Every position I have held has involved the use of marketing and sales technologies. The May 2017 chiefmartech.com  Marketing Technology Landscape now contains over 5,000 vendors. And trend data from CSO Insights confirms that companies who are hitting their revenue targets and reps who make their quotas are flat or declining. This means that throwing more technology at the problem is not necessarily the solution. Read on for my experiences with these various technologies. You'll discover some of the reasons why I (usually) love sales and marketing technology, and why I sometimes hate it. About Us: Fusion Marketing Partners (FMP) is a B2B marketing agency that specializes in helping companies create powerful lead-to-revenue machines to turn around their stalled or under-performing marketing and sales operations and build value in their business. FMP’s strategic expertise and vigorous execution of proven tactics has quickly driven measurable improvements in awareness, leads and revenue for B2B clients across the U.S. and internationally. The company was founded by principals with deep experience in B2B marketing, sales, business development, web marketing, and public relations — from successful startups to Silicon Valley giants. To find out more, visit http://www.fusionmarketingpartners.com.

1. My Love/Hate
Relationship With Sales
and Marketing
Technology:
By Christopher Ryan, CEO
Fusion Marketing Partners, LLC
6 Lessons
Learned
Based on Chris
Ryan’s monthly
featured column in

2. My Love/Hate Relationship w/ Sales & Marketing
Technology is Based on Deep Experience
I started my marketing
career working for Group
1 Software.
Think…
• duplicate elimination
postal presorting
• other functions related
to the direct
marketing industry.

3. After a hiatus to work in the relational database
and ERP industries…
I served as VP of worldwide product marketing for a well-
established CRM company, mostly aimed at the sales force
automation (SFA) part of the market.
…then…
I co-founded a company that developed a web-
based marketing automation software product
focused primarily on:
lead
qualification
nurture
lead
management
lead
qualification
nurture

4. Every position I have held has
involved the use of marketing and
sales technologies. Today, my
company’s clients use a myriad of
solutions including:
…plus many point solutions.
Marketing and Sales Technologies

5. Speaking of Point Solutions…The Martech 5000
The May 2017 chiefmartech.com Marketing
Technology Landscape now contains over 5,000
vendors.
This flood of technology has an upside.
Trend data from CSO Insights confirms companies
who are hitting their revenue targets and reps who
make their quotas are flat or declining.
Martech 5000
Throwing more technology at
the problem is not working.

6. Here are the reasons
why I (usually) love
sales and marketing
technology:
The reasons I usually hate sales and
marketing technology follows the .

7. Let’s Start with the Love
All the new stuff coming out requires me (and my team)
to stay current.
My time in the marketing and sales automation industry
has been immensely enjoyable.
The right M&S technology can make a big contribution by
solving challenging problems.
There is always something new to learn with a constant
stream of fresh methods and technologies.

8. Here are the reasons
why I (sometimes)
hate sales and
marketing
technology:

9. And Now for the Hate
The cost of these systems often does not lead to a boost in
efficiency and/or revenue - because they are not addressing the
right strategic challenges.
Certain marketing technology solutions seem as if they were
developed by people who have never served in a marketing
function. Good marketers don’t necessarily make good software
designers, so both skills are key.
Too many steps are required to complete the functions in some
sales and marketing applications.
The complexity of the applications often requires hiring internal
specialists or expensive outside experts to manage the product.

10. Now…the Good News
The good news about being immersed in
sales and marketing technology for so
many years, is that I have learned some
useful things about how to buy and use
these solutions.

11. Lessons Learned
Lesson 1
Technology makes a great servant, but a lousy
master.
Systems that are so complex/confusing that you are
forced to bend your way of doing business are
probably not the right fit for you.
Processes should lead the technology, not the
other way around.

12. X
Output
Input
Point of Diminishing
Returns
Lessons Learned
Sometimes, too much really is “too
much”.
The law of diminishing returns states that as
investment in a particular area increases,
rate of profit from that investment, after a
certain point, won’t increase if other
variables remain constant. Past that point,
the return diminishes progressively.
Regarding marketing and sales
technology investments - the returns can
turn into negative territory.
Lesson 2

13. Lesson 3
Lessons Learned
Ease of use is a crucial factor.
Products should not come with steep learning curves. I have
seen many expensive systems neglected or underutilized
because they were too complex for the average user.
“Shelfware” collects dust on the shelf from not being
used. Unfortunately, there are many online versions of
shelfware.

14. Patience is an essential virtue.
Sales and marketing technology is seldom an instant
panacea for what ails you.
Too often impatient executives pull the plug on new
technology because they didn’t get the instant
gratification implied by the vendor and (sadly) internal
personnel.
Lesson 4
Lessons Learned

15. Reality seldom matches the promise.
The 5,000+ Martech vendors all believe their applications
can solve your problems in these areas:
Lesson 5
Lessons Learned
Reduce sales cycle time
Who wouldn’t love to achieve all of this? But, it’s
best if you go into the process with wide-open eyes
and a touch of skepticism.
Provide more and cleaner data
Segment your target audience
Stop sales leakage
Automate repetitive processes
Generate qualified leads
Create and share content with
wider audience
Cut marketing and/or sales costs
Qualify and nurture leads
Help you sell more deals

16. Beware the shiny new object.
Find the right balance between a proven solution and new
technology. 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. Read reviews
and talk to customers who are using the most current
version.
Some of the fresh solutions never live up to their hype.
Lesson 6
Lessons Learned

17. I Wish You More Love and Less Hate
Click to Read the complete blog article here.
Best of success with
your marketing and
sales technology.
I hope your own
love/hate relationship
is filled with way more
love than hate.

18. We Do This:
❖ Brand building/messaging
❖ Website optimization
❖ Digital Marketing
❖ Content creation
❖ Lead Generation
You Get This:
❖ Much greater levels of awareness
❖ Higher quantities of qualified leads
❖ Ability to generate faster revenue
info@fusionmarketingpartners.com
719-357-6280
Lots more information at:
http://FusionMarketingPartners.com/
http://Greatb2BMarketing.com (blog)
Fusion Marketing Partners