Speaker Introduction
NEC VALWAY, Ltd.
General Manager, Sales & Marketing Solutions Department 2, Second Business Operations Division
Mr. Shigehiro Uehara
As a manager of shared-type call centers, he has simultaneously operated up to 11 projects, accumulating expertise in maintaining quality and productivity.
Since 2012, he has handled over 500 inside sales support projects. Currently, he is responsible for supporting the implementation and operational consulting of IS, SFA, and MA for the NEC Group. He also serves as the head of digital marketing operation services.
uSonar Co., Ltd.
Executive Officer, DX Group, Sales Division
Masafumi Yuasa
Joined uSonar Co., Ltd. in 2005. For over 20 years, he has been engaged in solving various business challenges as a corporate sales professional.
He also speaks at various seminars and events regarding the construction, maintenance, and utilization of customer databases, which serve as the foundation for B2B marketing. Appointed as Executive Officer of the DX Group, Sales Division, in October 2018.
Changes and Trends in Customer Behavior
The environment surrounding sales activities has changed significantly over the past few years.
Previously, the mainstream method for purchasing companies (consumers) to obtain product information was to inquire directly with vendor companies.
However, today, due to the penetration of AI and the increase in digital touchpoints, digital interactions have increased compared to in-person interactions at every phase of the purchasing process.
Furthermore, according to research reports by Gartner, a high percentage of B2B buyers prefer a purchasing process that does not involve a vendor during the information-gathering stage.
They show a tendency to avoid contact from vendors and have a strong need to obtain all necessary information online.
(Source: Gartner Sales Survey Finds 61% of B2B Buyers Prefer a Rep-Free Buying Experience｜Gartner, Inc.)
However, this trend does not apply to every phase of the purchasing process.
While customers believe that online information gathering is sufficient during the initial research stage, they begin to seek direct information and proposals from vendors during the evaluation phase when they have narrowed down their options to a few companies.
In other words, sales teams must accurately grasp which stage a customer is in and approach them at the appropriate time and through the appropriate method.
Additionally, data indicates that within the purchasing process, 27% of the time is spent on online information gathering, while 17% is spent on meetings with vendors.
(Source: Win More B2B Sales Deals｜Gartner, Inc.)
Considering inquiries made to multiple vendors, the contact time available per vendor becomes even more limited.
Visualizing Customer Interest Through Intent Data
To adapt to these changes in the purchasing process, Intent Data is gaining significant attention.
Intent Data is information used to infer a company's interests and consideration status based on their online behavioral history and search keywords.
Specifically, by analyzing which external media a customer company accesses and which pages they visit on your own website, you can determine what they are considering and where they are in the purchasing process.
Beyond understanding customer needs, Intent Data is also used to visualize potential targets within the so-called "Dark Funnel" for outreach, as well as to detect timing for churn prevention, upselling, and cross-selling in the Customer Success domain.
Detection of Intent Data
Intent Data is broadly classified into two types.
The first is "First-Party Data," which consists of data on companies that have accessed your own website. This provides specific behavioral information, such as "Company A viewed the pricing page on Month X, Day Y."
However, in the current era known as the "Zero-Click" era, an increasing number of customers are satisfied with information obtained from AI summaries and do not visit vendor websites.
(Source: Site Visits via Google Drop by 30% in Japan Due to the Spread of AI Summaries｜Nikkei Inc.)
Therefore, it is necessary to capture not only First-Party Data but also companies gathering information on external sites.
The second type, "Third-Party Data," detects companies gathering information on external web media and news sites.
For example, it is possible to identify companies that are researching keywords such as "Sales DX" or "SMB Market Development."
As a case study, a company selling cloud accounting systems detected companies researching keywords like "Cloud Accounting" or "Accounting Software Comparison." By identifying that these companies were also viewing their own pricing or case study pages, they were able to infer that the evaluation process was progressing and initiated an approach.
By combining First-Party Data and Third-Party Data in this way, more precise targeting becomes possible.
In this case study, while the appointment rate using only traditional corporate databases was 1.5%, combining external site information gathering with internal website browsing improved the rate to 5%.
This demonstrates that accurately grasping the customer's consideration stage enhances the precision of sales approaches.
Intent Data x Corporate Attributes
It is important to note that simply approaching companies where intent has been detected does not guarantee results.
Intent data only indicates that a company is currently considering something; it does not reveal whether that company is truly a target customer for your solution.
Therefore, combining it with corporate attribute information is essential.
You can increase the precision of your approach by combining intent data with customer attributes that have a proven track record or affinity with your services.
Furthermore, by incorporating data such as credit information and anti-social force checks, you can proactively avoid wasting sales costs.
Practical Approach Methods: Utilizing Personas and Content
Mr. Uehara from NEC VALWAY, who also supports sales activities utilizing intent data, pointed out a common pitfall many companies fall into: calling through a list of intent-detected companies in order from the top.
For example, even if you detect intent and make a call, the receptionist may not recognize the relevance and refuse to transfer the call. Even if you do reach the target, they may not be the desired persona, failing to lead to a business opportunity.
NEC VALWAY introduced a case study where they reviewed their approach to improve this situation.
First, they clearly defined personas and selected targets by cross-referencing these personas with company data detected via keyword search intent.
While this alone improved the progress of conversations, a new challenge emerged: even when proposals were made based on hypotheses derived from issues, they did not lead to business meetings because the prospects claimed they had no current needs.
To solve this challenge, they introduced a combination with "Form Marketing".
In addition to target selection based on personas and intent data, they prepared content that would interest the personas in advance and implemented an approach that combined form marketing, where this content was sent to the company's inquiry form before making a phone call.
As a result, the entry point for conversations with customers changed significantly.
By approaching them with, "I noticed your company is involved in [Business Name] and doing [Activity], so I actually sent you some information regarding [Topic]; have you had a chance to review it?", customers often recognize the relevance, leading to more engaging conversations and the creation of business opportunities.
Regarding the actual results, Mr. Uehara stated that the SQL rate improved from 3% to 9%, a threefold increase.
As this case demonstrates, while intent data is a tool that tells you the "current" situation of a customer, clarifying personas and preparing content suitable for those personas is essential when utilizing it.
Additionally, as a key point of their content strategy, in addition to preparing standard content marketing, NEC VALWAY places particular emphasis on "Case Study Content".
Mr. Uehara notes that it is effective to assess the customer's business content, products handled, and customer base through prior information gathering, and then deliver case studies tailored to those factors.
However, since implementing this content strategy requires a significant amount of time and effort, it is important to maintain a balance between "standardization" and "customization for each company".
Achieving Sales Efficiency and Personalization Through Intent Data Utilization
We have discussed the definition of personas and the implementation of content strategies.
To summarize the results achieved through these operations, first, by implementing an appropriate approach based on personas, we were able to reduce wasted efforts.
In addition to using intent data, by filtering for companies that match your ideal customer profile, you can narrow your focus to companies with a higher potential for conversion, thereby reducing unproductive sales activities.
Next, by sending content tailored to the customer in advance, we improved the ease of transitioning into a conversation.
Furthermore, by capturing both the needs and the timing, the potential for converting into a valid sales opportunity increases.
The most important factor is matching the response timing to the target company.
By combining the customer's consideration status indicated by intent data with corporate data, personalized communication becomes possible, making it easier to lead to sales opportunities.
Intent data is "essential information for catching up on a customer's current situation."
However, simply calling companies that have been detected or launching generic sales activities is insufficient.
Mr. Uehara concluded that by carefully identifying the characteristics and challenges of the detected companies, and then developing a strategy for your approach, you can generate high-quality "Valid Sales Opportunities."
Summary
Thank you for reading until the end!
Many questions were received from the participants of this seminar, which highlights how high the demand for intent data utilization is in the field.
On the other hand, it was also emphasized that intent data is merely one source of information, and how strategically you operate it determines the results.
As the purchasing process continues to change, sales activities also require daily improvement.
We hope this seminar report serves as a reference for your intent data utilization and new sales approaches.
▶︎ For more details on uSonar's intent data, please click Here
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▶︎ For more details on NEC VALWAY, please click Here
