Drift, the number one Conversation Cloud company uses Cognism’s B2B data to:
- Enrich existing data with accurate mobile numbers - displacing ZoomInfo and LeadIQ across all global teams.
- Prove ROI in under 30 days gaining immediate buy-in from the CFO.
- Have a high adoption rate within the first 30 days.
- Speed up LinkedIn prospecting time by 5x.
- Book 70% of its outbound meetings from Cognism’s mobile numbers.
- Speed up its sales workflows by seamlessly integrating with Salesforce and Outreach.
Teams using: Sales
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The company
Drift is the leader in conversational cloud marketing. Headquartered in Boston with offices in Europe, Mexico and North America, the business is part of just 2% of VC-backed companies led by Latino founders.
Drift brings Conversational Marketing, Conversational Sales and Conversational Service into a single platform that integrates chat, email and video and powers personalised experiences with artificial intelligence (AI) at all stages of the customer journey.
More than 5,000 customers use Drift to deliver a more enjoyable and human buying experience that builds trust and accelerates revenue. Representing less than 1% of unicorns led by Latino founders, Drift is building an equitable, enduring company to transform the way businesses buy from businesses.
The challenge
We interviewed Michael Iannuzzi, Director of Marketing & Sales Development at Drift, supporting the sales teams in North America and EMEA.
What data gaps did they intend to fill with Cognism?
“I’ve been working in SaaS sales since 2015. Back then it was taboo to call prospects on their mobiles as most people were used to being called on their office line. The pandemic turned this upside down as individuals were no longer contactable in the office.”
“With cold calling being the most powerful way to build relationships, we had to get creative and find new ways of getting hold of prospects.”
What lead generation companies were they utilising before Cognism?
“We used ZoomInfo and LeadIQ across all of our sales teams. However, finding correct mobile numbers in these databases was like finding a needle in a haystack.”
Mike told us more about the importance of choosing a data provider that supplied a surplus amount of numbers.
“Cold calling is the backbone of building relationships and booking meetings in sales. But the SDRs were spending a great deal of time sifting through data lists, only to find that most of the numbers were false or office lines. This is when we decided to look at Cognism.”
Mike described the data assessment techniques Drift undertook in the vendor evaluation process.
“As a business, accurate data and an easy workflow were the two requirements we had when evaluating other sales intelligence providers.”
“To assess data accuracy, I tested a list of 5,000 MQLs in a number of databases. ZoomInfo’s platform consisted mainly of office numbers. When I ran the list against other data companies, approximately 50% of the contacts had a mobile number attached to them.”
“Cognism defeated all the other lead generation providers by a huge amount. Its database had an 80% accuracy rate and the highest coverage of mobile numbers.”
“The platform was also very swift. The SDRs would find a lead that visited our website, pull up Cognism and get the contact’s number instantly. It was that quick.”
Mike summed up his feelings about signing with Cognism:
“The astounding results combined with the platform’s simplicity was critical to getting the deal done quickly.”
“Our decision to move from ZoomInfo and LeadIQ to Cognism was an easy one. The platform surpassed all our expectations.”
The solution
What is their target market?
“Our ICP are revenue decision-makers in commercial and enterprise businesses in EMEA and North America. The majority of our customers are in B2B SaaS. But recently, we’ve seen a spike in demand from manufacturing, financial services and professional services organisations.”
Mike explained the importance of having high product adoption in the early stages of using a new technology.
“I used to work at Pendo, a product experience solution, so I recognise the value of driving adoption early doors. Although it's hard to quantify, it's the key to success and stickiness. With Cognism, the SDRs were up and running in two weeks. The time to value was very fast.”
What role does Mike play when it comes to the workflows with Cognism?
“I often get in the weeds and help the SDRs as much as possible with their day-to-day prospecting. As an organisation, we acquire new leads through both inbound and outbound channels.”
Mike told us how the SDRs use Cognism to enrich inbound data points.
“Firstly, they use the Drift platform to check which MQAs/MQLs have come from the website. Then they use 6sense to see which companies in their bucket are showing intent. Cognism is the final touchpoint in the inbound flow, as the SDRs use the database to fill in any missing data points before starting outreach.”
The SDRs are regular users of Cognism’s Chrome Extension. How do they use this product for standard raw outbound execution?
“We have a buddy system where the SDRs schedule meetings for the AEs based on target lists they are assigned in Salesforce. The SDRs search for the correct contact details in LinkedIn Sales Navigator and enrich the information using Cognism’s LinkedIn browser.”
“At the click of a button, the contact details are automatically exported to Salesforce and synced to Outreach through the system integrations for SDRs to take action.”
Mike commended how much the LinkedIn plug-in has helped with overall productivity:
“ZoomInfo’s plug-in took approximately 20 seconds to load a lead, and more often than not, the contact details were incorrect. This was a productivity drain.”
“With Cognism, it’s either instant or takes four seconds. The plug-in’s velocity enables quick-fire prospecting allowing our salespeople to get on with what they do best - selling!”
“Cognism is at the forefront of our inbound and outbound lead generation. Our sales performance would not be made possible without its excellent data and seamless integrations.”
The results
Mike explained how Cognism has hugely helped the team’s efficiency levels:
“Enriching data points through other tools takes forever with ZoomInfo being one. The business tries to do everything to accommodate everyone. For a lot of companies that makes sense but in our case, we just want accurate information fast.”
He told us more:
“Cognism is like a lightning bolt when it comes to keeping information up-to-date. Here’s an example: when a lead moves roles or gets a promotion, other providers often delay updating this in the system. Whereas Cognism’s updates this instantly and most of the time the information is spot on.”
Given the speed at which the SDRs can retrieve contact information in the platform, Mike told us about the positive effects this has had on sales performance.
“Approximately 4,000 leads each month are enriched by our SDR team using Cognism’s database. On average, 70% of monthly meetings are booked over the phone and every mobile number is pulled from Cognism.”
“We are steadily growing our pipeline and that's thanks to Cognism’s stellar database.”
The top reasons why Drift recommends Cognism
Speedy data enrichment
“As a salesperson, I want information as quickly as possible. That way I can go after prospects when intent is at its highest. We live in a world of instants and in order to captivate people with a SaaS product, it's got to be fast.”
“Cognism’s platform is not only rapid but the data is a cut above the rest. If you want fresh contact information at speed then you need to buy Cognism.”
Immediate buy-in from the CFO
“The CFO said he needed to see value from the platform within the first 30 days. The key metrics to look at are: Are we using it? Are we seeing month on month that usage is increasing?”
“Given the rapidity of the onboarding, I could confidently show our CFO that Cognism has demonstrated high usage and product adoption across the sales organisation in the initial 30 days.”
“With a slightly shrinking team in the economic climate, it’s impressive to have usage that is consistently growing every single month. Cognism is widely appreciated from the top-down.”
Cost-effective product
“It’s very reassuring to have a tool in our tech stack that promises what it delivers. The value of the tool is higher than what we are paying for and it’s worth every single penny.”
Mike concluded that:
“There are many data enrichment tools out there and I’ve tried most of them. I can confidently say that Cognism has the highest coverage and most accurate data available.”
“For these reasons, my life was made much easier as I could easily sell the tool internally and get buy-in from senior management. The cost versus the value of what we are getting is very high. We couldn’t be happier with it.”
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