In today's rapidly evolving B2B SaaS landscape, understanding your ideal customer profile (ICP) and go-​to-​market (GTM) strategy is critical. At the recent Sales 3.0 Conference, Mike Hilla, a sales and marketing leader at ProPlus Data, shared his expertise on leveraging data intelligence. He focused on customer technographics as the way to narrow targeting and drive sales success.

Data Maturity Evolution : From Firmographics to AI-​Powered Insights

Hilla traced the evolution of data maturity over the past decade. He highlighted the initial focus on firmographic data and account-​based marketing (ABM), followed by the rise of customer data platforms (CDPs) aimed at creating a single view of the customer. While these advancements provided valuable insights, Hilla emphasized that the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has truly revolutionized the field.

"Data is an insanely complicated world," Hilla acknowledged, noting that AI has changed the game for hyper-​targeted campaigns and audience management. AI-​driven tools now enable businesses to identify companies that are actively in the market for their products. They can predict future buying behavior and personalize their outreach efforts with unprecedented precision.

Technographic Intelligence: Marrying Technographic Insights with Intent Data

At the heart of Hilla's presentation was the concept of technographic intelligence, which he defined as the marriage of customer technographics and intent data. Many tools provide similar intelligence. For example, B2B BuyerSCAN data, provided with an AdMall subscription, reveals what buyers plan to purchase. The data is segmented by firm size and industry. 

Technographic insights provide a snapshot of a company's technology stack, revealing the specific hardware and software solutions they currently use. Intent data, on the other hand, captures the online behavior of individuals within those companies. Specifically, it indicates their active search for new products and services.

By combining these two types of data, businesses can gain a comprehensive understanding of their target customers' needs and preferences. Hilla explained that this approach allows them to "know where the puck is going and skate to where the puck is going," positioning themselves at the forefront of the customer's buying journey.

The Power of Predictive Modeling: Anticipating Future Tech Purchases

Hilla emphasized the role of AI in analyzing vast amounts of data to identify patterns and predict future buying behavior. Mapping millions of buying journeys and understanding the relationships between different technology products is a must. Then, businesses can anticipate which solutions their target customers are likely to purchase next.

According to Hilla, "looking at past tech [and] current tech, we can predict the future as to what companies are going to buy…based on the size of the company, the scope of the company." This predictive capability enables businesses to proactively engage with potential customers at the most opportune moment, increasing their chances of success.

Rigging the Game: Influencing the Customer Journey

Hilla used a visual of a Plinko board to illustrate how customer technographics can be used to "rig the game" in favor of the seller. By understanding the customer's buying journey and identifying key inflection points, businesses can strategically intervene to influence the final outcome.

"If I know the pathway in the journey of that ball is going to happen, I'll let that journey happen or let that journey play out," Hilla explained. "But at the last moment in time, before that ball drops in bucket $10K or $10, if I can influence that inflection point… that's what we're bringing to market."

A Practical Example: Cloud Services Company

To illustrate the practical application of technographic intelligence, Hilla shared a case study involving a cloud services company. The company sought to identify the products and behaviors that led to increased adoption of cloud services. They also pinpointed the optimal time to engage with potential customers.

By analyzing technographic data and firmographic information, ProPlus Data helped the company uncover the specific technologies that indicated a high buying propensity for cloud services. They also identified key firmographic characteristics. Those details suggested a company had the financial resources and growth potential to justify the investment in cloud solutions.

Key Takeaways and the Future of B2B Tech

Hilla concluded his presentation by emphasizing the importance of understanding and prioritizing data assets. The process requires segmenting and profiling customers at the product level and leveraging data-​driven intelligence to hyper-​target the ICP. He also touched on the significance of monitoring adoption trends to identify potential churn risks and proactively address customer concerns.

As businesses navigate the evolving B2B tech landscape, Hilla believes that customer technographics will become an increasingly essential tool for driving sales success. By combining technographic insights with intent data and leveraging the power of AI, businesses can gain a competitive edge. They’ll also optimize their GTM strategies and build lasting relationships with their ideal customers.

Actionable Steps for Embracing Technographic Intelligence

Based on Hilla's insights, here are some actionable steps you can take to incorporate technographic intelligence into your sales and marketing strategy:

1. Assess Your Current Data Maturity: Evaluate your existing data infrastructure and identify gaps in your ability to collect, analyze and leverage technographic and intent data.
2. Define Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP): Clearly define the characteristics of your most successful customers, including their industry, size, technology stack, and business goals.
3. Gather Technographic Data: Utilize tools and resources to gather data on the technologies used by your target customers, including software, hardware and cloud services.
4. Incorporate Intent Data: Track the online behavior of individuals within your target companies to identify those who are actively searching for solutions related to your product or service.
5. Leverage AI-​Powered Analytics: Employ AI-​driven analytics platforms to analyze your combined technographic and intent data, identify patterns, and predict future buying behavior.
6. Personalize Your Outreach: Use the insights you've gained to personalize your sales and marketing messages, addressing the specific needs and challenges of each prospect.
7. Monitor Adoption Trends: Continuously monitor the technology adoption trends of your existing customers to identify potential churn risks and proactively address any concerns.

By following these steps, you can harness the power of customer technographics. It's also critical to stay on top of new developments at the company you're selling to and the industry they operate in. With SalesCred, it's easy to monitor changes as they happen.

Photo by Fauxels on Pexels.

NOTE: In keeping with the spirit of the Sales 3.0 Conference, AI was used to help generate this post.