The Amigos Network | Cupcake? No thanks, I'm on a diet.

Monday, May 13, 2024 by Shelley Hirst

The first thing we all agree on is every business needs sales leads.

Making the call is important, but an ill-timed approach that's not right for the buyer isn't going to be right for the salesperson either.

This a constant topic of conversation we churn regularly within our team. Here are some of our latest musings that may help if you're looking to make changes that will stimulate interest in your products and services and improve the likelihood that buyers will be interested in your call.

Picture this

You're tearing around at home doing the usual stuff, catching up on chores, getting ready for the gym or taking the kids out. Always a lot going on. Suddenly, your doorbell rings. You weren't expecting anyone. Reluctantly, you open the door to find a salesperson or a charity rep, armed with an ID badge, brochures, and a rehearsed pitch, ready to convince you that what they have is worth the interruption.

Annoying, right?

Similar scenario

Now apply that to the business world and selling technology products. Buyers today are busy. Very busy. Many of the products being pushed towards them rejoice in the virtues of saving time, money and so on, but they're far from interested in that when they don't even know who you are. You're just an annoying interruption to their busy day.

That's not to say you're not exactly the right fit for them, but timing is everything.

Back in the real world

Buyers are savvy, well-researched, and value autonomy in their purchasing journey. They don't want to be force-fed; they want to discover, understand, and consider the logic in what is being presented and then discuss it when the time is right for them.

Equally, sales teams don't want to be force-fed leads that mean endless hours trying to connect with buyers who may have only shown a passing and superficial interest in the topic.

How do we all get what we want?

Simply put, today's tech buyers value trust. They seek genuine interactions over sales pitches.

Reaching out with insight and understanding leads to genuine conversations. When a sales team has a comprehensive grasp of a buyer's journey and interests, their approach feels more personalised and relevant, paving the way for meaningful onward conversations.

The result? Buyers feel respected, understood, and more inclined to engage. Sales teams are more productive and meet their call objectives.

So how do you make that happen?

Creating a two-way street

Communities where buyers and sellers are a place where relationships can be nurtured. Taking buyers through logical stages that help them figure out their problems will lead them to the people who can help them fix them. There's a difference between this and how you engage with them through your own website and communications as it offers a degree of impartiality.

That's not to say it lacks sales intention, but it's presented more appealingly so when they're ready to decide to take a call it's backed by trust and the likelihood of a better outcome for both parties.

A programme that makes a difference

This is where our methodology comes into play. Imagine instead of that insistent door-to-door salesperson, you have a friendly neighbour who invites you over for a casual chat about a topic you both love.

They've created a comfortable space, where you can learn at your own pace, ask questions, and share experiences. That's precisely how we aim to offer information to our buyer communities.

The icing on the cake: Market Activation™

In the grand scheme of things what we've achieved is simple: create environments where engagement is authentic, and growth is sustainable through the one thing that sets us apart - our buyer communities.

But Market Activation™ doesn't stop there. Lead progression and visibility are important to our sales customers so we make that available every step of the way in dedicated dashboards.

Better still, we're accountable for results and because we're so sure our approach works, we're happy to sign up for performance guarantees at any programme's start.

Now that's got to be a win-win-win!

Author: Shelley Hirst, The Amigos Network
email: shelley.hirst@theamigosnetwork.com

If this makes sense to you ......

Take a small step. Ask us to show you how Market Activation™ will help amplify your brand, identify buyers with purchasing intent and create better-informed sales conversations!

It can be a complete enabler for small/newly funded businesses or as a programme that's part of a wider demand generation strategy.

Vendors looking to support their partner channels in their demand-creation efforts find it particularly beneficial if they build it into their channel programmes.

Forward-thinking distributors wishing to offer value to vendors and partners by engaging and managing relationships directly with buyers are also creating interest.

And great news for the budget holders - depending on where you sit there are models some customers have adopted that have made it cost-neutral or revenue-positive at source.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Market Activation differ from Demand Generation?

Demand Gen builds broad awareness and interest over time (e.g., whitepapers, webinars).
Market Activation identifies in-market buyers (via intent data, behavioural signals) and immediately engages them with tailored outreach (nurture tracks, one-to-one advisor sessions, community invites).

Market Activation talks about “Demand-as-a-Service”? What’s included in this?

Engagement Engine: Continuous, multi-channel publishing (articles, webinars, newsletters) to sustain interest
Demand Engine: Targeted outreach (email, ads, sponsorships) that scores clicks → qualified leads → sales-ready appointments.
Performance Dashboard: Real-time visibility into open rates, CTOR, CPL and lead progression via our online sales portal.

What role does The Amigos Network play in Market Activation?

Early Detection: Community discussions surface real-world challenges and project signals before formal RFPs.
Content Amplification: Thought leadership shared in The Amigos Network drives deeper engagement and social proof.
Peer Validation: Prospects get candid feedback from peers on your solutions, shortening the evaluation cycle.
Pipeline Catalysis: Warm introductions and referral paths within the community fuel high- intent conversations.

How do B2B communities like The Amigos Network fit into the sales process?

Top-of-Funnel: Build credibility through community content and events.
Mid-Funnel: Leverage peer case studies, expert Q&As, and live demos to answer deep technical questions.
Bottom-of-Funnel: Invite high-intent members to advisory councils or private 1:1 sessions, often the final nudge before purchase.

How does The Amigos Network create Intent Data?

Interesting content: We originate, curate, and syndicate different types of content we know our audiences want to engage with and tell them it’s there.
Sponsored content: We use sponsored content to drive engagement with individual brands.
Promotion: We promote that content via multiple channels such as email, social media, YouTube, and so on.
Identification: We ingest company-level engagement signals and combine it with known contacts that may be researching key topics.
Segmentation: Members are bucketed by level of intent (high, medium, low) plus ICP fit and company size.
Activation: High-intent members receive prioritised community invitations (events, focus groups, product deep-dives) to accelerate deals.

Is buying intent data worth it when you’re part of The Amigos Network?

Yes, if you blend purchased intent data with community signals and nurture streams, it makes a powerful mix, but it is not necessary for this programme.

Purchased data highlights who’s in-market.
Community engagement reveals what questions they’re asking, so your nurture can be hyper-relevant.
Result: A 2–3× lift in meeting acceptance and pipeline velocity vs. cold outreach alone.

Is buying intent data worth it?

It turns out that intent data is one of the best ways to find and target in-market buyers who match your ideal customer profile (ICP). Intent data shows at a company level who's actively interested in a product or service area. Depending on your investment, it will determine whether you can get named individuals.

Why would I buy intent data?

As a starting point to onward prospect engagement and pipeline building for the future. The best use of it comes from entering it into marketing nurture until such point it becomes a sales-ready opportunity.

Is intent data good for sales teams?

It depends. If it’s seen as a fast-track to dropping it into a sales queue, then ROI will be poor. It is valuable if given to marketing to nurture first and pass it through when it becomes high-intent, rather than “just showing an interest.”

Is it better to buy or create intent data?

Buying it is one approach, but it’s what you do next with it that counts. Dropping it into a sales queue and expecting a potential buyer to be asking “where do I sign” is unlikely to happen, especially for strategic or big-ticket purchases. Buying basic intent information should be the first step in a long-term nurture process designed to build an ongoing pipeline in a joined-up marketing and sales approach.

Is purchased intent data alone enough to fast track to sales?

No.

How should Sales and Marketing collaborate on intent in The Amigos Network?

Marketing owns the nurture tracks, community invites, educational content, and event promos.
Sales intervenes only at “high-intent + active community engagement” thresholds, with account-specific demos and peer introductions.
Outcome: Fewer wasted calls and a higher win rate on truly qualified opportunities.

How do we measure success for Market Activation in The Amigos Network?

Engagement Metrics: Community log-ins, event attendance, content downloads.
Intent Conversion: % of intent-scored members who join private roundtables or request demos.
Pipeline Velocity: Time from first community touch to opportunity creation.
Revenue Impact: Contribution of community-sourced deals to overall bookings.