200 Marketing & Sales Execs Challenge
the B2B Marketing Status Quo:
Revealing What’s Fact
and What’s Fiction
2
If the term “new normal” makes you
want to roll your eyes, you’re not alone.
But eye roll or not, COVID-19 has colored
the way many of us work and live—even
how we view the world at large. Here’s
just one example.
We recently surveyed 215 marketing and sales
professionals in a wide variety of industries and asked
them what the biggest buzzword was in the B2B sales
and marketing space in 2020. While we were ready to
accept that they’d largely gravitate to marketing jargon
and hyped trends like “personalization,” “AI” and “ABM,”
we were surprised to nd that COVID-19 co-opted our
every thought. For instance, respondents were three-
times more likely to reference COVID-19, COVID and
Coronavirus than ABM. And when we bucketed all
buzzwords categorically based on their reference to
the new reality versus standard sales and marketing
trends, we found that 38% more people referenced
pandemic-related topics. (See side bar)
Revealing What’s Fact and What’s Fiction
Marketing in a New Context
2020 Buzzwords: The ‘New Normal’ Takes Over
Agile
Authentic
Collaboration
Commitment
Competition
Contactless
Convenience
Corona
COVID
Covid-19
Digital-savvy
Digital
Digital Transformation
Empathy
Furlough
Healthy
Human
Innovative
IT Software
Low income
Nimble
Online
Pandemic
Pivot
Progress
Remote work
Resilience
Safety
Social Distancing
Teams
The New Normal
Trust
Unprecedented
Video
Virtual
Virtual Connection
Virual Events
Virtual Meetings
Vitrual Platforms
Virtual Programing
We're in this together
WFH
Work from Home
Zoom
3
Revealing What’s Fact and What’s Fiction
But even amidst the uncertainty and chaos of a global pandemic, we all
still have marketing goals to hit, campaigns to execute and content to
create. Marketing and sales teams have tried their hardest to keep the
machine running, rewriting their messaging, pivoting their plans and
overhauling in-person experiences for virtual channels. While some
organizations have successfully adapted and evolved, some have hung
on to preconceived notions and past experiences to guide the way.
As we barrel toward 2021 and see an ongoing shift in business dynamics
and buyer behaviors, we thought it would be the perfect time to survey
our community of practitioners.
The goal?
To debunk some commonly accepted myths and
half-truths that are permeating the landscape—and
that means zeroing in on some of the hottest trends
and buzzwords to determine how organizations can
best spend their time, budget and bandwidth
moving forward.
4
Revealing What’s Fact and What’s Fiction
In fact, marketing and sales teams are feeling more strapped
than ever and navigating daily life has become a mental and
emotional rollercoaster. Half (50%) of respondents said that
they’ve experienced burnout since the start of COVID-19 and just
as many reported that the lines between their work and personal
lives are becoming more blurred...and not in a good way.
The mental and emotional load of quarantine and work-from-
home life is also impacting our work output, with 34% of
respondents struggling to come up with creative ideas that keep
their audience’s attention. This struggle is compounded by the
fact that our buyers are more overwhelmed by digital content
and virtual events, creating a daunting gap between initial
interest and actual engagement. (See Fig. 1)
(Fig. 1) Given the current social and economic climate,
largely related to COVID-19, which of the following are true?
I’ve experienced burnout personally at some point in the past 4 months
Lines between work and personal life have become more blurred
(in a negative way)
Me/my team are nding it more dicult to come up with creative ideas
We’re seeing higher registration for virtual events/webinars,
but increase in no-shows
Lines between work and personal life have become more blurred
(in a positive way)
The surrounding events have had minimal impact on my work
I’d rather go to the dentist than sit through another webinar
The surrounding events have had a positive impact on my work
50%
50%
34%
32%
22%
16%
14%
11%
Fact or Fiction?
Marketers have responded to
COVID-19 flawlessly. They’ve
been able to pivot and
execute without struggle.
The Answer: FICTION
5
Revealing What’s Fact and What’s Fiction
Of course, we can’t blame the pandemic for all the challenges
that hold marketing and sales professionals back from reaching
peak performance, but COVID-19 has highlighted some
simmering anxieties. Sure, most of us have long bemoaned the
need for more time and resources. The pandemic has elevated
those challenges to new heights, especially as our companies
rewrite budgets and still task us to hit increasingly critical sales
goals. (See Fig. 2)
Regardless of whether respondents wished for more budget,
time or headcount, the key takeaway is that people are
struggling, and these struggles are exacerbated by a global
pandemic. We’re all trying to do our jobs in adverse times and
performing well is dicult when you feel strapped for time and
are lacking creative ideas.
The internal and external factors impacting teams right now
rearm the need for eciency, exibility and scalability, which
makes digital marketing and account-based marketing (ABM)
both viable solutions. This survey, in fact, zeroed in on ABM
as a key tactic in this new world of B2B marketing—and a key
opportunity for growth and dierentiation in 2021.
(Fig. 2) In the context of your job, if you could be granted one
wish, would you choose:
19% More headcount
33% More time
45% More budget
3% Other