Chronographic Data

What Is Chronographic Data?

Though chronographic data is also considered a part of company data, it is specifically useful for B2B sales. Under this category, marketers often refer to these data points as “sales triggers.” In short, chronographics refers to any company change that would impact B2B sales. For example, a major new hire, a new acquisition, or a product launch. Even a change in headquarters could lead to a new direction for the company and new sales opportunities.

Where Does Chronographic Data Come From?

Both company data providers and various news sources provide this type of data. The news sources include mostly industry and stock market news. Most importantly, however, newsletters, blogs, and company events provide important chronographic data.

What Types of Columns/Attributes Should I Expect When Working with This Data?

Attributes of this data typically include firmographic data, IP/patent data, IPO data, and event data like conventions or fairs. So many things impact company growth or direction so the list of attributes is large and diverse.

Users should also not limit themselves to seemingly positive chronographic data: for example, financial downturns may be eased with certain B2B solutions.

What Is Chronographic Data Used For?

As noted earlier, B2B marketers are the primary users of chronographic data. ABM platforms with accurate and immediate updates to company contact and product data lead to faster conversions and more satisfied customers. Predictive insights also have the ability to show when leads will be most likely to make a purchase.

Other users of this data include investors and market researchers; acquisitions, IPOs, and other changes impact stock estimations and market trends.

How Should I Test the Quality of This Data?

Like with many data sets, the most important concern is accuracy and timeliness. The priority should be placed on data sets that update immediately, or as close to it as possible. All contact and patent data must also be cleansed regularly, as any attempt to reach out to a lead with outdated information will backfire.

Interesting Case Studies and Blogs to Look Into

Cognism: B2B Data: The fuel for your growth
Echobot: Sales Intelligence Blog: 14 Sales Triggers to Boost your Pitch

Tangible Examples of Impact

Emmanuelle wanted to learn whether the new sales outreach was truly effective. To do this, she created an A/B test. Of the eligible users, 80% were divided up among the sales team for outreach and 20% were held back as a control group. The inside sales team then used these pre-prepared lists to send their messages.

At the end of the first quarter of 2017, she and the data team compared the three cohorts: 1. Outreach, with responses to the outreach 2. Outreach, without responses 3. Control group, without any outreach.

Clearbit: Finding Sales Triggers