Joining me on this episode of Accelerate! is my guest Jon Miller, Founder and CEO of Engagio. Among the many topics that John and I discuss, are how Account-Based Everything (ABE) is not marketing automation but human engagement, methodically orchestrated, assisted by data; how ABE breaks down silos and aligns marketing and sales; and, how ABE shortens the time to revenue for the large, complex sale.  

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[:46] Jon’s BS is in physics, studying fusion. He was accepted by MIT into a Ph.D. program, but, instead, followed his friends into management. Engagio is Jon’s second startup. He cofounded Marketo — recently bought by Visa Equity.

[3:28] With Marketo, Jon fished with a net for whatever they picked up. They tried reaching out to spear big fish with outbound marketing tactics, but Marketo was not a fit for that. Engagio was built as a platform for account based marketing.

[5:48] Until recently, marketing has been a lead-centric business, not an account-centric platform, as sales has been. When marketing and sales work together on the same accounts, they are more relevant, focused, and personalized.

[8:56] TOPO says marketing alone will only get about 15% penetration into the target accounts. What does penetrate better is the account based sales development function.

[10:16] Account based sales development, working independently from account based marketing, builds silos. Engagio works to build all functions together under the same tent: Account Based Everything, a phrase borrowed from TOPO.

[11:06] ABE is a strategy for aligning and orchestrating marketing, sales, sales development, and customer success, into personalized interactions across the account — both for new business and existing customers.

[13:03] How does the ABE approach gives a shorter time to revenue than marketing alone?

[15:34] Account based outbound lets you target big fish, reaching high into those accounts, using the challenger model to create the opportunity, which puts you in a strategic place.

[16:24] The traditional sales model for large account has many hand-offs. The ABE model involves everybody in an orchestrated process. There are no marketing deals or sales deals, but team deals.

[20:36] Jon uses two analogies for Engagio: the orchestra conductor, making sure the right people come in and out at the right time; and the football play mapped out in a diagram, emphasising the elements of the team.

[23:16] This is not marketing automation, but human engagement, methodically orchestrated, assisted by data. Jon explains how it is the opposite of sales spam.

MORE ABOUT JON MILLER

What’s your most powerful sales attribute?
I come across very credible, as both a domain expert in my space, and also as a SaaS executive who has done this before.

Who is your sales role model?
The analyst firm TOPO, led by Craig Rosenberg; Trish Bertuzzi; Jason Lemkin at SaaStr.

What’s one book that every salesperson should read?
The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation, by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson

What music is on your playlist right now?

Hamilton soundtrack.

CONTACT JON MILLER

Website: Engagio.com

Books: Engagio.com/Guide