Episode Summary
This episode discusses how buyer behavior is changing, especially in manufacturing, and the challenges companies face in aligning their sales and marketing strategies as a result. The guest, Kathy Macchi, shares her insights from over 25 years in the industry on how buyers are younger and want more control over the process. She highlights culture, technology, and data silos as major barriers for manufacturing companies looking to align. The discussion covers how account-based marketing (ABM) can help manufacturers by prioritizing the right accounts for large deals and providing a framework for collaboration. They emphasize starting simple with ABM and having a dedicated sales leader champion the approach.

About the guest

Kathy has thrived through 25 years in sales, marketing, and IT, and now leads Inverta’s consulting. She takes a no-nonsense approach to the role of digital skills, processes, and tools, and has helped Citrix, Microsoft, and HP transform their marketing. Additionally, she’s one of the foremost authorities in account-based marketing and has been certified by ITSMA as an ABM practitioner since 2007. Kathy conducts workshops, webinars, and training sessions, and has supported hundreds of ABM rollouts and scale-ups. When Kathy isn’t traveling the world, she enjoys a top-shelf vegetarian breakfast taco at her home in Austin, TX.

Connect with Kathy Macchi

Key takeaways
- Buyer behavior is changing, with younger buyers wanting more control over the sales process

- Major challenges for manufacturing companies in aligning sales and marketing include cultural resistance, lack of digital tools, and data silos

- ABM can help manufacturers target the right accounts for large deals, select key messages, and implement supporting technology

- When getting started with ABM, companies should pick the right sales leader, start simply, focus on goals and measurement, and continually reinforce the approach with sales

Quotes
"Buyer behavior is changing, they're no longer an individual buyer like you used to have, it's a buying group, and a lot of that buying group is anonymous.” -Kathy Macchi

Recommended Resource

Books
-The Next CMO

Podcast

-The Artificial Intelligence Show

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