Aligning Marketing Automation Tools with Sales Goals
In 2014, businesses are projected to spend $1.2 billion on B2B marketing automation. To achieve optimum success, businesses that use marketing automation tools must have clearly defined sales goals. They can’t rely solely on email marketing, social media profile brand building and website and video marketing tracking tools to capture and nurture leads.
Sales managers still have to meet with qualified prospects as well as existing customers to stay aware of the prospects’ greatest wants and perceived needs. While using marketing automation tools, sales managers also need to establish individual and group or departmental sales goals. The process of establishing sales goals includes reviewing the sales plan, prioritizing the completion of deliverables and creating strategies to implement should initial sales actions not produce the desired results. When establishing goals, manages must plan for both the short-term and long-term. Short-term goals should be realistic and easier to reach while long-term goals are typically more difficult.
Additionally, sales goals should be clear, not fuzzy or confusing. An example of a confusing sale goal is the goal to “sell more laptops to colleges and universities.” This sales goal isn’t a clearly defined sales goal because it doesn’t set a target date or amount to reach.
A more clearly defined sales goal would be to “sell 2,000 6GB laptops to college and university career services departments by the end of 3rd quarter 2014.” After sales goals are clearly defined, tools needed to reach these goals have to be developed.
This is where marketing automation tools come into play. While using marketing automation tools, sales managers can send brochures to prospects using direct email strategies. They can also use website tracking tools to adjust content on certain pages at their website to attract more clients. While pushing messages out to their followers at social media networks, sales managers can use marketing automation tools to determine the types of messages, images and videos that generate the most interest in their products or services.
It’s these metrics that can help alert sales managers and their staff to the fact that they are on track, or perhaps off track, in regards to reaching their weekly, monthly or quarterly sales goals. To get the most out of the metrics and big data (i.e. customer demographics, online habits), sales teams are encouraged to review the data and makes changes to their sales strategies and initiatives as needed. In addition, sales managers can learn more about marketing automation by researching the tools online and reading real life case studies.
However, even after taking these steps, sales managers must continue to meet with their current customers and potential clients to stay aware of their perceived needs and to ensure that their business is continuing to under promise and over deliver. To achieve success, sales managers and their team members must also be consistent. As Sales Force Search shares, sales teams should “Set a daily goal that is somewhat higher than the minimum, and stick to it. Work to achieve your goal every day, regardless of what else is going on.”
Pic Credit – PardotAligning Marketing Automation Tools with Sales Goals
Reviewed by Admin on
Feb 25
Rating:
Aligning marketing automation tools with sales goals
In 2014, businesses are projected to spend $1.2 billion on B2B marketing automation. To achieve optimum success, businesses
5 / 5 stars
