A round-up of the day
Insights and inspiration from the day’s dynamic sessions, featuring behavior expert Jez Rose and speakers from Verizon Business, Autodesk, IBM, Microsoft, Tata Consultancy Services and more...
You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
We can do this, he said, by focusing on behavior and engagement. He argued that true leadership is about guiding and inspiring people, not just relying on rigid systems. Through humor and practical examples, Jez demonstrated that small behavioral adjustments could lead to significant outcomes, both in team dynamics and organizational culture.
“When you question assumptions and challenge the status quo, great things can happen," said Jez. By reframing statements as questions, leaders can unlock new possibilities and inspire creative problem-solving.
For example, instead of accepting the premise that, "We can't afford to implement this new strategy," asking, "What if we had a million dollars, would we be able to do it then?" This reframing can shift the focus from limitations to solutions and encourage a more proactive discussion.
Language is powerful – especially in the workplace. The words we choose can either limit or empower us, said Jez, shaping our perceptions and influencing our behavior. He encouraged leaders to adopt a more positive and solution-oriented language, rather than focusing on the negatives. A simple exercise like responding to employee challenges/blockers with "Yes, if…" followed by identifying the conditions for success, could be game-changing.
Jez Rose
Behavior Expert
90% of our growth comes from existing customers. We must drive loyalty so that customers aren't telling us, ‘You treat new customers better than you treat us.’”
Verizon's shift from a product-focused to a customer-focused model spurred significant changes across its organizational structure.
The business's previous approach, which centered around individual technologies like wireless, caused confusion amongst customers and a lack of cohesion across services. By prioritizing the customer experience and building stronger relationships, Verizon could address these issues.
“This meant showing customers how Verizon can help enable their business, not just pitching them a wireless solution,” said Mike.
With 90% of Verizon's growth stemming from existing customers, Mike explained that retention and maximizing the lifetime value of each client are now core to its strategy. This underscores a shift in B2B, where nurturing long-term relationships takes precedence over solely acquiring new customers.
Mike highlighted the importance of data in understanding and anticipating customer needs. Verizon's investment in data integration and analytics, including the development of 285 propensity models, enabled them to provide tailored solutions and proactive support, thereby building trust.
Using customer listening programs as well as gathering feedback from frontline employees reinforces a commitment to continuous improvement and customer-centricity.
The ever-changing market landscape and customer expectations require B2B organizations to be agile and adapt their strategies accordingly. "We have more than enough information on where we can improve. Our next task is to leverage gen AI to alleviate the cognitive load of the front-line employees and make it simpler for us to service our customers so that the experience improves. There's so much opportunity out there.”
Mike Cingari
SVP, Marketing Strategy and CX,Verizon Business
Meta Karagianni
Chief Consulting Officer,Momentum ITSMA
Once you set up a modular framework and once you have the content, it's not hard to scale your program to many, many companies.”
Momentum ITSMA's latest Global Account-Based Marketing Benchmark report showed that ABM-ers' top challenges include keeping up with the demand from sales teams and getting adequate budget and resources to deliver ABM across more accounts. With nearly three-quarters of buyers identifying their provider before the shortlist stage, early engagement is crucial for winning opportunities, which means marketers must reach accounts earlier in the sales cycle. Scalable content strategies can solve both of these challenges.
Eric Martin, former ABM-er at AWS, shared a case study that demonstrated the tangible benefits of scaling personalized content. By tailoring content to specific industries, personas, and customer challenges, AWS achieved a 20% uplift in conversion rates throughout the funnel.
Modular content – content that can be easily adapted and personalized for different audiences – was pivotal in the program's success and formed the basis of the workshop’s interactive exercise.
Attendees were asked to create a modular content strategy for Apple. They were given a scenario where Apple's CEO had allocated resources to their enterprise business unit to drive growth in new markets. The goal was to generate opportunities for large-scale hardware sales, specifically MacBooks, with 200 accounts across four sectors: media, engineering, education, and automotive.
Click here to access the slides for the session.
Eric Martin
Former ABM-er,AWS
Nick Mason
CEO,Turtl
Tom Stevenson
Senior Consultant,Momentum ITSMA
We were able to send out a proposal that was 100% better than what we would have sent out without deep customer insight.”
Momentum ITSMA’s Sarah DeFreitas introduced our Client Listening Framework for collecting, analyzing, and acting on feedback, which includes strategizing, executing, disseminating, and measuring the effectiveness of feedback initiatives. This process is divided into four maturity stages, from initial efforts to fully integrated practices.
Guest speakers Ed Brunins of RQI Partners and Christine Ferhat of CRB shared their experiences in embedding these practices within their organizations. Ed highlighted how client-focused strategies have transformed his company’s culture and operational approach, while Christine emphasized the role of feedback in shaping CRB's offering. “We ask, ‘Do you think we're innovative?’ and the responses help steer our thought leadership and campaigns.”
The session also facilitated practical peer discussions, allowing participants to share diverse strategies and customize feedback mechanisms to their specific organizational needs and customer landscapes.
The workshop underscored the pivotal role of customer insights in shaping business development, marketing, and product innovation.
Ed Brunins
VP of Marketing,RQI Partners
Christine Ferhat
Customer Experience Lead,CRB
Sarah DeFreitas
Executive Director Research,Momentum ITSMA
It's been fascinating to watch the evolution of field marketing evolve from a somewhat limited role to become much more multi-faceted."
Autodesk's Mendeil Bailey spoke of the importance of adapting roles and functions rapidly in response to changing business needs, whether its shifts in business models, go-to-market strategies, or internal structures.
Mendeil highlighted how Autodesk has moved beyond traditional marketing roles to require team members to act as “the CMO of their accounts,” blending strategic insight and operational excellence.
The conversation touched on AI and technology, too. While data and performance management skills are key to effectively showcasing marketing's impact, the panelists unanimously agreed that AI proficiency is no longer a competitive advantage but a necessity for marketers.
But finding the time for skills development is tough. The panelists agreed training should be integrated into daily workflows, rather than treated as a separate activity.
Demandbase's Alicia Hale said leaders must set an example. “Deploying something great with a small group and showing positive impact makes other folks just want to jump on board.”
MathWorks' Karen McEwen agreed that pilots can enable organizations to trial new strategies with minimal risk before fully committing resources. “You can always scare up enough money, humans, and permission to do a pilot,” she said.
Karin McEwen
Senior Director of Worldwide Marketing Programs, Mathworks
Mendeil Bailey
Director, Amer Account-Based Marketing, Worldwide Marketing, Autodesk
Alicia Hale
SVP of Growth Marketing,Demandbase
We are all in. We've put the demand generation, MQLs, and SQLs to the side and are focused on an Account-Based Marketing strategy.”
Dow Jones's business model has shifted in focus. Today, the B2B division is geared towards retaining and growing its existing customer base, which consists of over 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies.
Clara, SVP of B2B Marketing at Dow Jones, has championed ABM to help the organization strengthen relationships and emphasize trust and deep business understanding.
As part of the transformation, the marketing team transformed to align with industry-specific needs. Clara shared insights into building a business case for ABM, which was instrumental in securing budgets and gaining organizational buy-in.
“Clients wanted to work with companies that understand their business, understand their industry. We showed that we could do this if we focused on our accounts, and how we could cross-sell and expand, rather than acquiring new clients.”
An all-in ABM strategy could accelerate growth by leveraging deep data analytics to better understand and expand existing client relationships compared to acquiring new ones. Clara highlighted the role of technology in this transformation, particularly the use of generative AI and the creation of a centralized dashboard for a unified view of client data, which supports more cohesive sales and marketing efforts.
Facing the challenge of rapid execution and the pressure to deliver quick results, Clara is driving the strategy forward by rapidly scaling up the marketing infrastructure and focusing on detailed execution.
As Dow Jones continues to innovate within its ABM approach, Clara's leadership is a testament to the potential of ABM to transform marketing strategies and deepen client engagements in complex, high-stakes business environments.
Click here to access the slides from the session.
Clara Belalcazar
SVP, B2B Marketing,Down Jones
Alisha Lyndon
CEO,Momentum ITSMA
AI is making our jobs more fun by eliminating low-value tasks and enhancing our strategic capacity.”
Fabiana Brunetti, Director, AMS Enterprise Marketing and Global ABM Lead, and Stephen Casale, Director, Executive Communications atPure Storage, shared their journey of experimenting and engaging with generative AI, particularly in scaling content and enhancing personalization in ABM.
Fabiana noted: "What I know about AI today, I didn't know a year ago," reflecting the rapid learning curve every marketers has been on recently. Today, her focus is on using generative AI to enhance the efficiency of content personalization and scalability.
Stephen, meanwhile, spoke of his experiences as an "AI champion," focusing on optimizing processes and reducing manual effort across marketing tasks. He extolled the transformative impact of generative AI on daily operations, saying: “AI is making our jobs more fun by eliminating low-value tasks and enhancing our strategic capacity.”
The session underscored the potential of generative AI to revolutionize marketing strategies through enhanced insights, engagement, and operational efficiency.
Fabiana Brunetti
Director, AWS Enterprise Marketing and Global ABM Lead,Pure Storage
Director, AMS Enterprise Marketing and Global ABM Lead, Pure Storage
Director, Executive Communications, Pure Storage
Senior Consultant, Momentum ITSMA
Stephen Casale
Director, Executive Communications,Pure Storage
ChatGPT is the single most effective marketing vehicle that I've seen, turning something complex into a consumer product that looks like magic.
According to our research, 91% of buyers have started to use generative AI in their ABM programs, and marketers aren't far behind.
This workshop on generative AI, designed for marketers who are more advanced in their generative AI adoption and featuring insights from IBM's Sharon Driscoll and Microsoft's Alberto Reales, provided a deep exploration into integrating AI within marketing and sales strategies.
Sharon discussed IBM's shift from account-based marketing (ABM) to a larger scale, AI-driven approach she refers to as “audience-led marketing."
Alberto shared how Microsoft uses generative AI to streamline processes and create more engaging customer experiences, reflecting on the practical applications and substantial returns from AI in his operations. He added, “ChatGPT is the single most effective marketing vehicle that I've seen, turning something complex into a consumer product that looks like magic.”
Attendees broke into groups to discuss and prioritize advanced use cases of generative AI within their organizations. With the consulting expertise of Adam and Aaron, participants were able to apply what they had learned from the guest speakers and explore practical applications of AI in their specific contexts, fostering collaboration and idea exchange among attendees.
Sharon Driscoll
ABM leader and CMO,IBM
Alberto Reales
Analytics and Marketing Ops, Americas,Microsoft
Aaron Bean
Head of Consulting, Americas,Momentum ITSMA
Adam Bennington
Head of Consulting, EMEA,Momentum ITSMA
With thought leadership, you get to uncover ideas, challenge thinking, and help customers resolve a problem. But it can also generate revenue.”
But, as Serge Perignon, Global Head, Thought Leadership & Services Marketing at Tata Consultancy Services, explained, practitioners must align thought leadership with the organization's overall business objectives and revenue goals to be effective.
He suggested a "follow the money" approach to prioritize projects, focusing on areas where there is strong executive buy-in, budget availability, and a clear path to generating leads and revenue. This ensures that thought leadership efforts are strategically aligned with the organization's priorities and contribute directly to business success.
Serge also advocated for a “hub-and-spoke” model, where a small thought leadership team provides guidance and support to a broader network of practitioners within different business units. “This model is more sustainable and scalable than relying on a large, centralized team, particularly in today's dynamic business environment.”
For sustained success, Serge and Mark both advocated for strong strategic alignment and long-term investment in thought leadership, seeing it as integral to business success rather than just a communication tool. This not only benefits the individual leaders but also strengthens the overall impact of the thought leadership program by associating it with recognized experts and decision-makers.
Serge Perignon
Global Head, Thought Leadership & Services Marketing,Tata Consultancy Services
Mark Wellings
Executive Director, Thought Leadership,Momentum ITSMA
