1. Build a Better Service-Level
Agreement
#AOWEB
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2. Chat or Q/A
#AOWEB
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3. Build a Better Service-Level Agreement
Jay Gaines
Group Director, Demand

4. Executive Summary
• Key issues
– Alignment between sales and marketing in the end-to-end b-to-b
demand creation process is a challenge for every organization
– Without proper alignment, even the best-planned and best-executed
demand creation programs will underperform
– Many companies have service-level agreements (SLAs) in place,
but few are properly structured and fewer are adhered to
• What you will walk away with
– An understanding of why SLAs are required for demand creation
– A checklist of elements that drive five critical SLA types
– Best practices for creating and enforcing highly effective SLAs
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5. The Usual B-to-B Scenario
The well-trod path to dysfunction and despair

6. The Usual B-to-B Scenario
Sales wants all
“leads” fast Marketing hits the “more”
button
Sales doesn’t follow up Marketing: “Why no
followup?”
Sales: The “leads” are
no good Marketing:
Wasted effort, poor
performance, bitterness,
despair
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7. The Usual B-to-B Scenario
SiriusPerspective: Weak alignment at the top of the waterfall results in
poor performance in the middle and bottom.
Inquiry
Inquiry
Inquiry
Inquiry Inquiries
No nurture/ Inbound
Inbound Outbound
Outbound
qualification 80%
Marketing Qualification
Marketing Qualification
Marketing and Tele Qualification Leads
Marketing Qualified
Marketing and Tele Qualification
Automation Qualified Leads (AQLs)
Automation Qualified Leads (AQLs)
Sales accepts
100% Teleprospecting Accepted Leads (TALs)
Teleprospecting Accepted Leads (TALs)
everything/nothing
Teleprospecting
Teleprospecting Teleprospecting
Teleprospecting
Sales AcceptanceLeads (TGLs)
Sales Acceptance
Qualified Leads (TQLs) Generated Leads (TGLs)
Qualified Leads (TQLs) Generated
Inefficient use of
sales resources 3% - ?? Sales Qualification
Sales Qualification
Sales Generated Sales Accepted
Sales Generated Sales Qualified
Sales Accepted Leads
Sales Qualification
Sales Qualification
Leads (SGLs)
Leads (SGLs) Leads (SALs)
Leads (SALs)
Poor pipeline Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs)
dynamics 10% - ?? Close
SQL Close inquiries to
417 inquiries to
417
Close
close 11deal
close deal
Won Business
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8. The Best-in-Class B-to-B Scenario
SiriusPerspective: Strong process and alignment at the top of the
waterfall creates strong efficiencies in the middle and bottom.
Inquiry
Inquiry Inquiries
No nurture/
qualification 9.3%
Marketing and Tele Qualification Leads
Marketing Qualified
Marketing and Tele Qualification
Sales accepts
85%
everything/nothing
Sales Accepted Leads
Sales Acceptance
Sales Acceptance
Inefficient use of
62%
sales resources
Sales Qualification
Sales Qualification
Poor pipeline
dynamics 29% - ??
SQL 70 inquiries to close
70 inquiries to close
11deal
deal
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9. SLAs Defined
Five variations on a powerful process element

10. SLAs and the New Demand Waterfall
SiriusPerspective: There are five key sets of SLAs that drive efficiency
and consistency in the end-to-end demand creation process.
Inquiry
Inquiry
Five Sets of SLAs
Five Sets of SLAs Inbound Outbound
Inbound Outbound
Marketing Qualification
Marketing Qualification
11 Marketing to Tele
Marketing to Tele
Automation Qualified Leads (AQLs)
Automation Qualified Leads (AQLs)
Teleprospecting Accepted Leads (TALs)
22 Marketing to Sales
Marketing to Sales
Teleprospecting Accepted Leads (TALs)
Teleprospecting Qualified
Teleprospecting Qualified Teleprospecting
Teleprospecting
Leads (TQLs)
Leads (TQLs) Generated Leads (TGLs)
Generated Leads (TGLs)
33 Tele to Sales
Tele to Sales
Sales Qualification
Sales Qualification
Sales Generated
Sales Generated Sales Accepted
Sales Accepted
Leads (SGLs)
Leads (SGLs) Leads (SALs)
Leads (SALs)
44 Tele to Marketing
Tele to Marketing
Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs)
Sales to Tele or
Sales to Tele or Close
Close
55 Marketing
Marketing Won Business
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11. SLA One: Marketing to Teleprospecting
SiriusPerspective: Define an automation qualified lead (AQL)
qualification threshold that maximizes tele efficiency and productivity.
11 SLA Components
SLA Components Inquiry
Inquiry
Inbound
Inbound Outbound
Outbound
• AQL definition
– Qualification threshold and Marketing Qualification
Marketing Qualification
characteristics Automation Qualified Leads (AQLs)
Automation Qualified Leads (AQLs)
• Responsibilities/timeframes Teleprospecting Accepted Leads (TALs)
Teleprospecting Accepted Leads (TALs)
– Lead delivery timeframes and volume
– How leads will be delivered (e.g.
technology, flagging)
– Timeframes for tele accept/reject, and
attempt contact (4 hours)
– Form, number and timeframe for tele
outreach (5-7 attempts over 2 weeks)
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12. SLA Two: Marketing to Sales
SiriusPerspective: Sales and marketing should agree on scenarios when
leads bypass teleprospecting and are sent directly to sales.
22 SLA Components
SLA Components Inquiry
Inquiry
Inbound
Inbound Outbound
Outbound
• Route-around rules
– Named or strategic Marketing Qualification
Marketing Qualification
accounts Automation Qualified Leads (AQLs)
Automation Qualified Leads (AQLs)
– Request to speak with
rep
– Extraordinarily high score
• How leads will be delivered Sales Qualification
Sales Qualification
• Timeframe for sales to Sales Accepted
Sales Accepted
Leads (SALs)
Leads (SALs)
accept/reject (1-2 days)
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13. SLA Three: Teleprospecting to Sales
SiriusPerspective: Leads delivered by teleprospecting to sales should be
fully qualified and sales ready.
33 SLA Components
SLA Components
• TQL/TGL definition
Marketing Qualification
Marketing Qualification
• Responsibilities/timeframes
– Timeframes and volume for
MQL delivery Teleprospecting Qualified
Teleprospecting Qualified Teleprospecting
Teleprospecting
Leads (TQLs)
Leads (TQLs) Generated Leads (TGLs)
Generated Leads (TGLs)
– How leads will be delivered
– Timeframes for sales/channel Sales Qualification
Sales Qualification
to act, promote or disqualify Sales Generated
Sales Generated Sales Accepted
Sales Accepted
Leads (SGLs)
Leads (SGLs) Leads (SALs)
Leads (SALs)
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14. SLA Four: Teleprospecting to Marketing
SiriusPerspective: Leads rejected or disqualified by teleprospecting
should be routed back to marketing for further qualification.
44 SLA Components
SLA Components
Marketing Qualification
Marketing Qualification
• Lead rejection reasons
• Lead disqualification Automation Qualified Leads (AQLs)
Automation Qualified Leads (AQLs)
reasons
Teleprospecting Accepted Leads (TALs)
Teleprospecting Accepted Leads (TALs)
• How leads will be
delivered Teleprospecting
Teleprospecting Teleprospecting
Teleprospecting
Qualified Leads (TQLs) Generated Leads (TGLs)
• Marketing responsibilities Qualified Leads (TQLs) Generated Leads (TGLs)
and programs
• Timeframe for lead
pullback (2-4 weeks)
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15. SLA Five: Sales to Teleprospecting/Marketing
SiriusPerspective: Leads that stagnate should return to teleprospecting;
those that are rejected or disqualified should return to marketing.
55 SLA Components
SLA Components
Marketing Qualification
Marketing Qualification
• Sales to marketing Automation Qualified Leads (AQLs)
Automation Qualified Leads (AQLs)
– Lead rejection reasons
– Lead disqualification Teleprospecting Accepted Leads (TALs)
Teleprospecting Accepted Leads (TALs)
reasons
– How leads will be delivered Teleprospecting
Teleprospecting Teleprospecting
Teleprospecting
Qualified Leads (TQLs)
Qualified Leads (TQLs) Generated Leads (TGLs)
Generated Leads (TGLs)
– Marketing responsibilities
and programs
Sales Qualification
Sales Qualification
Sales Generated
Sales Generated Sales Accepted
Sales Accepted
Leads (SGLs)
Leads (SGLs) Leads (SALs)
Leads (SALs)
• Sales to teleprospecting
– Timeframes for lead pullback Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs)
– Timeframe and number of
attempts (4 to 6 over 2 weeks)
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16. SLA Best Practices
SiriusPerspective: Brevity and minimal complexity are requirements for
SLAs that are actually followed.
• Focus
– Keep SLAs clear and brief (minimize nuances and exceptions)
• Evolve
– Adjust based on performance metrics, data and feedback
• Enforce
– Those bound by SLAs must be held responsible for following them
– Visibility into key performance metrics for each function
– Agreement between leaders on how lack of adherence will be addressed
• Own
– Marketing and sales operations usually own maintenance
– Marketing and sales leaders sign and communicate contents
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17. Build a Better SLA
A proven approach from our work with b-to-b organizations

18. Process Overview
SiriusPerspective: Strong SLAs are best introduced in pilot form and
should be defined in a collaborative workshop environment.
Prepare
Prepare Assemble the team
Assemble the team Define components
Define components Host your day
Host your day
Prepare
Prepare Assemble your team
Assemble your team Define components
Define components Host your day
Host your day
• •Confirm internal
Confirm internal • •A cross-functional team • •Not all components are
A cross-functional team Not all components are • •A full-day workshop is
A full-day workshop is
support
support is aarequirement for
is requirement for relevant for every
relevant for every the ideal format for
the ideal format for
• •Gather relevant
Gather relevant success
success situation
situation defining and agreeing
defining and agreeing
information
information • •Select collaborative and • •Be sure SLA
Select collaborative and Be sure SLA on SLAs
on SLAs
• •Select one audience
Select one audience influential participants
influential participants components match
components match • •Use aastrong moderator
Use strong moderator
segment/offering
segment/offering your process
your process
pairing
pairing
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19. Prepare
SiriusPerspective: Preparation is the key to good decision making, but
don’t get bogged down in research.
• Obtain support from executive sponsors
• Define the market segment/offering pairing that will be the focus of the
workshop
• Analyze past wins to identify commonalities in terms of demographics,
firmagraphics, vertical, sub-vertical, lead source and buyer characteristics
• Review any existing SLAs between sales and marketing that support the
demand creation process
• Consider systems currently in place that support demand creation (e.g.
marketing automation, SFA)
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20. Assemble Your Team
SiriusPerspective: SLAs must be defined and agreed upon by a cross-
functional team.
Marketing and Sales Operations
•Responsible for ensuring proper systems are in place to fulfill processes defined in SLA
Teleprospecting
•Leader and at least one rep to define key responsibilities and timeframes for the function
Field Marketing/Demand Center
•To define and agree on responsibilities and timeframes marketing will be obligated to meet
Sales
•The most senior sales executive possible, as well as at least one first-line manager and sales
rep to define and agree to responsibilities and timeframes for sales
Channel Management
•A channel manager to represent the needs and define the obligations of partners, if
applicable
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21. Host Your Day
SiriusPerspective: With the right preparation and the right team, SLAs
can be created in a single day.
Sample Agenda:  Nurture Frameworks and Lead
Workshop Overview, Goals and Management Rules
Service-Level Agreement – Exercise: Rules and
Framework Timeframes
Foundation Elements of  Service-Level Agreements: Next
Effective Demand Creation Steps
Lead Taxonomy and – Agreement on ownership of
Components SLA management,
– Exercise: Lead Definition: measurement, reporting and
Marketing to Tele and Tele governance
to Sales – Identify individual(s) responsible
for writing SLA documents
– Conclusion
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22. SLA Governance
Making sure what has been built is followed

23. SLA Governance
SiriusPerspective: Lack of adherence to SLAs is often a symptom of SLA
issues, rather than apathy or laziness.
Assign maintenance
Assign maintenance
ownership
ownership
Conduct mandatory
Conduct mandatory • •Who will monitor and
Assign SLA executive
Assign SLA executive Who will monitor and
training, and add to
training, and add to report performance?
report performance?
sponsors
sponsors sales onboarding
sales onboarding
Communication/
Communication/
retraining process and
retraining process and
ownership
ownership Define escalation
Define escalation
Quarterly reviews
Quarterly reviews • •When SLAs change
When SLAs change procedures
procedures
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24. Key SLA Metrics
SiriusPerspective: Visibility into key SLA metrics will ensure adherence,
learning and rapid improvement.
Function Key Metrics
All Waterfall conversion rates
Marketing Lead volume/quality adherence
• Accept/reject/disqualify/promote timeframes
Tele • Disqualify reasons (adherence and lead quality)
• Accept/reject/disqualify/promote timeframes
• Disqualify reasons (adherence)
Sales • Pullback rate
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25. Thank You!

26. Within 24 hours:
You will receive an email with
webinar recording, slides and Act-On Information.
Learn more about Act-On:
Join our weekly 30-minute live demo
Customer case study webinars
And more: www.actonsoftware.com
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