EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVE

Genefa Murphy’s route to marketing wasn’t the conventional one, but she prefers to take the road less traveled. Murphy’s extensive background in technology and a well-rounded approach to software brings a fresh perspective to marketing that has served her well in her new role as CMO of cloud technology giant, Five9.

Murphy says that alignment and proper attribution are an integral part of her team’s marketing strategy in the age of the self-reliant buyer. “67% of research is done online prior to sale, but that doesn’t mean a customer is not engaging with the brand before that,” she says. “There’s nothing worse than sales not being aware that a customer has already engaged and missing the opportunity to connect on a personal level.”

Related: Check out our "Get to Know" Advisory Board member interview with Genefa Murphy here

Personalization has become the expectation as we move to an increasingly digital landscape. With so many channels to communicate through, brands can’t afford to let these interactions slip through the cracks. “Creating alignment between sales and marketing allows the salesperson to care personally about the customer. Customers are more than just a number. Treat them as such.”

Customers don’t view their interactions with a brand as communication with disparate marketing, comms, or sales teams; they’re talking to the brand. Having an aligned, personalized experience is the expectation for the self-reliant buyer. They may not take note if the alignment is there, but they will absolutely notice if it’s lacking.

Related: Five9 just acquired by Zoom for $14.7B

This emphasis on alignment led Murphy to develop something she refers to as the FIRE Framework:

F: Focus.  Marketing and sales teams tend to burn out, so equipping these teams with clean, targeted information allows them to use their energy and resources wisely and ensures alignment on a common objective.

I: Intent—stay aware of who is on the “to” list and the “CC” list. Externally, look at customer buying signals and use them to inform actions and engagement. Internally, be intentional with which stakeholders you need to loop into a conversation and when.

R: ROI. 2020 was the year of marketing budget cuts, so tracking ROI has become a crucial practice across the board. Analyze your highest performing assets and see where you’re getting the most value so you can prioritize and justify the use of your resources.

E: Engagement—Personalization and tracking leads are important but can only go as far as your attribution model. Five9 utilizes multi-touch attribution and are beginning to use this data to track patterns and customer journey behaviors so that they can look at the full end to end experience.

Navigating the chaotic customer journey has been a challenge for brands across all industries, but Murphy affirms alignment is a major key to successful, seamless experiences are critical for your customers from start to finish.

This interview first appeared in the report, "Rising Above the Fray," to check out more from Murphy and read additional insights from industry leaders, download it for free here.