Integrations, marketplaces, and partnerships are untapped sources of valuable information.
Learn how to uncover and action that information to build better products, boost stickiness, and increase customer satisfaction with two ZoomInfo heavy hitters, Katie Landaal and Sophie Cheng.
The importance of observation
I recently read an article on Peter Drucker and Albert Einstein’s research methods that sheds light on what’s happening in B2B SaaS right now.
The article explains two methods of research:
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Synthetic research: starting with the known (hypothesis) and proceeding to the unknown (conclusions)
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Analytical research: starting with the unknown (observations) and proceeding to the known (analysis and conclusions)
Approaching B2B SaaS from a synthetic lens would look something like this:
We know the data shows sales are down. For example, according to this 2023 B2B Sales Benchmark Report, only 29% of reps made quota through 2022. A reasonable hypothesis is that this is because the entire market is down and budgets are tight. If I did research, I could back up that claim and conclude that we just need to do more of what works.
However, Peter Drucker and Einstein found the analytical method of coming to conclusions more useful than the synthetic. Instead of starting with a half-baked hypothesis, their observations led them to new, insightful conclusions.
Approaching B2B SaaS from an analytical lens looks like this:
We see that sales are down. We see that getting in front of buyers is harder and more expensive, and we see that buyers are informed and seller-resistant. After laying out all our observations, we can conclude that it’s not just the market economy affecting our sales. We’re not selling the way buyers want to buy.
B2B SaaS is still a young industry and we’re learning as we go.
It’s important to watch and listen to our buyers to get the answers we need.
Is your GTM strategy foolproof?
Direct GTM models are often super formulaic. Dylan Charles explains the formula
in his article:
You put money into BD, into the top of the funnel, to marketing, and then into a channel; that spend produces a marketing-qualified lead, and that produces a sales-qualified lead or a partner-driven lead, and that produces a Closed Won.
(If only it were that easy.)
Most software companies are all falling into the same trap—they follow the script, the customer gets bombarded, they see conversion rates go down, and cost structures go up.
But direct go-to-market models don’t work long-term because they’re misaligned with the way customers buy and everyone suffers—the customer as well as internal sales, marketing, product, and success teams.
The best go-to-market strategies start with the customer and layer nearbound throughout the entire lifecycle to surround customers with people they trust.
Instead of treating go-to-market like a factory line, it’s treated like a dynamic, living organism.
If you want to see how top VCs, founders, product, marketing, sales, and success leaders are already layering nearbound into their GTM, check out the Nearbound Summit 2023.
Quit loafin’ around
The Hustle made a bold claim the other day. Loafers are no longer “in!” The new trend is sneakers.
In fact,
The global sneaker industry
generated $131.1B in 2021 and is expected to reach $215.6B by 2031.
They’re sporty, comfortable, and bright. Not to mention, professional environments are becoming more lax about them.
According to a 2023
study, the percentage of job postings mentioning “casual” dress codes has jumped ~80%.
Looks like you need a pair of Nearbound Sneaks!
We have two pairs of custom Nikes to give away and three Summit T-shirts!
All you have to do is post about the summit on LinkedIn. Enter by tagging @nearbound.com and replying to this email with a link to the post.
Stuff you don’t want to miss!
-
Join the official Nearbound Summit community brought to you by Partnership Leaders —
Partnership leaders’ goal is to connect people interested in learning about partnerships around the world. -
October 25th —Firneo Partner Strategy Forum (Day 2): How to Prioritize the RIGHT Partners—
Learn how to make sure you’re investing your (limited) resources in partners that will generate a meaningful. -
November 1st —Firneo Partner Strategy Forum (Day 3): How to Get Executive Buy-In for Partnerships—
Learn how to secure resources & support from key stakeholders that are critical to partnership success. -
November 6th-9th —Nearbound Summit 2023—
The future of GTM is Nearbound. Join us for the biggest-ever remote experience in GTM where B2B leaders across departments unite to share how they’re winning with Nearbound strategies and tactics. -
Enroll before November 14th —PXP Academy Partner Manager Certification Course—
Join the interactive learning session that equips you with everything you need to be successful in your daily job as an operational Partner person. -
November 16th —Elevate Your Presale GTM with Tech Partners—
Learn from industry experts like Kelly Sarabyn (HubSpot), Jared Fuller
(nearbound.com
and Reveal), Sunir Shah (AppBind), and Alexander Buckles (Forecastable). Evolve your GTM strategy with tech partners. -
Enroll by November 17th —Firneo’s Mastering Partnerships Strategy (4-week course)—
Registration is now open! Learn how to diagnose and solve your partner program’s biggest challenges from the world’s top partnership leaders. Use the code "NEARBOUND" for a
1:1 Strategy Coaching package (worth $1,000) for FREE. -
April 19th-20th —SaaS Connect 2023—
It’s that time of year again! Get your spot early for the 11th annual partnership conference in San Francisco, hosted by Cloud Software Association.
From bootstrapped to billions
Henry Schuck didn’t grow ZoomInfo from a startup to a billion-dollar publicly traded company by simply crunching the numbers—he combined data, context, and relationships to reach success.
Hear Henry’s story on Sales Day at the Nearbound Summit.
