While not exactly a misnomer, the name Marketing Automation might lead one to believe that this technology is just for making the lives of your Marketing team easier. In truth, marketing automation features can be just as beneficial for Sales as they are for Marketing. Moreover, such features can be very effective in promoting transparency between the two departments. These 4 features in particular can help your Sales team shorten their sales cycle and close more deals more efficiently.
Monitor Customer Behavior in Real-Time
Marketing Automation lets your Sales team observe the activities of your prospects in real-time. All engagements with your website, social channels and emails can be monitored, logged and stored in your CRM for all CRM users. This includes information like when and what pages were visited, clicked links, contact forms filled and accessed emails. Real-time alerts based on certain trigger events can also be set up so Sales can get in touch with them and ask them about their specific needs in a more informed way.
Use of Lead Scoring for Better Conversion Rates
This feature allows you to define rules for scoring and aggregating lead behaviors and characteristics. In this way, you can effectively prioritize leads as well as assess their quality. When a lead passes a certain score threshold, it can be immediately forwarded to Sales so they can have the right conversation with the right lead at the right time. Scoring is also more likely to yield better conversions since it helps weed out any unqualified leads and reduces cold calls.
Warm-up Cold Leads Through Lead Nurturing
If a visitor is not expressing sufficient interest and has been deemed ‘cold’ by your Lead Scoring process, it does not mean that you should just leave them out to dry and wait for a competitor to sway them away. Instead, with marketing automation, you can nurture them through targeted content and emails until they become sales-ready.
Reduce Response Times with Email Automation
With the power of marketing automation in the hands of your sales reps, they can set up their own email campaigns and follow up with more customers through automated but personalized replies. Email templates for various occasions can be designed beforehand. Lead-specific details like name and organization can be automatically fetched from your CRM database and then incorporated into these templates. Sales can also set up and enforce rules that allow them to send these emails at optimal times and frequencies.
The Bottom Line!
Marketing automation drives results by empowering your Sales and Marketing teams and also promotes inter-departmental alignment. Contrary to popular opinion, the benefits it has for Sales may even outweigh the ones for Marketing. Regardless, integrating Marketing Automation with your CRM is the way to go. There are a number of marketing automation platforms that can drive business efficiency, maximize ROI on your marketing campaigns and deliver personalized campaigns to attract more customers. For example, many companies are leveraging CRM and Marketo integration to streamline their marketing efforts. The choice is yours, so wisely choose the best marketing automation platform.
Rolustech has implemented various Marketing Automation CRM integrations in the past for businesses belonging to different industry verticals. We can even help you choose the right Marketing Automation solution for your business. Feel free to get in touch for a FREE Business Analysis.