● CMO Advisor & Coach · PE-backed
How a CMO advisor helped Precisely streamline demand and simplify GTM under private equity ownership
Precisely’s CMO, Kevin Ruane, worked with Alan Gonsenhauser to align marketing with the BDR team and move go-to-market from product features to customer value.
“
Alan has helped me make my role more strategic with senior leadership. … Alan helped me focus strategically, and it also inspired others in leadership roles to up their game.
Kevin Ruane
Chief Marketing Officer, Precisely
16 → 3
Tactical GTM focus areas reduced to three strategic growth plays
Faster lead follow-up
Shared lead definitions, lead scoring and a closed feedback loop between marketing and BDRs
Shorter sales cycles
More strategic, long-term customer engagements
Executive summary
Precisely, a data integrity company acquired by two private equity firms in 2021, brought in CMO advisor Alan Gonsenhauser of Demand Revenue to support its CMO, Kevin Ruane. Alan ran a demand process assessment that gave marketing and the BDR team shared lead definitions, lead scoring and a closed feedback loop, so leads are now followed up more quickly. He also helped cut go-to-market focus from 16 tactical areas to three strategic growth plays.
Ruane believes leaders without experienced, external advisors are doing themselves and their organizations a disservice. A marketing coach and CMO advisor brings thinking and approaches that solve key business challenges and drive tangible results.
The situation
Precisely has a history of exceptional growth through organic and inorganic initiatives, acquiring and integrating numerous companies. An acquisition by two private equity firms in 2021 began the next phase: an aggressive M&A expansion strategy that depended on integrating newly acquired companies efficiently.
Given the pace of change, Ruane and his team had to identify areas of need, invest smartly, and understand the implications of those investments. The quicker they integrated and collaborated, the quicker the company could grow.
“In order to achieve rapid transformation in our business, we must move aggressively through M&A activity and integration, so that we can focus on driving more value for our customers and unlocking more cross-sell opportunities across our leading data integrity portfolio.”
The value of a marketing coach and CMO advisor
“The right one will be an expert external voice that provides market perspective, insights into best practices, and most importantly, the hard truth when you need to hear it.”
With demands for quick results across many focus areas, Ruane saw that an advisor with an outside perspective could counsel him, his team and key stakeholders. More importantly, it let him evolve Precisely’s marketing function and organization design.
It also created space to make his role, and the marketing department, more strategic and vital to the organization.
“I view a CMO Advisor as a strategic investment in our business.”
Two urgent areas to address
Ruane identified two priorities to secure Precisely’s long-term success.
Challenge 1 · Marketing and sales alignment
Aligning with the BDR group to improve lead management
The challenge
Inefficiencies in the demand and lead process had built up into miscommunication. Leads were not being qualified and followed through the funnel, creating friction and slowing deals.
The solution
A demand process assessment. Alan listened to every party to find root causes, then built shared definitions of a “hot lead,” lead scoring, a post-qualification process and a closed feedback loop.
The result
Leads are followed up more quickly, and BDR and marketing collaborate with less friction and more efficiency.
“Alan brought extensive credibility to the process and worked to ensure everyone involved felt heard. He found common areas where people had mutual interest and created a solution that everyone was comfortable with and could integrate without significant disruptions.”
Challenge 2 · Product-to-audience transformation
From transactional to value-based go-to-market
The challenge
A product-feature-benefit model had siloed product groups and departments. Precisely was selling features across 16 areas, which was untenable for long-term growth.
The solution
GTM focus went from 16 tactical areas to three strategic growth plays with integrated campaigns across key horizontal and vertical markets. Product marketing was repositioned as a strategic function.
The result
Rolled out at the 2022 annual sales meeting. Shorter sales cycles, more strategic long-term engagements, and more effective cross-department collaboration.
Before
16 tactical product areas
→
After
3 strategic growth plays
“Our approach is now less reactive and more proactive, and this has helped change the culture of the company and has made people feel more part of the process. I am confident this will have a real impact in achieving our organic growth objectives in the coming years.”
The impact
Strategic focus, better insight, better leadership
Having Demand Revenue as a marketing coach and CMO advisor helped Ruane evolve in his role.
“
Now that we are better aligned cross-functionally, we can focus on strategic initiatives and worry less about what’s not working tactically.
Kevin Ruane
CMO, Precisely
Leading marketing through a PE transition?
Demand Revenue provides Fractional CMO, Interim CMO, CMO Coach and CMO Executive Advisor services to PE and venture-backed B2B, health IT and medical device companies.