critical as B2B
email IDs, rather than individuals with sales and marketing executives realize
it takes a series of conversations or
“touches” across multiple channels to
As users have gained experience in move a prospect to an opportunity and
marketing automation and demand ultimately a closed deal.
generation, they are realizing that
quality is more important than Rather than using high-powered
quantity. Therefore, their metrics marketing automation systems to blitz
often graduate from generating leads their contact databases with static email
and simply building up their contact campaigns, progressive companies
are integrating deeper insights and
and accelerating those leads into intelligence about their prospects into
relationships and real buyers. these systems.
5 A DEMANDGEN REPORT WHITE PAPER 2011

6. With an integrated approach that For example, the old model called for
factors in social intelligence, progressive a sales representative to follow up
companies are able to not only track with attendees from a webinar to see
the digital behavior of prospects on if they would like to schedule a demo.
their web site, but also supplement
that with social intelligence about the would integrate social intelligence for
business challenges that prospects may a 360-degree view of that prospect to
be tweeting about, or who from the identify relevant connections, pain points
prospect organization may be connected or other potential buying triggers.
to their company.
This deeper intelligence not only helps
This personalized approach allows to ensure that both sales and marketing
companies to enhance the relationships are aligned in their approach to demand
they’ve spent time building and use generation, it greatly increases the
their marketing automation systems to likelihood that a buyer will receive the
measure and monitor connections relevant follow up they now expect.
and conversations.
Because timely and relevant follow
In these scenarios, sales and marketing up is critical to engage today’s B2B
teams utilize the intelligence gathered buyer, this holistic approach to demand
and connect the dots on the trigger generation also avoids leads getting
points of buyers to connect with relevant “parked” or going stale when sales reps
information, delivered at the right time. miss out on key triggers or opportunities.
By delivering the right messages to By incorporating intelligence from
prospects, these companies have been connections, as well as insights from
able to strengthen relationships with tweets and posts, sales and marketing
key stakeholders and in turn improve can key on all relevant intelligence and
conversion rates. demand signals.
Aligning Sales With In today’s B2B climate, prospects are
Marketing In The New conducting a tremendous amount of their
Demand Model research online. According to DemandGen
Report’s 2010 B2B Buyer Study:
While marketing departments have
been playing a more active role in 70% of buyers said they started
demand generation, most sales the buying process with an online
organizations are still responsible for search; and
generating between 20% and 30% of
70% said they started by visiting a
their pipeline opportunities. Therefore,
vendor web site directly.
it is still critical that sales organizations
engage with people instead of contacts This self-navigation and anonymous
for outbound lead generation and education has changed the role of
pipeline acceleration. salespeople, as they are now being
brought into the buying cycle later and
6 A DEMANDGEN REPORT WHITE PAPER 2011

7. therefore have more pressure to provide
value and insight a buyer’s unique “A key value of social media is how
challenges. Illustrating this trend, the 2011 relevant and well-informed sales
DemandGen Report Buyer Study found: people are about their prospects
and customers.”
41% of buyers engaged with a Greg Brush
VP Sales & Customer Success
sales rep after internal research
InsideView
was conducted on options; and
24% engaged with sales after a
accounts. “Remember that trust and
preferred list of vendors
credibility are key to lead generation.
was established.
Nothing improves a sales pitch more
Conversely, study also underscored than incorporating commonalities and
the opportunity for sales to differentiate shared experiences,” Pergolino said. “By
themselves by adding value, as: leveraging the notion of relationships and
credibility, you can boost your marketing
63% of buyers cited the “expertise/
efforts in ways that will generate solid
helpfulness of the sales team” as a
results. A connection can vouch for your
key factor in the vendor selection
process; and
quality of your product or service.”
46% cited references from existing
Industry experts point out this relationship-
based approach is vital to sales as well as
“Selling has always been about trust marketing. “Executives don’t need to bait
and relationships,” said Greg Brush, each other with ridiculous gimmicks to
VP of Sales at InsideView, a leading connect,” said Mari Anne Vanella, author
provider of sales and marketing and CEO of Silicon Valley-based business
intelligence solutions. “A key outcome development consultancy The Vanella
of social media is how relevant and Group. They depend on relationships, and
well-informed sales people need to be those relationships convert to revenue.”
about their prospects and customers.
With the right tools in place, sales
and marketing teams should know a
prospect’s unique business challenges,
business events and how they are
connected with them. This intelligence
allows them to become a trusted
advisor and build trust with prospects.”
Marketo’s Pergolino added that forging
deeper into social intelligence can help
both sales and marketing teams build
relationships with executives at key
7 A DEMANDGEN REPORT WHITE PAPER 2011

8. CASE IN POINT: Xactly
Adds Fuel To Growth “Using InsideView, our sales reps
With Targeted Demand are substantially better prepared for
Generation Tools meetings than competitors, because
they understand their prospects’
In looking at Concur, Xactly, Zuora unique business challenges and
and some of the other fastest growing how to position our product as
companies in the B2B sector, some solutions for those challenges.”
common approaches begin to emerge: Steve DeMarco
VP Worldwide Sales
They are expanding their demand Xactly
generation strategies beyond
contacts to connect with prospects
solution provider to help their marketing
as people
department discover connections to the
right people at their target accounts, and
and social intelligence for a make sure their sales team is reaching out
360-degree view of prospects with the right message at the right time.
Sales and marketing teams are The company’s focus on relevance and
aligned around this new integrated relationship building starts with lead
demand generation model
where Xactly’s lead generation team
The timing of buying cycles
is addressed by tracking and intelligence to engage prospects with
responding to triggers and buying meaningful messages.
signals across digital behavior and
social activity. As a lead converts into an opportunity
in Xactly’s funnel, Xactly’s reps use
Let’s look at the results Xactly has InsideView to build rapport and trust with
achieved through a new paradigm for their potential customer. They can follow
demand generation as one example. an executive’s Twitter feed in InsideView,
As a leading solution provider in the fast as well as how social media connects him
growing incentive compensation market, or her to Xactly’s team.
the sales and marketing team at Xactly “Because of InsideView, our sales reps
never bombard prospects with cold-calls
database with contacts. In order to fuel its or email blasts,” said Steve De Marco, Vice
growth, the company instead focused on President Worldwide Sales, Xactly. “Using
InsideView, our sales reps are substantially
targeted people. better prepared for meetings than
To help build a 360° view of its prospects, competitors, because they understand
Xactly began working with InsideView their prospects’ unique business
more than three years ago and has challenges and how to position our
expanded its relationship with the product as solutions for those challenges.”
8 A DEMANDGEN REPORT WHITE PAPER 2011

9. De Marco added that the intelligent The results from Xactly’s personalized
approach has paid off in terms of approach to demand generation have
opportunity conversion rates where been impressive, including:
Xactly’s sales reps research InsideView’s
3x Increase in Lead Volume
within their pipeline
before they communicate with a
lead. They use InsideView to uncover 3x Increase in Conversion of
prospects’ relevant business challenges leads into opportunities
and position their products as solutions
to those challenges. 10% Increase in Win Rates
with a higher quantity of
9 A DEMANDGEN REPORT WHITE PAPER 2011

10. Preparing For The New Paradigm:
4 Steps To Move From Focusing On Contacts
To Marketing To People
E-marketing tools and tactics have made B2B marketers much more effective at
generating leads and building their contact database, but the bar continues to be
raised as buying behavior evolves and social media channels become mainstream.
To keep pace with the new paradigm, industry experts recommend B2B
organizations start by taking the following steps:
1. Shift the mindset from a contact to a person - Contacts are simply records
that get passed around from marketing to sales based on their activity or lead
and social intelligence around tweets, posts and conversations to increase the
relevance of messaging.
2. Integrate the people approach across the organization - This new
paradigm is not just about marketing changing its focus, sales also needs to
develop more 1-to-1 conversations. Buyers are turning to social media for
feedback and answers to business challenges, and those sales executives that
are using their connections effectively and adding value will win more deals.
3. Avoid social silos
of their employees for a social strategy. In order to realize the full potential
of a 360-degree view of prospects, companies need to develop a cohesive
strategy that factors in a company’s entire social graph. This enables sales and
marketing to tap into relationships across the organizations, rather than solely
at an individual level. By focusing on the company social graph, both sales and
marketing can tap into exponentially more relationships, and also become more
effective across the revenue cycle.
4. Reach the right people at the right time - B2B buying cycles are much
more agile than they were just a few years, ago with budgets shifting from
one line item to another based on changing needs. Therefore it is critical that
as companies focus on people rather than contacts, they also add deeper
intelligence capabilities and alerts to connect with people after a major event,
such as an acquisition, promotion or relocation. Relevancy is key with today’s
buyer and delivering the right message to the right person at the right time is a
great way to build relationships.
10 A DEMANDGEN REPORT WHITE PAPER 2011

11. Because buyers are increasingly resistant toward scripted sales pitches and
boilerplate marketing messages, progressive companies are kicking off 2012 by
shifting to the new paradigm of demand generation.
treated as people as opposed to contacts or leads. By providing these high value
individuals with targeted and timely content and messaging, these organizations are
Campaign response rates;
Conversion rates, and
Opportunity win rates.
By moving to a more mature demand generation model, these companies have
realized that engagement is now about connecting with people rather than
communicating with contacts.
These companies have built on the digital insights they’ve garnered from white paper
downloads and webinar registrations, and combined that with social intelligence from
tweets, blog posts and Linked connections to convert email IDs and contacts into
people with real business issues.
In a climate where investments in new business models are expected to deliver nearly
instantaneous results, its not surprising that many companies have defaulted to
“batch and blast” and “dialing for dollars” demand generation strategies.
These progressive companies are realizing that these cold calling approaches bring
diminishing returns and often actually turns off prospective clients.
As an alternative, progressive sales and marketing teams are kicking the cold contact
habit and instead focusing on fostering real relationships with the right people at
target accounts.
11 A DEMANDGEN REPORT WHITE PAPER 2011

12. About InsideView
InsideView, the leading provider of social selling and sales intelligence,
San Francisco, CA 94107 increases productivity and revenue by delivering relevant business and
social insights to the point of need. Our award-winning technology
415.728.9300 gathers and analyzes information from the most relevant social media,
www.insideview.com
user-contributed and traditional/proprietary editorial sources to provide
compelling insights about companies and contacts directly within your
CRM, browser, or mobile device. InsideView’s products are used by
more than 75,000 sales professionals, and over 1,000 market-leading
companies including Adobe, AIG, BMC, Cap Gemini, Experian, and
SuccessFactors. For more information, visit www.insideview.com.
About DemandGen Report
411 State RT 17, Suite 410 DemandGen Report is a targeted e-media publication spotlighting the
strategies and solutions that help companies better align their sales and
1.888.603.3626 marketing organizations, and ultimately, drive growth. A key component
www.demandgenreport.com of our coverage focuses on the sales and marketing automation tools
that enable companies to better measure and manage their multi-channel
demand generation efforts.
12 A DEMANDGEN REPORT WHITE PAPER 2011