numbers and Younergy: sMarketing Reduces Acquisition Costs by 45 Percent
Traditional B2B sales models miss up to 97 percent of potential customers. The Bern-based agency numbers demonstrates, through its sMarketing approach, how sales and marketing merge into a seamless system. The transformation project with the Swiss solar provider Younergy provides measurable evidence: customer acquisition costs fell by 45 percent.
Traditional marketing generates digital reach and traffic—but rarely delivers leads that are ready to buy to the sales team. At the same time, the sales team wastes valuable resources on inefficient cold calling and manually following up on unqualified leads. The root cause lies in the structural separation of two disciplines that, in the modern economy, should function as a seamless unit.
97 percent of the market is in the blind spot
As illustrated by the fundamental concept of the «Buyers Pyramid» developed by sales expert Chet Holmes, and as shown by empirical research conducted by the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute in collaboration with the LinkedIn B2B Institute—known as the 95:5 Rule – As this data shows, at any given time, no more than three to five percent of the potential B2B target audience is in an active buying phase. A full 95 to 97 percent of the market falls outside this narrow window. When marketing and sales operate in isolation from one another, budget and energy are wasted: campaigns miss the actual decision-making process, and leads are not systematically nurtured to purchase readiness during this long passive phase.
To close this efficiency gap in a sustainable way, numbers AG relies on the sMarketing (Sales & Marketing Alignment) approach. This approach integrates digital marketing activities, data-driven lead qualification, and the actual sales process into a seamless, AI-powered system architecture. The goal is clearly defined: Marketing transforms from an opaque cost center into a measurable, scalable driver of genuine sales growth.
«We need to stop flying blind in B2B marketing,» explains Jean-Claude Zulauf, co-founder of numbers AG. «Marketing shouldn’t just produce colorful images, isolated clicks, or unqualified leads that ultimately only add to the sales team’s workload. Sales must seamlessly build on the groundwork laid by marketing and deliver genuine, context-based value to potential customers even before the traditional sales pitch begins. With our methodology, we combine both areas into a consistent, scalable lead generation system and transform fixed costs into measurable investments.»
Real-World Evidence: 45 Percent Lower Acquisition Costs at Younergy
The collaboration between numbers AG and solar specialist Younergy Solar AG demonstrates that this system delivers measurable results not only in global studies and textbooks, but also in the day-to-day operations of Swiss SMEs. In a closely integrated project, Younergy’s existing marketing and sales processes were restructured using the sMarketing framework. The goal was to build a digital lead generation system that consistently supplies the sales team with high-quality leads.
Instead of viewing individual advertising channels in isolation, advertising campaigns, target-audience-specific landing pages, and Younergy’s digital solar calculator were linked to the CRM within a unified data architecture. The results speak for themselves: The cost per acquisition (CPA) dropped by 45 percent, as the budget allocated generated a significantly higher yield of actual customer projects thanks to optimized user guidance. The conversion rate increased by 50 percent in relative terms—through data-driven targeting and optimized UX flows, website visitors are more efficiently converted into concrete inquiries. In addition, the sales team received 15 percent more pre-qualified leads delivered directly into the CRM, which drastically reduced manual effort.
«Working with numbers has helped us strategically realign our digital lead generation,» confirms Julia Graichen, Head of Marketing at Younergy Solar AG. «It was particularly valuable that campaigns, target audiences, landing pages, and the Solar Calculator weren’t viewed in isolation, but were further developed as an integrated system.»
Knowledge Transfer for Swiss SMEs
To help Swiss SMEs and B2B decision-makers get started with structured transformation, numbers is sharing its in-house expertise on the knowledge platform Numbers Lab available. There you'll find the complete Younergy case study, in-depth white papers on sMarketing, and a free Google Ads screening.
Person in charge at Younergy Solar AG: Julia Graichen, Head of Marketing. Contact at numbers AG: Jean-Claude Zulauf, Co-Founder.
