But most marketers report that sales rejects 80% of marketing-generated leads
The results of a new survey of 321 US-based B2B marketing professionals found that 70% of B2B marketers report that they are measured on the amount of revenue generated from their marketing and lead generation campaigns.
According to the study, 60% of the respondents say they are measured on quality as evidenced by the number of leads that their sales teams accept, and 70% of marketers report they are measured on the quantity of leads they generate. Yet a majority of those surveyed report that their sales teams reject 80% of their leads.
Only 31% of marketers report that they are currently using predictive analytics to improve lead conversion rates and attribute marketing activities to actual revenue. Of those using predictive, 83% have been using predictive analytics for less than two years. Of those who are not yet using predictive analytics, 54% are planning to invest in the next 12-36 months.
Of the companies that are using predictive analytics today, respondents are mostly using firmographic and demographic data and content engagement on their websites to qualify prospects. That data includes:
- Recent website activity (downloads of content, email clicks, etc.) – 76%
- Buyer profile information (title, job role, contact info, etc.) – 73%
- Company profile information (industry, company size, company location, etc.) – 67%
The data currently collected by most predictive vendors does not always align with what marketers say their top priorities and needs are for predictive analytics which include:
- Identifying new prospects – 51%
- Improving campaign metrics through more personalization based on buying stage – 48%
- Knowing where prospects are in the sales funnel – 43%
- Knowing more about which products my prospects are reviewing - 42%
"It is clear from these survey results that, more than ever before, marketers are on the hook for ROI, and their needs go beyond what most predictive solutions have been offering," said Amanda Kahlow, CEO and Founder of 6sense. "Understanding timing and getting more visibility into buyers is what will solve this issue – and that requires time-sensitive, unstructured activity data on a mass scale. Predictive solutions that simply rank and score leads based on ideal buyer 'fit' or static data -- company and contact attributes -- and limited engagement with a company's content assets are missing the billions of external buying signals proven to increase the accuracy of predictive models. These static attributes tell you if the contact and company is the right buyer, not if they have a need for your product now. Timing isn't everything. It's the only thing."
The "2015 Survey of B2B Marketers" report was commissioned by 6sense and completed by a third-party market research firm. The survey was completed by 321 US-based B2B marketers with director-level or higher titles; 56% of whom work for companies that have annual revenues of $100 million and higher.
www.6sense.com
