How F5 Increased Customer Engagement by 4X

Inefficiencies Hindered Effective Sales Engagement

Before integrating Highspot, the F5 regional go-to-market (GTM) marketing team faced significant challenges in content management and personalization. Sales reps were burdened with the manual task of copying and pasting sales pitches, attaching relevant content such as whitepapers and case studies, and managing multiple sources to access necessary materials. This process was not only time-consuming but also prone to errors, leading to inefficiencies and hindering the team’s ability to deliver compelling presentations to customers. “We were tied up in our ability to execute,” explained Jeannine Woodyear, global sales enablement lead. 

The team knew it needed to shift its approach in order to remove the roadblocks in the way of sales efficiency and effectiveness. “The beauty of that challenge was that it gave rise to the fact that we needed a better way,” shared Woodyear. “We had to live that journey to get to a solution that would enable us to realize that vision.”

Transforming Sales Effectiveness Through Personalization

To overcome these challenges, the regional GTM marketing team led an initiative to help sales reps better engage with customers through Highspot. With this implementation, the sales team experienced a transformative shift in their workflow. They gained seamless access to a centralized platform that empowered them to effortlessly personalize sales pitches and swiftly distribute them to customers, eliminating the need for cumbersome manual processes. Highspot’s intuitive interface streamlined content discovery and delivery, enabling sales reps to focus more on engaging with prospects and less on administrative tasks. “When what someone’s searching for is aligned to what we’re prioritizing, you’re going to have strong findability, especially if the content is well governed and hygienic,” said Woodyear.

Moreover, Highspot’s robust analytics capabilities provided invaluable insights into the effectiveness of sales pitches and content usage. By tracking engagement metrics and analyzing performance data, the team gained a deeper understanding of what resonates with their audience and identified areas for optimization. “Until we had Highspot, we had no way of even talking about the performance of content,” highlighted Michael Atalla, interim chief marketing officer at F5. “We had the anecdotal stuff, but not a data-based way to make decisions.” This data-driven approach allowed the team to refine their sales strategies, tailor their messaging to specific customers’ needs, and ultimately enhance their overall sales effectiveness. 

Improving Global Sales and Marketing Alignment

One of the most impactful features of Highspot for the team has been its ability to track individual sales rep activity and measure the conversion of engagement to meetings. This granular visibility into sales performance has enabled the team to identify top performers, replicate successful tactics across the team, and provide targeted coaching and support where needed. As a result, the team has seen significant improvements in its conversion rates and sales outcomes, driving tangible business results. For example, in just 16 weeks, the team achieved a 4X increase in customer engagement, a 4X increase in meetings scheduled, and a 6X increase in opportunities created.

With strong success from the regional campaign led by the GTM marketing team, the company decided to launch the campaign globally, helping to drive global collaboration and sales and marketing alignment. “We would not be in the place where we now, where we have sales and marketing alignment, without the success of this campaign,” noted Woodyear. “It’s really fueling our foray into revenue enablement.”