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Maybe it’s age or simply the accessibility of online information – but I feel like my memory isn’t nearly what it used to be. But why should it be? If I need to know something, I look it up online. If I need to remember something, I scroll through my pictures or social media. Heck, I don’t even need to type – I can just ask the virtual assistant that lives in my phone! I know I’m not the only one feeling this way – should we be concerned, or is this just evolution?

Give this song by Pearl Jam a listen with me as we see what the experts are saying this week.

Doing the Evolution: Dark Funnel

I first saw this article last year but thought it was worth discussing again. I’ve really started to hear my clients talk more and more about the ‘dark funnel’. So what is it, and how does it impact the B2B waterfall?

The key to aligning funnels with buyer journeys is to employ modern data science to illuminate what vendors like 6sense call the Dark Funnel.

Unless you’re the only provider of the solution you offer AND that category of solution is only discussed in your own digital properties (and what are the odds of that?), it’s likely that some or even most of your potential buyers will begin their buyer journeys elsewhere: on influencer sites, product review sites, competitors’ sites, social media, or one of many other places buyers can go in the digital realm. Taken together, all those places outside of your realm/control where buyers are searching for information make up the Dark Funnel.

But how do you track this? As a B2B organization, do you account for these activities in your analysis and funnel tracking? What about marketing attribution?

For many, it means that your sales cycles and funnel can be unpredictable. By tapping into the Dark Funnel, organizations can see and align their marketing and selling processes to the beginning of the buyer’s journey. By doing so, you’ll have a better chance of winning more deals, and you can bring consistency and predictability to the revenue generation process.

Doing the Evolution: Overusing Technology

I can’t attest to the seriousness of this study, but according to the authors, we will continue to evolve in a certain biological and physical way if we’re not careful. Given that North Americans are on their devices for at least seven hours a day, things could get weird!

Future evolutionary-induced traits may include:

• A hunched back and arched neck from looking down all the time
• A clawed hand from holding onto a phone constantly
• An elbow at a permanent 90° angle from holding our phones
• A thicker skull and smaller brain because of outsourcing knowledge and memories to the cloud
• A second eyelid (like camels!) to protect us from the blue light given off by our devices

What do you think? As you know, I’m already suffering from the smaller brain due to outsourcing knowledge to the cloud… maybe your prospects in the Dark Funnel are, too! So how do you take advantage to ensure their outsourced knowledge guides them to you?

As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello!

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat

The post Doing the B2B Evolution appeared first on Virtual Causeway.

What Do B2B Marketers Do Now? is an ongoing email. Join the mailing list to be the first to receive these weekly insights!

As we approach summer, water becomes a big part of our lives. Pools, beaches, lakes, rivers – we all rush to the water where we can! What other things do you associate with summer? As a Canadian, I think of some other true ‘Canadian’ symbols – Group of Seven artwork, summer concert tours, and ‘road apples.’

Give this great tune by some Canadian music icons a listen as we read on and see what the experts are saying this week:

New B2B Waterfall – Do you think you’re ready?!

Since its introduction in 2002, the SiriusDecisions Demand Waterfall has been the de facto standard for managing demand gen processes. Over the years, the waterfall has been revised, and other research firms like TOPO have touted other methodologies such as the double funnel.

Forrester (who acquired SiriusDecisions) recently held its B2B Summit. I’ve been to many of these over the years, and love all the content provided. The highlight this year was the unveiling of their new B2B Revenue Waterfall, which focuses on capturing revenue opportunities B2B organizations have and allowing them to understand their performance throughout the revenue cycle.

The waterfall highlights an opportunity approach to conversion rates vs. a lead-focused approach. And this new waterfall also FINALLY addresses customer retention and repeatable revenue – with the ‘won’ segment cycling back to the beginning. We all know new customer acquisition can be expensive – so focusing on retention opportunities just makes good sense.

What do you think of the new waterfall? Are you still living in MQL and SQL ‘land’ and thinking back to simpler waterfall times? Or is this brand new renaissance going to help invigorate your revenue engine?

Are we in a post-COVID event world?

Have you heard the news this past week? Many US concert promoters have announced their summer concert line-ups! America is definitely confident that it’s in a post-COVID music festival world!

We’ve heard from many festival promoters, including Lollapalooza, Riot Fest, and Rockville – mostly occurring later in the summer. And we’ve also heard from some big bands such as Green Day that their tours will be kicking off this summer. Could this truly be the start of live music again? Do you think we’re ready?

How does this translate to B2B? A recent survey found that 93% of respondents are open to attending live events between August and December 2021. 79% of attendees are comfortable with attending live networking offerings at events!

Health and safety remains the top concern for all attendees – and top risk mitigation procedures expected include: sanitizing stations; mandatory masks; social distancing; temperature checks; and even proof of vaccine.

Do you feel comfortable traveling to an in-person event this year? Or would you prefer to paddle past?

As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello.

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat

The post Get Ready for the New B2B Revenue Waterfall! appeared first on Virtual Causeway.

We spend much of our time managing multiple channels in our lead generation campaigns, and over the years, we’ve learned a few things! Which lead generation channel is right for you? In reviewing success across multiple clients, we can give you the inside scoop!

The Demand Gen Waterfall

Let’s start by examining the SiriusDecisions Demand Generation Waterfall – the bible of sales and marketing for today’s modern marketer. The waterfall tells us that there is a distinction between inbound and outbound marketing, which can be reflected to pass on higher and more qualified leads.

• Outbound Marketing: this includes print advertisements, television advertisements, radio advertisements, tele-prospecting, trade shows, and e-mail blasts.
• Inbound marketing: This can be anything from blogs, eBooks and whitepapers to viral videos and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

The SiriusDecisions waterfall tells us, no matter how the inquiry came in, it will go through a marketing automation system. Then, once scored, it will be passed on to the proper sales team for proper followup.

Something to keep in mind is the pipeline and Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) nurture stream – as all inquiries will not close upon first touch (as mush as we wish they would).

Multiple Channels

There are many lead generation channels. Many, if not all, convert leads with the proper amount of time and effort put in when following the SiriusDecisions waterfall. According to Salesforce State of Marketing 2015, email is keeping a high profile as “an integral touchpoint along the customer journey for the majority of marketers.” While this is from a few years ago, HubSpot data has found a resurgence in email in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whatever the channel, best practice on follow up time (within business hours) is generally considered 20 minutes. This is key to keep in mind if you have an inbound marketing campaign running – have your sales reps ready to follow up within 20 minutes.

The main takeaway I want you to get from this blog is, no matter what lead generation channel you use – inbound, outbound or both – ensure it is followed up by the proper sales or marketing representative in order to close the deal. And don’t hesitate to reach out for more insights or to see how we can help with your lead generation.

Marlene Keay, Senior Manager, Business Development | marlenek@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/marlenekeay

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