Sales teams are always eager to find new products.
The problem is not getting the data but getting meaningful information. This realization requires a paradigm shift: filter the noise with technology.
When competition is fierce and customer expectations are rising, embracing new technology is essential to staying ahead and unlocking the potential. But using technology to personalize marketing is something that many businesses still need to get the hang of.
According to Jason Zintak, one of the biggest challenges today in B2B go-to-market (GTM) is the poor use of new technology, data, and information. It leads to missed opportunities, wasted resources, and poor decisions.
He was previously the CRO of Responsys and later the CEO of Platfora, Jason Tapes is now the CEO of 6 pointsAn ABM platform that is revolutionizing B2B buying and selling through AI, big data, and machine learning. He has over 20 years of growing sales and marketing businesses in the growing B2B software industry.
In A recent photo of GTM InnovatorsG2 Chief Revenue Officer Mike Weir sat down with Jason to discuss how sales and marketing teams can solve assumptions and understand data to create Image of GTM more direct and effective.
Playing from the same music page
It’s heard over and over again: sales and marketing are critical to growing a business and growing revenue. Jason emphasizes this by talking about the importance of sales and marketing teams working from a playbook – or, as he prefers, “playing from a single sheet of music” – and how data is at the core of this work.
Sales and marketing follow a successful track record, where sales are close to closing prices and marketing focuses on marketing qualified leads (MQLs). At the end of the day, every business wants to know if sales and marketing are having real results.
According to Jason, this is where technology creates reconciliation by eliminating data gaps. Combining technology and data takes away sales and marketing, enables better communication, and gives teams insight into day-to-day operations.
“Finally we can organize one piece of data and create a plan that aligns with sales and marketing to meet the same annual goals,” says Jason. “A lot of technology out there helps businesses measure their performance and share what they can do next.”
He also explains how GTM teams can support AI, big data, and machine learning to integrate data from different sources and create the final data lake. Putting data at the center of information and technology helps businesses filter out unwanted content, making it easier for sales and marketing to meet the same goals.
In a time when teams have to do more with less, a a data-driven approach to B2B sales and marketing they can refer you to market accounts, and eliminate the cost of missed opportunities.
“AI doesn’t do the work for you. It just makes human efforts more meaningful, useful, and focused.”
Jason Zinta,
CEO at 6sense
From silos to efficiency
Even though there is a lot of information available today, it is common for GTM teams to underutilize it. Products will have a long list of buyers but not potential buyers. And marketing teams can’t tell what’s working and what’s not.
Jason shares that the move to sales and marketing requires collaboration. GTM teams need to identify their total market (TAM) and positive customer profile (ICP) in that TAM. “Everything we can measure around our TAM is out there,” he says.
But data is often stored across the organization, making it difficult for sales and marketing to align. Also, data is often complex, making it difficult to use. These factors make it difficult for sales and marketing teams to get the right information at the right time.
“There’s too much information for anyone to understand without using big data, machine learning, and data science.”
Jason Zinta,
CEO at 6sense
Jason recalls that ten years ago, people were questioning whether there was a good way to understand everything that existed. You can get data, look at analytics, and apply machine learning, but what do you do with it? “Awareness is not enough; you have to be able to do the process,” says Jason.
Today, it is possible to analyze all this data using a machine that helps sales and marketing to do a better job by using their efforts more clearly. MarTech and technology marketing have become more interesting with different technologies combining their strengths for success.
Jason also touched on how strategic integration has changed the way vendors approach business competition. Marketers today know that one platform cannot provide everything. But with a strong network of friends, they can connect to provide a “supermarket with integrated flavors” to the audience.
“Being able to have a contact partner, whether it’s inbound or outbound, helps you know everything. And when you know, you can do it, which is the secret,” he adds.
A change in trustworthiness
One of the most notable changes in the data-driven era of mass marketing and sales is that companies are becoming more and more digital. They cater to people who are in the market and ready to buy. Technology like machine learning helps improve the the desired datasimplifying the funnel faster and making customers better.
Jason explains how every organization is evaluating its technology today to see what works, what doesn’t work, what needs integration, and what it brings. “We all need to challenge what we’re using. Advances in reproductive AI will help us all,” he praises.
With AI, businesses can create high-quality pipelines that transform, helping teams prioritize so they don’t miss opportunities to grow revenue. Jason believes this is what effective marketing is all about. If your team sends fewer emails, the rates of action and response will be higher when looking for people who want to buy from you.
Additionally, a technology-based approach makes measuring your efforts more transparent by eliminating data gaps. For the first time, sales and marketing teams can share their data with senior management.
“Every boardroom or CEO wants to know the true ROI of their sales and marketing spend,” says Jason. “But the answer hasn’t been found for almost my entire career. That’s where we see the opportunity in the technology market.”
The best way to get technical solutions
With smart buyers in the market, revenue teams need to work efficiently. “Consumers are smart. Give them respect,” says Jason. “They know how to research and figure things out without having to contact the seller until the last minute.”
Identifying ways to reduce waste and uncertainty in your GTM process is important. Marketers can use modern technology to analyze the “black image” where customers do their research and extract useful information.
In order to deliver value to their customers who use these technologies, businesses need to use accurate and precise data throughout the buying journey with their technology stack. The key to innovation is finding new areas to use AI to increase productivity and job satisfaction.
Some points from Jason in this episode
Here’s a preview of some of the things you’ll get from this episode of GTM Innovators with Jason Zintak.
- Insights from a 6sense customer report on how well-aligned teams grow faster.
- How 6sense’s interactive email leads to a dead end.
Watch the whole episode YouTube to hear more from Jason. Learn from other GTM experts by subscribing to Images of GTM Innovators podcast today – available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, and more.