Getting the Top of Funnel sales engine turning to create a scalable, predictable and sustainable demand-gen pipeline takes a lot.

Aligning the resource, tools, processes and strategy needed to scale in your pipeline at speed needs a unique blend of skills and attitude.

Building a Top of Funnel engine means accelerating through all of the complexities that go into it, before handing over the keys so the business can take full ownership and run with it.

However, a big part of engaging in a Scale My Pipeline process is knowing what to expect and knowing what success looks like. There are no shortcuts in sales, despite what the snake oil salesmen will tell you.

New Icon knew this going in, understanding that this was not a fast fix to SQLs or revenue gaps. They knew it was a long term investment in the future of their business.

The problem was a question: “How do we generate conversations at scale with perfectly qualified ICP prospects?”.

And even then, those conversations need nurturing through the funnel before hopefully converting with the right approach and mindset.

New Icon weren’t in a hole, nor were they a bad business. They just needed to get the top of funnel turning so they could hit the next stage of their growth journey.

Here’s how we solved it.

To build a successful Top of Funnel (TOFU) pipeline there needs to be clarity in a number of areas that work in sync to deliver your message and build authority in harmony with each other. Not to mention building key components of your engine inside your business.

We delivered this holistic approach from all parts of our frameworks and expertise, including: strategy, process, technology, people and culture. And then passed it on to New Icon through expert training.

The components of that solution, however, are a little more nuanced.

In a nutshell, here’s what we set out to do:

‍

• Review and assess the current proposition, because your proposition should always connect to your buyer, and by extension, your sales strategy
• Review market challenges and sector profiling to ensure the right audiences get targeted
• Build out a robust authority building plan, through value-laden content linked to the sales strategy
• A fresh sales ladder – a productised offering is key to developing gateway products so you’re never going for the big sell immediately
• Sales flow design to get the campaigns launched at speed, and to show what good looks like
• Full tooling and system set-up inside the client’s business, not ours – meaning full ownership is always available
• Training on all tools, systems and our methodology – so that when the scope of work is complete, the client is empowered to run the engine themselves
• Remaining closely involved in the top of funnel engine for at least six months

Here’s how we went about solving the top of funnel conundrum for New Icon.

As is to be expected, we were not experts in New Icon’s business from the off. So we had to dive into discovery straight away, alongside building the demand engine so we could launch campaigns sharpish.

That meant kicking off with a number of micro workshops across four weeks so we could solve:

• Proposition alignment: Understanding the value of New Icon’s business and how that is communicated to their audience
• Connecting the proposition to the sales engine, so that the challenges solved by New Icon were obvious in the minds of the audience
• Sales ladder design so that there was a clear sales pathway for buyers, and that the knowledge inside the business was clearly productised
• Sales strategy design so that the business had a clear roadmap and toolbox of tactics to attack the future with
• Demand engine build so we could get out the gate with campaigns on LinkedIn and email quickly
• Content planning so we could amplify authority, awareness, and knowledge in the target sectors and industries

This kick off approach and rapid onboarding meant that we could then focus four further months on:

• Campaign creation
• Campaign management
• Campaign optimisation
• Inbox management
• Triaging
• CRM best practice
• Weekly rhythm and routine

By loading the project up with strategy and discovery in month one, it meant that we could spend the bulk of the project in activity and optimisation mode.

This, ultimately, meant achieving scale and results.
At the end of the five month period, we then entered transition and handover mode. This was a training period so that we could transition the engine into the hands of the in-house team, having already built the engine inside their business.

There was extensive training, coaching, and support – all crucial elements once there has been five months of intensive activity.

But what did that all add up to?

The whole of this project would mean nothing without clear deliverables and outcomes. The fact that there was a speedy onboarding, ramp up into campaigns, and then clear training periods made life easier – but it’s not relevant unless there were tangible outcomes.

The profiles we used for demand generation, grew their reach significantly with their Ideal Customer Profile and their LinkedIn profile visitor stats increased by 20% within the first 4 weeks. 

Connections and followers have grown at a rapid rate and the overall reach of the profiles has increased significantly supported not only by the outreach but through the content strategy. 

The meeting booking rate for all profiles was also a brilliant result, booking 20+ meetings in the first 4 weeks of the campaign engine running, which keeps improving month on month. A true example of what operating at scale can do for you.

The outcomes speak for themselves, but even internally we’ve all said how much we enjoyed the project. A shining example of sales accountability and ownership in action.

But what’s important isn’t us, it’s what the client thought.