In this exclusive Q&A session, we sit down with Lucas Welch, Vice President of Global Corporate Marketing at Highspot, to understand how his extensive experience leading the company’s global marketing and analyst relations efforts led to measuring the influence of AR on sales deals. Lucas shares insights on the evolution of AR strategies at Highspot, the partnership with Spotlight, and how tools like TrueVoice help measure AR’s impact.
Q: Why did you choose to partner with Spotlight?
A: As I got to know the Spotlight team and your model, I found it to just be a really interesting way to leverage scale [through Spotlight’s work with a wide variety of analysts and clients]. The collective best practices and knowledge – there is a level of insight that we just simply wouldn’t have access to otherwise.
Q: How did the Spotlight team help shape your AR strategy?
A: When we started collaborating with the Spotlight team, they recommended utilizing internal tools at Highspot that might help us correlate analyst engagement with our end users, prospects and customers, particularly with closed won deals. And, we actually do use a third-party service called TrueVoice, that surveys our customers and prospects after a deal has closed.
Q: What insights have you gained from using internal tools in conjunction with the Spotlight team?
A: With TrueVoice, we survey individuals post-deal closure, asking whether they spoke to an analyst, which firm they consulted with, and how impactful that conversation was on their decision (rated as high, medium, or low impact). Over the past few quarters, we’ve analyzed the data to see how analyst interactions influence deal outcomes. Remarkably, we found that nearly 70% of deals are closed successfully when the prospect has spoken to an analyst. This high correlation underscores the significant impact of analyst engagement on our sales success. By leveraging these insights, we’re able to refine our strategies and strengthen our market position, illustrating the profound value of effective analyst relations.
Spotlight serves as an extension of Highspot’s AR team, the results go beyond tactical support; they directly impact business deals. The insights gleaned from correlating analyst engagement with deal success rates, facilitated by tools like TrueVoice, underscore the invaluable role of analyst relations in driving tangible outcomes. As organizations navigate the evolving AR market, forging meaningful partnerships and leveraging collective knowledge within the company becomes key to staying ahead. With the right strategies and collaborations in place, the potential for AR success knows no bounds.
Interested in learning more about how Spotlight can partner up with your company? Reach out to our team today to get started.
