Investing in conversational intelligence platforms is linked to better sales outcomes. That’s according to a new report titled The State of the B2B CMO.
The results are based on a survey of 169 B2B marketing leaders conducted in late 2021 by an ensemble of reputable marketing professionals, including Latané Conant, Kerry Cunningham, Jamie Barnett and Matt Heinz.
The report notes the sample size, “isn't a statistically significant number, but it does offer some directional guidance.” Indeed, it’s a numerical reflection of the anecdotal evidence we hear from customers all the time.
Below are three findings from the report that stood out to us.
1. Conversation intelligence facilitates sales and marketing results
The survey found that conversation intelligence is a “difference-maker” for sales and marketing. While just about one-third (35%) of respondents invest in this category of software, the impact is remarkable.
According to the findings, “those who do report a 15- and 22-point differential in meeting sales and marketing targets most or all of the time, respectively, versus those who don’t.”
We’ve seen evidence of this among our customers, because even in its simplest use case, conversation intelligence invites thoughtful reflection – and thoughtful reflection leads to continuous improvement.
As we wrote in a previous blog post, “48% of the coaching activity we see on our Jiminny platform is sales reps listening back to their own sales calls” – and “reps who invest 3-4 hours of listening back to sales calls each month, are winning 5.5% more sales deals” than their peers.
If you’d like to get a tour of Jiminny, we’d be glad to show you.
2. BDRs that report to marketing are more likely to hit their targets
Nothing stirs up a debate in sales and marketing circles like the topic of BDRs and their line of reporting (okay, maybe what defined a qualified lead rises to this level too!). However, if we can put our beliefs aside for a moment and look at the survey data, the numbers are eye-opening:
“When BDRs report to marketing, sales hits their targets more often. Only a quarter of respondents own the function, but it pays off when they do. When BDRs report to marketing, 67% and 76% of respondents report hitting sales and marketing targets “most or all of the time,” respectively, versus 57% and 64% when they don’t.”
Why? It’s hard to say definitively, but if we were to offer a theory its that this reporting structure helps to align sales and marketing. And alignment is a proven technique for driving both efficiency and efficacy across an organisation.
3. Shared understanding furthers sales and marketing alignment
A shared understanding goes a long way to getting the whole team rowing in the same direction. The survey found 65% of respondents share a spreadsheet or model with their sales counterpart meet their sales targets, “versus 34% for those who don’t, a 31-point differential.”
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The full report contains additional data points that may be of interest. It’s freely available online without registration: The State of the B2B CMO.
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