As B2B companies, we invest massive amounts of money and resources into collecting signals about our buyers' journeys. We subscribe to intent data providers, deploy website visitor tracking, score leads based on activities, and ingest data from a dizzying array of sources. The logic seems sound - the more signals we collect, the better positioned we'll be to identify the right buyers at the right time.
But there's a fundamental flaw with this assumption: Simply collecting signals is not enough. We need a way to analyze and make decisions based on those signals. Otherwise, we're just creating more noise and complexity in our sales and marketing funnels.
Today, the typical B2B company likely has over a dozen different signal sources feeding into various systems. Yet virtually none of these companies are systematically measuring the outcomes and effectiveness of each signal source. Without this closed-loop analysis, we have no way of knowing which signals truly matter and which are just costly distractions.
This black box around signal effectiveness has led to catastrophic inefficiency and waste. According to industry analysts, B2B companies spend 60-80% of their marketing budgets simply generating more signals through programs, advertising, data subscriptions, and headcount. But we soldier on buying more data, running more campaigns, and hiring more reps - all without a clear understanding of what's actually working.
At iCustomer, we've built a GTM Decision Intelligence platform designed to finally shed light on signal effectiveness. Our solution tracks all signals the same way across the entire go-to-market, removing the disconnect between "inbound" and "outbound" data. We then apply machine learning to map signals to real-world outcomes like pipeline generation, sales velocity, and bookings.
With this elevated Decision Intelligence, customers can:
1. Understand which specific signals correlate with desired outcomes
2. Identify the true ROI of different signal sources and providers
3. Optimize investment mix by doubling down on productive signals
4. Tailor signal strategies for different segments, geos, and products
5. Dramatically increase sales productivity and marketing efficiency
The signals that indicate buying intent for an enterprise customer in North America are certainly different than those for an SMB buyer in APAC. Our GTM Decision Intelligence surfaces these nuances, allowing for highly targeted and ROI-optimized strategies.
In the era of AI and machine learning, there's no reason B2B companies should be flying blind on expensive signals. It's time we move beyond simply collecting data to actually utilize it for intelligent decision-making across the go-to-market. That's the power of true Decision Intelligence.
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