I recently had the opportunity to write a research report with Vicki Brown to tackle questions that we often get from clients: What is the difference between a buyer’s journey map and a revenue waterfall, and do they work together?
The Buyer’s Journey Map
Buyer’s journey maps are developed to represent the buyer’s view of the purchasing process. They help us understand what information buyers seek, when they need it, and where they go to find it. With that information, B2B marketers can build better go-to-market strategies and engagement plans.
The B2B Revenue Waterfall™
On the contrary, the B2B Revenue Waterfall focuses on internal processes, tracking targeted opportunities as they move through the waterfall stages. The goal is for an organization to measure the flow of demand, inform demand program planning to increase the volume of opportunities, and improve the velocity of existing opportunities.
Trying to conflate the two is dangerous and hinders the purpose of each framework. It also harms both buyers and sellers, because the waterfall stage for the group may not always equal where every buyer is in their journey.
Do They Work Together?
The answer: sometimes. Insights from both Forrester’s B2B Buyer’s Journey Map Framework and the B2B Revenue Waterfall can inform how to improve the other, but they are ultimately designed to do two different things.
How does your organization plan (external view) and manage (internal view) demand generation programs in a way that serves both the buyer’s needs and the organization’s need to measure progress and manage resources?
Forrester clients: Let’s chat more via a Forrester guidance session. Forrester clients also can access our report here.