Jon Miller
Former CMO, Demandbase
A high-quality, live interaction will always be the most powerful way to initiate a discussion, deepen a relationship, or accelerate a deal.
That’s why events — both in-person and virtual — are ideal for ABM (account-based marketing) and ABX (account-based experience). Events offer an intimate, face-to-face way to engage with specific buyers where you focus on great experiences optimized for specific contacts from the target accounts you’ve selected. It doesn’t get much more personalized than that.
There are two kinds of events: those your company runs, and those that other companies (or organizers) run.
In ABX, the key metric for an event isn’t how many people attend; it’s how many of the right people from the right accounts attend — and how much they engage when they’re with you.
With this in mind, a dinner, roundtable, or roadshow-style event may be much more valuable for engagement than the industry’s biggest exhibition. And inviting key leaders or entire teams to your in-house executive briefing center for a whole day can be even better.
The best events tend to share these characteristics:
Many of the best high-level executive events include unique, money-can’t-buy experiences. For example, Apttus held a high-end dinner hosted by celebrity Chef Michael Chiarello, and Marketo once held an event at Club 33, an exclusive members-only club inside Disneyland.
No one does high-touch-style events better than Maria. Here are a few tips for 1:1 events:
In traditional marketing events, sales wants marketing to do the inviting (because they want new prospects) and marketing wants sales to do the inviting (because they have the relationships and will invite people more likely to attend).
As with so many aspects of ABX, marketing and sales must work together to draw up the list of event invitees. The invitation itself then comes from whoever is best placed to make that approach. When a relationship is already there, it will be sales. When not, marketing. Whichever you choose, make it personal!
Tip: If you’re targeting executives, the invitation should come from an executive in your company at the same — or higher — level of seniority.
Smarter GTM™ programs aren’t confined to your company-owned events. You can also make other events work for you, including those run by partners or by third-party organizers.
You may not be the only hero of these broader events, but you can still use them to develop relationships with your target contacts. A few tips:
Whichever way you go, recognize that your prospects usually aren’t at the event just to meet with you. Think about how you might make their visit more enjoyable or effective beyond your own interaction.
Jon Miller
Former CMO, Demandbase