Laura Cross

VP, Principal Analyst

Forrester Bio

Author Insights

Blog

B2B Marketing Planning Is Connected But Doesn’t Need To Be Overwhelming

Laura Cross November 9, 2023
The future of B2B marketing planning will be integrated, sequenced, and adaptive.
Blog

Revenue Operations: Nine Myths And Two Realities

Laura Cross September 15, 2023
Revenue operations has exploded in popularity, but misconceptions about it abound. Here, we reveal nine common myths and highlight two key realities.
Blog

B2B Revenue Engine Alignment: A Cultural Transformation That Begins With Customer Obsession

Laura Cross November 21, 2022
A customer-obsessed organization requires an optimized revenue engine. Revenue engine alignment maximizes the buyer’s experience and, in turn, the success of the organization.
Blog

How Marketing Operations Leaders Set Clear Boundaries Using Project Acceptance And Prioritization Strategies

Laura Cross November 17, 2022
B2B marketing depends on processes to develop and execute marketing activities efficiently and effectively. To succeed, B2B marketing functions must manage various processes, each delivering specific outputs for stakeholders.
Blog

Six Tips Marketing Operations Leaders Can Use To Prepare For A Potential Recession

Laura Cross June 16, 2022
What the coming months will bring is uncertain. Marketing operations leaders can use these tips and resources to ensure their plans stay on track.
Blog

How Will Leaders Prepare For The Convergence Of Demand And ABM? — A Forrester B2B Summit 2022 Session Preview

Laura Cross March 28, 2022
We believe the explosion of technology has been pivotal to making demand smarter and ABM at scale possible. But for the future and the next evolution –what’s beyond convergence, what’s next? And how will Leaders prepare?
Blog

Use Pilots To Evaluate Demand Initiatives Before Investing Significant Time And Money

Laura Cross March 24, 2022
A pilot allows an organization to prove or disprove a hypothesis. It can also help an organization understand what changes are necessary before a full-scale implementation. Applying lessons from a pilot program increases the chances of being successful when a new process or technology is implemented or when resources are added on a larger scale. […]
Blog

Overcoming Friction In Demand Marketing Program Planning

Laura Cross February 12, 2022
Demand program owners need a repeatable approach to program creation. Yet lack of needed input, insight, and integration can mean the same pain points keep occurring.
Blog

Se Centrer Sur Le Groupe D’Achat Est La Clé Du Succès

Laura Cross 8 Octobre 2021
Alors que les responsables de la demande et du marketing basé sur les comptes (ABM) cherchent à établir de nouvelles bases en 2022, il sera essentiel de se concentrer sur les groupes d'achat pour réussir.
Blog

Wechsel vom Lead-zentrierten Fokus zu Buying Groups: Der Schlüssel zum Demand- und ABM-Erfolg

Laura Cross 8 Oktober 2021
Im Jahr 2022 werden sich Führungskräfte im Bereich Demand- und Account-Based-Marketing (ABM) auf den Aufbau und den Erhalt einer dynamischen Vertriebspipeline in einer postpandemischen Welt konzentrieren. Das alles geschieht in einer Zeit, in der die Erwartungen der B2B-Käufer – gehört, geschätzt und verstanden zu werden – höher sind als je zuvor. Angesichts der Tatsache, dass […]
Blog

Demand Program Plays: Get And Move Buying Group Members Through The Waterfall

Laura Cross October 7, 2021
Traditional acquisition and nurture programs have ignored the reality of how buyers work together. Buyers work as a group to make a unified decision. As organizations embrace the reality of buying groups, demand programs must change from focusing on individuals to opportunities. The new B2B Revenue Waterfall needs demand programs to get new opportunities into […]
Blog

Demand Programs — Using Rules To Design Program Flows

Laura Cross October 7, 2021
Demand marketers need a scalable and repeatable process to support buying group needs while in a demand program. Demand programs have program objectives with corresponding program plays to get and move opportunities with connected buying group members through the B2B Revenue Waterfall. Demand program plays are different types of programs to support demand program objectives of activate, […]
Blog

Moving From A Lead-Centric To A Buying-Group Focus Is Key To Demand And ABM Success

Laura Cross October 7, 2021
As demand and account-based marketing (ABM) leaders look to lay new foundations in 2022, a focus on buying groups and intuitive, highly contextualized experiences will be critical.
Blog

Three Actions for Demand and Account-Based Marketers to Evolve from Buyer Engagement to Buyer Enablement

Laura Cross August 17, 2020
  • B2B buyers expect buying experiences to be increasingly open, connected, intuitive, and immediate — today’s marketers must learn how to balance these factors to successfully engage buyers
  • Marketers must move from digitally engaging to digitally enabling buyers, through programs that leverage interconnected insights, deliver frictionless engagement, and provide intuitive contextual experiences
  • Marketing leaders must invest in a technology stack that empowers B2B marketers to collect buying signals, connect insights, and deliver tailored responses that anticipate the buyer’s information needs
Blog

Will Marketing Automation Platforms Go Extinct or Rapidly Evolve to Keep Up With Demand Marketers’ Needs?

Laura Cross March 22, 2019
  • Marketing automation platforms (MAPs) have been at the center of the martech stack, but they no longer reflect the dynamics of the modern buying process
  • Marketers don’t have to accept that MAPs alone meet their demand marketing needs; it’s time to rethink where a MAP fits – or doesn’t
  • At this year’s SiriusDecisions Summit, attendees will learn how alternate technology solutions offer features and functionality that go beyond what a MAP provides
Blog

Adobe Acquires Marketo: What Does This Mean for B2B?

Laura Cross October 3, 2018
  • Adobe’s acquisition of Marketo is a big bet on the B2B market and reflects the value of using advanced automation to support the buyer’s journey
  • The new combined company will need to support the unique needs of B2B organizations
  • SiriusDecisions looks forward to following the progress of this acquisition and the evolution of technology stacks to support B2B marketing functions
Blog

How Many Fields Should Web Contact Forms Have?

Laura Cross May 23, 2017
  • Marketers often wonder how many fields should be in their Web contact forms
  • The optimal number of fields depends on numerous variables
  • Qualification is the most variable of the main potential form criteria
Blog

Finding Value in Marketing Automation

Laura Cross March 2, 2017
  • A marketing automation platform (MAP), combined with process definition, should enable buyer engagement at scale
  • Marketing must ensure that business value and ROI are achieved from the MAP investment
  • MAPs must contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing programs
Blog

Marketing Automation: The Contact Field Taxonomy

Laura Cross September 27, 2016
  • Marketing automation platforms provide out-of-the box contact field taxonomies
  • Organizations often find these generic contact fields do not meet their objectives
  • Taxonomies should include contact information, demographic data, routing rules and qualification criteria
Blog

How Many Emails Should You Send Each Contact?

Laura Cross September 12, 2016
  • Excessive email communication directly impacts email effectiveness and can increase opt-outs
  • The only way to tell how many emails should be sent is to test
  • Best practices for email touch governance include process centralization and preference management
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