Partnering for cutting-edge sales expertise
September 15, 2021
Digital sales and marketing models are worlds away from the traditional marketing and sales models many companies excelled in for decades. When digital technologies were nascent, we saw many companies try to retrofit traditional sales and marketing techniques—keeping their mindset and approach the same, but adding new technology to the mix. We all know what the outcome of that experiment was—marketing and sales that weren’t hitting the mark when compared to competitors doing true digital inside sales.
Jeff Laue, founder and CEO of N3 (which Accenture recently acquired), says his team was brought in many times after failed attempts at digital inside sales. “The solutions are changing so fast. Where they fit, nobody knows.” N3 teams do know, however, and use their industry and technology know-how to help companies build differentiated products and services. He shared more about that experience in a recent XaaS Files podcast with us.
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“We helped a multibillion dollar systems integrator consultancy transform their whole sales approach when COVID hit . . . they weren’t working on messaging and their marketing was not integrated correctly with their software.” Jeff’s team helped them turn their approach around to better suit the times and their clients.
It's becoming more common for companies to bring expert help into the front office to improve sales and marketing. Jeff shared that N3 was brought in for myriad reasons. “If you’re having problems with strategy, we come in and help with strategy. If they have an inside sales function but they’re not sure they can scale quickly enough in a certain region, we will scale the region and then go away . . . there’s always a need for partners in the front office.”
As the conversation went on, it became clear that an increasing number of clients aren’t just looking for help with a particular solution, but instead want a peek behind the curtain. N3, part of Accenture is helping a client build a “separate but equal” sales capability to launch some new products into the market. The client told us that they view the relationship as a great opportunity for them to learn about what new sales and marketing models look like. They’re looking for an example of what they should aspire to.
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For example, Accenture partnered with Qualcomm, IHG, and InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown to pilot an extended reality (XR) virtual event planning tool. Hotel sales staff, event planners and buyers can collaborate side-by-side or in separate geographic locations using mobile, mobile AR, AR glasses and VR headsets with each device providing different levels of immersion in the space. Together, they can configure the venue in real-time. Our analysis shows shortened sales cycle, decreased booking costs and revenue uptick of up to 8%. This is a great example of clients being able to leverage a relationship to become more aspirational and gain access to cutting-edge technology expertise.
We couldn’t agree more with Jeff’s assertion that partners—especially in sales and marketing—are most valuable when they can help create a unique offering that increases your company’s or brand’s value to the customer. Scaling, market access, best practices and more are essential, but secondary to the core value proposition.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning from Jeff over these past few podcast episodes. If you missed any, you can find them on our XaaS Files homepage.
This content is provided for general information purposes and is not intended to be used in place of consultation with our professional advisors.
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