We don’t have to tell you that qualified leads are essential for driving revenue growth. But the traditional method of lead qualification has long relied on an archaic and often arbitrary system — revenue teams manually assign scores to leads, using basic demographic and behavioral data. This leaves lots of room for bias and error.
Imagine the process of lead scoring much like Olympic judges score a figure skating routine, or members of the Recording Academy of the United States select Grammy winners. Each judge has their own opinions and criteria, making the process highly subjective and prone to inconsistencies and discrepancies. (Case in point: How has Beyoncé never won Album of the Year?!).
6sense’s revenue intelligence platform revolutionizes lead qualification by using comprehensive data to identify the most promising prospects — what we refer to as 6sense Qualified Accounts, or 6QAs. By embracing 6QAs, sales and marketing teams can align their efforts and resources towards accounts that have demonstrated genuine interest and a higher likelihood of conversion.
Continue reading to learn how 6QAs can help you find the triple axel or Taylor Swift in your pipeline — and lead to big wins for your business.
Understanding 6sense Qualified Accounts (6QAs)
A 6QA is an account lead that has been thoroughly vetted and deemed highly qualified by the 6sense platform. Unlike traditional marketing qualified leads (MQLs) or sales qualified leads (SQLs), 6QAs take a more holistic approach to account qualification. They go beyond basic demographic and behavior data to consider additional factors, using AI and machine learning to:
- Identify buying intent signals
- Understand account and profile fit
- Measure engagement levels
- And more
With these insights, 6sense can more accurately predict which accounts are most likely to convert into customers.
This has a huge impact on the sales funnel. Sellers can prioritize their efforts on the best accounts — increasing efficiency, improving conversion rates, and ultimately driving revenue growth.
The Journey to Becoming a 6QA
Qualifying these accounts requires understanding the stages of the buyer’s journey:
- Awareness
- Consideration
- Decision
- Purchase
In the first two stages, accounts are just beginning to explore their pain points and potential solutions. As they progress through their journeys, they start to gather more information and evaluate specific vendors.
When accounts demonstrate increased engagement and stronger intent signals, they’re well on their way to becoming a 6QA. This could be in the form of:
- Website visits
- Content downloads
- Webinar attendance
- Keyword research
One of the great advantages of 6QAs is the flexibility they offer. You have control over the qualifications, allowing you to adjust the prioritization of your top-of-funnel efforts. This means you can set specific criteria for what constitutes a 6QA based on your unique needs and goals.
The Significance of 6QAs for Sales and Marketing Teams
When it comes to driving revenue growth, 6QAs play a significant role in empowering sales and marketing teams.
A key benefit is that they serve as a narrowed list of highly qualified accounts that are more likely to convert into customers. By focusing on accounts that have shown strong intent signals, sales and marketing reps can tailor their outreach and messaging to resonate with the specific needs and pain points of these accounts. They also avoid wasting time and resources on accounts that aren’t ready or in a position to buy.
Where traditional qualified leads often rely on basic demographic and behavioral data, 6QAs are based on a more comprehensive analysis. This deeper level of qualification — based on intent and profile fit — leads to higher conversion rates.
Strategies for Driving Accounts to Inbound or 6QA
To successfully move accounts through the buying stages and qualify them as inbound leads or 6QAs, it’s important to implement effective engagement strategies.
When using 6sense insights to tailor your strategy, segment accounts based on buying stage, intent signals, and engagement levels. This allows you to prioritize your efforts and allocate resources effectively:
- For accounts in the early stages, focus on providing educational content and nurturing them through the awareness and consideration stages.
- For accounts showing strong intent signals, personalize your outreach and provide more direct sales engagement to move them towards becoming 6QAs.
Let’s explore some specific tactics for engaging leads.
Content Marketing
Create valuable and relevant content that addresses the pain points and challenges of your target audience to attract and engage potential leads. This content can take the form of:
- Blog posts
- White papers
- Case studies
- Videos
Educational resources position your brand as a trusted authority and build credibility with your audience.
Social Media Engagement
Actively participate in relevant industry conversations and share valuable insights to generate interest and attract potential leads. Social media platforms provide an opportunity to not only showcase your expertise, but also build relationships and drive traffic to your website or landing pages.
Personalized Outreach
6sense provides insights that enable relevant outreach, tailored to the unique needs and interests of every account. This can be done in the form of emails or digital ad campaigns, or even in one-on-one conversations in person or on the phone.
Demonstrating that you understand accounts’ challenges — and can provide robust solutions — increases the likelihood of converting them into qualified leads.
How 6QAs Can Vastly Improve Outbound
Successful outbound engagement hinges on reaching the right accounts at the right time. But you might be thinking, “Thanks a lot, 6sense — but that’s easier said than done!”
Internally, 6sense has higher win rates for outbound leads compared to inbound. And that’s no accident.
Check out how we did it (and how you can replicate it within your own organization!).
Insights from the 6sense solution enables sales teams to identify accounts that are actively researching solutions like theirs at any given time. Armed with this information, reps can reach out to these accounts at the optimal moment, when they are most receptive to engaging in a conversation.
Accurate account identification and timely outreach significantly improve outbound conversion rates, but also critical is reaching out with a message that resonates with individual buyers and accounts. Looking at specific intent signals and engagement, sellers can tailor messaging for pain points and needs — and provide a valuable solution to address them.
Finally, 6QAs outperform traditional qualified leads in terms of closing deals. Because 6QAs are based on intent signals and account and profile fit, sales reps can prioritize efforts on accounts that are in later stages of the buyer’s journey and avoid wasting time on leads that aren’t ready to buy. In simpler terms: It’s about quality over quantity.
Conclusion
Lead qualification has long relied on an outdated and subjective system. 6QAs empower sales and marketing teams to find the hidden gems in their pipeline — facilitating data-driven outreach and driving more conversions.
The path to revenue growth awaits. Discover how 6sense can transform your sales and marketing processes.
