Life after the MQL
by Stefano Iacono
European Marketing Director, 6sense
Marketing. Qualified. Leads.
For years, these three words—Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) drove B2B strategies. Today, the landscape has changed dramatically, prompting us to rethink our methods. This shift is not just a challenge; it’s an opportunity to pioneer more effective approaches to B2B marketing.
The traditional funnel no longer aligns with the needs of the modern buyer, who now spends the majority of their journey—over 70%—researching anonymously in what we call the "Dark Funnel." Buyers often choose their preferred vendor before ever engaging with sales.
Compounding this complexity, buying groups have grown to average around 11 people—nearly double pre-COVID levels. As a result, marketers are struggling to influence decision-makers who remain largely unknown, with hundreds of anonymous interactions occurring in the year before a decision is made.
We, as marketers, are tasked with delivering personalisation at scale in a world where buying groups are larger and more diverse than ever before. All of this is happening while we keep pace with rapidly evolving technologies and navigate the complexities of data privacy regulations.
The humble MQL, with its focus on the "known funnel" and individual leads, is now under scrutiny. At the same time, there’s increasing pressure to demonstrate ROI in this complex landscape. This new reality calls for innovative strategies to engage invisible decision-makers throughout their extended buying journey.
This report sheds light on how some of the brightest minds in B2B marketing are tackling these challenges. It provides insights and actionable strategies that can serve as both a guide and a catalyst for transformation in your organisation. I hope this report inspires you to embrace these changes and reimagine the future of B2B marketing.
Attend a customised Revenue Clinic
To help you navigate these questions and explore how our platform can address your specific challenges, we would be delighted to offer you a customised Revenue Clinic. This strategic workshop, led by B2B marketing expert Kerry Cunningham, will provide you with actionable insights and a tailored roadmap for modernising your sales and marketing operations.
We sincerely thank our 34 contributors for sharing their insights and look forward to expanding this report in an updated edition with more voices later this year.
We are confident that their diverse insights will resonate strongly with our growing community of marketing leaders, offering both validation and fresh perspectives on the future of B2B marketing success.
About 6sense
6sense is on a mission to revolutionise the way B2B organisations create revenue by predicting customers most likely to buy and recommending the best course of action to engage anonymous buying teams. 6sense Revenue AI is the only sales and marketing platform to unlock the ability to create, manage and convert high-quality pipeline to revenue. Customers report 2X increases in average contract value, 4X increases in win rate and 20-40% reduction in time to close deals. Know everything, do anything, with 6sense.