How The Best B2B Marketers Are Measuring Success in 2023 with Jason Bradwell from B2B Better

Sep 25, 2023

Jason Bradwell, founder of B2B Better and expert in B2B marketing consultation, shares insights on measuring success in 2023. He highlights the ongoing relevance of marketing qualified leads (MQLs) in complex sales cycles, stressing the importance of alignment between marketing and sales. Jason discusses the impact of longer buying cycles and emphasizes the need to engage the entire buying committee. He also advocates for building platforms, nurturing email lists, and harnessing AI tools to enhance productivity in marketing.

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INSIGHT

MQLs Still Matter in Enterprise

Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) remain relevant in complex B2B enterprise settings with long sales cycles.
Success requires a clear, aligned definition of MQLs reflecting intent and fit.

INSIGHT

Why MQLs Still Matter in Complex B2B Sales

Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) remain a crucial success metric in B2B marketing, especially in enterprise settings with complex buying committees and long sales cycles.

Jason Bradwell emphasizes that MQLs must have clear definitions aligned with sales — an MQL should not just be any contact but someone showing specific intent or engagement indicating they are a potential prospect.

He explains that marketing's role typically focuses on the top and middle of the funnel, priming contacts and handing them over to sales when they meet agreed-upon qualification criteria.

Proper lead scoring combining customer fit (like industry and technographics) and engagement fit (actions like content downloads) helps identify true MQLs deserving sales attention.

The key is the alignment and rigor in defining MQLs to avoid passing irrelevant leads to sales, ensuring marketing impacts commercial success in complex B2B environments.

INSIGHT

Lead Scoring Needs Human Touch

Lead scoring should focus on customer fit and engagement fit for identifying qualified leads.
Full automation isn't practical in enterprise sales; human analysis remains crucial.

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Jason Bradwell, founder of B2B Better, joins Tara Robertson on Demand Gen Chat to discuss the relevance of marketing qualified leads (MQLs) in B2B marketing. Jason argues that MQLs are still important in certain contexts, particularly in enterprise settings with long sales cycles and complex buying committees. He emphasizes the need for a clear definition of what constitutes an MQL and aligning with sales on the criteria. They also discuss the shift towards longer buying cycles and the importance of targeting the entire buying committee. Jason advises marketers to focus on building their own platforms and email lists, as well as experimenting with AI tools to streamline productivity.

Episode Links:

Follow Tara Robertson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taraarobertson/

Follow Jason Bradwell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonbradwell/

Check out B2B Better: https://www.b2b-better.com/

Jason’s viral LinkedIn post about events: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jasonbradwell_you-spend-120000-on-a-booth-next-to-the-activity-7087107819891499008--8D8?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Listen to the B2B Better podcast episode with Kyle Lacy: https://pod.co/b2b-better-1/v1-final-m4a

Jason’s A2E prioritization framework on Marketing Powerups: https://marketingpowerups.com/podcast/jason-bradwell-a2e-framework/

Check out Descript’s AI audio tools: https://www.descript.com/?lmref=2elBZw

Follow Lucy Heskins: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucyheskins/

Check out Grain AI: https://grain.com/

Follow Jason on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@jasonbradwell

Check out Jason’s newsletter B2B Bite: https://b2bbite.substack.com/

For even more marketing tips…

🌶️ Sign up for the spiciest newsletter in B2B: https://www.chilipiper.com/email-signup

🌶️ Check us out on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chilipiper/

Timestamps:

0:00:00 Introduction to the podcast and guest, Jason Bradwell

0:00:44 Jason's contrarian take on MQLs and their relevance

0:04:33 Importance of lead scoring and account scoring in B2B marketing

0:08:28 Longer and more complex B2B buying cycles and the need to target multiple personas

0:10:47 Scrutinizing marketing budgets and the need to shift focus

0:11:34 Tips for making the case to cut back on ineffective marketing tactics

0:17:19 Using branded content as an ABM play and repurposing content for sales enablement

0:20:00 Metrics to track in longer B2B sales cycles

0:25:22 Prioritizing and organizing ideas for experimental plays

0:33:19 Recommendation for an under-the-radar B2B marketer to follow

0:38:10 Where to follow Jason and find more of his content

Demand Gen Chat is a Chili Piper podcast hosted by Tara Robertson. Join us as we sit down with B2B marketing leaders to hear about the latest tactics and campaigns that are driving pipeline and revenue. If you’re looking for tactical ways to improve your marketing, this podcast is for you!