UNSCRIPTED with Dan Loosemore: A Journey to 100% Retention with Data Science & Marketing
Since launching my podcast UNSCRIPTED, I have had great conversations with old colleagues, friends and new acquaintances. I embarked on creating these podcasts to unearth and shed light on the successful Digitisation of Events.
In this episode of UNSCRIPTED, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Dan Loosemore, CEO at DatacenterDynamics (DCD), to dive deep into the world of digital communication and B2B marketing. He has done a fantastic job of extending a model we pioneered when working together, which is now the basis of my CVI + CVO Framework™ to deliver some amazing results — the one I was astounded by is achieving 100% retention for DCD digital products when other events turned digital companies are haemorrhaging digital revenue.
I hope you enjoy Dan’s story. I have embedded the podcast, and below are some of the highlights.
“Dan, how many webinars were we doing? Like five a week or something silly like that, right?” I recalled highlighting our intense schedule. Dan playfully responded, “Hundreds and thousands,” emphasising the scale of our efforts.
We discussed the pivotal role of analytics tools like ThoughtSpot in aggregating diverse data in real-time, an essential aspect of strategic decision-making at DCD. Dan’s insights offered a window into the real-world application of data science, particularly in marketing, urging professionals to consider the desired outcome first and then choose the most effective digital vehicle.
Our shared history also reveals the need for dynamism in adapting and evolving in a digital landscape marked by the pandemic, highlighting the importance of innovation, resilience, and the power of partnership in B2B marketing.
DCD and the Paradigm Shift in Marketing
Navigating digital marketing’s complexities requires more than just savvy sales tactics; it demands trust, understanding, and validation. I pointedly asked Dan about the journey to achieving this, emphasising the need for education, validation, and sophisticated tools like ThoughtSpot.
Dan acknowledged the challenges, highlighting the importance of internal structure and specialised teams, such as client success teams, to enable longer-term partnerships and drive results. He detailed how these teams manage campaigns, apply ABM layers, and communicate behavioural scoring to the sales team while adopting tech-enabled solutions.
This approach has led to a total shift in perspective regarding data partners, transforming them from third-party entities to integral team members and ultimately contributing to DCD’s impressive achievement of over 100% revenue retention.
Transparency and Trust in B2B Relationships
The dynamics of client relationships are evolving, requiring a genuine human touch and a shift from transactional to data-driven interactions. I observed this paradigm shift, prompting Dan to share his insights on the importance of transparency in B2B settings and the need for defensible numbers.
Steering DCD with a Data-Driven Approach
Under Dan’s leadership, DCD has remained agile and adaptive in the ever-changing digital landscape. He reflected on the evolving expectations of buyers, emphasising the shift to a buyer-led B2B journey and the need for alignment between sales and marketing teams.
One of my favourite quotes from the podcast is
“you’ve got sales and marketing teams that are fundamentally still disjointed. Largely running 2013 to 2018 playbooks “
Addressing Data Literacy in the Events Industry
I brought up the challenge of data literacy within the events industry, prompting Dan to share his thoughts on the importance of education and the role of data teams in creating valuable outcomes and enhancing the customer journey.
Insights, Reflections, and Paths Forward
The pandemic catalysed innovation and highlighted the need for insight-driven initiatives. Dan shared his thoughts on balancing creativity and standardisation, advocating for a productising approach to ensure sustainability.
As we navigated through these topics, the conversation underscored the importance of setting clear goals, understanding the journey, and staying authentically connected to the evolving needs of partners and clients.