Peter O'Neill here. I’ve just finished the last peer-review of my presentation at the upcoming Forum For Marketing Leaders in London on May 13. All presenters go through a thorough review process before these events where other colleagues check through our outlines, drafts, and slide decks — all to ensure that Forrester delivers a concise and consistent story to the Forum attendees.  The Forum will be all about going beyond the marketing campaign and delivering visible value in context and on an ongoing basis. There were some interesting discussions about our strong opinion about marketing campaigns a few weeks ago during the US version of the Forum in San Francisco and we all look forward to continuing these discussions in London.  

Actually, most of the creative work for my session was done by Lori Wizdo, who presented her version in San Francisco (see here for some comments on that session). We had decided to do some “myth-busting” to help B2B marketers make better decisions about how to structure their lead-to-revenue management (L2RM) process based on their buyer journey research.

One of the myths I bust, I will reveal already, is that marketing now does all the work and sales has much less to do.  No way is that true!  The Forrester statistic below disproves that point, doesn’t it?  Our Business Technographics research continues to show how important sales are for many types of product or service. But, in the Age of the Customer, the roles of both marketing and sales organizations have certainly changed. That was the major theme at our Sales Enablement Forum in March and we will continue to provide sales leadership professionals with reams of relevant research and advice about these changes.

 In London I will talk about lead netting, vetting, stewarding, and mentoring in a session entitled “Myth-Busting 101: Insights Into The B2B Buyer Journey” with this agenda:

  • Three Myths In B2B Marketing And Selling
  • A Scalable Approach For A Buyer-Centric GTM Strategy In The Age Of The Customer
  • Turning Strategy Into Action
  • The Fine Art Of Sales Enablement

As you can see, this presentation will also address the challenges facing marketing professionals in supporting their sales force: a primary area of interest for B2B marketers responsible for more complex offerings or buying organizations. Lori and I have shared research projects around the L2RM playbook as well as the L2Rm platform vendors Forrester Wave™ over the past months. We also share an affinity for cartoons in magazines such as The New Yorker, as you will see if you attend my session. Oh! how I miss my old favourite UK publication: Punch Magazine.

Of course, as in every Forrester Forum, I’ll be kept busy with one-on-ones during the rest of the time — those of you B2B marketers attending will also be able to talk to my colleagues Laura Ramos and Ryan Skinner about your specific needs. My main worry will be trying to keep my voice healthy as I make a keynote speech entitled “Führen Sie Marketing im Zeitalter des Kunden zum Erfolg” at the Oracle Eloqua Modern Marketing roadshow in Berlin the next day. Anyway, I look forward to seeing you in London, or elsewhere on my travels. If you have any other questions on the above, just drop me a line. Or place an inquiry with me if you are a Forrester client. As always, I’d love to hear from you on this and other topics.

Always keeping you informed! Peter