Just as every sphere of life constantly changes, the B2B sphere evolves as well, affected by the major trends in Internet, Mobile, Social Network, and Customer Behavior. Moreover to new business models for software, B2B marketers realize the importance of content marketing strategies, and invest more and more in online marketing, supporting the complete transfer of B2B into the digital world. In order to stay afloat, B2B sphere has to walk hand in hand with the progress. Forging the common responsibility features we suggest a novelty approach. Blending sales and marketing forces together into a Hybrid model leveraging their performance through only 4 basic steps action plan. Learn how to leverage you company inside Sales REPs into professional Trusted Advisor.

1. Engaging
Marketing & Sales
to Join Forces
Revital Libfrand, Co-founder
Ignite Cloudware

2. Big Bang Theory in the B2B business sphere
The B2B business sphere has changed in the last years due
to major trends that impacted the way companies are doing
business these days. The major trends are:
Internet
• Business
shifts online
• Software
moves to
cloud
Mobile
• Wireless
devices
become
essential
object
attached to
people along
the day
Social
Networks
• Personal:
people spend
most their
time online
• Professional:
B2B
marketers
generate new
leads
through
social
networks
Customer
Behavior
• Research
prior to
purchase
• Consumers
are more
demanding
and look to
get the best
value for
money
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3. Impact on Marketing and Sales in B2B sphere
• New business models for Software
transferring license based to other subscription type models
(freemium/premium)
• Low CAC (customer acquisition cost) becomes essential
As the average deal size is getting lower, the CAC must be
justified, new sales & marketing models must be adopted
• Marketing is shifting to the digital world
o Higher investments in companies websites and apps
o Content marketing strategies are adopted by many B2B
marketers.
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4. Impact on Marketing and Sales in B2B sphere
• Marketers engage customers through social networks*:
o 90% on Facebook, 53% on Twitter, 47% on LinkedIn and 33% on
Blogspot
o 61% of marketers use social media to increase lead-gen
o 41% of B2B use Facebook for generating leads
o X2 leads/months using Twitter
o 67% more leads/ month using active blog
• Sales teams are moving from field sales into inside sales model**:
o reduces cost-of-sales by 40-90% relative to field sales
o reduces sales force cost-per-contact
o increases number of contacts per day
o increases response times for customers, increases effectiveness
o becomes more flexible
o makes coaching and development easier
*http://blog.insideview.com
**http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/07/the-growing-power-of-inside-sa/
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5. Let’s check how those trends impact
the scope of responsibilities on
sales and marketing positions…
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6. Sales & Marketing Responsibilities in SaaS B2B
Online Marketing- Major responsibilities:
Inside Sales- Major responsibilities:
- Create brand awareness
-Identify sales opportunities within leads
- Generate enough leads for Sales
- Convert leads into customer
How marketing achieve its target?
How Sales achieve its target?
- Create present in digital channels:
website, webinars, blogs, social networks,
forum
- Initiate sales processes by engaging
customers in all virtual ways: chat, phone,
social networks, webinars ,etc
- Create and Broadcast professional
content with informative information
about the product and market trends
- Have professional knowledge about the
product, the market trends and
customer’s challenges
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7. Looks like sales & marketing activities
have something in common… don’t
they?
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8. Stop the Traditional
Eternal War…
Sales Vs Marketing
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9. Introduce your teams a Hybrid model
leveraging marketing and sales
performance
Join forces Model
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10. Ready? Set… ACTION PLAN!
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11. Action Plan Concept
Define What?
• Our target is to Help our inside Sales REPs to become professional
and act as “trusted advisor” with our leads and customers
• We have lot of professional content created by our marketing for
our leads and customers, let your marketing team work together
with your inside sales team to reach the company target
Define How?
• Marketing assistance to Sales would eventually help marketing
achieving their goals- Creating strong professional brand
awareness
Define why?
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12. Action Plan Tactics:
A simple 4 steps action plan will leverage you company inside Sales REPs
into professional trusted advisors:
• Step I: Create a professional profile in relevant social networks
• Step II: Join relevant professional groups in social networks
• Step III: Maintain ongoing relationship in any available media
and channel
• Step IV: Contribute & Share content with your network
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13. Step I: Create a professional profile in Social networks
• Suggest your Sales REPs which Social networks are the most
relevant for them to be active
• Create captivating professional profile
o Help your Sales REP creating a professional profile that will address the
right messages you wish to communicate your leads and customers
o Include summary about how can the REPs help their customers, what’s
issues and challenges they could solve using the company product and
services
• Include a decent photo
o ensure the profile includes a nice picture of the sales REP
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14. Step II: Expand your professional network
• Map relevant professional groups in Social networks
o As part of the marketing plan research, map relevant professional groups
that would be relevant for your Sales REP
o Analyze group activity and choose in accordance with your sphere of
work, or closely related to it
• Prepare a list of recommended professional groups for your Sales
REPs to join
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15. Step III: Maintain Ongoing network contacts
• Instruct your Sales REPs to leverage & expand their professional
social network
• Invite every lead/prospect you are in touch with to connect
• Propose people you met is a group discussion to join your
professional network
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16. Step IV: Contribute & Share content with your network
• Encourage your Sales REP invest 20 minutes per day to review &
contribute to professional discussions in the groups
• Encourage your sales REP to Post or comment regularly
• Update your Sales REP with any new marketing content you
created so they would be able to share it with their network
• Sustain the image of an active, sharing and involved sales
persona, “strike” purposefully
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17. Outcome of sales and marketing collaboration
Professional Sales affects your company brand and assist marketing
work with:
• contributing to lead nurturing process
• spreading content virally
• assisting contacts with potential audience
• sharing professional information
• getting relevant, interesting information
• building an active sales team that would eventually become
trusted advisor by the customer
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18. www.ignitecloudware.com
+972-72-2116601
revital@ignitecloudware.com
Ask me how to build an optimized
go-to-market plan for your SaaS
business
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