Sales & Marketing Alignment:
What Account Insights Should Marketing Provide to Sales?
Package, prioritize, and push insights that help sellers open doors, progress deals, and expand accounts. This guide defines the must-have insights, how to compute them, and the best way to deliver them where sellers work.
Provide a Sales Insights Package at the account level: intent surges, engagement heatmaps (content & web), buying group map & gaps, trigger events (funding, hires, tech changes), competitive signals, technographics, and for customers, product usage & risk/opportunity. Roll these into an Account MQA with “why now” reasons, route real-time alerts to owners, and track sales actions taken.
First Principles for Sales-Ready Insights
Your 90-Day Plan to Ship Sales-Ready Account Insights
Define the insights, wire the data, and operationalize delivery with proof of impact.
Phase 1 → Phase 2 → Phase 3
- Days 1–30: Define & Instrument — Finalize the insight list and definitions (intent, engagement, triggers, coverage, technographics, competitive, usage). Map fields in CRM, decide MQA thresholds, and draft play cards and reason codes.
- Days 31–60: Operationalize Delivery — Connect sources (MAP, web analytics, intent, enrichment, product), create the Account 360 view in CRM, enable Slack/Teams alerts, and pilot with 20–30 accounts. Train on plays and logging actions.
- Days 61–90: Automate & Prove — Add weekly insight digests, auto-create tasks on MQA, embed dashboards for actions taken and outcomes (meetings, opps, velocity), and tune thresholds based on lift.
Sales-Ready Insights Matrix
| Insight | Why It Matters | How We Derive It | Best Delivery | Sales Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intent Surge | Signals in-market research and timing. | 3–7 day spike vs. 8-week baseline on priority topics. | Real-time alert + CRM badge with topics & personas. | Run “Why now?” opener; trigger outreach play for researching roles. |
| Engagement Heatmap | Shows what they care about and who is active. | Weighted views, time-on-page, asset downloads by persona. | Account 360 panel with top assets and visitors. | Reference asset in email; invite to deeper content or workshop. |
| Buying Group Map & Gaps | Multithreading reduces deals stalling. | Known vs. target personas; contact role coverage by opp stage. | Coverage score + “missing roles” list. | Request intros; assign SDR to source missing personas. |
| Trigger Events | Moments that unlock budget or urgency. | News/funding, exec hires, job posts, product launches. | Weekly digest + deal alerts. | Tie trigger to business outcome; propose relevant play/workshop. |
| Technographics | Positions competitive replacement or integrations. | Enrichment vendor + site scans; renewal guess dates. | CRM fields + renewal watchlist. | Pitch integration or rip-and-replace narrative; time outreach to renewal. |
| Competitive Signals | Adjusts messaging and deal strategy. | Content consumption on competitor topics, RFP mentions. | Deal flag + play card with battlecards. | Switch to competitive talk track; bring in SE for proof points. |
| Product Usage (Customers) | Exposes churn risk and expansion opportunities. | Adoption scores, feature gaps, usage growth or drop. | CS dashboard + AE expansion alerts. | Schedule value review; pitch add-ons where usage signals fit. |
| Event Interactions | High-intent touchpoint with context. | Booth scans, session attendance, questions asked. | Same-day recap to owner + contact roles updated. | Follow the session topic with tailored content & meeting ask. |
| Partner Signals | Shortens access and increases trust. | MDF activities, co-sell nominations, referral notes. | Partner note on account + intro task. | Request partner intro and run co-sell play. |
Client Snapshot: From Activity Logs to Actionable Insights
A data platform provider launched an Account 360 with intent, engagement, and coverage scores plus Slack alerts. In 90 days they saw 29% more first meetings in named accounts, 18% faster time to Stage 2, and a 21% lift in expansion pipeline sourced by CS + AE pairs.
Tie your Sales Insights Package to RM6™ and activate plays in The Loop™ so signals translate to sequences, meetings, and revenue.
Frequently Asked Questions about Account Insights
Short, practical answers you can add to your operating guide.
Ship Sales-Ready Insights in 90 Days
We’ll define the signal stack, wire data into CRM, build Account 360, and train sellers on plays that convert insights into meetings and pipeline.
Start Your Insights Rollout Assess Alignment