Where 6sense meets CRM - a case study in ABM optimization

Challenges

A bi-directional sync between BOL’s CRM instances (SFDC & HubSpot run in parallel) required manual data entry & fixes that increased operational costs. Despite tighter controls, human error had created data hygiene issues resulting in low-quality data that had compromised the 6sense model.

Revamped 6sense usage results

• Pipeline growth
• Shorter sales cycles
• Increased site traffic
• Increased account > opp rate
• Improved opp > closed/won rate

Rethinking 6sense

What is 6sense?

A unified predictive Intelligence platform that captures buying signals, accurately predicts which accounts to target and when, and boosts revenue performance.

What does it have to do with CRM?

6Sense is built on an extensible framework that allows us to natively integrate with other key tools in BOL’s revenue technology stack (ie CRM, MAP & SEP) giving marketing, sales and operations teams a single source of truth that makes it possible to transform pipeline into predictable revenue growth efficiently.

What goals were established?

Transitioning from SFDC to Hubspot to ensure clean, high-quality data to inject more reliable insights & signals into BOL’s ABM motion. This required a new CRM/6sense taxonomy to support a number of key objectives:

1. Ensure trust in the data

Improved data hygiene to enable 6sense’s data science team to rebuild in-market, profile fit & reach models in ways that would reestablish trust in the modeling and enable BOL to confidently tap into 6sense insights to fuel nurturing & prospecting motions designed to accelerate pipeline.

2. Improve efficiency

A consolidated tech stack. Automated data dissemination. Minimized manual data entry. A new CRM /6sense pairing to enable BOL to capitalize on key efficiencies central to optimizing sales and marketing initiatives.

3. Power intelligent prospecting

The new CRM/6sense taxonomy would yield additional data that could inform and improve how the agency identifies and engages new prospects, inverting the ratio of low to high-profile accounts within its CRM platform.

Creating a road map

A phased approach

Revisiting the agency’s approach to ABM and 6sense took careful planning executed in phases. 

Phase 1

• Rebuild Datorama dashboards through Hubspot
• Turn off bi-directional sync between SFDC and Hubspot
• Create and implement robust CRM data hygiene protocols 
• Disconnect SFDC from 6sense & replace it with Hubspot
• Refine keyword & Bombora topic taxonomies 
• Refine exclusions & formalize the process for ongoing maintenance

Phase 2

• Audit & rebuild alert/proactive prospecting framework to focus sales
• Build out supplementary plays
• Market segments
• Early-stage opportunity nurture
• Closed/lost win back
• Upsell/cross-sell 
• Renewal

Different teams. Unified approach.

Sales

Goal
Improve prospecting across key market segments

Benefits

• Data-informed approach

• More automation/less manual work

• Self-sustaining, seller-agnostic framework

• Improved pipeline quality

• Optimized pipeline composition

• Better period-over-period trending

Success

• Pipeline growth

• Shorter sales cycle

• Increased account > opportunity rate

• Improved opp > closed/won rate

Marketing

Goal
Build awareness across key constituencies and drive early-stage nurturing

Benefits

• Intent-driven approach
• True ABM
• Increased automation
• More efficient ad spend
• Resource optimization
• Self-sustaining framework

Success

• Increased site traffic from target accounts
• Net positive progression of target accounts
• Improved marketing-influenced pipeline

Client Services

Goal
Mitigate the risk of churn through an improved understanding of client behaviors and signals

Benefits

• Identify content consumption patterns that could indicate defection
• Identify content consumption patterns that could indicate the need for a BOL service currently not in scope

Success

• Reduced churn
• Earlier risk identification
• Improved upsell/cross-sell metrics

Analytics

Goal
Understand key data and performance indicators

Benefits

• Optimized pipeline composition 
• Improved understanding of marketing impact

Success

• Pipeline balance & acceleration 
• Net positive progression period-over-period
• CRM alignment with target accounts
  
  

A long-term investment in ABM

Doing ABM right is the only way to do ABM. And ensuring that the tech and tools supporting BOL’s ABM program are always a help, not a hindrance has been key. In recognizing that a change needed to be made to power an efficient and effective program, BOL took a big step toward a long-term investment that will continue to pay off.

See what BOL can do to optimize an ABM program for you.