SEI Services drives complex sales rollout with Demandbase + Agency Partner

Introduction

SEI Services, a business consulting and services firm, faced a challenge in unifying its go-to-market strategy across numerous, geographically independent business locations. With a decentralized sales structure, implementing a cohesive Account-Based Marketing program across the entire firm was a complex task. Demandbase Professional Services provided the strategic partnership needed to create clarity from complexity. Through in-depth discovery, a tailored Maturity Assessment, and collaborative workshops with SEI’s agency partner, Demandbase delivered a clear framework and an actionable roadmap for the firm’s sales alignment. This partnership empowered SEI Services to move forward with a confident, standardized sales pilot, laying the foundation for scalable ABM success across the organization and its multiple locations.

The problem

SEI Services operates a unique business model composed of geographically independent locations  (they include Seattle, Chicago, and New York City). Each location functions on its own, with multiple teams managing service revenue generation and with no centralized sales team. This decentralized structure created a major hurdle for implementing a cohesive ABM strategy across the firm. SEI Services needed a way to unify its approach and roll out a consistent sales motion, but lacked a clear path forward. They required a partner who could understand their intricate structure and provide it with a strategic blueprint for ABM success.

The solution

True partnership means cutting through the noise to find the right path forward. Megan from the Demandbase Professional Services [DPS] team began with an in-depth Discovery call to fully grasp SEI Services’ location-specific structure and decentralized sales operations. This wasn’t a surface-level conversation; it was a deep dive into the core of their business.

Following this in-depth discovery phase, DPS introduced a Maturity Assessment that prioritized key recommendations and delivered a tailored strategic roadmap to drive alignment across the sales organization. This plan was designed specifically to optimize SEI’s sales rollout process, providing much-needed direction. To ensure unity and alignment, Megan then facilitated a collaborative session bringing together the SEI team and their agency partner. This powerful workshop was pivotal in shaping a successful sales pilot and refining their overall rollout strategy. The combination of Demandbase’s expertise and the agency’s insights created a winning formula that aligned what the multiple SEI Services locations did and how they approached doing it.

The results

Clarity drives confidence and collaboration. The partnership with Demandbase transformed SEI Services’ decentralized, fragmented sales approach into a focused, actionable plan. They moved from uncertainty to empowerment.

Key outcomes of the partnership included:

• A Clear Pilot Framework: SEI Services gained a clear and structured framework for building and executing a successful sales pilot, providing a model for future rollouts.
• Actionable Standardization Insights: The team received actionable insights to standardize ABM across their decentralized locations, creating unity and efficiency.

This strategic guidance enabled SEI Services to shift from operating without a defined, aligned path to confidently laying the groundwork for (and scaling) ABM success across their organization.

Key takeaways

1. ABM success requires a shared approach: ABM can work effectively across geographically independent business locations as long as sales teams agree upon a shared playbook and a shared approach.
2. ABM success requires shared data and insights: Actionable insights shared across the organization can fuel ABM success, while enhancing alignment, no matter the organizational structure.

It helps to get help when needed: Bringing in, and working with, an experienced partner who knows the ins and outs of ABM across multiple industries and organizational structures can help align internal teams around a shared playbook and approach for driving ABM success.

Conclusion

SEI Services’ story shows that even the most complex organizational structures can achieve GTM alignment with the right partner. The collaboration between SEI, their agency, and Demandbase Professional Services proves that a strategic, tailored approach is the key to unlocking ABM success. By gaining clarity and a confident, collective path forward, SEI Services is now positioned to successfully scale its ABM initiatives and drive predictable growth across every location.

“The Professional Services team has been incredibly helpful and continues to get us thinking outside the box.”

— Head of Revenue Operations at SEI Services