What Does “Full Funnel Marketing” Really Mean?

Posted by Matt Heinz on Aug 5, 2016 11:42:07 AM

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What Is Full Funnel Marketing?The core idea behind this book is that marketers need to embrace and take responsibility for the entire sales funnel, not just the top half. It’s the new B2B imperative that marketers take full responsibility for the revenue impact of their efforts, that they work closely with their sales counterparts to make them more efficient and help them convert more opportunities into closed deals.

The book covers a wide range of “full funnel marketing” areas, including technology, sales enablement, productivity best practices and more. It’s both comprehensive in scope and easy to flip to the content you need for an immediate situation in your business.

What pushback have marketers had to the idea of working the entire funnel?

We’ve seen pushback from marketing, from sales, even from executive teams initially who either don’t understand the concept or aren’t seeing the full potential of what marketing can help achieve in the organization.

Marketers specifically, in many companies, have been so used to working the top of the funnel – focusing on Web visits and campaigns and leads – that it can be hard to see sales enablement, for example, as something in their purview. But increasingly, we see marketers grasping the idea that they are managing a profit center, that their role and stature in the organization can grow leaps and bounds when they put themselves closer to sales and revenue.

Talk more about that, how has the perception of marketers changed with a Full Funnel Marketing approach?

I’ve heard more than one sales VP or c-level executive describe marketing as the “arts and crafts” department – the group that does creative and business cards and trade show booths but is acting as a cost center. Unfortunately, many marketers have earned this distinction (even if it’s a bit unfair) by focusing their reporting on clicks, opens and activities instead of outcomes.

Marketers who embrace the full funnel opportunity are also embracing more risk and responsibility. And when they report on the revenue impact of their efforts, it’s hard not to take them more seriously. These marketing leads are seen increasingly as core to the growth of the organization, as key drivers of accelerating sales and profitability. They’re making decisions and triaging focus areas based on what drives business value, not marketing milestones.

So how do Full Funnel Marketers measure their work? What’s on their scorecards?

It’s fine to still measure the impact of marketing activities and campaigns, but Full Funnnel Marketers know that this is merely a means unto the ends that counts. You can’t buy a beer with a marketing-qualified lead.

Modern marketers see closed deals, marketing contribution to pipeline and marketing-influenced revenue as key measures of their impact and success. These are more difficult to measure, but ultimately are the right focus and benchmark for marketing’s value to the organization.

Is there any value in sales leaders reading this book as well?

Absolutely. This is a blueprint for how sales & marketing organizations can work together, but also gives sales leaders an idea for how to more proactively partner with marketing counterparts who embrace the Full Funnel model.

How can our readers get a copy of the book? It’s available for free on our Web site, just click here!


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Topics: B2B Marketing, Marketing Strategy


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