Skip to main content
Engaging with Insights

Navigating the Gray Area: Accounts with High Engagement and Limited Contacts

By 10th November 2023No Comments

Introduction

Marketing teams frequently produce high-quality content, webinars, and product pages with great effort. However, the sales team often finds itself struggling. Why is that? While marketing appears to achieve significant account engagement, they generate only a limited number of direct contacts and an even smaller number within the buyer persona. This situation has become increasingly prevalent in today’s non-linear buying landscape, especially in sectors with extended buying cycles such as technology, telecom, and consultancy industries.

The traditional buying journey has evolved. Research shows that the modern buying process is more intricate, with an increasing number of stakeholders involved. In fact, the average buying group for a simple purchase includes 5.4 buyers — a number that expands as the buying process becomes more complex.

Our Observation

In our interactions with clients across sectors, we’ve observed a trend. With the digital transformation, there’s an increasing need to expand contact points beyond the immediate buyer. This means venturing into the territories of COO, CFO, CSO, CTO, and CEO. Additionally, with the dynamic nature of today’s corporate world, job roles and responsibilities shift more rapidly than ever. A key strategy? Leverage platforms like LinkedIn to build comprehensive contact lists. However, data is just the first step. Engagement, and the quality of that engagement, is the real game-changer.

Guiding Principles

  1. Broaden Your Horizon: Don’t limit your engagement to just IT if you’re in tech. Understand the interconnectedness of roles and engage across the board.
  2. Quality Over Quantity: More contacts don’t necessarily translate to better engagement. Ensure each contact is relevant and holds potential.
  3. Engagement is Two-fold: While platforms like LinkedIn are essential for initial engagements, meaningful interactions probably happen off these platforms. Make the transition smooth.

Actionable Steps

  1. Utilize LinkedIn to its Fullest: Build and monitor comprehensive lists. With its vast professional network, LinkedIn can be a goldmine for contacts, especially in the corporate sector.
  2. Engage Intelligently: Understand where your potential contacts prefer to engage and tailor your approach. For instance, C-level executives might prefer a more personalized, high-level discussion.
  3. Stay Updated: With the dynamic nature of job roles today, ensure your lists are regularly updated.

Outcomes to Aim For

With a strategy that balances data with intelligent engagement, businesses can expect a higher conversion rate, more meaningful interactions, and a deeper understanding of their potential clients. One such success story is our “pipeline hacks” – sessions tailored around the principles of engagement and contact expansion, yielding tangible results.