Issue #1: Using Insights to Build Credibility

Well, here we are—Issue 1 of The Buy-In is officially in your hands. Each month, our goal is simple: bring you insights you can use, and focus on making your world—and the world of your buyers—more rewarding. This week, they’ve asked me to throw my hat in the ring.

Hi, I’m Mark 👋

At Consensus, my team creates digital experiences that empower our revenue team, bringing our products to life for our buyers. In my 25 years serving businesses, I’ve got many things right and many things wrong, worked with numerous leaders (most great, a few not so much), and seen the presales impact expand from just serving sales to now driving marketing gains and customer successes.

Throughout this time, it’s been my firm belief that if you want to deliver real value for your buyers and dive into a world of data-led decisions, the first place to start is with yourself.

Self-reflection can be both rewarding and terrifying. At Consensus, we approach this through personal SWOT analysis: mapping out strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It’s tough to confront those truths, but knowing where you stand is the first step toward measuring your impact. The more you understand your strengths and areas to improve, the more effectively you can align your actions with business goals and buyer needs.

I’ll share a hard truth: whilst you care deeply about the efficiencies and growth you’ve created in your team, few care as much as you do.

Serving up KPIs aligned to your goals, rarely earn that seat at ‘the big table’. It’s unlikely your executive team is an expert in your field. Instead, focus on bringing insights—not just data—to the table. Stop reporting what’s happened, and start forecasting what will happen if you do X, or Y. If you’re painting a picture of the future and adding a likelihood or risk analysis to it you’re bringing insights they can use.

Here are some areas to focus on:

Buyers are demanding a better learning journey; how will you meet that need?
What scope of abilities can your department offer to the business?
How agile is your department as you move to focus on buyer needs?
How will you improve the accuracy/value of qualified leads?
How will you affect deal value, close rate, expansion and renewal rate by serving buyers better?

The best KPI advice I’ve received from a top sales leader: “Pick Two.”

In live meetings, zero in on just two KPIs. You’re not just reporting numbers—you’re sharing experience and key insights. This strengthens your value and keeps the focus on driving business growth. These are the two I picked:

Rev teams continue to trust our impact: 90% of our deals use the ‘official’ content we produce.
Fresh, engaging content wins deals: When using fresh content, we win 50% better.

Well, that’s a wrap for this edition! For a deeper dive into sizing yourself up in the workplace, check out the resources below.

Catch you soon,
Mark

1-Minute MasterClass

Know Thy Self: Building a Personal SWOT

Your Questions, Answered

Our reader Cheryl asks: How does spending time on myself help buyers, and our revenue?

“It’s vital to focus on inputs, not just outcomes. If you’re serving your people better, they’ll be doing the same and so your inspiration serves more than just yourself. It’s the care and attention to what others need that drives great buying experiences, tuned to their needs and showing real attention to each step in their journey. You can only create meaningful and impactful journeys for buyers if you’re fully engaged, happy, and motivated to see them succeed—something you can only deliver if you’ve spent time working on yourself first.” – Mark