Selling to more senior decision makers (SDMs) is an order of magnitude more complicated than selling to end users
Why? aren’t these just different individuals in the organisation possibly with slightly different Jobs To Be Done, therefore just a tweak in messaging?
Fortunately it isn’t that simple. I say “fortunately”, because if it was easy everyone would be doing it 🙂 It takes more time, requires more interaction between teams, is very hard to measure and requires a degree of faith that the model works – it can easily be 6-12 months before you start seeing tangible results and that patience is a rare commodity.
Nevertheless if you get it right, it will make a significant difference to your organisation’s value, as cracking the marketing channel through to senior execs can impact both the immediate revenue streams, but also valuations further down the line, something that your board will certainly be interested in.
There are many parts to the process because like any marketing, customers don’t generally go from the first moment of awareness to purchase in one step. To try and model this properly I break the process into five steps. like any model, this isn’t an accurate set of activities but it is a strategy that can help you decide on next steps, where you should be spending your limited time effort.
1. Awareness — How many SDMs are aware of your brand?
The first question for any marketing team is simple but fundamental: who actually knows we exist? Awareness is about building mental availability among senior decision-makers (SDMs) — the people who influence budgets, sign contracts, or shape vendor lists.
To grow awareness:
- Expand your database with qualified contacts.
Start by identifying the senior decision-makers (SDMs) most relevant to your market — the people shaping budgets, vendor shortlists, and strategy conversations. Tools like DiscoverOrg, Apollo, or LinkedIn Sales Navigator make it possible to build precise lists by role, company size, and industry. But data alone isn’t enough — enrich those contacts with engagement intent, firmographic context, and marketing permissions. A clean, segmented database is the foundation of every awareness play that follows. - Run PR and analyst relations to appear in trusted third-party sources.
Awareness built on authority travels further. Engage analysts, journalists, and community influencers who already shape perception in your category. Well-placed mentions in analyst briefings or industry media act as social proof and drive SEO equity. Think of it less as press releases, more as credibility engineering — consistent, truth-based visibility that positions you as a serious player. - Publish paid thought leadership on category-relevant platforms.
Sometimes reach requires investment. Sponsored content or syndication on respected outlets (e.g., TechTarget, CIO.com, or Martech.org) can introduce your brand to net-new audiences while reinforcing your category narrative. The key is to lead with substance: data, frameworks, or insights that genuinely teach something — not thinly veiled product promotion. Done right, paid placement accelerates credibility rather than eroding it. - Launch targeted brand campaigns on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn remains the most efficient paid channel for precision awareness among B2B decision-makers. Start with your ideal customer profile and retarget visitors who have already engaged with your site or content. Use clear, consistent creative that reinforces your expertise, not just your logo. Campaigns that combine brand storytelling with recognisable signals of authority (analyst quotes, metrics, customer proof) build familiarity that pays off months later during consideration.
The goal isn’t traffic for its own sake – it’s to create familiarity and credibility before your first sales conversation even happens – i.e. a prior credibility.
2. Engagement — How many SDMs can we get engaged?
Once your brand is visible, the next challenge is to turn that visibility into active interest. This is where you build your “permission-to-market” audience – senior decision-makers (SDMs) who choose to follow, subscribe, or interact with your content. Engagement is about deepening the relationship beyond awareness – creating the sense that your brand understands their world and speaks their language. NB: this is a crucial “gotcha” point – who do you have writing this content? Do they have a deep understanding with customers’ problems, or is that knowledge superficial? Issues like Compliance, ROI, integration start to become much more interesting to these, decision makers.
Effective engagement comes from:
- High-value newsletters or community sign-ups.
The most reliable signal of engagement is a decision-maker who invites you into their inbox. A well-designed newsletter – concise, useful, and focused on solving real problems – can become a habitual touchpoint. Even better, build a lightweight online community or private LinkedIn group where peers exchange ideas. These owned channels convert anonymous reach into an audience you can nurture and measure over time. - Deep-dive content solving vertical problems.
Broad thought leadership is good; specific insight is better. Decision-makers engage when they recognise their own challenges in your content. Create vertical or segment-specific series — for example, “Fintech Governance Challenges” or “Healthcare Data Compliance Playbooks.” When your material reads like it was written for them, not for everyone, engagement rates multiply. - Whitepapers, events, and ABM campaigns tailored to decision-makers.
Engagement accelerates when you mix content depth with human interaction. Use whitepapers or webinars to anchor campaigns aimed at key accounts, then follow up with tailored ABM outreach that builds on that theme. In-person or virtual events still matter – they create context for dialogue and position your team as peers, not vendors. - Short-term visibility plays like AEO-optimised FAQ content.
While long-form thought leadership builds authority, structured micro-content drives discoverability. Create concise, schema-tagged FAQ or “how-to” articles aligned with the questions SDMs actually ask. These assets perform double duty – surfacing your expertise in AI-driven answer engines (AEO) and feeding engagement loops through organic discovery.
This stage turns awareness into connection. You’re earning the right to stay in touch — to build a relationship that can be deepened, not just measured in clicks.
3. Consideration — Get on the shortlist
At this stage, visibility turns into evaluation. The question shifts from who knows us to who’s actually considering us? When buying groups form, being in the room – the consideration set — is everything. Your brand must be easy to understand, easy to trust, and easy to explain internally.
That happens when:
- You qualify leads effectively and route them quickly to the right AE or BDR.
Speed matters. The gap between interest and follow-up often determines whether you make the shortlist. Align lead-scoring criteria with real buying intent, not vanity metrics, and build shared dashboards between marketing and sales. Clear rules of ownership — who contacts whom and when — ensure that genuine opportunities aren’t lost in hand-offs. In an ideal world the time between a customer getting in touch and a good AE or BDR responding should be measured in minutes – your customers deserve this. - You provide clear, confidence-building content — comparisons, ROI models, or customer stories.
Buying groups expect evidence. Create assets that reduce risk and make internal advocacy easier: competitive comparisons, TCO/ROI calculators, security summaries, and concise customer stories. Each piece should help an internal champion answer the question, “Why change – and why us?” - Sales-enablement tools help buyers articulate your value internally.
Even when they love you, your champions must persuade others. Equip them with one-page summaries, slide templates, and business-case frameworks tailored for CFOs, IT, and procurement. The easier you make that internal conversation, the faster your opportunity advances.
At this point, awareness and engagement pay off. It’s about making buying your solution the obvious, low-risk choice – clear value, minimal friction, and no surprises.
4. Purchase — We make revenue when customers buy
This is the commercial heartbeat of the lifecycle — where marketing, sales, and customer success align to turn momentum into measurable revenue. Every touchpoint here should reduce uncertainty and reinforce value.
To maximise conversion and deal quality:
- Use ROI calculators and proof-of-concept processes that validate value.
Proof > persuasion. When buyers can model savings, productivity gains, or compliance improvements in their own data, they move forward with confidence. Make ROI calculators simple, credible, and backed by real customer outcomes. - Involve advocates and reference customers in late-stage deals.
A peer conversation often carries more weight than any sales pitch. Encourage satisfied customers to share results or participate in reference calls. Where possible, build short case-study videos or joint webinars that highlight business impact in the buyer’s language. - Support sales with ABM campaigns, pitch decks, and pricing assets aligned to buyer personas.
Coordinate one-to-one and one-to-few plays that reinforce the same story across ads, decks, and demos. Make sure pricing guidance and value messaging are consistent – clarity builds trust, and trust closes deals.
At this stage, marketing’s job is to remove friction and accelerate confidence – ensuring the buyer’s journey ends not with negotiation fatigue but with conviction that they’ve chosen the right partner. this is another time where time is of the essence and there should be no higher priority than staying close to the customer and his/her buying process, hour by hour.
5. Loyalty — Are people getting value, and are they telling others?
The lifecycle doesn’t end with a Docusign signature; it compounds through advocacy. Loyalty is the multiplier – every delighted customer becomes a signal that fuels future awareness and trust. Post-purchase engagement is where sustainable growth truly happens.
Customer marketing keeps the loop alive by:
- Post-purchase outreach from Account Executives and Success Managers.
Don’t vanish after the deal closes. Schedule regular value reviews, success check-ins, and roadmap updates. These conversations uncover expansion opportunities and turn account management into proactive partnership. - Programs that make top customers feel recognised and connected.
Launch customer councils, user groups, or invite-only events. Recognition — awards, spotlight stories, or early-access programs — builds emotional loyalty and strengthens retention far more effectively than discounts. - Encouraging reviews, case studies, and community engagement.
Advocacy is measurable visibility. Ask happy customers to review on G2, share results on LinkedIn, or contribute to webinars and joint content. Each authentic voice reinforces your credibility in ways advertising can’t match.
The best organisations treat loyalty as a growth engine, not an afterthought. Each success story feeds the next wave of awareness – closing the Loyalty Loop and making every customer the beginning of a new marketing cycle.
For help getting this set up for yourself, give me a shout — Contact Us to find out more, or ben@bjrees.com.