Metric Monday: How Many Teams Are Using Waterfall Models and Which Types? 2024 Insights

Waterfall models are structured frameworks that track a company’s relationship status with prospects. These models provide organizations with a systematic approach to track and manage the progression of selling opportunities toward close. Waterfall models vary in the definition of stages and in where they initially begin tracking prospects. Some begin when a prospect has been targeted, while others track only official sales stages.

In our recent 2024 ABM Benchmark study, we asked B2B marketers whether they use a waterfall model and if so, which type.

Eighty-three percent of marketers in our sample indicated that their organization employs a funnel or waterfall model incorporating pre-sales activities. In the chart below, we show which types of waterfall models organizations use based on whether their organization practices ABM or not.

Account-based marketers have a clear inclination to adopt the advanced waterfall models — account and opportunity-based — than less advanced models — leads-based and sales-only funnels (please find descriptions of each below).

Surprisingly, account-based teams favor advanced waterfall models but rate their satisfaction similarly to peers using leads-based or sales-only funnels.

Non-account-based marketers, despite a low adoption rate (32.8%), find opportunity-based funnels more useful than other models. Thus, although not widely embraced by non-ABM organizations, the minority that does utilize this advanced waterfall method can hopefully encourage wider adoption among their peers.

Find more insights like these in our 2024 ABM Benchmark Report, linked below.

@Kerry