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Questions to ask marketing automation vendors during a demo


Maybe you’ve decided you need to invest in a marketing platform. Perhaps you have decided to change or upgrade your existing solution. For the past five years, MarTech Exchange Survey identified marketing automation platforms as the most substituted solution in the martech array. In any case, the next step is to research suppliers and their capabilities.

Here’s how to get started:

  • Make a list of all the marketing automation capabilities you currently have (i.e. sending email campaigns), the ones you’d like to have (i.e. predictive scoring or referrals), and the ones you can’t live without (i.e. plug-and-play) CRM integration ). This last category is critical and can help you avoid a costly mistake.
  • Research the vendors using that list to see which can meet your needs. Then send them a list of what you need and set a time frame for a response.
  • Decide if you should engage in a formal RFI/RFP process. This is an individual preference, but be sure to provide the same list of options to each vendor to make comparisons easier.

Our new original research, “Marketing Automation Platforms: A Guide for Marketersis now available for free download.

The most effective RFPs require only relevant information from vendors and provide sufficient information about your business and its needs. Let the vendor know how you plan to use marketing automation, including your high-level strategic goals and KPIs, and how you will measure the success of your marketing automation efforts. Include details of timelines and existing digital technology you have deployed.

If written properly, an RFP will facilitate the sales process and ensure that both parties get the word out
a shared understanding of the purpose, requirements, scope and structure of the intended
buy. From the RFP responses, you should be able to narrow your list down to three or four
demo platform.

Before you decide on a vendor, check out their online community and review sites, and talk to a customer reference or two, preferably someone in the same business as yours. The vendor should be able to provide you with references, but you should also inquire on professional forums or at in-person conferences and networking events.

Set up demos relatively soon after receiving the RFP response to help make relevant comparisons. Make sure all potential internal customers are on the demo call or face-to-face meeting and pay attention to the following:

  • How easy is the platform to use?
  • Does the vendor seem to understand our business and our marketing needs?
  • Are our “must have” features showing us?
  • If we ask a specific question, can I show the answer to the invitation?

Questions to ask each supplier include:

  • How easy is it to integrate this software into my organization?
  • What is the onboarding process?
  • How long does the implementation take?
  • What kind of support and training is included in the base price?
  • What does your community of partners and developers look like?
  • How can I increase adoption in my organization?
  • Will we have a dedicated account representative available?
  • Are current customers using full functionality?
  • What new features are you focusing on in the coming year?
  • Can we do a trial run of a few days ourselves (ie a free trial)? The most effective RFPs require only relevant information from vendors and provide sufficient information about your business and its needs.
  • How do you protect and secure customer data? Do you have a plan for what you would do in the event of a hack or denial of service attack?

Request a demonstration of the specific capabilities you identified in your RFI/RFP. Consider looking for product demos that show basic tasks and basic reports such as:

  • Create and edit a new email from scratch.
  • Import and segment data using all available artificial intelligence or machine learning capabilities.
  • Database management, cleaning and enrichment capabilities.
  • Create and edit a new landing page from scratch.
  • Run a simple campaign with an email, mailing list and landing page.
  • View a report showing email opens, clicks, and landing page conversions.
  • View a report showing web traffic and/or specific leads from an email campaign.
  • Organizational and campaign level ROI dashboards and reports.
  • Campaign assignment options and options.

This is an ongoing relationship — it’s important to feel like your questions are being answered.

For more details on selecting a MAP vendor, download the latest edition of our free report, Marketing Automation Platforms: A Guide for Marketers.




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