Jon Russo’s Post

9 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 non-Marketing execs and Board members make in marketing discussions (based on my last 4 years of 💯s of conversations): 1️⃣ Not having a clear understanding of marketing terminology, KPIs, metrics, and objectives 2️⃣ Viewing marketing solely as a cost center rather than a revenue driver 3️⃣ Focusing too much on short-term tactics vs long-term strategy 4️⃣ Lacking patience and unrealistic expectations around marketing impact 5️⃣ Not appreciating the time needed to build effective marketing programs 6️⃣ Overemphasis on lead volume vs quality of leads/accounts/pipeline (OMG may write a book on this one) 7️⃣ Disconnected from customer needs and target audiences 8️⃣ Unclear on marketing's role in the buyer's journey and sales process 9️⃣ Expecting marketing to drive immediate pipeline vs fueling long sales cycles TLDR; common mistakes include lack of marketing fluency, short-term thinking, unrealistic expectations, and disconnect from the customer. It's not all their fault though! Marketing needs to meet their stakeholders where they are at. How? Building shared understanding of marketing's role, setting proper expectations, communicating ongoing impact (eg a Unified Funnel dashboard), and keeping the end customer in mind can help avoid these pitfalls. What did I miss in this list? ___________ 👏Follow B2B Fusion on Go To Market best practice strategies. 👍Like and subscribe to B2B Fusion 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐓𝐮𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 of 208 GTM videos. 🤙🏽Struggling with faster, more efficient growth? Let's talk. DM.

Join us for our next ABM Practitioner discussion! 3 areas we plan to cover: 1️⃣ Practical tips for achieving Sales & Marketing alignment 2️⃣ How to balance ABM/ABX metrics & KPIs 3️⃣ The future of ABM/ABX based on current experiences I invite you to join this sessions practitioners, Sarah Sehgal of OpenSesame and Angela Goldman of 3Pillar Global where they share their experience and insights running Demand and Operations for their ABM/ABX initiatives leveraging their tech stack via 6sense, Adobe Marketo, ZoomInfo and others. Sign up link in comments. We bring this content to you because of a lack of Practitioner content on the market. Too many vendor POVs! ___________ 👏Follow B2B Fusion on Go To Market best practice strategies. 👍Like and subscribe to B2B Fusion YouTube channel of 207+ GTM videos. 🤙🏽Struggling with faster, more efficient growth? Let's talk. #ABM, #ABX, #sponsored

3 ways ABM/ABX has changed from 2023 to 2024 based on hundreds of conversations: 1️⃣ Increased use of AI/ML for account prioritization and personalization at scale In 2024, more companies are leveraging AI and machine learning capabilities to enhance their ABM programs. AI is being used for more precise account identification, scoring, content personalization, and orchestrating multi-channel campaigns across the entire customer lifecycle. This allows for ABM execution at a greater scale and level of personalization than was possible previously. 2️⃣ Growth on all dimensions. Expansion of ABM beyond new logos to existing customers - applying ABM strategies to engage existing customers for retention and expansion motions. Organizations are using ABM principles to produce tailored content, identify cross-sell/upsell opportunities, and drive higher customer lifetime value from their install base. 3️⃣ Tighter sales and marketing alignment through shared processes. As ABM matures in 2024, there is an increased emphasis on breaking down silos between sales and marketing teams. Companies are adopting more holistic "revenue team" approaches with shared processes, metrics, and a common understanding of buyers group and the customer journey to enable more seamless ABM execution. What changes are you seeing in 2024 with your ABM programs and strategy? ___________ 👏Follow B2B Fusion on Go To Market best practice strategies. 👍Like and subscribe to B2B Fusion YouTube channel of 207+ GTM videos. 🤙🏽Struggling with faster, more efficient growth? Let's talk.

Want to learn the latest on AI in GTM? We are welcoming back AI expert and Fractional CMO Liza Adams to update us on the latest developments in the world of AI - bring your questions! We plan to cover: 1. The importance of product-market fit and trust in today's business landscape. 2. AI's role in pushing businesses and individuals to be more strategic and authentic in their approaches. 3. Practical AI applications across various business functions and roles. 4. The potential of AI to revolutionize marketing and create significant strategic business impact. Join us!

I've noticed a pattern when talking with 20 B2B SaaS CMOs over the last 90 days as Q2 wraps up. This is what we hear as top 3 concerns right now: 1. 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬. Over 60% of CMOs we've talked with are being asked to do more with less budget, leading to higher stress levels compared to the previous year. With many firms being PE/VC-owned or backed, there is relentless pressure to drive growth with reduced resources. 2. 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. Challenges in measuring and attributing marketing efforts, especially for account-based marketing (ABM) motions. CMOs struggle to accurately measure and communicate the impact of various GTM and Marketing initiatives. Transitioning to an ABM approach while still relying on lead-based metrics also is creating confusion, with CEOs demanding a unified view of the funnel across multiple sources. 3. 𝐀𝐈. Lack of confidence in leveraging AI tools effectively. ~25% of CMOs cited feeling extremely confident in their team's usage of AI tools. With AI becoming increasingly important in marketing, there is a significant skills gap that CMOs need to address to stay competitive and drive personalization at scale. (We plan to discuss this Friday, see comments). What are you hearing as top Marketing concerns right now? ___________ 👏 Follow B2B Fusion on Go To Market best practice strategies. 👍 Like and subscribe to B2B Fusion YouTube channel of 200+ GTM videos. 🤙🏽 Struggling with faster, more efficient growth? Let's talk.

𝐓𝐨𝐩 3 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐬 based on 1001 GTM conversations with Sales, Marketing and CX leaders over last 3 years (thank you, AI!) 1️⃣ 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 - Establish clear definitions, agreements, and playbooks to ensure accountability across teams - Streamline end-to-end processes from lead generation to opportunity handoff for sales teams. Eliminate problematic handoffs at intersections. -Leverage data and technology with AI-powered tools to identify key accounts, provide relevant insights, and facilitate selling efforts 2️⃣ 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 A. Consolidate data from multiple sources into a single unified system for better visibility and forecasting B. Normalize data and account information to provide accurate pipeline metrics C. Analyze historical conversion data to determine the required number of qualified accounts needed to hit revenue goals and help forecast 3️⃣ 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 A. Poor data quality undermines investments in sales and marketing technology B. Establish processes for data cleanliness, deduplication, and integration of first and third-party data C. Implement data quality metric dashboards to drive data accountability What else would you add to this list? ___________ 👏 Follow B2B Fusion on Go To Market best practice strategies. 👍 Like and subscribe to B2B Fusion YT videos, 200+ GTM best practices! 🤙🏽 Struggling with faster, more efficient growth? Let's talk.

Evan Liang, CEO and Co-Founder of LeanData joins our conversation this Friday on Buying Groups! Buying Groups are all the rage right now. In this session, we plan to cover: - Why the traditional MQL model is breaking down in the face of group and committee-based buying decisions - How focusing on Leads or Accounts can lead to poor buying experiences, wasted marketing spend, and inefficient sales processes - The benefits of adopting an Opportunity-centric motion as a natural extension of ABM - How to get started with Buying Groups by aligning your people, processes, and technology - Strategies to optimize your sales funnel, shorten sales cycles, and improve conversion rates Join my cohost Megan Heuer and me with Evan as we discuss insights and actionable tips to help you transition to an Opportunity-centric go-to-market strategy that leverages the power of Buying Groups.

At what stage does your company report? 1. When any opportunity when created/open? Or 2. just certain stages of opportunities (stage 1, 2, etc.)