Forrester Releases SiriusDecisions Planning Assumptions To Help B2B Leaders Accelerate Growth In 2021

Rhea-AI Summary

On October 5, 2020, Forrester (NASDAQ: FORR) launched its Planning Assumptions 2021 to assist B2B marketing, sales, and product leaders in adapting to volatile market conditions. This resource offers critical insights aimed at enhancing agility and resilience among B2B executives. It emphasizes the need for chief marketing officers to embrace change, chief sales officers to master virtual selling, and marketing operations leaders to facilitate adaptability. Overall, the report advocates for a shift toward digitization and customer-centric approaches for sustained success in the new fiscal year.

Positive

• Release of 'Planning Assumptions 2021' provides actionable insights for B2B leaders.
• The resource addresses the need for agility in marketing and sales strategies under unpredictable market conditions.
• Focus on enhancing virtual selling and personalized buyer experiences as essential for sales organizations.

Negative

• None.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- To help B2B marketing, sales, and product leaders align priorities amid unpredictable market conditions, Forrester (NASDAQ: FORR) today released Planning Assumptions 2021. As B2B executives build their annual plans for 2021, Forrester's SiriusDecisions Planning Assumptions will help leaders uncover key trends to prioritize their resources and investments in the year ahead.

Serving 13 roles — including B2B chief marketing officers, chief sales officers, demand and account-based marketing leaders, and marketing operations leaders, as well as heads of sales operations, emerging growth marketing, customer engagement, content strategy and operations, portfolio marketing, sales enablement, product management, emerging growth sales, and channel marketing — each brief features actionable insights to help B2B leaders capitalize on opportunities in the next fiscal year. Key insights include:

• B2B CMOs must be agents of change, not advocates for a comfortable status quo. Thriving in an unpredictable and continuously shifting B2B climate requires agility and resilience. Proactively challenging assumptions and reviewing risks will help strengthen organizational resilience in the year ahead. B2B CMOs will need to adapt marketing campaigns to endure market volatility and shrinking budgets.
• Chief sales officers must get adept at virtual selling for their sales organizations to address buyer needs. 2020 has forced profound changes in how sales organizations work, plan, and prioritize. Buyers expect, and even demand, that sellers deliver an intuitive and immediate buying experience. Sales organizations should harness technology and data to deliver on buyers' expectations and deliver personalized experiences for each buyer.
• Demand and account-based marketing leaders must find compelling ways to drive engagement across buying groups. The recent disruptions to the B2B buying process have heightened the focus on how demand marketing and account-based marketing programs can drive growth. The future success of demand and account-based marketing teams will rest heavily on their ability to invest in technology, programs, and content that help to spot, measure, and enable buying groups.
• Marketing operations leaders must enable hyperagility. Marketing operations' role has evolved to include unfamiliar responsibilities that are and will continue to be required to advance the organization mid- and post-pandemic. CMOs will lean on marketing operations to provide guidance on the best use cases for adaptability and improve processes for a nimbler marketing function.
• Sales operations must improve capabilities to collect and analyze data. Guiding buyers through the purchase decision-making process requires a deep understanding of buyers and customers. The job of the B2B sales representative is no longer to convince customers to buy but rather to help them buy. Sales operations must improve its capabilities to collect and analyze data to provide on-demand insights to reps and sales leaders.

"Even in the best of times, planning for a new fiscal year can be daunting," said Monica Behncke, VP, SiriusDecisions Research at Forrester. "The goal of Planning Assumptions is to help B2B leaders be nimbler and adapt to the rapidly changing market forces for long-term success. Looking ahead to 2021, proactive planning, embracing change, and transforming familiar models and approaches will be critical to B2B firms' success. Leaders across the revenue engine will need to accelerate the shift toward digitization, buyer centricity, and customer obsession."

Resources:

• Visit the Planning Assumptions hub.
• Download Planning Assumptions 2021 for B2B chief marketing officers.
• Download Planning Assumptions 2021 for B2B chief sales officers.
• Download Planning Assumptions 2021 for demand and account-based marketing.
• Download Planning Assumptions 2021 for marketing operations.
• Download Planning Assumptions 2021 for sales operations.
• Access 2021 Planning Assumptions research (available to clients only).

About Forrester
Forrester (NASDAQ: FORR) is one of the most influential research and advisory firms in the world. We help organizations grow through customer obsession. Forrester's unique insights are grounded in annual surveys of more than 690,000 consumers and business leaders worldwide, rigorous and objective methodologies, and the shared wisdom of our most innovative clients. Through proprietary research, data and analytics, custom consulting, exclusive peer groups, certifications, and events, we are revolutionizing how businesses grow in the age of the customer; learn more at forrester.com.

Contact:
Shweta Agarwal
(617) 613-6805
sagarwal@forrester.com

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SOURCE Forrester

FAQ

What is Forrester's Planning Assumptions 2021?

Forrester's Planning Assumptions 2021 is a resource designed to assist B2B marketing, sales, and product leaders in making informed decisions amidst market volatility.

How can B2B leaders benefit from Planning Assumptions 2021?

B2B leaders can utilize the insights to prioritize resources, enhance agility, and adapt marketing and sales strategies for the upcoming fiscal year.

What key topics are covered in Forrester's Planning Assumptions 2021?

The report covers themes such as virtual selling, the role of B2B CMOs, demand marketing, and the need for improved data analytics capabilities in sales operations.

When was the Planning Assumptions 2021 report released?

The Planning Assumptions 2021 report was released on October 5, 2020.

What is the significance of the Planning Assumptions for sales officers?

The Planning Assumptions highlight the importance of adapting to buyer behavior changes and leveraging technology for personalized sales experiences.