If you’re using 6sense, you’ve probably heard all about its “revenue AI” and “predictive engagement” magic. But when it comes to showing real marketing ROI, all the dashboards and intent scores in the world don’t mean much if you can’t figure out what’s actually working—and what’s just noise. This guide is for marketers, ops folks, and anyone stuck wrestling with 6sense engagement data who wants to make sense of it, spot the truth, and prove value without getting lost in the hype.
Step 1: Know What 6sense Engagement Data Actually Is (and Isn’t)
Before you start slicing and dicing, let’s get real about what you’re looking at. 6sense pulls in a lot of data: website visits, ad clicks, email opens, form fills, and even some anonymous intent signals. Sounds powerful. The catch? Not all of it means someone is ready to buy—or even really interested.
What’s in the data: - Account-level engagement: How much a whole company (not just one person) is interacting with your stuff. - Channel breakdowns: Website, ads, outbound emails, social, etc. - Intent signals: Anonymous research activity, sometimes from 3rd party sources. - Contact-level activity: If you have this set up, you’ll see named people and what they did.
What’s missing or fuzzy: - Exact identity for every action: A lot of intent data is anonymous or inferred. - True buying intent: Just because someone read a blog post doesn’t mean they’re ready to talk to sales. - Perfect attribution: If you want to know exactly which campaign “caused” a deal, you’ll have to squint.
Pro tip: Don’t treat every engagement score like gospel. It’s directional—not a crystal ball.
Step 2: Set Clear, Realistic ROI Questions
It’s tempting to dive into the dashboard and start clicking. But to show ROI, you need a specific question. Otherwise, you’ll drown in charts.
Start with something like: - Which campaigns actually move target accounts from “unaware” to “in-market”? - Do engaged accounts close at a higher rate or faster? - Are we seeing more pipeline from accounts with high engagement scores? - Which channels (ads, outbound, web) actually show up in closed/won deals?
What to ignore: Vanity metrics. High engagement is nice, but if it doesn’t tie to pipeline or revenue, it’s just noise.
Step 3: Build a Simple Engagement-to-ROI Flow
Here’s where most people get tripped up. You need a way to connect engagement data to real business outcomes—pipeline, closed deals, maybe even deal velocity.
Set up a basic flow:
- Define your “engaged” threshold.
- This could be a 6sense engagement score, a certain number of web visits, or a combination.
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Don’t overcomplicate it. Pick a number, write it down, and stick with it (at least for a quarter).
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Map engaged accounts to pipeline.
- Pull a list of accounts that hit your engagement threshold.
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Compare it to your pipeline and closed/won deals for the same time period.
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Look for real patterns.
- Do accounts with high engagement actually turn into meetings, pipeline, or revenue?
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Does engagement precede pipeline, or is it happening after deals are already in play?
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Break it down by channel and tactic.
- Which parts of your marketing mix show up most often in “engaged” accounts that close?
- Is display advertising driving real movement, or just impressions?
What to ignore: Overly complex attribution models. Unless you’ve got a data science team and a lot of clean, connected CRM data, stick to basic patterns.
Step 4: Dig Into the Data—But Stay Skeptical
6sense has a lot of shiny charts. Some are useful. Some are just… charts. Here’s how to make sense of the noise.
1. Engagement Scores
- What they are: A roll-up of activity across channels, weighted by 6sense’s secret sauce.
- What to check: Are your “hottest” accounts actually moving forward in the sales process?
- Red flag: If your highest-scoring accounts never get to pipeline, something’s off—either with your audience, your content, or the scoring model.
2. Segment and Funnel Reports
- What they are: Show how accounts move from awareness to consideration to decision.
- What to check: Are your campaigns actually moving accounts to the next stage, or just generating “activity”?
- Red flag: Lots of movement from “unaware” to “aware,” but nothing into pipeline. That means you’re good at getting attention, but not good at conversion.
3. Channel Attribution
- What it is: Attempts to connect specific tactics (ads, emails, webinars) to account engagement or pipeline.
- What to check: Which channels show up repeatedly in closed/won accounts?
- Red flag: If one channel gets all the credit, dig deeper. Attribution models are often flawed or too simplistic.
Pro tip: Don’t just trust the pretty graphs. Download the raw data and check for yourself—especially if something looks too good to be true.
Step 5: Connect 6sense Data to Your CRM—Even if It’s Messy
To prove ROI, you have to marry engagement data with CRM outcomes (opportunities, revenue). This is never as clean as vendors promise.
How to do it:
- Export “engaged” account lists from 6sense.
- Compare to your CRM’s opportunity or deal data.
- Track:
- Win rates for engaged vs. non-engaged accounts
- Pipeline created from engaged accounts
- Average deal size and sales cycle length
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over perfect alignment. There will always be gaps—different timeframes, missing account matches, etc. You’re looking for patterns, not perfection.
Pro tip: Even a rough match is better than pretending engagement equals revenue.
Step 6: Report Honestly—And Keep It Simple
When you show results, skip the jargon. Use plain language and focus on real business outcomes.
Report on: - Number of engaged accounts that became pipeline - Total pipeline and revenue sourced from engaged accounts - Channels or tactics that show up most in deals
Be honest about: - What you don’t know (e.g., “We can’t see every touchpoint,” or “Attribution is approximate.”) - What surprised you—positive or negative - What you’ll try next
What to ignore: Don’t pad the numbers or cherry-pick only the good news. Stakeholders can smell spin a mile away.
Step 7: Iterate—Don’t “Set and Forget”
You won’t get everything right on the first try. That’s normal.
- Review thresholds and definitions each quarter.
- Watch for false positives (high engagement that goes nowhere).
- Look for blind spots (channels or segments you’re missing).
- Ask sales for feedback: Do they agree with the “hot” accounts?
Pro tip: If sales says your “engaged” leads are junk, believe them. Fix your model, don’t defend it.
What Actually Works (and What Doesn’t)
Works: - Simple, consistent definitions for “engagement” - Comparing against real pipeline and revenue, not just activity - Regular feedback loops between marketing and sales
Doesn’t: - Chasing every new metric or feature - Relying on intent data alone to “prove” ROI - Over-complicating attribution
Ignore: - Vanity metrics, like total impressions or generic engagement scores that don’t tie back to business results - Hype about “AI-powered insights” unless you can actually see the impact in your pipeline
Keep It Simple, Stay Skeptical, and Iterate
The best marketers using 6sense aren’t the ones who buy into every new dashboard—they’re the ones who keep things simple, check their own work, and focus on what actually moves the needle. Don’t get lost in the weeds or fall in love with the data. Start with a clear question, follow the steps, and be ready to adjust as you learn. That’s how you turn engagement data into real marketing ROI.