AUTOMATION VACATION

I ’ m doing a lot of shopping for important items right now , and it has left me so confused , frustrated , overwhelmed , and downright cranky that I ’ ve about given up on some of them .

I ’ m shopping for a new car . My current one has a recall , so once it ’ s fixed , it ’ s getting sold and I ’ m getting a new one .

I ’ m shopping for a new house . I love my house , but I am outgrowing it because of the reason below .

I ’ m shopping for a day care . I ’ m expecting my first bundle of joy and will need somewhere for her to play and learn ( and sleep and eat ) while I play and learn at work .

And finally , I ’ m shopping for a stroller . And by the way , this one is probably the most confusing and overwhelming ! How many freakin ’ stroller options are there ? This is more complex and maddening than buying the new car .

All I want is for someone to give me an easy checklist to help me make some decisions on these items !

So , amid all of this researching and digging and asking and touring and trying , I was helping one of our clients shop for his next important item : a marketing software . And it got me thinking … You probably want your own checklist to provide some guidance and relief when you get to the point where you want a CRM , marketing automation tool , or combination of both . So read on , my fellow buyers . This is your how-to guide for investing in marketing software .

( and your PSA tool is not a CRM , so it doesn ’ t count ), then good job ! You ’ re walking !

Marketing Automation Tool : The ol ’ Wikipedia defines a marketing automation tool as software that “ streamlines sales and marketing organizations by replacing high-touch , repetitive manual processes with automated solutions .” Basically , we are putting marketing on autopilot and setting up push-button marketing . Think automating the follow-up when someone opts in for a free report on your website . The software automatically sends the email with the report , assigns a follow-up call to you , sends a few more emails to follow up , and keeps track of all the interactions . If you are using a marketing automation tool , you ’ re moving faster — you ’ re biking !

Marketing System : This is a combination of the two : a CRM to house all the data about your contacts with the ability to automate all your marketing . This is the Infusionsofts , Marketos , and Eloquas of the world . Now you ’ re flying high above your competition .

First things first : Let ’ s define what a true marketing system software is , does , and has . A true marketing system software will be a combination of both a customer relationship management ( CRM ) system and a marketing automation tool .

CRM : The most valuable assets in your business are your list and your customers . A CRM system will be your software that pulls them together and organizes all of the info about your contacts into one database and one platform . This enables you to manipulate that data to do smarter marketing . No more spreadsheets , no more sticky notes , no more “ only in your salesperson ’ s head ” data , and no more chaos . If you ’ re using one

I see no point in investing in just a CRM or just a marketing automation tool . That ’ s like me buying my new car without the engine , the house without the roof , the day care without the teachers , and the friggin ’ stroller without the wheels . Pointless , useless , ridiculous , and a waste of money .