Kickoff summary · Zip × Innovative Group

Decisions

What was decided over two days.

Topic	Decision	Status
Scope	Move existing pipeline in ten accounts. New lead generation stays with SDR and field.	Decided
Accounts	Target, Walmart, Costco, Nordstrom, Macy's, Kohl's, Nike, Chewy, Albertsons, H-E-B	Decided
Owners	Each account has a named Zip seller	Decided
Measurement	Milestone-based velocity score plus committee expansion, read against a comparison group	Detail Mon 19 Oct
Next steps that count	Committed only: a call booked, executive alignment, an event attended	Decided
Lead routing	Director and above go straight to the account seller	Decided
Rules of engagement	Marketing reaches anyone not actively worked by a seller. 21 days quiet returns a contact to marketing.	Decided
Content	Innovative Group leads writing, Zip reviews. Target is the first test.	Confirming with brand
Paid media	Innovative Group runs ABM paid media for the pilot	Confirming with growth team
Collaboration	Slack first, shared Google Drive, portal as the record	Decided
Reporting	Friday updates, monthly read, day 90 and day 180. Simple slides first, leadership format as needed.	Decided
Sports	Partnerships are a channel B2B can draw on, through three-party plays and community stories	Principle agreed
Go-live	Soft start through the holidays, full program from January	Working assumption

Program

What the pilot is for.

Ten accounts, six months, existing pipeline. Ring-fenced from SDR and field programs so the results stand on their own.
B2B spend this fiscal year goes to field and this pilot. Both are read side by side.
The ambition is to prove the model on ten, then scale to 25 or 50 accounts.
A repeatable playbook is documented as the program runs, so Zip can operate it at scale.

Why deals stall today

Relationships rest on one contact per account.
Adding a payment method rarely has a deadline.
Retail code freezes and annual roadmap cycles.
Legal review in newer categories such as grocery and utilities.
Zip often sits last in the BNPL order at checkout.

The program response: reach the full buying committee, create momentum between seller meetings, and time outreach to each account's planning cycle.

Accounts

The ten, and who owns them.

Account	Group	Zip seller	Note
Target	Big box	Chad	First account plan (template for the rest)
Walmart	Big box	Patrick	Grocery angle; NDA is a meaningful milestone
Costco	Big box	Patrick	Relationship sits with treasury; widen it
Nordstrom (incl. Rack)	Department	Anne	One CMO across both; Rack is the way in
Macy's	Department	Anne
Kohl's	Department	Chad	Salesforce record clean-up needed
Nike	Brand	Caroline	Footwear references support the story
Chewy	Specialty	Anne	Current BNPL exclusivity ends at year end
Albertsons	Grocery	Anne	Further along than the original pick
H-E-B	Grocery	Patrick	Grocery messaging already exists

Comparison group: one-to-one matches where they exist, the big box three read on their own. Accounts in Zip's agentic pilot are excluded from both lists.

Measurement

Measured on progress, calibrated on wins.

Pipeline velocity score (draft milestones)

Pain, need and value documented

ROI presented

Integration path scoped

Co-marketing plan in development

NDA signed

Executive alignment

RFI or RFP

New committee members engaged

Calibrated on Zip's 15 to 17 recent wins and recent losses, and on Hive Perform's deal rubric. Agreed Monday 19 October, 4 pm ET.

The scorecard

Pipeline velocity score	Lift against comparison
Committee members reached per account	55 to 65%
Named contacts engaged per account	25 to 30
Committee members active on a live deal	10 to 14
Committed next steps	2 to 4 meetings in 75% of accounts
Commercial value of the movement	At least the program spend
Days in stage, stage conversion	Tracked for context

Three reads: the ten over time, the ten against the comparison group, and the ten against their own history.

Operating rules

How marketing and sales work the ten.

Committed next step

A call booked, executive alignment, or an event attended. Requests for information are logged and do not count.

Lead routing

Director and above go straight to the seller. SDRs are not used for the ten.

Rules of engagement

Marketing reaches anyone a seller is not actively working. 21 days quiet returns a contact to marketing.

Influence

Every tracked interaction counts while the baseline is built.

Account scoring

Product added as a persona, marketing weighted up, procurement to awareness. Updated model to share.

Marketing oversight

Alyson is an optional invitee on every seller and account meeting.

Content and messaging

Start with what exists, test what is new.

Foundations

Three pillars: access (finance and payments), payment experience (marketing and e-commerce), growth (C-suite). Messaging by function, plus an executive version.
Ready now: the B2B anthem video with persona cuts, the messaging framework, the persona research, the buying committee ebook, customer videos, industry pages, approved ads and search copy.
Proven formats: LinkedIn document ads, recut customer videos, Grocery Dive placements, thought leadership posts boosted with conversation ads.
The BNPL logo lockup has tested better in B2B and stays in use for the pilot.

Approach

Innovative Group leads writing end to end with an enterprise B2B writer. Zip reviews for brand, legal and bank partner compliance. About a month per asset; we will ask for a priority tier.
Compliance access: an introduction to Zip's internal compliance team, and the bank partner form submitted through Emily.
Test several story angles by category and persona: trust and community, education, momentum among peers, and more. Bold ideas go to review and get adjusted, rather than starting safe.
Microsites on a separate domain for account and vertical experiences. Agree domain and build path with Kyle.
Case studies: one or two established merchants via Jonathan and Brad. Contract language can offer options.
Reusable by design: every asset should outlive the pilot.

Sports and entertainment

A channel B2B can draw on.

Current partners: 76ers, Flyers, Phillies (digital rights) and Atlanta Dream. Digital rights across every partnership.
Ticketing reach: through Taylor's ticketing partnership, Zip is the only BNPL across roughly 850 sports and entertainment partners, with Zip-only offers. Multi-market moments include the Harlem Globetrotters and PBR.
Hospitality builds relationships; it rarely closes deals, and many buyers have gifting limits.

Three-party plays: team, merchant partner and Zip, such as Rally House store openings with the 76ers.
Trust by association and community stories, built with compliance on affordability.
Next: B2B activation themes for the 76ers, Atlanta Dream and a Minnesota option, shared with Alyson and Taylor.

Working together

How the two teams run day to day.

Communication	Slack first. An external channel with links and follow-ups pinned. Email for external parties only.
Files	A shared Google Drive folder. Google Slides and Sheets by default.
Record	This portal, updated after every working session
Cadence	Weekly working session with Alyson, Slack updates in between, Friday updates
Reporting	Simple slides for the first three months, formatted for leadership as needed. Align with Kathryn on the marketing MBR format.
Access	Salesforce and Pardot in place. Data source access form with Emmy. Ads platform access after the paid media decision.
Approvals	Emily supports approvals and submissions, including through the holidays
Email tool	Pardot or Apollo trial licenses, whichever moves fastest for a few hundred contacts
Holidays	No company shutdown, but expect the week between Christmas and New Year to be light. Compliance and design keep coverage.

Leadership

Keeping leadership informed without the detail.

Friday updates

Innovative Group drafts, Alyson sends. What moved, what is next. First one this Friday.

A one-page memo

The plan, the ten, how success is measured, and the foundational month before results. Alyson presents it on a call. See the executive summary.

Regular check-ins

With the Chief Customer Officer, led by Alyson and Kathryn, at a cadence that suits her.

Timeline

The next three months.

When	Program	Around it
15 Oct	Kyle follow-up	Zip's first owned webinar
16 Oct	First Friday update; Innovative Group planning session	Atlanta Dream in the WNBA Finals
19 Oct	Velocity scorecard session, 4 pm ET
23 Oct	Target account plan	Retail roadmap season; earnings update
Late Oct	Nine account plans, data access, one-page memo, content plan	Money20/20
November	Committee mapping, first assets through review, outreach with approved assets	Puma and DSW launches; code freezes; Thanksgiving week
December	Soft start; baseline captured	Holiday peak; NBA Cup; fiscal Q2 close
January	Full program; first monthly leadership read	Chewy exclusivity ends; NRF; budgets reset

Dates for Zip launches and events to confirm with Alyson, Vaneet and Taylor.

Actions

Every open action, both sides.

Innovative Group

Slack thread with links, passphrase and follow-ups	Chris	This week
First Friday update for Alyson to send	Rita	Fri 16 Oct
Draft velocity score options	Mark, Rita	Mon 19 Oct
Updated account scoring and KPI framework	Mark, Rita	Mon 19 Oct
Target account plan, with seller input	Rita	Fri 23 Oct
One-page memo for leadership	Chris, Rita	Late Oct
Comparison group proposal	Rita	Late Oct
Baseline with six-month look back	Mark	Late Oct
Content calendar and launch timeline	Rita, Chris	With Target plan
Microsite domain and build path, with Kyle	Michael, Rita	Late Oct
Review past video and thought leadership ads	Rita	Late Oct
B2B sports activation themes	Steve, Chris	Next week
LinkedIn lead flow into Salesforce, with Emmy	Mark	Before launch
Remaining nine account plans	Rita	After Target

Zip

Recent wins and losses for analysis	Vaneet
Hive Perform rubric and sample output	Vaneet, Russell
Case study merchants (Jonathan, Brad)	Vaneet
External Slack channel and shared Drive	Alyson
Content workflow with brand and creative leadership	Alyson
Paid media ownership with the growth team	Alyson
Introduction to internal compliance; bank partner form	Alyson, Emily
Monday.com license check	Alyson
Approved search copy and past co-marketing pitch ideas	Alyson
Brand presentation and fonts	Alyson, Kathryn
Leadership memo format example	Alyson, Kathryn
Messaging framework, ads, anthem video, key pages	Kyle
Data access form; Salesforce clean-up for the ten	Emmy, Zmicer
Monthly and QBR report examples	Alyson, Vaneet

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