B2B marketing strategy in enterprise technology | Alyssa Hall, AHEAD

In enterprise technology today, marketing is no longer a support function; it is a measurable business driver. Few leaders embody that shift as clearly as Alyssa Hall, SVP of Marketing at AHEAD, whose nearly three decades in marketing span industries from entertainment and finance to commercial real estate and now technology.

“I realised I’ve been in marketing for almost 30 years,” Hall reflected. “And I have never worked in the same industry twice.”

Her path into enterprise technology began a decade ago when she joined CDI, which was later acquired by AHEAD. “If you count it all together, 10 years in the industry and essentially 10 years at AHEAD.”

Over that period, she has witnessed and led one of the most significant transformations in modern B2B marketing: the move from activity-based metrics to intelligence-driven revenue impact.

Rethinking KPIs in a complex B2B model

AHEAD operates in a complex business model, where traditional marketing KPIs do not neatly apply.

“We do have a complicated business model,” Hall explained. “Because of that, I think the traditional marketing KPIs don't apply so neatly.”

Instead of prioritising new logos alone, AHEAD focuses heavily on cross-pillar penetration within existing enterprise clients.

“One of our main goals is cross-pillar penetration within our clients. So, more than new logos, we would rather have our existing clients buy more from us across our different practice areas.”

That makes simple pipeline attribution less meaningful. Hall is candid about the limitations of conventional influence metrics.

“If we say marketing influenced four billion out of the 5.5 billion, I know in their mind, they don’t think we influenced that much of what we did.”

To create fairness and credibility, her team shifted toward engagement-based intelligence within prioritised accounts. Sales identifies high-upside accounts, and marketing tracks meaningful engagement across those targets.

“We can cater to what digital ads we're feeding them, track how many of them opened it, clicked on it, and then through lead scoring we can actually have sales automation tell sales in real time when they hit a certain score and say they hit a hundred. This is the topic. Go now.”

For Hall, engagement depth, not inflated attribution, is the more honest and strategic indicator of marketing impact.

“I think we're really, through looking at the engagement scores, I think it's really a better metric of success for us than standard pipeline.”

Sales and marketing: From support to strategic partnership

Alignment between sales and marketing is foundational to AHEAD’s account-based strategy.

“Sales and marketing alignment is absolutely essential for it to be successful,” Hall emphasised. “Marketing shouldn't be looked at as just a support for sales, but really a partner.”

That partnership, however, requires discipline. In larger organisations, saying “yes” to every individual sales request can dilute strategy.

“We need to be aligned to the corporate initiatives more than each salesperson’s kind of whim.”

Instead of defaulting to event-driven tactics, Hall’s team pivots toward structured account-based programs that drive sustainable growth.

“They all want to throw events all the time. That’s standard. Okay, we can't do that, but what about a targeted account-based marketing campaign?”

The shift is deliberate, from activity to impact, from isolated tactics to orchestrated programs.

The rise of MarTech and predictive intelligence

If there is one force reshaping marketing today, Hall believes it is technology.

“MarTech has been a huge focus over the last two years. It's amazing what's out there now.”

She describes marketing’s evolution bluntly:

“Long ago, marketing was very much about pretty pictures, and now it's really morphed into a very data-backed, data-informed decision-making machine.”

AHEAD recently implemented a predictive analytics platform that integrates historical Salesforce data, ZoomInfo intent signals, and proprietary intent data.

“On top of that, it has AI-powered predictive analytics around behaviour, it can determine what digital marketing to drift out to each account.”

This intelligence allows prescriptive targeting, security content for one account, managed services for another, driving personalisation at scale without inflating headcount.

“We run pretty lean. So there are so many more tools out there I want to play with.”

Hall encourages her team to identify repetitive tasks and automate them thoughtfully.

“Think of the most tedious task that you have, is there a tool out there or an AI situation that can help you make it less tedious or get rid of it?”

From resizing ads across hundreds of formats to transforming white papers into multi-channel assets, AI has become an augmentation layer, not a replacement.

“It’s helpful when you're not in the most creative mood, but I think it's never going to spit out something that's perfect.”

Programs, Not Campaigns: Orchestrating Account Engagement

Hall believes the word “campaign” has lost meaning.

“It means everything. People use it for everything.”

To bring structure, AHEAD developed long-term “programs” that span quarters and align multiple touchpoints, brand awareness, thought leadership, digital engagement, sales outreach, and events.

“It takes all the pieces, and it's mapped out very specifically.”

The goal is cumulative impact through strategic touchpoints.

“We're constantly trying to train people internally on the importance of touch points; our brand is getting in their heads.”

With predictive analytics layered on top, these programs are becoming even more precise and personalised.

Marketing’s identity crisis, and reinvention

For Hall, marketing’s transformation goes beyond tools. It’s about identity.

“It might be time to redefine it.”

Modern go-to-market strategies now require collaboration across CTOs, strategy leaders, CEOs, and marketing.

“You can't hide behind pretty pictures anymore.”

Marketing must defend its investments with measurable outcomes and contribute directly to corporate direction.

“It’s actually driving business, driving brand awareness, and determining the position and the reputation of your company.”

Continuous education is non-negotiable in this environment.

“Everyone on the team, including me, has to really do ongoing education, because we live in tech, it changes every day.”

India: A strategic growth engine for AHEAD

AHEAD’s global expansion has placed India at the centre of its operational growth.

“I cannot believe the growth so far,” Hall said. “I think we had 90 people in India three years ago, and we're at 658. That's unbelievable.”

The growth is entirely organic.

“That’s strictly hiring. We didn't acquire anything.”

With Hyderabad established and a new Bangalore office opening, India has become fully integrated, not an outsourced extension.

“It’s not like just tossing work to the team in India. It's really an integrated part of the department.”

Hall highlighted the mutual enthusiasm between the U.S. and India teams.

“To come here and see the enthusiasm of our team out here is just really wonderful and really motivating.”

Conclusion: Marketing as a business driver

After nearly 30 years in marketing, Alyssa Hall has witnessed its evolution from a creative support function to a strategic growth engine.

“It’s just been such an interesting shift, from that to here.”

At AHEAD, marketing now sits at the intersection of strategy, technology, data, and revenue. It is measured not by impressions or aesthetics, but by engagement depth, predictive intelligence, and account expansion.

And in Hall’s words, marketing today is no longer optional.

“It’s not a light and fluffy, nice-to-have anymore, it’s actually driving business.”

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