Terry Flaherty
VP, Principal Analyst
Author Insights
Blog
The Revenue Process Alignment Series, Part 4: An Opportunity-Centric Revenue Process Is All About Context
The key to an optimized revenue process is context. As discussed earlier in this blog series, both the marketing qualified lead (MQL) and the marketing qualified account (MQA) suffer from context issues. But if you use the opportunity-centric approach, you can leverage this context and optimize the revenue process between marketing and sales throughout the entire revenue process.
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The Revenue Process Alignment Series, Part 3: Why Marketing Qualified Accounts Are Not The Answer
In part 1 and 2 of this blog series, we explored why the focus on MQLs is a restrictive approach. Just as B2B buying decisions are not made by an individual person or lead, the buying decision is also not made by an account. In this blog, we explore why shifting the focus to the MQA (marketing qualified account) is equally problematic.
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The Revenue Process Alignment Series, Part 2: More Reasons To End Your Addiction To MQLs
In part 1 of this blog series, we looked at reasons why organizations need to end their focus on individual MQLs (marketing qualified leads) as the focus of their revenue process. In part 2, we look at more reasons why the transformation away from MQLs is necessary.
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The Revenue Process Alignment Series, Part 1: The End Of MQLs
For more than 20 years, the MQL (marketing qualified lead) has been the focus of most B2B revenue processes. But it fails in providing actionable insight and drives misalignment across various functions in the process. In part 1 of a four-part blog series, we explore why the MQL era is antiquated and needs to end immediately.
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On The Ninth Day Of Christmas My Analyst Gave To Me: Handy Tips To Make My Demand Management Process’s Performance Dance
This is the ninth in a series of blog posts that provide demand and account-based marketing best practices in honor of the 12 days of Christmas.
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The Demand Waterfall: A Modular System to End Chaos
- The demand management process often lacks consistency and alignment on key factors
- The SiriusDecisions Demand Waterfall® is a modular framework designed to bring alignment and consistency to the demand management process
- The Demand Waterfall family includes three versions designed to address a variety of go-to-market strategies
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Understanding the Role of Benchmarks in Planning
- One major trend that continues to grow is for marketing organizations to own a quota for marketing sourced revenue
- With volumes defined, marketers can align their programs and budgets to support their goals
- Base your lead conversion goals on the current state, external reference benchmarks and identified process improvement impact
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Measuring the Impact of Successful Sales Handoffs
- Just like a relay race, the B2B lead management process requires smooth and efficient handoffs across team members
- The sales accepted lead (SAL) stage provides the signal of successful change in control of a lead from marketing to sales
- Companies who incorporate an SAL stage in their lead management process experience dramatic increases in Demand Waterfall throughput
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The Myth of the Best-in-Class Waterfall Benchmark
- Demand Waterfall® conversion benchmarks are used to set performance targets, determine demand creation budgets and align programs to revenue goals
- There is not a best-in- class benchmark that can be used for all Demand Waterfalls; waterfall benchmarks should be aligned to context
- Using the incorrect Demand Waterfall benchmark can lead to missed targets, misaligned budgets and restricted waterfall performance
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Lead Nurturing Competencies
- Here are some core skills, behaviors and knowledge necessary for functions responsible for lead nurture flows
- Skills include data evaluation, business logic skills and the ability to forge strong relationships with other key functions
- Lead nurture teams must be able to work with internal peers and agency partners
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A Personality Test for Your Demand Waterfall
- Understanding the net performance of the Demand Waterfall is critical
- While individual conversion metrics are interesting, it’s ultimately the net throughput that’s important
- Demand Waterfall processes are linked; the output of one (e.g. automation qualification) becomes the input to the next