{"id":51834,"date":"2013-01-21T14:01:00","date_gmt":"2013-01-21T22:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/customerthink.com\/buying_marketing_automation_software_a_best_practice_process\/"},"modified":"2013-01-21T14:01:00","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T22:01:00","slug":"buying_marketing_automation_software_a_best_practice_process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/customerthink.com\/buying_marketing_automation_software_a_best_practice_process\/","title":{"rendered":"Buying Marketing Automation Software: A Best Practice Process"},"content":{"rendered":"
So you’ve decided to buy a marketing automation solution<\/a>. Now you need to select the right vendor for your company.<\/p>\n Of course, we think Marketo is almost always the best solution—yes, we’re biased. But here’s an unbiased process you can follow to maximize the chances you’ll buy the marketing automation software that is right for your company.<\/p>\n To get where you want to go, write it down. Statistically, you increase your likelihood for success simply by putting your goals on paper.<\/p>\n Hard metrics may include:<\/p>\n Soft metrics may include:<\/p>\n Now, identify the steps you’ll take to get where you want to go. Remember, you aren’t ever “done” with marketing automation, so build time to evolve, adapt, and learn into your process.<\/p>\n Ask yourself, “When do I want to…”<\/p>\n Remember, picking the right solution involves more than just picking the right technology.<\/p>\n Take action:<\/p>\n Also, make sure to understand your requirements around ease of use, as well as power. On the “easy” side, it should be easy to get started quickly – buying marketing automation shouldn’t require a leap of faith on your part. Also, the tool should make it easy to accomplish marketing tasks faster. Marketers aren’t mechanics, so they shouldn’t have to spend time managing the machine. When a solution is easy to use, it frees up marketers’ time for more strategic and creative aspects of their job. Ultimately, easy is what drives flexibility and agility. When the solution is easy to use, your team can quickly turn ideas into implemented reality – so you get great results faster.<\/p>\n Of course, while you absolutely don’t want to deal with unnecessary complexity, it’s crucial that you make sure you won’t outgrow your solution either. Going too small or cheap—without aligning to your future requirements—is a clear path to failure. Think about how embarrassing it might be to select a solution, only to have to replace it later!<\/p>\n Instead, choose a vendor that is powerful enough to solve your real-world challenges now – and as you move up the marketing automation maturity curve<\/a>. Ideally, your solution will let you unleash the power when you need it, but that power doesn’t result in complexity that gets in the way when you just need to get something simple done and out the door. As marketing automation David Raab<\/a> says, “Plan for growth. No matter how carefully you define your needs, they’ll evolve in ways you don’t expect. You need a vendor that is likely to support future needs, whatever they may be. So look beyond for specific features for flexibility and a history of product improvement.”<\/em><\/p>\n Make sure you cover both bases by getting sign-off from all stakeholders on goals, requirements, and potential scenarios—even Sales and IT.<\/p>\n Just make sure you avoid selection by committee. Typically, a voting approach doesn’t create the best decision process. While all stakeholders must accept your choice, Marketing and the primary users of the solution should drive the decision.<\/p>\n You’ll choose the vendor that best suits your needs if you follow these recommendations below:<\/p>\nStep #1: Write down your goals for the project<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Step #2: Plan your timeline<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Step #3: Identify your requirements<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Step #4: Assemble a team to choose and manage the solution<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Step #5: Evaluate potential vendors against your scenarios<\/strong><\/h3>\n