Sales and Marketing Success: Overcoming Obstacles and Achieving Growth With Amy Vosko
This month, Amy Vosko, PathFactory’s VP of Revenue Marketing, sat down with Demandbase’s Sunny Side Up podcast host Devan Cohen to talk about ABM, sales and marketing alignment, and the importance of mentors! This is just a peek of what was discussed—you can find the full episode here.
What are some of the main obstacles that sales and marketing organizations are currently facing? How can they overcome them to achieve greater success in what is such a tough market today in 2023?
It is hard to navigate where to allocate time, money, and resources when there are so many teams involved, such as sales, marketing, product, and customer success. Plus, you need to make sure everyone’s goals and target audiences are aligned, and that your strategies are generating the revenue you need. Limited budgets, revenue goals, and low team morale can make it even harder to succeed, which is why I always suggest leveraging technology to help bridge the gap between teams and building offline organizational groups.
What are your thoughts on the changes in the relationship between sales and marketing, and how it has made selling and driving revenue more challenging today compared to the past?
There’s always been a bit of a disconnect between the sales and marketing teams. But with all the technological advancements we’ve seen lately, it’s getting a lot easier to bridge that gap and work together towards the same revenue goals. From a sales perspective, there’s just so much data and information available nowadays that it’s almost overwhelming. That’s why I’m a firm believer in keeping things simple. My team is always refining our approach to make sure we’re providing the right information to sellers in a way that’s easy to understand and act on. It’s all about setting everyone up for success!
What is your perspective on companies adopting ABM strategies of all sizes and where do you think that’s headed as we move into the future?
The more I learn about ABM, the more I believe that companies should be thinking about ABM from the very beginning of their strategy, all the way through to retaining their customers. For me, ABM is about more than just building a one-to-many campaign or slapping a customer’s logo on a webpage. It should be embedded in the company’s methodology. That means validating which companies you want to sell to through data and other signals, like buyer behavior. Once you’ve identified your target accounts, it’s all about aiming your arrows in the right direction.
Could you elaborate on how ABM can be used to upsell and cross-sell to existing customers, which is often overlooked in the ABM journey?
In my experience, using ABM to upsell and cross-sell to existing customers can be a real challenge, especially when you’re already stretched for bandwidth. But, if you’re looking to boost your success rate, customer retention and expansion should be a major focus. That’s where ABM tactics come in. They can help you understand your customers’ interests and create bespoke conversations that address their specific needs. For example, if you lose a champion in the account, ABM can help you identify other key stakeholders and create personalized messaging that resonates with them. ABM is all about being heavily focused on the account’s needs, and luckily, technology has made it easier than ever to get smart about it.
Can you share some wisdom with our listeners about the support and mentorship you’ve received from your professional community, which has had a significant impact on your career?
I feel incredibly grateful for the mentors who have had a positive impact on my career journey. While not all of my mentors have been positive, I’m grateful for those who saw my potential and offered me opportunities outside of my field, despite having an art degree. Their constructive feedback and encouragement have helped me stay the course and grow as a professional. Now, as an executive and leader, I love to pay it forward by mentoring others, especially those in demand generation teams or BDRs. It brings me great joy to see people grow and achieve their goals. I also believe in the importance of seeking out communities of like-minded professionals for meaningful conversations and connections.
