Apexon: Refining Our Go-to-Market Strategy with a Network-Driven Approach

5 min read

In a Nutshell

CHALLENGES

• Standing out in a saturated digital services market

• Making 300 new executive contacts

• Testing and refining market approach methods
  
  

RESULTS

• Real-time market feedback and valuable insights

• Sharper targeting of decision-makers

• A repeatable way to test and refine strategy

• Multiple touchpoints to connect with decision-makers virtually and in-person
  
  

The Full Story

Rob Gwyther, UK Managing Director & Country Lead at Apexon, set a bold challenge for his team: 

Make 300 new connections with companies and executives they have not contacted before. 

The end goal was not just pipeline growth and sales opportunities, but also to understand how Apexon was positioned in a saturated digital solutions provider market and to gather insights into how to stand out among its competitors.

With this specific goal, a fresh and innovative approach to customer outreach was needed. 

This led Rob to Aurora Live. 

A Network-Driven Approach to Make New Connections

Generating hundreds of contacts organically would be extremely difficult with traditional cold outreach. This approach produces inconsistent results, and conversations lack the context needed for a mutually beneficial business relationship.

Additionally, a lot of cold outreach initiatives are left to chance, such as hoping to bump into relevant decision-makers at industry events. 

“We realised we had to engage the market differently and avoid blind outreach. Aurora Live appealed to me as it was more network-driven.” 

Rob found value in each conversation through Aurora Live’s 1-to-1 meetings, which allowed him to always make connections with pre-qualified decision-makers. Even if the initial meeting didn’t lead to a follow-up, a connection has already been established. 

Treating Each Conversation as a Market Test

Rob initially utilised Aurora Live as a pilot. He wanted to measure how a network-driven strategy could impact Apexon’s positions. 

His team tracked similar metrics used in any sales process:

• How many first conversations progressed to a second

• How many second conversations led to proposals

• And how many ultimately converted to deals

But something unexpected emerged from those pilot meetings. 

“Yes, we want to generate sales, but what surprised us was the amount of feedback we received about how we were approaching the market.”

The 1-to-1 meetings instead provided a real-time testing environment for Apexon’s messaging, positioning, and sales approach.

They helped Rob’s team identify what decision-makers in their target group valued, and what they didn’t. Through the 1-to-1 meetings, Rob and his team could also adjust to market expectations in a non-threatening peer-to-peer style relationship.

“The conversations provided valuable insight about our go-to-market strategy. The feedback really sharpened our approach.”

Another advantage Rob discovered with the 1-to-1 meetings was the ability to experiment quickly. As the meetings happen regularly, Apexon could test different messaging angles and propositions across multiple conversations.

“You can fail fast. If you believe in a particular strategy or service offering, you can go out and see if it resonates.”

This learning process eventually convinced Rob to expand the pilot into a longer collaboration with Aurora Live.

Understanding Which Decision-Makers Matter Most

Overall, Rob finds the Aurora Live decision-maker pool to be relevant and varied in terms of interest areas, pain points, and industries.

“The trick for us was to work out which ones made the most sense for us to talk to.”

After several meetings, Rob and his team discovered that decision-makers with short, direct titles (e.g., CEO, CDO, Director of Technology) would benefit most from Apexon’s solutions.

“Individuals who have a burning problem and are looking for a solution tend to be the best people for us to speak to.”

Rob also highlighted another benefit of the Aurora Live platform: the opportunity to connect with multiple decision-makers within the same organisation. 

“Within Aurora Live, you get to meet two or three people from the same organisation. This is useful to gain different perspectives.”

Continuing to Build Rapport at In-Person Events 

As Apexon specialises in services and consultancy, building rapport with prospects is of utmost importance. Therefore, Aurora Live’s in-person events offered additional value beyond the 15-minute meetings. 

Rob highlights Aurora Live’s smaller, intimate events, which are better for networking and having conversations in a casual setting. Having repeated interactions with prospects, sometimes met during the 1-to-1 meetings, allows business relationships to develop naturally over time. 

“It’s different from a straightforward outreach program where you have one shot to make an impression.”

For Apexon, that approach aligns closely with how consulting relationships are built. When a relationship is fostered over time, prospects are more likely to keep your organisation top-of-mind when they finally have the right budget and problem and are ready to have further discussions.

“We are a consulting, people-driven organization. Aurora Live’s in-person events create occasions to have high-quality and productive discussions with decision-makers and form meaningful connections across different industries.”

Continuous Learning > Lead Generation 

The powerful combination of steady 1-to-1 meetings and in-person events proved that Aurora Live is not just a lead-generation channel but also a continuous learning tool for Apexon’s go-to-market strategy.

*The insights have been edited for length and clarity.

About Apexon:

Apexon is a digital-first technology services firm backed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Everstone Capital. They specialise in accelerating business transformation and delivering human-centric digital experiences. For 30 years, Apexon has been meeting customers wherever they are in the digital lifecycle and helping them outperform their competition through speed and innovation.