Why Setting Intentions is Critical for Gong’s Sr ABM Manager
In episode seven of Sips with purple cork, we sat down with Corrina Owens, who is the ABM manager at Gong. She sipped a Skipstone wine while we chatted about the changing events landscape and why virtual events are continuing to perform well for her team, which is considered an extension of the deal team, tasked with ensuring that 10-15 accounts each quarter know who Gong is and what the platform is all about.
About Gong and Corrina Owens:
Gong is the #1 revenue intelligence platform for B2B sales teams. It helps you close more deals by shining the light on your team's sales conversations. It records, transcribes, and analyzes all sales calls so you can drive sales effectiveness across your entire team.
Corrina Owens is the award-winning Senior ABM Manager at Gong. A passionate marketer, Corrina is all about building customer-centric programs with impactful account experiences and communities. Corrina has also recently been listed in the first-ever Future CMOs watch list by the Peak Community.
Here’s an overview of our chat:
Corrina was just returning from an in-person internal meeting with the sales and marketing teams so it gave us a good opportunity to talk about the evolution of in-person events. Corrina said, “Returning to in-person events reminded me of everything that needs to go into planning an event, from finding the right location to choosing dates, which is challenging now that so many companies are planning in-person events again.”
In contrast, virtual events are a snap. With no travel or even commute times to plan around, you can just pick a one-hour window and invite your guests.
Corrina has been working with purple cork for two years and in that time she has honed her strategy around virtual events and found a formula that works well. She recalls her first event and the fear she felt while wondering if executives would take time out of their busy days to raise a glass with other sales leaders. Would it convert to sales? Luckily, the answer was yes!
The pandemic changed the way people viewed the workday and companies encouraged their employees to take time for themselves and reevaluate work-life balance. What says balance more than sipping wine and networking with peers?
With two years of virtual work under her belt, Corrina now looks at IRL events with a more critical eye. While she’s a huge fan of meeting people in real life, she advises event planners to make sure that if they’re planning to bring people together in real life, it’s for activities that can’t happen virtually.
In other words, don’t bring people together in a room and fire up a Powerpoint presentation that they could’ve viewed as a pre-read. Instead, use the time together as an opportunity to do something they couldn’t do virtually - - like a team-building activity.
Gong is all about creating special experiences for its customers and prospects. During the lead up to the Super Bowl, which featured a 30 second Gong commercial, Corrina invited prospects to a special purple cork virtual event to see the commercial before it aired to the public. In addition to a tasting with Aperture Cellars, attendees got to chat with ‘NFL Wine Guy,’ Will Blackmon, about what it was like to play in the Super Bowl and learn about his new wine venture.
Know before you go:
Towards the end of the conversation, Corrina provided a tip that’s so important for event planners to get right. She says, “Be intentional in telling attendees what they will get out of the event and what they will walk away with. Then, ensure you make good on the commitment.” So if you’re going to show a demo during the event, let your attendees know. If you’re going to just do a fun wine tasting and networking event, let your attendees know that you won’t be talking business. It’s all about ‘know before you go’ and it helps you build trust with your prospects and customers.
Looking for a unique way to tell your story and get to know your prospects? Consider hosting a tasting or celebrity event with purple cork.
