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2020
Account Targeters
Amanda DePaul
Conversica
Lisa Christiansen
Poly
Tessa Barron
ON24
Amanda DePaul
- Sr. Director, Demand Generation
- Conversica
In her most recent position at Conversica, Amanda DePaul re-developed and launched both a new lead management and marketing reporting strategy and a tiered account-based marketing strategy in her first 30 days. This not only involved developing the operational mechanisms to make these things possible but educating the sales and executive teams on what to expect and how to leverage the new processes and programs. Amanda is not only focused on developing best-in-class demand generation and marketing operations strategies but is also passionate about developing demand gen and marketing operations pros into rock stars.
Can you share any particular achievements you are most proud of in your current role?
I joined Conversica in March 2020, four days after the country went into a pretty broad shutdown, and on top of that, I’m a remote employee. I had to not only hit the ground running, but also work remotely with a team of people I had never met in person and rally them around a new, rapidly deployed target account program.
I think the thing I’m most proud about of in that situation is that it would have been really easy for me and my team to cut corners in standing up the program. We were a very small team just getting to know each other and in the spirit of “just getting it done,” we could have taken plenty of shortcuts, which would have created more work for us later. Instead, we made sure to set the program up operationally in a way that would stand the test of time and enable us to enhance later — and we still managed to do it very quickly. If we had done things halfway, we wouldn’t have seen the results we saw as quickly as we did. We stood the program up in less than 30 days and still saw our first opportunities roll in within the quarter.
Can you share any details about how your team, or individuals on your team, have helped drive innovation? How have you maintained your collaboration and innovation despite the current WFH reality?
We get the green light to try new things, or things that Conversica hasn’t done before, because we are a very data-driven team. We’re usually able to predict performance in some capacity by leveraging the data we do have and making “educated guesses” to determine what makes sense for the business and what doesn’t. And, despite being located in all corners of the U.S., we are in pretty constant communication with each other. Our confidence in the data and each other enables to make good, quick decisions.
As far as how that translates to our target account program, we drink our own Kool-Aid and use Intelligent Virtual Assistants in everything we do. By leveraging AI for follow-up, we’re able to scale the SDR’s capacity for following up with inbound leads so they can focus almost wholly on outbound work. This has been a game changer, because in past lives, it’s been difficult to drive ABM with the SDR team simply because they’re pulled in so many directions. We’ve enabled the SDRs to really get their hands dirty and do the research because they have the time to do so, which I think is another reason we’ve seen rapid success.
In the midst of Covid-19, what are some lessons you’ve learned that will impact or influence the future of your work?
There’s always more work tomorrow. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in work right now, and it’s important to set strong boundaries. I’ve been a remote employee for most of my career, but I’ve found that the Covid-19 version of WFH is quite different from normal WFH. I never had a problem drawing the line between work and play prior to Covid because there was always some reason or another to shut down for the day. A few months into pandemic life, I realized I’d have to be more pointed about how I manage my time, orelse I’d end up on the fast track to burnout — which benefits no one. And, as it turns out, working more hours does not equate more productivity.
I’m excited though that many companies seem to be figuring out that for the most part remote work = good work, and that boundaries are in fact important. While the situation we’re in is certainly tragic, I hope one of the positives we take away from it is the idea that we need to re-think how we drive productivity and get work done.
What sources for inspiration help you stay excited and invigorated in your work?
I love the mentorship aspect of my job. If you’re eager to learn, I’m eager to show you. I have so much fun showing new demand gen and operations pros the ropes. Additionally, I love helping women who are early in their careers navigate the intricacies of just being a woman in the workplace. Things like salary negotiation, handling a tough boss, being heard in meetings – I’m always up to share my experiences and give advice, and am lucky to have an awesome network of other women who have given me words of wisdom I can pass on.
Beyond that, what keeps me excited about work are all the things I do outside of work. Whether it’s getting fresh air on the back of my horse, exploring Oregon with my dog or taking on a DIY project I’m highly unqualified for, taking the time for myself is what keeps me excited to start work in the morning.
Lisa Christiansen
- Head of Global Content Marketing Strategy
- Poly
Lisa Christiansen came into a new company, Poly, created from the merger of Plantronics and Polycom. She has helped to expand Poly’s use of relevant content across the buyer’s journey using market research and insights combined with the new Poly voice. She has also expanded the company’s use of relevant content to convey thought leadership and audience value across the buyer’s journey. Lisa is a focused leader who embraces change and aims high. Poly now boosts strong buyer value content instead of a library of self-promotion. They have developed strong ties between sales and marketing to address audience needs and challenges.
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Tessa Barron
- VP of Marketing
- ON24
2020 Innovator Of The Year
Tessa Barron
- VP of Marketing
- ON24
ON24’s Tessa Barron led the charge in partnering with Heinz Marketing to reframe the panic felt by marketing and sales leaders from a feeling of great uncertainty into a catalyst for growth and predictability. ON24 saw this as an opportunity to re-educate their buyers on the basic building blocks of the predictable pipeline. In collaboration with ON24, Heinz Marketing developed a comprehensive set of materials — including an 80-page workbook and a three-hour hands-on, interactive workshop — that follows a fool-proof methodology to create a Predictable Pipeline. Together, they created a unique way to keep their audience engaged with a truly immersive, interactive experience. The numbers speak for themselves: 1,066 total registrants, 416 total attendees and a 39% conversion rate. Average time viewed was 101 minutes out of a 180-minute virtual workshop.
Can you share any particular achievements you are most proud of in your current role?
This year, we mobilized the ON24 network of over four million professionals monthly to support the fight against Covid-19. We created a new feature within our platform that enabled our customers to seamlessly promote donating to the Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund to their audience. For each person that engaged with the Covid-19 Response engagement tool, we donated to the Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund and encouraged audiences to donate as well. This simple tool really showed how digital engagement can easily be turned into meaningful action, and I was proud that we could use the power of our platform to bring people together for good.
Can you share any details about how your team, or individuals on your team, have helped drive innovation? How have you maintained your collaboration and innovation despite the current WFH reality?
Now that every part of our marketing is digital, our team has challenged ourselves to rethink every piece of that experience and create a connected journey. It’s simply not enough to throw several digital tactics together and hope for the best anymore. Every aspect needs to give your buyer an opportunity to engage, convert and take action. No surprise, we’ve been experimenting with our webinars and building new formats that are more like shoppable, interactive videos, with points of conversion to a demo, more content or even another webinar, based on the buying phase. It’s a continuous stream of content that the buyer controls.
One standout example is the introduction of our “After Show” format. Think the B2B version of Andy Cohen’s “Watch What’s Happening Live.” Our audience can go from experience to experience to keep engaging and learning while we benefit from more opportunities for conversion or to learn about their intent. It’s a win-win and shows the potential of the innovation we’ll see in an all-digital world.
In the midst of Covid-19, what are some lessons you’ve learned that will impact or influence the future of your work?
Have a contingency plan. Intuitive, yes, but in execution, it’s harder than it sounds. Covid-19 showed all marketers that our plans are often harder to cancel than to execute, and it got uncomfortable for a while. A bit like flying blind. Now, we’re building in Plan A, B and C into our planning process and not just from a physical event perspective. We are looking at new programs and tactics and building in security by setting aside budget and resources to be able to execute on what has proven to generate pipeline in case our bet doesn’t pan out.
What sources for inspiration help you stay excited and invigorated in your work?
I really believe that in digital, trends emerge in the B2C world first and then five years later, you’ll see a glimpse of it in B2B. So, I am always looking for what B2C brands are doing differently and the parallel for B2B. For example, earlier this year, Nike and Footlocker used Google Slides as the centerpiece of an advertising campaign — like a billboard for the Internet. That led to us rethink our own digital experience promotion journey by using the slide presentations as an interactive teaser experience before the real thing. That’s what’s so great about digital. Experimenting with a physical billboard involves so much risk, but a digital activation can be reworked, iterated and optimized over time.
And, our customer base is full of similar digital changemakers and pioneers. Every day, there is creativity surging across our network, with our customers all redefining and challenging the typical definition of B2B marketing. We recently recognized this innovation with our Virtualized Event Awards because I think all of us are always looking for a new idea to try or a different way to delight our audience. So, whether that’s hosting a live cooking class, a rapid-fire debate or even a game show, the possibilities of digital marketing are endless.
