CMO Viewpoint: 5 “Aha” Moments at Forrester B2B Summit 2022
1. There’s no replacement for connecting in-person.
The overwhelming sentiment for many of us was just how great it felt to connect in-person at a B2B event. Needless to say, it felt amazing to be back in-person at Summit to soak up the energy of having 2000+ B2B practitioners all in one place engaging with and learning from each other.
2. We all need to change.
Our world has changed forever and B2B marketers too must change alongside it. Our buyers have higher expectations of being heard, known, and understood. They expect an increasingly personalized, relevant buying experience in the channels where they get their information. It’d be crazy for us to expect the strategies and tactics of 2019 to work the same way today. That’s why we have been championing a buyer-driven, cross-channel approach with Precision Demand Marketing for the past year.
3. Customer obsession is key to this change.
Central to facing this change head-on is the importance of putting your customer at the center of everything you do. There’s only one process that matters and that’s the buyer’s process. And this customer obsession needs to permeate everything that we do. We need to listen and respond to our audience’s needs. We need to create dynamic content experiences based on sensors and signals.
The proof? Forrester analysts point to stats that demonstrate that customer-obsessed organizations outperform their peers in growth, retention, profitability, and employee engagement.
4. Measure what matters.
Another consideration to being customer obsessed is to measure what matters. Forget the numbers game based on the quantity of leads. It’s about understanding the holistic, cross-channel path to conversion and the impact on revenue. This is why we recently launched Cross-Channel Insights – to provide a single view into cross-channel performance.
Insights are what allow us to go from goals to outcomes @CristinasTrail #ForrB2BSummit— Ross Graber (@RossGraber) May 3, 2022
The future for the TR campaign management team. Shifting from short-term leads to long-term goals. It’s all about the buyer’s journey and maximizing their moments with sales! #integrate #forrb2bsummit pic.twitter.com/GKn4S0Dmyp— Marcia Trask (@marciatrask) May 4, 2022
5. Invest in your team.
At the end of the day, the work we do is a reflection of our teams. As part of the change we’re all dealing with is the very real effects of the Great Resignation. Listen to your teams, connect on a personal and human level, and support them how they need to be supported. Build psychological safety into your teams and understand the importance of a positive, resilient, trusting workplace.
Gratitude for our B2B community and team.
And that’s a wrap! Thank you to all the folks who made Forrester B2B Summit happen, our customers and partners, our friends and community, and thank you Integrators for being the best team in the world! I already can’t wait for next year’s Summit!
