Measuring Marketing’s Influence on the Sales Pipeline

Imagine a world where 95% of your sales efforts vanish because you relied on just one contact within a prospective business. Sadly, that's the reality of single-threaded sales strategies, where deals have a mere 5% chance of closing. These outdated tactics leave you vulnerable to stalled deals, challenges in building trust, and frustratingly long sales cycles. But what if you could significantly increase your win rate simply by shifting your approach?

Introducing multi-threading: the strategic art of proactively building relationships with multiple stakeholders across the buying committee. This approach dramatically improves your chances of success – boosting win rates to 30%! It also accelerates the sales cycle, fosters stronger consensus among decision-makers, and provides invaluable insights into their unique needs.

In this blog, we’ll guide you through the core components of multi-threading. We'll cover stakeholder mapping, personalized outreach, and powerful tools to streamline your process. We also provide a concise step-by-step guide to help sales teams effectively implement multi-threading techniques to transform your sales process and close more deals faster!

Transform your B2B Sales Process with Multi-Threading

A LinkedIn study revealed a startling truth: only 9% of sales deals are multi-threaded. This means the vast majority of B2B sales teams are still relying on outdated tactics, leaving a huge potential for improved results untapped!

Imagine you're a salesperson focused on closing deals with marketing agencies. Traditionally, you might target the Marketing Director as your main point of contact. But what if that Director leaves the company right when you finalize the proposal? Months of effort could be wasted!

Multi-threading flips the script. By strategically building relationships with multiple stakeholders – like the Marketing Director, a Graphic Designer, and the Web Content Manager – you gain a deeper understanding of the agency's needs and create a network of advocates within the buying committee. When one person leaves, your connections with others ensure the deal stays on track.

The Breakdown: Why Single-Threaded Approaches Fail

Modern B2B environments are complex, involving buying committeesrs that, according to Gartner, range from 5-11 stakeholders across various departments. This complexity exacerbates the risks associated with a traditional single-threaded approach. Relying on a single point of contact leaves your deals dangerously vulnerable. Here's why.

• Employee Turnover: As previously mentioned, focusing on a single person in the buying team as a contact significantly increases the risk of deal disruption from employee turnover. A recent LinkedIn reported that 81% of sellers experienced lost or stalled deals in the previous year due to a key stakeholder leaving the company. Furthermore, the risk isn't limited to the purchasing side alone; sales reps experience an average turnover rate of around 34% across industries.
• Limited Insight: A narrow focus on one person obscures the organization's broader needs, reducing your solution's perceived fit.
• Late-stage Objections: Unengaged stakeholders surfacing late in the process can derail hard-won negotiations with unforeseen concerns.

The takeaway is clear: single-threaded sales strategies are inherently risky and inefficient in today's B2B landscape.

Multi-Threading: Your Key to B2B Success

Multi-threading solves the problems laid out above by engaging multiple stakeholders, diversifying points of contact and mitigating risks. This strategic approach transforms your sales process with tangible benefits:

• Accelerating the Sales Process: Streamline communication, quickly resolve issues, and tailor proposals with speed, shortening deal cycle lengths by up to 10%.
• Mitigating Risk: Reduce vulnerability to employee turnover and disruptions by diversifying your points of contact.
• Unveiling the True Need: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the organization's priorities and pain points.
• Building Consensus and Stronger Buy-In: When multiple stakeholders feel heard, securing buy-in and ensuring smoother adoption becomes significantly easier – leading to a 42% increase in win rates.

With a clear understanding of the power of multi-threading, let’s explore the tools and strategies necessary to identify key stakeholders and effectively navigate their relationships in the next section.

Mapping the Buying Team for Multi-Threaded Sales Success

Understanding the inner workings of the B2B buying committee is the key to closing more deals – faster. By mapping and understanding the buying team, you'll gain insights to navigate complex relationships and target your outreach for maximum impact.

Identifying Key Stakeholders: Build Your Multi-Thread Foundation

Your first step in effective multi-threading is identifying everyone involved in the decision-making process. Focus on these crucial roles:

• Decision-Makers: Typically hold titles like CEO, CFO, CTO, or Department Heads. These are the individuals with the final say in the buying process. Uncover their strategic goals and demonstrate how your solution aligns with their business objectives.
• Influencers: Often include Managers, Senior Engineers, or other subject matter experts who heavily influence the decision. These stakeholders might not have the final say but are critical in shaping the perception of your solution. Understand their pain points and tailor your messaging to show how your product addresses specific challenges they face.
• Gatekeepers: Often in roles like Executive Assistants or Office Managers, these individuals control access to key decision-makers. Building relationships with gatekeepers is vital for navigating the sales process effectively. They can provide insights into the best ways and times to reach the various decision-makers and any ongoing internal considerations.

Going Beyond Digital: Offline Interactions Expand Your Reach

Don't limit your stakeholder mapping to digital research alone! Offline interactions at conferences, industry events, or trade shows can uncover hidden stakeholders and provide valuable insights into the buying committee's dynamics. Strike up conversations, ask insightful questions, and exchange business cards – these connections can significantly enhance your multi-threading efforts. 

For a deeper understanding of maximizing ROI from such offline activities, explore our Essential Guide to Offline Attribution: Maximizing ROI Through Offline Channels.

Visualize Success: The Power of a Stakeholder Map

Once the buying committee members are identified, the next step is to visually map these relationships. This map will illustrate:

• Who's Who: Clearly see every player in the buying committee, their roles, and how they interact with others within the organization.
• Relationships & Influence: Understand how decisions are made and who the most influential stakeholders are within the committee.
• Potential Bottlenecks: Identify areas where the process may stall, allowing you to proactively address these challenges and streamline the sales cycle