Alignment success stories.
The companies who have achieved sales and marketing alignment and the difference it has made…
So far in this series, I’ve focused on the automotive sector. Now I’m going to share case studies of businesses outside the automotive industry that have overcome people, process and platform challenges to achieve sales and marketing alignment.
I’ll look at what they did, how they did it and the results they achieved.
People - Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
How marketing and sales can collaborate to build a pipeline of new opportunities and drive revenue growth…
Overview.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is an American IT company, providing services and consultancy in cloud computing technologies.
Problem.
HPE was looking to grow in the retail sector – a fiercely competitive area of the market. They needed to cut through the noise and grab the attention of key decision-makers to generate meaningful one-to-one conversations for their sales team.
Solution.
HPE carried out research into the top fifty retail companies, building deep profiles on each business and their network of decision-makers. They used this data to create highly targeted communications, addressing each business and individual's specific pain points, relevant to their business and their role.
These messages positioned key individuals in HPE as thought leaders, using their public profiles to share content and engage with individual decision-makers.
This content had a clear call to action, focused on driving sales team meetings. The sales team were provided with playbooks and presentations, created by the marketing team, ensuring consistency between marketing content and the sales pitch.
Results.
The teams had to work in partnership. Marketing’s influence went beyond simply generating a lead – they were responsible for managing the sales teams’ reputation, as well as helping them deliver an engaging sales pitch.
Generated a pipeline of $150M
Revenue of $33M
Process - O2.
How a joined-up customer journey helps trigger marketing and sales interactions at the right time…
Overview.
O2 launched its enterprise IT business in 2011, providing large organisations and public sector bodies with a range of IT services.
Problem.
O2 found that their marketing activity was falling on deaf ears and not generating the level of awareness, consideration or leads required. Prospects thought of O2 as a telecoms provider, not an IT business.
Solution.
O2 needed to focus on winning key accounts to boost their profile and make clear to key decision-makers that their IT services should be taken seriously. To do this, the business developed a joined-up sales and marketing strategy, with marketing activity triggering sales and prospecting follow-ups.
O2 created a personalised report for each business, using account and industry data to calculate a projection of how much money their services could save clients.
Prior to the report being issued, each prospect received a call from the sales team, warming them up to receive this personalised insight. After the report was shared, each prospect received a follow-up call from the sales team, proposing a face-to-face meeting to discuss the projected savings.
Results.
Using interactive marketing content to trigger a follow-up action not only increases engagement (by 36% in our experience) – it also improves efficiency. The process separates the ‘wheat from the chaff’, helping sales focus on engaged opportunities.
Three-figure number of opportunities
Seven-figure value of pipeline
Seven-figure value of closed business
Platform - Addison Lee.
How creating a single view of the customer across marketing, sales and service improves customer experience…
Overview.
Addison Lee is a UK-based private hire and courier company, operating over 4,000 vehicles and completing over 20,000 jobs per day.
Problem.
Uber and other ride-sharing companies have disrupted the private hire industry. Addison Lee differentiates itself by offering a premium service for personal and business transport. However, its customer experience had to live up to the brand promise.
Solution.
Providing a premium service to such a diverse customer base was Addison Lee’s biggest challenge. The needs of private individuals, SMEs and large corporates differ greatly. They needed a single view of each customer, across marketing, sales and service. Achieve this and they could track the end-to-end customer experience and deliver a personalised service, regardless of the type of customer.
Addison Lee implemented Salesforce, monitoring every interaction and touchpoint – even down to mentions on social. This data was analysed and used to make predictions about each individual account and the quality of service provided to each customer. This information was then used to diagnose any potential issues, prompting marketing, sales or service teams to take action.
Results.
This single view of the customer brought every aspect of a customer's interaction and experience with Addison Lee into one place. The data became usable for all departments, to help the business make the right decision and optimise the outcome for the customer.
In FY20/21, Addison Lee posted a turnover of £164M, and an EBITDA of £7.9M, despite the pandemic and the rapid growth of ride-sharing services and on-demand delivery providers.
Today, Addison Lee remains a profitable, successful business, carving out a niche for itself by offering a premium service and delivering an experience to match.
References.
1 - https://www.uviaus.com/blog/top-2021-b2b-account-based-marketing-case-studies-abm
2 - https://www.b2bmarketing.net/en-gb/free-downloadable-guides/5-great-examples-abm-action
3 - https://www.salesforce.com/eu/customer-success-stories/addison-lee/
Want to hear more?
To receive regular insight, updates and advice, simply sign up to our newsletter.