There will always be hunters – #MarketingAutomation
“Buyers are 67% of the way through the buying process before they engage with sales” is one of those “factoids” that comes up again and again whenever a company starts down the road to selecting and implementing a Marketing Automation Platform (MAP). It makes MAP vendors and marketing people drool with anticipation, and it makes salespeople instantly turnoff to the whole idea of Marketing Automation with a universal cry of “Marketing Automation can never do what I do!”
I have often stated that Marketing Automation will never replace salespeople. That is because it takes a salesperson to CLOSE. If you are thinking about implementing a MAP, then this should be the first line of any presentation to your salespeople.
In regard to the 67% number, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that many customers are doing as much research as possible before engaging with sales. It is the job of Marketing and a good MAP implementation to make sure the company stays in the front-of-mind of every prospect who has not yet engaged with sales. This doesn’t mean that your salespeople can just sit back and expect qualified, ready-to-close leads are just going to roll into their inbox everyday.
While MAP lessens the need to hunt for leads, it does not replace it. It is simply one more way to find qualified leads.
Sales reps rejoice! Thanks to SiriusDecisions, we can finally put the stat that buyers are 67 percent through the buying process before engaging with us to rest.