CMO leverages corporate gifts as currency
Electric CMO Andrea Kayal believes in the power of gifting to influence pipeline, and drive revenue.
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Challenge
Electric needed a way to influence prospects throughout the buyer’s journey while also establishing a successful corporate gifting program.
Solution
Electric used Sendoso gifting to create multiple touchpoints in the buyer journey. They also used Sendoso to automate their efforts and create a more efficient program.
Results
By leveraging Sendoso throughout the buyer’s journey, Electric drives ROI while creating and maintaining meaningful relationships with clients.
45%
of revenue influenced by Sendoso in Q1 2021
28%
of pipeline influenced in Q1 2021
There is a cost for people's time and that's valuable to us-we want to show our prospects that we respect that and in return we want to give them something to them outside of the value our product will drive for them.
The act of gift-giving is a love language. Gifts can show appreciation or affection for someone on the receiving end.
In business, gift-giving is an opportunity to surprise and delight clients. Corporate gifting is a useful tool to close deals and influence revenue.
Take it from a seasoned expert.
CMO turned corporate gifting trailblazer
Andrea Kayal, CMO of Electric, knows what she is doing. She has led marketing teams for the past 15 years in the B2B Sending-as-a-Service space.
Electric is an IT platform that helps small and mid-sized businesses get enterprise-level IT support. They target IT decision-makers, anyone from finance directors to the CEO.
Kayal has been a longtime fan of Sendoso and how it automates corporate gifting.
In fact, Electric was Sendoso’s first customer.
“I’m happy to see this company grow into something everybody loves,” said Kayal.
Electric collaborated with Sendoso in 2019 to accelerate deals throughout the marketing and sales funnel. It also turned to the sending platform for its ease of use and ROI tracking capabilities.
Now she is sharing her tips and tricks to make Sendoso work for any company.
Building B2B marketing relationships
“Philosophically, I have always believed in giving to get,” said Kayal. “We are asking for someone’s time. That is a big deal for people.”
Kayal knows that time is money for their prospects and clients. So she recommends corporate gifts as a tool to build meaningful relationships.
In Q1 2021 alone, Electric garnered incredible results using Sendoso:
- Influenced 28% of pipeline
- Influenced 45% of revenue
“Gifting works as a touchpoint in the process that helps the prospect feel valued for their time,” said Kayal.
Leaders also reported that Sendoso increased efficiency and collaboration between sales and marketing teams and enhanced sales support for their account-based marketing programs.
Finding marketing efficiency in automation
“Sendoso, has been a great way to make our teams more efficient,” said Kayal.
It has taken the burden off employees to source, pack, and ship gifts. Plus, Sendoso’s automated analytics and tracking prove that their gifting strategy is working.
Using Sendoso has empowered the Electric sales team too. Sendoso offers solutions for sales representatives. It gives them autonomy to build relationships.
Electric’s sales reps have access to their own gifting bank accounts. They can send personalized gifts, eGifts, or brand merchandise (swag).
This allows them to control the flow of conversation with prospects by triggering sends at the appropriate time.
Marketing hack: Corporate gifting in 3 steps
Electric uses corporate gifts from start to finish in the buyer’s journey.
Gifting provides a reason for team members to reach out or follow up with prospects. It is also used as a tool to celebrate closed deals.
Kayal shares these three easy steps to fold corporate gifting into any outreach strategy:
- Set a Meeting: Send a prospect an eGift card to set a meeting. A coffee eGift is the perfect excuse to grab a cup of joe and sit down (virtually) with a prospect.
- Demo Phase: Next, thank prospects with a gift after the demo phase. Sendoso automation will alert sales reps when the special items have been delivered. It provides a reason for the seller to follow up in a timely fashion with the prospect.
- Close the Deal: After a deal is closed, send a gift to say thank you. For example, Electric sends a welcome gift box to each new client once the deal is done.
Expanding gifting beyond marketing and sales
B2B gifting cases keep coming for Electric. The company is now using Sendoso for more than just external outreach. It works for internal teams as well.
For example, the people teams at Electric use Sendoso gifting when onboarding new employees. It is another way to energize and excite their team members.
Carving out a corporate gifting budget
So where does a new CMO start when building their gifting program?
Kayal says it all starts with a budget.
“I don’t think enough CMOs have gifting carved into their budgets,” said Kayal. “With all the digital spend going on, it is a great category to be investing in.”
Kayal offers up this final piece of advice: No matter the marketing tactic, just remember to put yourself in the recipient’s shoes. “A gift can be a great way to delight a prospect or customer on their journey, but the key is to ensure that the journey is a thoughtful one.
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