Have you been in a position to suggest implementation of updated Martech solutions and what indicated to you that a new (or additional solution) was necessary for success?
Yes, I've introduced many MarTech solutions throughout my career!
As with any business case for new technology, it will require buy-in from leadership and cross-functional teams. Where possible, I highly recommend finding a peer-level champion at the company to help make the case with you. It usually requires a succinct executive summary + 2-3ish page doc, lots of repetitive conversations about "why" this is necessary to gain buy-in from your manager, and an internal roadshow to other key stakeholders.
You'll need to paint the vision & succinctly answer:
- Why now? (e.g. internal/external factors, opportunity at stake, challenges).
- What goals will this software allow us to accomplish? Include quantifiable metrics and realistic ROI.
- Why this solution & not a competitor, or even build it ourselves?
- How will you measure success? Over what time frame?
- Can you have a conversation with a customer that's not on their advisory board?
- Does this need to pass a security review? Is there an "out-clause"?
- What does the onboarding process look like?
- What milestones will be part of a Crawl, Walk, Run implementation plan
The biggest indicator for me is always “excel”. If we are tracking too many metrics across different excel sheets, it is a clear indicator that we need a solution to manage that piece better. Another leading indicator is when you are unable to track your customer/prospect journey across different campaigns. Especially when you focus on large enterprise accounts, you are engaging with the same set of stakeholders over months and years (sometimes). It becomes critical to be able to understand all the different points of interaction across that large account over a period of time. That is when you know.
When I joined my current organization, the sales & marketing teams were using Demandbase. Demandbase is a great tool for ABM, but our current implementation was not meeting our needs - the scoring model was so complex it took 10+ minutes to load, we had asked sales to log into the platform instead of pushing the relevant data into Salesforce for them, and we were sending "MQAs" to our SDRs that were essentially indicators of contact engagement with email marketing, rather than account activity based on intent. All of this had led to a sentiment across the organization that our MQAs were terrible, and it was Demandbase's fault.
For us, it made more sense to tackle the implementation and sentiment issues by completely replacing the solution rather than trying to fix it. We evaluated and brought 6Sense on board instead.
Yes, I have, three times over. Before you evaluate current tools or consider bringing in new ones, it's crucial to align on your goals. What problem are you trying to solve? Things can spiral out of control rapidly, especially when dealing with salespeople. It's important to keep them within their comfort zone, which is typically their CRM. Attempting to do too much at once can lead to complete failure. Don't be lured by the shiny object or the “quick fix button” you are being sold on.
It's not just about "indication,"; it's more about the experience you want to provide for your customers. This includes a frictionless journey and ensuring that your teams prioritize the right accounts. Intent is a significant factor in both Audience-based and Account-based strategies. I highly recommend using tools like 6Sense or Demandbase to gain predictive insights into your pipeline. These tools help you understand who, based on CRM and Marketo data, is in their buying journey, showing strong intent, and is ready to be contacted by sales. They also enable you to run targeted advertising at the account level based on the stage and the audience. I emphasize the importance of audiences, as they represent the people with pain who need solutions. Companies should focus on building, engaging, and monetizing their audience first, and then the accounts will follow. Take a look at what my friend and marketing superstar Anthony Kennada is developing.
Additionally, it's vital to provide these audiences with a frictionless path to connect with you, which is why I recommend using Qualified or Chili Piper. As mentioned, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking you need everything. Have conversations, create a prioritization framework supported by a business case, and ensure that each tool has an implementation owner on the ops side for seamless integration and a champion on the GTM side to drive adoption.
Yes. With any internal pitch I've made for resources or investment in technology, I've always focused on three simple things:
Tell a story around the pain caused by the problem
Present a world where that pain is gone and the business growth we could be achieving
Offer the solution for how we get to that pain free world
The problem could be a leaky funnel. The leaky funnel causes lost revenue but it also burns out the team and wastes resources. Make that problem personal and explain that every hour marketing spends on this leaky funnel, they aren't working on things that drive revenue. Quantify that if you can.
Imagine a world where the funnel wasn't leaky. What would that look like? Conversion rate improvement? Quantify what this new world could provide.
Now build your case for why MarTech is a solution. Anchor it in ROI and quantifiable measurement.
Absolutely! One indication that a new or additional solution is necessary is when inefficiencies become incredibly apparent. Spending time on manual tasks, needing to build out homegrown solutions, not being able to get in front of customers in the most effective ways, and running into integration gaps are a few obvious areas for consideration.
You have to meet your customers where they are, and sometimes this means you need tools to more efficiently do so from an infrastructure perspective. Do you have the instrumentation in place for this? Do you find yourself running into gaps, especially when they seem like table stakes?
Furthermore, this may arise with shifts in your go-to-market strategy. Your MarTech stack should be evaluated on an ongoing basis, not just for gaps, as I’ve noted, but also to find additional features that are not being utilized even though there is a need.
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