The Builders Club ran a six-month programme for a global project management and collaboration software company with no US sales team and no budget to travel without confirmed meetings. The programme targeted the US life sciences sector and produced 4 enterprise deals averaging $85,000 to $250,000, 2,000+ qualified connections and 850+ content-qualified leads. Customer acquisition cost was 60% lower than paid ads.
Case Study Summary
- Client: a global software company specialising in project management and team collaboration
- Objective: enter the US life sciences sector without a local sales team
- Audience: CTOs, VPs of Engineering and IT Directors at life sciences companies with 500+ employees
- Channels: community invitations, email, gated research and virtual boardrooms
- Results (6 months): 4 enterprise deals, 2,000+ connections, 40% shorter sales cycle, 60% lower acquisition cost than paid ads
What was the client’s challenge?
The client needed to reach CTOs and IT leaders in US life sciences companies. It had no sales team in the United States and would only fly for confirmed appointments. Cold outreach was not working with senior executives.
What did The Builders Club do?
How did we build the prospect list?
We started from the client’s target account list and built a lookalike list of similar life sciences companies. At each company we identified CTOs, VPs of Engineering and IT Directors, focusing on organisations with 500+ employees investing in digital transformation.
How did we use community invitations?
We invited target executives to join our community of 100,000+ enterprise IT leaders instead of sending cold emails. Onboarding calls covered the executive’s own challenges. We mentioned the client’s partnership during those calls and connected only interested prospects with the client’s team.
What did the email campaigns cover?
Prospects outside the community received personalised emails to lookalike accounts, covering life sciences compliance and secure collaboration. We tracked engagement and flagged high-intent leads for the client.
What content did we publish?
- “The State of DevOps in Life Sciences 2024”, a research report on digital transformation trends
- “IT Leaders’ Guide to Compliant Collaboration”, a guide for regulated environments
- “Project Management ROI Calculator”, an interactive efficiency tool
The reports were gated downloads that captured prospect details. We featured the client in our weekly newsletter to 100,000+ IT leaders and syndicated findings across targeted industry segments.
How did virtual boardrooms work?
Because the client could not justify travel, we ran virtual boardrooms with 4 to 5 senior IT leaders from target companies. The client attended as co-host and industry expert. The sessions covered industry challenges and best practices, and the client learned each prospect’s pain points, budget cycles and decision-making process. We held debrief calls with interested participants and introduced them to the client’s sales team.
What results did the programme deliver in six months?
Connections
- 2,000+ qualified connections with IT decision-makers
- Engagement rate 340% higher than cold outreach benchmarks
- 78% of boardroom participants requested follow-up
Content
- 3,500+ report downloads, with 42% converting to email subscribers
- 38% newsletter open rate, against a 21% industry average
- 850+ content-qualified leads
- 60% of closed deals engaged with content first
Revenue and efficiency
- 4 enterprise deals closed with companies of 500+ employees
- Average deal size of $85,000 to $250,000
- 40% shorter sales cycle than cold outreach
- 75% of deals had downloaded reports before sales contact
- 60% lower customer acquisition cost than paid ads
- 2 to 3 qualified opportunities per boardroom, with no travel costs
Why did the programme work?
- Precise targeting: every outreach went to verified decision-makers at qualified accounts
- Content before sales: reports gave prospects context before any pitch
- Trust first: community and content came before selling
- Multiple touchpoints: community, email, content and boardrooms supported each other
- Virtual format: boardrooms replaced travel and still built relationships
- Engagement tracking: we measured content engagement and participation, not just email opens
Frequently asked questions
How do you sell to US enterprises without a local sales team?
Use a community, gated research and virtual boardrooms. This client closed 4 enterprise deals in six months with no US sales team, and each boardroom produced 2 to 3 qualified opportunities.
How effective is gated content for B2B lead generation?
3,500+ downloads produced 850+ content-qualified leads. 60% of closed deals engaged with content first, and 75% of deals had downloaded reports before sales contact.
What is a virtual boardroom?
A virtual boardroom is an online roundtable of 4 to 5 senior leaders where the vendor attends as co-host and expert. 78% of participants in this programme requested follow-up.
Conclusion
The client had no US sales team and used The Builders Club to enter US life sciences. A lookalike target list, community invitations, gated research and virtual boardrooms produced 4 enterprise deals and a 40% shorter sales cycle in six months.
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