Why Timing + Relevancy matters in GTM – is it a "Shoe In"?

Melissa Chong

I recently had an experience I thought might be great food for thought, for aligning intent + timing + relevancy.

I’ve been interested in a competitive athletic event, and it requires “special skills” but more importantly, special shoes. Shoes that support speed, traction and stability. So, my research process went about like this:

When I narrowed that down, I went about it like this

(if anyone has participated in a competitive sport and had their shoe collapse or rip mid-sport, you understand why this is critically important!)

In this process, I managed to narrow it down to:

• Approximately three brands, for each brand there were 2-3 models to choose from.
• I knew I had a bias towards 1 of the brands, from first-hand experience.
• Two to three places to purchase from (direct brand site and resellers).

I knew I prioritized

• A reliable shoe within an affordable price range.
• I wanted to test the shoes for fit; so a reasonable return policy was important.
• They had be within a weight range and “not ugly” .

In the end, I narrowed down on one brand (let’s call it “Bob”) which was not the initial brand I had bias for. How did this happen?

• “Not Bob” was never mentioned by pro athletes; scattered mentions in forums and ranked over #20 in product comparisons.
• “Bob” was regularly mentioned by pro athletes and non-pros alike. Rated highly on forums, rated top #15 in product comparisons.
• “Bob” also had a product feature that made their shoes more responsive, and were well regarded for that technology.
• “Bob” was reasonably priced for the product offering.

Then I had to choose where to buy “Bob”. This was a little convoluted, because:

• I went to the brand site, discovered my favorite “Bob” in my size and preferred color was not available. Abandon cart!
• I scoured the interwebs for “that Bob”. Lots of scammy-looking sites, inflated prices. Sweat rising, I desired “that Bob”. I decide to stop shopping for a while, allow my nerves to settle.
• A week later, I am back to looking up “Bob”. I find a variation of “Bob” (let’s call it “Babs” – remember, each brand had 2-3 models which fit the needs!) which fulfilled “not ugly” and had all the functional needs, and I could use the “first time shopper” code on the brand site. I park this aside mentally. I still needed to get “Bob”.
• I find “Bob” (not “that Bob”, but the 2nd most attractive “Bob”) on a reseller site. I go for the kill.
• I go back to the brand site and justify that with the discount, I could get “Babs” and if I didn’t like her, I could return her (remember, return policy was important here). I could survive on oats for a month to make up for the expense.

Are you still with me?

If you are, congratulations. You have just experienced the internal mind of my sunshine purchase process of athletic shoes. But it’s not finished, because here’s what happened next:

A couple of days after purchasing my shoes, the brand site started spamming me. Yes, you read that right – SPAM. Extra mayo.

I got texts to “get that model you want before it runs out!” and emails about “don’t forget to use your discount code!”. Folks, this is why you’ll hear me say “CRM and MAP integrations are really important” and I felt like the brand missed various opportunities here for:

• Thanking me for being a first-time customer, asking to leave a product review for perks (acknowledgement, proper segmentation, retention opportunity).
• Retargeting me for upsell/cross of their running products (because I got the shoes).
• Slating me for a nurture program that provides thought leadership ie running clinics, running techniques, marathons to participate in (“relatable, relational subjects”).
• Ad nauseam.

I love the product – it performs. The re-marketing? Could use some work.

When I think about how this relates to our own customers, it suggests the importance of synthesizing data and executing them in a timely manner:

• Segmenting customers and prospects based on a set of signals, behaviors and first-party data to describe their “true state”.
• Developing a communications plan and cadence that creates relevancy and increases dialog.
• Embedding CTAs that are relevant and timely, based on known customer lifecycles.
• In B2B especially, evolving from communicating to buyer persona to buying committee (and doing this hand-in-hand, especially in matrixed buying organizations).

Yes, this will take time.

It is simple, not easy.

It is doable.

6sense has recently launched new programs to help support strategic planning and custom reports, designed to complement your organization’s needs. I highly recommend speaking to your Customer Success Managers to tap into these programs, as you accelerate your GTM programs this year!

Leigh Choate

This buyers journey is SO RELATABLE. And, sure, it’s a B2C experience, but B2B buyers go through the same issues. As marketers, we must do better. Thanks for sharing!

Melissa Chong

Thank you @Leigh Choate, I am so pleased it relates! This was borne from a discussion about buyer behavior. The "only clicks are tracked as engagement" is an age-old topic that eliminates a lot of nuanced buyer behaviors that contribute to an eventual decision. The assumption, even in B2B, is that an ad click is a strong "buying signal" (the data tells us otherwise). I wanted to relate that to a real B2C experience that has parallels to B2B buying. There's a lot more to say there, but it would have to be a thesis and I've run out of attention span!

Nikke Blout

Love this analogy, @Melissa Chong. From a marketing POV, I find your story to be a great reminder that buyers certainly do not move in straight lines, and when our timing is off, even “personalized” outreach can not only feel irrelevant, but annoying and inconsiderate even. The real win is using signals to shift the message, CTA, and cadence based on where the buyer actually is. Really strong parallel between B2C behavior and how B2B GTM teams should think about relevance. Of course, data hygiene (e.g., L2A matching, and parent/child account domain hierarchy hygiene, etc.) plays an incredibly important and critical role in this, but I digress, LOL. 😅 In any case, great example of how real buyer behavior should shape GTM execution. 🙌

Melissa Chong

Thank you @Nikke Blout! As usual, you make solid points about data accuracy and its validity for 'just in time' strategies. I wholeheartedly agree; just had a conversation with a Marketing leader over the weekend about AI enablement vis a vis data readiness. All of this <gestures broadly> is "stuff" we've got to be on top of, and it's A LOT, and we just have to choose our battles as wisely as we can. Appreciate you for your thoughtful response!

patrickcunning

Love this analogy as a thought exercise. Lots to take from it

Melissa Chong

Thank you, Pat! High compliment coming from you :)