Spotlight

Report:

The Forrester Wave™: Marketing And Sales Data Providers For B2B, Q1 2024

How does Forrester define the Marketing And Sales Data Providers For B2B market in 2024?

The B2B marketing and sales data provider market has evolved from serving separate marketing and sales functions to providing a consolidated, shared operational database serving all revenue functions. The convergence of traditional demand marketing and account-based marketing (ABM), powered by improved intent data availability, requires coordinated efforts around an integrated view of prospects and customers incorporating critical business and behavioral signals. Modern providers must deliver alignment between marketing and sales execution, integrate across broad revenue operations platforms, and support efficient targeting strategies that move beyond massive standing databases to precision identification of prospects demonstrating active buying behaviors.

Key Facts for The Forrester Wave™: Marketing And Sales Data Providers For B2B, Q1 2024 in 2024

How did the Marketing And Sales Data Providers For B2B market evolve in 2024?

What product features are required to be included in this year's evaluation?

What are the common features of top products in the Marketing And Sales Data Providers For B2B space?

No common features specified.

Scope Exclusions

Inclusion Criteria

Vendors must, among other requirements:

Offering Strengths — Relative Weighting

Strategy Strength — Relative Weighting

FAQs

Q: What does this research cover?

A: This research covers a comprehensive evaluation of 14 B2B marketing and sales data providers across 28 criteria. It evaluates providers' capabilities in firmographic (account) and demographic (contact) data, complementary data types, data acquisition and processing, discovery capabilities, integrations, security and compliance, and data management. The evaluation also assesses each provider's strategic vision, innovation, roadmap, partner ecosystem, pricing transparency, and global delivery capabilities.

Q: Who should use this research?

A: This research should be used by marketing, sales, and operations professionals who are evaluating B2B data providers to support their revenue operations. It is particularly valuable for organizations seeking to: 1) Select a primary data provider to form the backbone of their sales and marketing database, 2) Identify providers that can drive alignment between marketing and sales execution, 3) Find solutions that integrate across their revenue operations technology stack (CRM, marketing automation, ABM, sales engagement platforms), and 4) Move beyond massive standing databases toward more efficient, targeted approaches focused on business fit and active buying behaviors.

Q: What are the mandatory features of vendors included in this market?

A: Vendors must offer firmographic (account) and demographic (contact) data as primary offerings to support B2B marketing and sales databases across multiple industries. They must actively position themselves as the primary source for these data types, generate at least $10 million in annual revenue from B2B data and related services, and have significant mindshare among Forrester B2B clients as a potential primary data provider.

Q: What are some reasons for not being included in this report?

A:

  • Inability to serve as a primary provider of both firmographic and demographic data
  • Annual B2B data revenue below $10 million threshold
  • Lack of significant mindshare with Forrester B2B clients
  • Focus on single data types or niche use cases rather than comprehensive offerings
  • Declining to participate in or contributing only partially to the evaluation process
  • Positioning primarily as consumer data providers rather than B2B
  • Offering only data management services without comprehensive data assets

Q: What should buyers consider when evaluating products in this market?

A:

  • Drive alignment between marketing and sales execution - seek one primary data provider to form the database backbone, then add secondary providers to fill gaps
  • Tightly integrate across a broad range of revenue operations platforms - evaluate providers' ability to support activation across CRM, marketing automation, ABM, sales engagement, and data management platforms
  • Move beyond massive standing databases - focus on efficiency by identifying prospects within tight parameters of business fit and active buying behaviors to reduce database size and enrichment costs

Q: How has the Marketing And Sales Data Providers For B2B market evolved in 2024?

A:

  • Explosion of third-party data sources creating need for consolidated market view
  • Increasing focus on customer and account-based marketing (ABM)
  • Growing demands for customer obsession
  • Convergence of traditional demand marketing and ABM
  • Rise in availability and quality of intent data providers
  • Shift from massive standing databases to efficiency and precision targeting
  • Focus on identifying prospects with tight parameters of business fit and active buying behaviors
  • Need for shared data managed by resources operating across functional silos
  • Requirement for coordinated activation based on insights across revenue technology stack

Q: What differentiates Strength of Offering vs. Strength of Strategy?

A: Strength of Offering evaluates vendors' current capabilities in providing comprehensive B2B marketing and sales data, focusing on data coverage (firmographic, demographic, complementary), data quality processes (acquisition, processing, discovery), and operational capabilities (integrations, security, compliance, management). Strength of Strategy assesses vendors' forward-looking direction and market positioning, evaluating their vision for market evolution, innovation investments, product roadmaps, partner relationships, pricing models, and global expansion capabilities.

Reference

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