TRANSCRIPTION OF EPISODE
Logan: In this episode on Intent Topics we are going to be talking about how marketing teams can use intent data to crush their goals.
Logan: Hey everybody it’s Logan here with Chris Battis. We’re going to be talking about how marketing teams can use intent data to crush their goals, generate more pipeline opportunities for their sales teams, and generally just live a happy life. So, Chris thanks for joining me.
Chris: Sounds great man.
Logan: I’m pretty pumped for this one.
Chris: Nice. Let’s get into it.
Logan: Cool dude. So, you came from the marketing world. I spent a lot of time doing marketing. So, since we kind of over the last year and a half we’ve been down this intent data SQL driven, sales qualified, lead driven path what are your thoughts on how this relates to marketing teams?
Chris: Well I think it just makes them a lot better and I think it makes it so that when this hand off from marketing to sales happens you’re going to have happier sales teams right?
Logan: Yup.
Chris: You’re going to have more qualified leads and a lot more information to go with them.
Logan: Absolutely. Absolutely. So, in the … What’s interesting is in the, over the course of the time that we’ve been working with clients and what not what I’ve seen is the three symptoms or categories of teams, marketing teams that we really work with effectively. And what I like is that the more advanced marketing teams and departments could actually probably do a lot of what we do internally if they have the right competencies. So, the three are there’s teams that are generating a lot of MQL’s, Marketing Qualified Leads, that are not getting contacted by the or connected with by the BDR’s or the sales team.
Chris: Yup.
Logan: The second one is basically there’s a lot of connection with the sales teams but we’re not seeing a lot of those going deeper into the sales process. So, there’s a lot of early disqualification in the process. And then, the second piece is there’s just a lot of conflict between the sales and marketing team. And so, it’s like the marketing team needs to figure out, “How can I generate more sales qualified leads for my team to go out there and close stuff?”
Chris: Well yeah. So, we’re happiest when we are working with a marketing department that is like, “What do you need? What are you hearing in your sales calls? What are people asking you? What are push back items? And let’s create content around that.”
Logan: Absolutely.
Chris: And so, when we work with somebody like that we know that there’s almost the proper amount of synergy between a marketing team and a sales team. And I guess I’m wondering if for the number two bucket you’re saying there’s connection but it’s almost like sales is disqualifying the leads that marketing is saying is qualified and that’s probably a disconnect. Where something like using intent data it’s almost like it’s qualified and here’s why and here’s everything you need to know to do what you do great which is close this deal or at least get a conversation further along.
Logan: Right. Well so, in that second bucket, so the first one is there’s no connection, the second one is there’s a lot of connection but there’s a lot of disqualification right?
Chris: Yup. Yup.
Logan: In my opinion that means that something good is happening in that organization. So, the sales process and the ideal customer profile are well defined. So, if I’m walking into that situation I would rather do that, walk into the first one, right?
Chris: Right.
Logan: So …
Chris: Meaning you’re having connections, right?
Logan: Yes.
Chris: As a marketing team. And this for some reason the sales team is connecting but it’s not turning the sales right? Is that the bucket?
Logan: Exactly. Yeah. Exactly. So, in that case the marketing team is doing a great job nurturing those leads and putting them into the place of the sales team. And so, what I would say with someone like that … That’s not this huge problem. That’s like let’s do a little bit of tweaking, a little bit of messaging alteration, or let’s start to layer in the data early in the process, right?
Chris: Yeah.
Logan: So, for instance we deal with a few clients who I think the term that’s kind of thrown around is needle in a haystack and I think there’s a lot of companies that feel like they are searching for needles in a haystack and it’s true. There are thousands of companies, there’s hundreds of companies that could potentially look like the right company or the right target. But then, when we get into the sales process we pass a lead off, or the lead gets passed off, the sales team comes back and it’s like, “Well you didn’t see this. You didn’t see that.” And it’s like, “Whoa wait a second.” You know?
Chris: Well yeah but that can be flipped on its head and that should be like, “Hey close but what if it was more like this.” And that’s going to be an effective sales marketing relationship.
Logan: Exactly.
Chris: And that’s what we get a lot from clients because they’re telling us. What is the … [inaudible 00:06:23] “How did that look? How does that feel? How did it go? How did it close?” [inaudible 00:06:27] “Tweak the data this way to bring me different things.”
Logan: Exactly. Exactly. And so yeah. So, the point I’m making is that marketing team who’s doing a good job nurturing, who’s getting those connects from the sales team, and then maybe there’s some disqualification. That’s a data problem right?
Chris: Right.
Logan: So, that’s like, “Okay we need to take this cannon that you’ve already sort of built because it’s working. But it’s just if you’re in the software space or you’re in a space that uses specific types of software, so I’m making a case for some technographic data. Or, if there’s some creative intent strategies, whatever that data strategy is just it’s like a frameshift over 10 feet and you might hit the right target right?
Chris: Right.
Logan: So, I think those teams, the case for intent data and some of these more descriptive types of data for the companies that seem to have a lot of their, what look like from the marketing team good quality leads, getting disqualified in the sales process, assuming that the sales process is tight, it’s a case for data, right?
Chris: Oh yeah.
Logan: So, what we’ve seen is when you add the data to that whether it be the intent data, the technographic data, or sometimes it’s as simple as from a graphics right, so revenue or these kinds of things, you put that data in the mix, all of the sudden the hits start happening at a much greater rate. You know?
Chris: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, I give the three buckets right? So, not getting connected with, getting connected with but not getting too many deals. Well, let’s just take the conflict out. Let’s not even go down that bucket ’cause that’s just … But let’s talk about if we’re getting MQL’s but they’re not getting connected with meaning the sales team starts working it and they’re emailing or they’re calling and they’re not getting connected with. What’s the fix there? Is it just like, is it actually not qualified? Is the information wrong? Is the sales person just waiting too long? What is the typical disconnect happening right there?
Logan: Sure. So, having been on both sides of the sales and marketing divide I always assume that the sales team is doing what they need to do and the marketing team is doing what they need to do. And really what’s occurring is some pieces are just missing that if they’re added all of the sudden we can start to unlock serious growth. Obviously when it’s incredibly frustrating I think probably on both sides of the divide when you’re generating a lead and it doesn’t get contacted, right?
Chris: Yeah.
Logan: So, in some cases you’re buying a lead from a third party provider, in some cases you’re generating a lead yourself whether that be inbound, whether that be paid search. So Facebook, Facebook leads are notoriously terrible to get in touch with. I developed software just for Facebook leads. So, because I was tired of it back in the B to C days. So, the way to fix this, there’s a couple. But when we say connect we mean conversation right?
Chris: Yeah.
Logan: So, if you’re not starting a conversation, if your emails are falling on deaf ears, if your phone calls are not getting picked up, if your Linked In connection request is not going through.
Chris: Yeah or no response to a message. Yeah.
Logan: No response exactly.
Chris: Yeah.
Logan: Then, the context is wrong. Where we’re starting the conversation is incorrect. And so, what I mean by that is there’s two pieces to it. There’s the, what we’re basing the conversation on. So, there’s an element of research, there’s an element of what data are we gathering, and then there’s an element of how is that communication occurring? So, one of the things that I have struggled with when you’re going into a, you’re selling into a V.P. of sales they get so many outreaches from people that are at face value they look just like me but that’s … What’s that?
Chris: So, what’s the fix?
Logan: Yeah so that’s where the fix, you’ve got to be creative. That’s where the human hustle and muscle comes in. So, it’s like we dig a little bit deeper. I don’t care if we have a mutual connection on Linked In. That doesn’t matter anymore ’cause that is table steaks. It’s like what piece of news is interesting? What piece of information about the company really is kind of obscure and wouldn’t really matter to somebody? So, and then on the other side is if we want to do this at scale then we start to add data into the … Say you have 300 leads, 300 accounts, match those to the companies and then start to get data on the verticals, the news, what technology to use, what intent, and start to prioritize and segment. You don’t need to segment on what they clicked on on your website or what they clicked on on an email. You can actually segment your MQL’s based on data that you’re overlaying, secondary data.
So, they converted on X form or you bought them from X provider. You can still bring in other data and use that to enrich your outreach. So, if you want to go hyper personalized dig deep into the Linked In. If you want to go more at scale and you’re not ready to go hyper personalized then layer other data in from a graphic data, technographic data, intent data. Those are the three. If you can do that as a marketing team you’re going to start delivering conversations to the sales team that end in pipeline opportunities at a much greater rate. So, it’s a very similar …The first issue we talked about was not connecting, the second one was connecting but disqualifying. One is use the data to start a conversation more intelligently. The second one is use the data to shift your cannon and fire it 10 feet over and you’re probably going to be okay.
Chris: Yeah. Yeah okay. So, the success measure here really comes down to happy sales teams right?
Logan: I think sales people are never happy. I mean there’s, you and me got off a sales call that seemed like it went great to everybody but I was pissed.
Chris: Yeah.
Logan: And I could dissect it for three hours. So, sales teams are not going to be happy but the measure of success is how many leads are coming out of the marketing department and going into the closed one over the course of a year right?
Chris: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Logan: So, that’s got to be what we’re striving for and the data that we’re figuring out how to use is really helping, empowering those marketing teams to get there. And I love helping marketing teams deliver more and more closed one. And to get to closed one where does it start? It starts at the beginning of the pipeline right? So, it’s out of the leads, into the pipeline, and then at closed one. So, that’s the only measure of success ’cause if you’re measuring success off of what a sales person is saying you’re not going to get very far. ‘Cause they’re not going to give you pleasant feedback if they’re a good sales person. It’s just … They’re just trying to get more, and more, and more. So, that’s the game, that’s sales so.
Chris: Nice. Nice. All right buddy. Cool. Well good chat.
Logan: Yeah dude. This was great. The intro was good. Was that a good intro?
Chris: That was a great intro. We should do that more often.
Logan: No, I don’t like doing the intro.
Chris: You don’t like doing the intro?
Logan: You sound much better in the intro.
Chris: [inaudible 00:15:24] radio?
Logan: Yeah.
Chris: You’re saying I’ve got a face for radio?
Logan: Yeah you do.
Chris: All right. Well, let’s wrap it up.
Logan: You look beautiful.
Chris: All right. Well I’m Chris Battis.
Logan: And I’m Logan Kelly. Thank you everybody for tuning in today. Please give us a five star rating, a subscribe, a follow, whatever on whatever podcast you are listening on. We’re crushing out great content. We hope you enjoyed the show and we will see you guys next time.
Chris: All right take care.
