nine critical criteria for selecting lead-to-revenue technology
TRANSCRIPT
Now he brings you…
Nine Critical Criteria For Selecting Lead-to-Revenue Technology
Chris Ryan is a nationally known B2B sales and marketing practitioner, writer and speaker. He’s run multi million-dollar efforts for Silicon Valley giants, and plotted the growth of successful B2B technology startups.
“One of the most important parts of the L2R strategy is to select the right technology infrastructure…
…which includes a conversion-ready website, CRM system and marketing automation system.”
My team and I write
lots of content for our
B2B clients. We also
keep our own content
stream flowing with
fresh and relevant
content related to
B2B marketing and
sales.
To this end, I started writing a white
paper on the Lead-to-Revenue (L2R)
strategies we use to help clients meet
their revenue objectives.
9,000 words later, the white paper has
turned into an eBook, which we
expect to have published in early May.
Here are nine guidelines to
help you make the
right selection.
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9
1PROCESSES SHOULD LEAD,
NOT TECHNOLOGY
By this, I mean that you need to thoroughly
understand your business objectives and
develop the processes that best drive the
objectives. Only then should you look at
technology.
Time-to-Value (TtV) and return on
investment (ROI). In short, you want
quick time to value and large ROI.
2
PAY ATTENTION TO
TWO IMPORTANT ACRONYMS
Make sure you know exactly what type of features you will need before you start the vendor evaluation process.
MATCH YOUR
REQUIREMENTS TO
THE SOLUTION
3
Any product you consider
should not come with a
steep learning curve. I have
seen many expensive
systems neglected or
underutilized because they
were too complex for the
average user. Back when
software was actually
delivered in boxes, we
referred to this as
“shelfware” because you
would find the software
sitting on someone’s shelf,
not being used.
EASE OF
USE IS A
CRUCIAL
FACTOR
4
Even if your software fits your needs today, it may not
do so if your business processes change. Make sure
you have systems that are configurable – which
means they can be changed without software coding
and expensive outside resources.
FLEXIBILITY IS CRITICAL.
5
By this I mean that you will not have to purchase a
new solution as your company, data and number of
users grows. At the most, you should only be
required to add new licenses.
6
MAKE SURE THE SOLUTION IS SCALABLE
For most companies, a
Cloud/SaaS solution is
the right option. Cloud
software is much easier
to implement, requires
no hardware purchases
and can be operated by
any user, anywhere, on
any device that can
connect to the Internet. It
also tends to be much
easier to
customize/configure than
on-premise solutions.
7
PICK THE RIGHT DEPLOYMENT MODEL.
The solution with the most customers may be
appealing, but it could be based on an older
architecture that gives you less flexibility at a higher
price.
FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE
BETWEEN A PROVEN SOLUTION
AND NEW TECHNOLOGY.
8
If you already have a CRM or marketing automation
(MA) application, it is best to choose a new
technology that works well with your existing solution.
Systems that don’t play well together cause lots of
headaches.
DON’T FORGET
INTEGRATION. 9
Forrester Research does a great job in covering the
strengths and weaknesses of marketing and sales
automation suppliers in its annual Forrester Wave™:
Lead-To-Revenue Management Platform Vendors
report.
You can buy this directly from Forrester or get it from
one of the companies mentioned in the report.
By the way, if you want a free copy our new
Lead-to-Revenue eBook, just click here
Visit our website for more
insight about B2B
Marketing and sales and a
look at my new book
Winning B2B Marketing
We Do This:
Brand building/messaging
Website optimization
Content creation
Lead generation
You Get This:
Much greater levels of awareness
Higher quantities of qualified leads
Ability to generate faster revenue
Lots more information at:
https://fusionmarketingpartners.com/
http://Greatb2BMarketing.com (blog)
ABOUT FUSION MARKETING PARTNERS: