Sales Development

Imperative Case Study

About Imperative

Imperative is a virtual peer coaching platform that assists companies to build strong and high-performing work cultures. They use science-baked methodologies to engage pairs of employees into scripted peer-to-peer coaching video conversations that help support each other as team leaders, share experiences, and increase inclusion and fulfillment in their teams.

Imperative tracks the individual behavior change and growth of each participant over time, which enables companies to measure how this affects their return on investment (ROI). Their methodology has been adopted by many Fortune 1000 companies, distributed to workforces to help increase productivity and reduce cultural gaps in their teams. 

Emma Powers

Head of Marketing

Industry

Computer Software

Website

www.imperative.com/

Challenges & Scope

Challenge: Imperative is a venture capital-backed start-up with a small internal team. Their primary goal is to define which businesses are potentially interested in their product and how to approach them. 

“We wanted to determine the audience that would be most receptive to our offering,” says Emma Powers, the Head of Marketing at Imperative. “We then wanted to test and message them to determine what most resonated with our contacts.”

Imperative had about eighteen months to prepare for the series—to fund and prove that their business is worth investing in. They wanted an experienced agency like CIENCE to help achieve their ambitious goal.

Need: Imperative needed to gather more data about their audience based on the outreach results and the traction received from the target market. Apart from that, by outsourcing to a lead generation agency like CIENCE, they aimed to generate a high volume of quality leads to set up meetings with their head of sales.

Solution: With a strong background in outbound sales, CIENCE was able to build an effective go-to-market strategy. They used an internal forward methodology, which included a four-channel outreach (email, phone, LinkedIn, and landing page) to help Imperative achieve their business needs. 

They provided a team of copywriters to create email templates, cold-calling scripts, and a landing page. They also assigned developers, deliverability specialists, a research team, and a project manager to work on the project. 

“CIENCE had a skilled research team that sourced lists of hundreds of leads per week that met our exact targets,” says Powers. “Their team offered solutions to optimize our campaign each week.” 

Why CIENCE

By outsourcing a top-lead generation company like CIENCE, Imperative had the ability to finally generate a high volume of quality leads and set up appointments. The CIENCE SDR was able to make cold outreach warmer, add a human side to it, and humanize the business in general.

This factor was an extremely important determinator for the Imperative brand, as their business is all about connecting people and building strong business relationships. 

“They brought a warm, human aspect not only to our contacts but also to us. I didn’t get that from other potential providers,” shares Powers. “We worked with a terrific team.”

Results

During the engagement, the CIENCE team exceeded all expectations. The Imperative project was launched at the same time when the Covid-19 pandemic hit in the United States: CIENCE still managed to create a strong brand presence for Imperative. 

Another definite upside of outsourcing lead generation with CIENCE was the ROI: The calculations showed that the median number of meetings per month generated by CIENCE SDRs could potentially lead into an even higher profit in the future.

“CIENCE invested time and energy to ensure we learned as much as possible,”  says Powers. “Their team helped us gain as much value as possible. We’ve had a terrific experience with them.”

Frequently Asked Questions

What results did Imperative achieve working with CIENCE?

CIENCE exceeded all of Imperative’s expectations during the engagement, sourcing hundreds of qualified leads per week and generating consistent appointment volume for Imperative’s head of sales. The campaign launched during the COVID-19 pandemic and still delivered strong brand presence and measurable ROI for the company.

How did CIENCE help Imperative identify and reach their target audience?

CIENCE deployed a dedicated research team that built targeted prospect lists meeting Imperative’s exact criteria, along with copywriters who crafted email templates, cold-calling scripts, and a landing page. The outreach ran across four channels — email, phone, LinkedIn, and a landing page — to maximize engagement with the right contacts.

Why did Imperative choose CIENCE over other lead generation providers?

Imperative chose CIENCE for their ability to bring a warm, human element to cold outreach — a critical fit for a brand built around peer connection and relationship-building. Head of Marketing Emma Powers noted that CIENCE’s team offered a personal touch that other potential providers did not.

What was Imperative’s business challenge before engaging CIENCE?

Imperative was a venture capital-backed startup with a small internal team and roughly 18 months to prove business viability before their next funding round. They needed an experienced outbound agency to help define their target audience, test messaging, and generate a high volume of quality meetings to build pipeline quickly.

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