Transforming field marketing into ABM specialists

Gone are the days of front-line field marketing teams organizing posh breakfasts in luxury hotels and hosting summits for big industry leaders. The lead pool created by garnering interest from face-to-face events and in-person meetings to close big deals, the otherwise charming and multifaceted field marketerโ€™s role is facing grave duress. In fact, according to a research report published by Mckinsey, in February 2021, 62 percent of employed Americans worked at home during the pandemic, compared with 25 percent in 2019.

The question arises: Do companies need to cut back their expansive teams of front-line marketers because the โ€˜fieldโ€™ no longer exists? The short answer is NO!

Part event marketer, part sales enabler and sometimes, account-based sales representative, the field marketer is a versatile specialist. The time is ripe for field marketers to redefine their value to organizations and repurpose their expertise to operationalize Account-Based Marketing and pivot strategies to digital mediums.

The modern field marketing leader understands the urgency of creating immersive and interactive virtual experiences that drive demand and strengthen existing relationships. Since March 2020, digital interactions with sales reps went up by 41%. (McKinsey B2B Research Report, Oct 2020). To that effect, you need to equip your teams with smart tools and technology that can help them connect intelligently with their prospects and understand their business needs โ€“ now that charming prospects with plush wine-and-dine events are no longer possible.

Itโ€™s time for field marketers to shift gears from in-person lead generation efforts to focusing on more targeted ABM campaigns by tapping into their versatile expertise. Post-COVID, fostering account-management with a highly individualized approach to marketing has become a critical aspect of the field marketersโ€™ role.

Redeploying efforts to create thought-leadership content

In the B2B sector, traditional and in person meetings declined by 52% during COVID, from 61% to 29%. (McKinsey Report, Oct 2020). Now that virtual event planning is the new normal and geography is moot, how does field marketing create compelling virtual experiences for their target audiences? They think creatively about targeted campaign themes and driving thought-leadership. Savvy field marketing leaders understand that thought-leadership helps drive demand so they look for fresh and engaging real-time content that they can serve up to their audiences.

xiQโ€™s Workbench uses its SmartSourced ContentTM Engine to enable field marketers to create, curate, execute, and analyze thought-leadership campaigns โ€“ in minutes! Workbench enables high-performing marketing collateral to sit side-by-side with reputable third-party content, like Forbes and other leading publications, to gain credibility and drive higher engagement.

In addition, beyond click and open rates, xiQ Workbench offers first-hand insights into the interests of your prospects. Based on these insights, marketers can gauge which content is resonating most with their audiences to personalize their campaigns. In addition to sending targeted news digests, field marketers can then publish these thought-leadership articles directly to social media channels like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook to further engage audiences.

These account-based capabilities, along with xiQโ€™s Sales Intelligence solution, enable field marketers to give sales reps everything they need to know about their target audience in minutes, making the field marketing team a must-have partner for the sales team.

Leverage neuroscience and AI to help sales grow

xiQโ€™s Personality-driven Sales and Marketing Platformโ„ข combines neuroscience, psychology, and AI to understand the buyersโ€™ mindset and the factors that influence their purchasing decisions. Our award-winning, proprietary AI platform delivers personality insights, comprehensive account intelligence, and real-time, curated content right to your teamโ€™s fingertips so they can build trust and close deals faster.

Key capabilities of xiQโ€™s proprietary AI-powered platform:

  • Personality-driven insights and communication recommendations
  • Comprehensive all-in-one company profiles compiled in seconds
  • Sales triggers and real-time alerts direct to your inbox
  • SmartSourced ContentTM curation
  • First-party intent data and advanced analytics
  • Instasites (microsites designed for individualized experiences)
  • Outlook, Salesforce, MS Teams, and social media integration

Our large enterprise customers have engaged their audiences 10x better as compared to traditional marketing channels, saved thousands of hours of research time, and achieved up to 24% higher close win rates.

We can help you. Experience xiQ at xiQinc.com.

About The Author

Usman Sheikh

Founder and CEO

xiQ, Inc.

Usman Sheikh is the visionary founder and CEO of xiQ, an award-winning B2B sales and marketing platform. Through the fusion of generative AI, behavioral science, and ChatGPT, xiQ is revolutionizing the industry with its personality-driven sales approach.
As a futurist and design thinker, Usman aims to humanize B2B sales and marketing by leveraging generative AI and psychology. With xiQ, sellers can understand the mindset of prospective buyers and hyper-personalize engagement at every stage of the sales cycle.
Before xiQ, Usman held various global roles at SAP, including Vice President of Corporate Development, Product Management, Sales Enablement, and Digital Commerce.
Usman frequently serves as a guest lecturer on AI and B2B sales and marketing at renowned business schools such as the University of Texas, University of Wisconsin, University of Alabama, Louisiana State University, and Clemson University.
A graduate of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Usman’s diverse passions extend beyond business. He enjoys Squash, architecture, design, cooking, and hiking.