March 2nd 2011
Marketing automation (MA) likely a really bad idea for you.
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Marketing automation (MA) is likely a really bad idea for you. At one time I was selling accounting software for the first micro-computers. Quickly we would discover (as we were implementing) that we were trying to shoehorn into a perfectly good solution, a company that had very poor or almost no accounting systems beyond a shoebox, i.e. no process at all. Yah technology was going to solve their problem. We had to step back and first create a paper accounting system (their dime, our time so it hurt) Lots of scars.
The same mistakes were then made with ERP and CRM implementations (automating a bad or nonexistent process). Lots of money spent on these and on implementation. (Bigger shoehorns) And now it is being played out with MAutomation. Since 95% of companies do not have a well thought out, strategic, successful lead gen/nurturing process, MA will be a waste of their money.
Perhaps Freemium companies think they need MA to sort through the hordes of unqualified down-loaders. I suggest they take the money they would spend on automation and really work on their message, segmentation, targeting and building relevant compelling content . At the same time really nail down a proven process. Then use MA to help grow your business. Remember, think, then act. Things just work better that way. (You move your spend to an investment that pays back.)
Of course this would require the CEO to know this stuff. Tell me when you meet one of these, since its always easier to buy technology than to solve the problems you have created yourself. Marketing Automation is likely a waste of your money, but its not the software, its you.
And that’s 30
- Confession: I Am a Marketing Automation Fanboy (funnelholic.com)
- Keys to B2B Marketing Automation Success: Experts from IDC and Quaero Weigh In (customerthink.com)
- Top 4 Benefits Gained from Adopting Marketing Automation (customerthink.com)
- The Trifecta or: How Marketing Automation, Lead Management, and CRM Are Related (customerthink.com)
- Marketing Automation Preparedness (marketinginteractions.typepad.com)
- Salesforce.com vs. Marketing Automation (demandmetric.com)
- Marketing Automation: The Beginning of the End? (mpdailyfix.com)
Similar Posts:
- Marketing Automation is Not the Magic Bullet for Your Sales Issues
- The Best Service is No Service. Bill Price and David Jaffee, a guest post by David Greer
- Slow Down, Sell Faster! understand your customer’s buying process and maximize your sales. Kevin Davis.
- smart thinking. Three essential keys to solve problems, innovate, and get things done. Art Markman.
- The numbers in selling just do not work
Category: Marketing, Sales, Strategy, Technology Industry
