Should a marketing automation system be on your wish list?

If a marketing automation system has made its way onto your company’s marketing wish list, bear in mind that, like most things in life, there are some pros and cons to incorporating these systems into your workflow.

Here are some things to consider before spending your money on a new system:

The Pros

Many of the potential positives are pretty obvious — you’ll have the opportunity to achieve better ROI and track your leads and conversion rates. This can make your overall marketing efforts much more efficient and help unify your sales and marketing team’s goals into a single vision. With the right tools, you’ll have better insight into your consumers’ behaviors, thus allowing your efforts to align with customers’ needs, which should translate into increased sales.

The Potential Challenges

Implementation of sales automation systems can be costly in time, money and human resources. If you already have a sales and marketing team that’s stretched thin, be realistic about how much more the responsible parties can add to their plates to ensure a successful implementation. You should also be mindful of a potential resistance from many team members, especially those members of your sales team who practice old school tried-and-true methods.

How to Proceed

This kind of decision takes a lot of preparation if you want to do it right. Organize your needs and know the right questions to ask throughout the process.

• Evaluate your business’s needs. Have real conversations with your organization’s leaders to determine budget, time constraints, expectations and ultimate goals.
• Shop for vendors. With a must-haves list in hand, reach out to companies who may be able to meet your requirements. Compile their responses so you can make apples-to-apples comparisons.
• Schedule Demos. Once you’ve whittled down a list of possible candidates, schedule a time when decision-makers can view their products first-hand.

Would you prefer to speak to a marketing expert about your company’s specific situation? Let us know if we can help.