Podcast Summary: B2B Marketing Exchange – "Demystify Your GTM Strategy With The 9 “Cs”"

Episode Information

• Title: Demystify Your GTM Strategy With The 9 “Cs”
• Host/Author: Demand Gen Report
• Release Date: February 12, 2025
• Description: The B2B Marketing Exchange Podcast delivers candid insights from top B2B marketing and sales practitioners. This episode focuses on a comprehensive framework to enhance Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies, emphasizing customer centricity through nine critical components known as the “9 Cs.”

Introduction to the Episode

The episode kicks off with Claudia Tirico and Kelly Lindenow welcoming listeners to the B2B Marketing Exchange podcast. They introduce the session replay from the B2BMX East event in Alpharetta, Georgia, featuring Sophia Agostina and Margaret Safford. The primary focus is on demystifying GTM strategies through the “9 Cs” framework, designed to place the customer at the center of all marketing efforts.

Claudia Tirico highlights:

“The B2BMX is right around the corner. If you still haven't registered yet, don't worry, it's not too late. Check the show notes for a registration link and a discount code.” [00:33]

Introducing the Speakers

Margaret Safford begins by introducing herself and Sophia Agostina, detailing their backgrounds and expertise in customer centricity and B2B marketing. Margaret emphasizes the importance of understanding the customer before diving into new marketing technologies or strategies.

Margaret Safford states:

“Sometimes I find that people want to dive in immediately to kind of like a new shiny object, but without really understanding who is their customer.” [00:00]

Sophia Agostina echoes this sentiment, stressing the evolving landscape of B2B marketing and the necessity of personalized, customer-focused approaches in today's fast-paced environment.

The Importance of Customer Centricity in GTM Strategies

Sophia delves into the challenges of the current market landscape, characterized by technological advancements and increased competition for customer attention. She underscores the need for personalized delivery and streamlined processes to enhance customer satisfaction and retention.

Sophia Agostina remarks:

“Everyday is about the customer today, right? I mean, every day is about the customer.” [04:48]

She highlights the shift from traditional B2B approaches to more dynamic, multi-touch experiences influenced by AI and modern marketing technologies. Sophia also points out the disconnect often found between vendor-provided onboarding solutions and what customers truly value, such as personalized implementation and adoption assistance.

Sophia Agostina shares:

“There's such a disconnect between what the vendor provide on your onboarding, on the client's onboarding, versus what the customer really value and want.” [09:00]

The 9 Cs Customer Centricity Framework

Margaret Safford introduces the “9 Cs” framework, a comprehensive approach to GTM strategies that emphasizes customer centricity. This framework is inspired by traditional marketing models like the four Ps and the three Cs but reimagined for the modern B2B landscape.

Margaret Safford explains:

“The beautiful thing about this framework is it works inside and out so you can start really with a deep understanding of your customer.” [12:05]

She elaborates that the framework begins with an in-depth analysis of the customer, exploring segments, motivations, and growth opportunities. The subsequent Cs expand outward to assess company setup, employee roles, customer service responsiveness, and more, ensuring a holistic approach to customer engagement and value creation.

Detailed Exploration of Select “Cs”

Content

Margaret and Sophia delve into the critical role of content in the GTM strategy. They discuss the importance of creating personalized, impactful content that resonates with customers emotionally and drives engagement.

Margaret Safford suggests:

“What is the value that each piece of content is putting out, is it personalized?” [15:00]

She emphasizes the need for content to be provocative, credible, and memorable, grounded in trust and validation to build strong customer relationships.

Margaret Safford advises:

“When you have content, make sure it's grounded in trust and validation.” [18:30]

Campaign

Sophia presents a comprehensive look at campaign strategies, reflecting on her 15-year journey in B2B marketing. She illustrates how evolving from traditional lead generation tactics to more sophisticated, multi-channel campaigns can significantly enhance ROI.

Sophia Agostina reflects:

“At IBM, I was even able to drive 8x ROI on our campaigns.” [19:05]

She underscores the necessity of aligning campaign frameworks with current technologies and marketing trends, ensuring that campaigns are both effective and adaptable to changing market dynamics.

Collaboration

The discussion moves to the importance of internal and external collaboration. Margaret highlights how different teams within an organization can leverage the 9 Cs framework to identify pain points and collaboratively develop action plans to enhance customer value.

Margaret Safford notes:

“It's all about connecting the dots to drive that customer value.” [14:42]

Sophia adds that effective collaboration extends beyond internal teams to include external stakeholders and influencers, ensuring a unified approach to customer engagement.

Sophia Agostina emphasizes:

“Identifying your collaborators is really, really key across the external and the internal players.” [25:32]

Customer Centricity Assessment Tool

A significant portion of the session is dedicated to introducing a Customer Centricity Assessment. This tool consists of ten questions mapped to the 9 Cs, designed to diagnose an organization’s current standing and identify areas for improvement.

Margaret Safford outlines:

“It's a 10 question, five minute assessment that will really help diagnose some areas where you can immediately put together an action plan with your team.” [25:32]

Participants can take the assessment to receive a score that categorizes them as Customer Fans, Friends, or Followers, providing actionable insights to enhance their GTM strategies.

Sophia Agostina shares:

“The average is about 73. So, you know, and there are a few at the bottom and few at the top as well.” [26:49]

This assessment tool not only helps in personalizing customer interactions but also fosters team dialogue to collectively improve customer relationships and drive better business outcomes.

Insights and Takeaways

The episode concludes with key takeaways emphasizing the necessity of a customer-centric approach in modern GTM strategies. Margaret and Sophia stress the importance of continual assessment and adaptation to maintain relevance and effectiveness in a rapidly evolving market.

Margaret Safford concludes:

“Taking a step back and really making sure across all of these dimensions that you really know, you really answer all the different questions that can get you closer to your customer.” [14:42]

Sophia reiterates the importance of personalized delivery and understanding evolving customer needs to foster deeper connections and drive business growth.

Sophia Agostina advises:

“You want to be seen, you want to create that emotional connection, engage your customer and then really expand.” [15:00]

Conclusion

Claudia Tirico wraps up the episode by commending Margaret and Sophia for their insightful discussion on the 9 Cs framework. She highlights the usefulness of their strategies in helping marketers focus on building lasting customer relationships amidst a sea of new technologies and KPIs.

Claudia Tirico remarks:

“These ladies did a wonderful job breaking it down to help marketers make an impact and build lasting customer relationships.” [29:42]

Listeners are encouraged to participate in the upcoming workshop for a deeper dive into the framework and to utilize the Customer Centricity Assessment to enhance their GTM strategies.

Key Quotes:

• Margaret Safford: “Sometimes I find that people want to dive in immediately to kind of like a new shiny object, but without really understanding who is their customer.” [00:00]
• Sophia Agostina: “Everyday is about the customer today, right? I mean, every day is about the customer.” [04:48]
• Margaret Safford: “The beautiful thing about this framework is it works inside and out so you can start really with a deep understanding of your customer.” [12:05]
• Sophia Agostina: “There's such a disconnect between what the vendor provide on your onboarding, on the client's onboarding, versus what the customer really value and want.” [09:00]
• Margaret Safford: “When you have content, make sure it's grounded in trust and validation.” [18:30]
• Sophia Agostina: “At IBM, I was even able to drive 8x ROI on our campaigns.” [19:05]
• Margaret Safford: “It's all about connecting the dots to drive that customer value.” [14:42]
• Margaret Safford: “Taking a step back and really making sure across all of these dimensions that you really know, you really answer all the different questions that can get you closer to your customer.” [14:42]
• Sophia Agostina: “You want to be seen, you want to create that emotional connection, engage your customer and then really expand.” [15:00]
• Claudia Tirico: “These ladies did a wonderful job breaking it down to help marketers make an impact and build lasting customer relationships.” [29:42]

This episode of the B2B Marketing Exchange provides invaluable insights into crafting effective GTM strategies through a customer-centric lens. By leveraging the 9 Cs framework, marketers can systematically enhance their understanding of customers, optimize content and campaigns, and foster meaningful collaborations to drive sustained business growth.