It was great to catch up with Saima Rashid, SVP, Marketing and Revenue Analytics at 6sense, a company providing an AI-powered platform that helps sales and marketing teams identify and engage with potential customers. Saima brings nearly two decades of experience in marketing analytics across B2B and B2C sectors, and her expertise in leveraging performance insights to align marketing, sales, and customer success has driven consistent revenue growth.
In this episode, Saima and I explore the evolution of B2B marketing strategies with a focus on the growing complexity of B2B buying decisions, the importance of understanding the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), and the need for personalized, scalable marketing strategies. Saima highlights the significance of intent data, the role of AI in enhancing outreach, and the growing impact of fractional CMOs and committee-based buying decisions. We also address the shift in buyer behavior due to remote work and the rise of chatbots. Our conversation emphasizes the necessity of adapting to changing market conditions and leveraging data to optimize marketing and sales efforts.
Discussion points include:
- The unique challenges of B2B marketing and the need for holistic KPIs that reflect the entire buying journey.
- The fact that most B2B buyers don’t talk to sellers until they are 70% through the journey. By that time, they have already picked a favorite to win the business 80% of the time.
- The importance of understanding the intent stage of ICP accounts and using specific tactics to move them through the funnel.
- The wisdom of segmenting the ICP into multiple segments and not just focusing on large accounts.
- How the ICP criteria should include size, geography, tech fit, industry, and company size, with different versions for commercial, enterprise, and strategic accounts.
- Changes in B2B marketing post-pandemic, particularly the need to market to individuals at their home addresses.
- The importance of being prepared for changes in the marketing landscape, such as the shift towards chatbots and the end of the cookie-based world.
- The fact that 6sense’s identity graph is at the device level, allowing the software to easily tie back intent data and de-anonymize web traffic.
- The importance of content type mix in B2B marketing and the role of video content.
- Best practices for dealing with fractional CMOs and other fractional team members.