Previously,  Kristina Jaramillo (President of Personal ABM and host of the ABM Done Right Podcast) shared the challenges that GTM teams face, including the fact that most intent data is siloed, making it meaningless, and most of the intent that is shown is not from decision makers and influencers, intent data is not predictive, teams usually lack an intent data strategy, and GTM teams are not aligned on what intent data is and how to use it.

So what should GTM teams do differently to overcome intent data challenges? Listen to the podcast below to find out.

Here are the Key Points From Kristina Jaramillo on How You Can Gain Greater Returns From Your Intent Data and ABM Investments:

• Teams need to rethink their thoughts about intent data and ABM. Teams need a mindset to drive new results and stronger revenue growth. The problem is that sales and marketing teams still engage in a “spray and pray” approach but now with a targeted list of in-market accounts. They are still too focused on “scaling” marketing, nurturing, and prospecting as they try to reach as many in-market accounts as possible with digital ads, retargeted ads, email campaigns, LinkedIn messaging, and phone calls. The intent data and ABM strategy is a list of activities and cadences based on intent score and the rank of the people showing intent. As teams scale for reach, they lose the intimacy that’s needed to open, engage and close tier 1 accounts as the focus is not on the interactions that need to happen and the experiences that need to be delivered.

 

• There needs to be a differentiation in how GTM teams approach tier 1, tier 2, or tier 3 in-market accounts. When you treat all “in-market opportunities” the same and just create buyer journeys based on what prospects are searching for, you work off general assumptions about company and persona needs and pain points. This is the same information that your competitors are responding to, so there is no real differentiation from others using intent data platforms. And, your competitors are using these platforms – at least 70% of B2B tech companies are using Bombora, Intentsify, and others. So using intent data platforms no longer provide you with a competitive advantage. Your competitive advantage is in how you leverage the intent data and how you incorporate the use of intent into your overarching ABM strategy.

 

• Teams need to go beyond personalization and get personal with key tier 1 accounts. In a recent LinkedIn post, Nick Bennett (Director of Account-Based and Field Marketing at Alyce) mentioned that personalized marketing is focused on tailoring an experience to the pains and needs of the business and buying persona. You should cater to the person (the human being) behind the title, fostering a relationship that extends beyond a contract and is rooted in trust. The focus should now be on moments vs. touches. As Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson mention in their book, “The Challenger Sale,” in most cases, buyer unresponsiveness is not because you failed to make a logical argument—it’s because you failed to make an emotional connection. It’s not that buyers didn’t believe your story. It’s because they didn’t see it as “their” story. This identifies a clear need for B2B marketers and sellers to speak with tier 1 accounts and individual buyers vs. simply speaking at accounts. We need to use intent data and intent-driven solutions as a springboard – not as a final destination. When sales and marketing teams simply respond to “intent data” and “pain points,” they are automatically putting themselves in the “nice to have” category, which the prospect may get to once they take care of their list of priorities.

 

• The most successful GTM teams use intent data as a springboard vs. just responding to it. They are uncovering why there is intent in the first place so they can show the role they’d play in achieving the business vision. They are looking for where the account-specific or competitor-focused gaps exist that are not being considered and the personal impacts which may be underestimated. They’re going beyond campaigns and focusing on 1-to-1 interactions where GTM teams can create a personal relevance. The most successful teams truly understand the account they are targeting, including how the buyers think, the reframes that need to happen before a deal can be closed, and the specific use cases.

 

• Aligning with the prospect’s business vision is especially important if you want to create a buying consensus with in-market leads. This is a key challenge for many teams as Intentsify studies show that the managers and directors within larger firms are the ones showing intent—not the budget holders (VPs and the C-Suite!)  We need content and messaging that will influence the conversations that sales teams are not invited to—and the only way we can do that is with content that is meant to shift the team’s thinking. The content and messaging needs to speak to account-specific gaps, personal impacts across the organization, and how the gaps will impact the business vision.  At Personal ABM, we find that organizations get “stuck” or they “leave the funnel” because their value proposition didn’t identify with the specific needs of their prospects, or there was a lack of competitive differentiation in how it was presented. This identifies a clear need for B2B GTM teams to speak to and with accounts and individual buyers vs. simply speaking at accounts. Going beyond Intent data to make the personal connection

 

• No tool alone (including intent data) will not provide GTM teams with maximum revenue growth potential. If we want greater returns from our ABM and intent-driven and prospecting efforts, then we need to focus on our engagement in target accounts, our GTM strategy, and ways to win tier 1 account deals as one team. t’s not enough to identify the 3-10% of the market that is looking or is open to buying. You need to have the right ABM strategy, the right account plan, and the right interactions across all touch points. One communication misfire and one wrong interaction will result in unresponsiveness and inaction. You would lose the advantage of knowing who’s in market.

Additional Content to Help You Get Greater Returns From Your Intent Data and ABM Investments:

• ABM Done Right Podcast: Why 45% of Organizations in Demand Science’s Study is Challenged with Turning Intent Leads to Revenue

• ABM Done Right Podcast: Intentsify’s David Crane Shares How to Solve the #1 Challenge GTM Teams Have with Intent Data and ABM

• Intent Data Article: How to Maximize Your Returns on Your Intent Data Investment