The document provides guidance on selecting a marketing automation vendor, emphasizing the importance of evaluating vendor capabilities based on functionality, ease of use, and integration with existing systems. It outlines key features to look for, such as lead scoring, campaign management, and data reporting, while dispelling common myths about ease of use and budget requirements. The document also includes recommendations for demo practices, vendor evaluation criteria, and potential pitfalls in the implementation process.

1. Selecting a Marketing
Automation Vendor
September 3, 2009

2. About Left Brain
What – Full-service Marketing Automation Agency
Key Attributes – Large & Small company experience, Project & Agency-based services
Value Prop – Deep Marketing Automation Expertise on multiple platforms
Services
Marketing Automation Planning
Strategy, Program Design, Nurturing, Lead Scoring, Demand Gen
Marketing Automation Production
Design and Management of programs (Project or Agency)
Creative Services
Copy writing, landing page creation, graphic design
Collateral Creation
eBooks, Newsletters, Case Studies, Podcasts, Webinars
SFDC
System set-up, Dashboards, Customization
Vendor Selection
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3. • Focus on BtoB or BtoC?
• Platform performance
• Data Loss potential
• Interface - Ease of Use
• Implementation
• Maintenance
• Integration with CRM, etc
• Training, Services and Support
• Email Delivery
• Up-time/Down-time
• Reporting
• Hand-off to Sales
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4. Dispelling a few myths
1. Ease of use = success
2. You can get a “starter” system
3. I don’t have budget
4. ???
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5. Features & Functions
WEB FORM &
CONTENT
LANDING VISITOR EMAIL
MGMT
PAGE TRACKING ENGINE
SYSTEM
BUILDER
LEAD DYNAMIC SALES LEAD
CAMPAIGN
SCORING CONTENT INSIGHT
MGMT
BLOCKS TOOLS
DYNAMIC CRM DATA
REPORTING
LISTS SYNC
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6. Required Features & Functions
WEB FORM &
LANDING VISITOR
PAGE TRACKING
BUILDER
LEAD
CAMPAIGN
SCORING
MGMT
DYNAMIC CRM DATA
REPORTING
LISTS SYNC
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7. Functionality – Does your choice of
tool make a difference?
§ Lead Scoring
§ Dynamic Content
§ Campaign Management
§ Progressive Pro ling
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8. Lead Scoring
§ Demographic (Quali cation, Explicit) Criteria
• Industry, Job Title, Role, Budget, Timeline
§ Behavioral (Interest, Implicit) Criteria
• Recency, Frequency, Collateral, Email, Events
Qualification
+ Interest
= Lead Score
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9. Lead Scoring – what to consider
§ Single or multi-model scoring
§ Multiple factor models
• Demographic
• Behavioral
§ Presentation of the score
• Raw number or A, B, C
• Rolled into one
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10. Dynamic Content Blocks
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11. Personalize?
Bought it.
Not even
Bought it. sure what
it is?
Bought it.
Bought it.
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12. Campaign Management
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13. Another Option
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14. Progressive Pro ling
What:
Asking a new question each return visit
What to look for:
§ Ability to vary number of elds
§ Ability to inquire database to “pick” eld
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15. Don’t do this.
Suggestions:
1. Ask only what you
absolutely need
2. Use each additional
piece of information to
better segment
3. Be sure the
prospect is sold on
your value first
4. How else do you
collect data?
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16. Selecting a vendor
§ Identify what’s important to you
§ Demo best practices
§ Have a checklist
§ Do your own research
§ Understand hidden costs
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17. What criteria count?
Criteria
MA
#1
2
3
4
5
6
Ease
of
Use
7.0
6.0
7.3
5.7
8.0
4.3
Repor4ng
&
Analy4cs
8.3
9.5
7.3
6.7
2.7
4.7
Workflow
mapping
4.3
4.0
4.3
2.3
2.7
3.0
Lead
Scoring
4.7
4.5
4.0
3.7
2.7
3.0
Depth
of
Func4onality
including
4.7
4.0
3.7
3.0
3.0
3.0
Integra4ons
Sales
Alignment
4.7
2.5
3.3
3.0
4.0
2.7
Func4onality
Totals
33.7
30.5
30.0
24.3
23.0
20.7

18. Different criteria
MA
#1
2
3
4
Licenses
1
year
subscrip4on
1
year
subscrip4on
1
year
subscrip4on
1
year
subscrip4on
Release
schedule
Every
6
mos
Every
2
months
Training
Addi4onal
cost
Included
Support
Addi4onal
cost,
4ered
Included
Included;
premium
available
Connectors
to
CRM
Addi4onal
Cost
Included
Included
Included
Enduser
requirements
Domain
expert
required,
Power
User;
between
25
Power
User;
Power
user
(headcount)
usually
full
4me
to
50%
of
an
individual’s
between
25
to
50%
of
an
between
25
to
50%
of
an
employee
4me
individual’s
4me
individual’s
4me
Pricing
model
Tiered
by
func4onality
All-­‐inclusive,
based
on
Fixed
email
ceiling;
data
base
size
addi4onal
cost
past
threshold
Pressure
to
upgrade
to
Yes
No
No
Yes
expanded
products
Significantly
higher
TCO
On
par
to
3
Lowest
TCO
Between
1
and
2
Summary
than
other
3
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19. What questions to ask in the Demo.
§ If possible, go through two waves of demos
§ Demo-awareness – show me, don’t just explain it
§ Dedicated versus shared IP Address
§ What do you mean I can’t send my emails on Tuesdays?
§ What’s their service and support model?
§ What’s their customer retention rate?
§ Can I speak to three ex-customers to nd out why
they’ve left?
§ Email deliverability
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20. 
AcJvity
• Demonstrate
the
process
to
create
a
Form.
Sample
Demonstrate
the
process
to
create
a
Landing
Page.
Demo
•
• Demonstrate
the
process
to
create
an
Email
Template.
•
•
Show
us
how
to
build
a
list
for
a
campaign?
Show
us
how
to
build
a
three-­‐touch
nurture?
Checklist
• What
does
your
events
module
look
like?
• Can
you
show
us
three
reports
that
come
standard
with
the
solu4on?
• Can
you
show
us
how
to
modify
one
of
these
reports?
• Can
we
see
lead
scoring?
• Do
you
have
an
example
of
a
microsite?
• Can
you
collect
data
on
us
in
this
demo
and
then
show
us
how
data
is
reported
in
SFDC
or
other
CRM
system?
• Can
you
show
me
a
produc4zed
connector
that
is
working
(e.g.
Omniture,
Coremetrics)?
• Can
you
show
me
your
customer
self-­‐help
portal?
• Can
we
see
one
or
two
other
marke4ng
channels
that
the
system
integrates:
purls,
print,
voice
broadcast,
text
message,
direct
mail,
chat,
RSS,
social
networking
solu4ons?
• Did
they
offer
you
to
take
control
and
use
the
system
during
the
mee4ng?
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21. What to expect.
Implementation
§ Ease – Usually quick and relatively easy (hours to days)
§ Cost – Usually free, although Eloqua & B2B Engage charge
• Hidden costs – changing forms, rebuilding brand-approved templates, time
First 90 days
§ Getting started – One has mandatory training, most others offer some
amount of initial free support
§ Low-hanging fruit
90+ days
§ Knowledge/Skill sets
§ Expectations/Time to value
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22. Making the right decision.
§ Involve the end-user in the evaluation process
§ Identify internal & external resources
§ Develop a “What I want To Do” List
§ Do I need an RFP?
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23. Preparing your Organization
§ Required Skills
• Production
• Strategy
• Training (online vs. live vs. one-on-one)
• Agency vs. going it alone
§ The Hidden Cost
§ Internal Alignment
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24. Potholes
§ 90-120 days is probably the most common place where
marketers stumble
§ Failing to dedicate enough time on an on-going basis
(it’s a learning process)
§ Going too fast
§ Not involving the end-users in the process
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