BtoBOnline cited a new survey revealing that close to two-thirds (63%) of b-to-b companies said the marketing solutions they will seek in 2007 will revolve around marketing automation technology.
I couldn't find a link to the report, but I would imagine most of those survey were large companies -- where the coordination of sales and marketing functions is greatly challenging.
And small b2b businesses have a similar challenge, whether it's a solo-entreprenuer or a company with 5, 10 or 25 employees. Time, money, fear.
But what I have found, handsdown, is that small companies can see realize a far more dramatic short-term improvement in their sales if they do make automated marketing a priority (that is, using databases and other technology to coordinate their lead generation, nurturing and client follow-up activities). And often in small companies there is far less politics or conflicting agendas to work around to set this up.
So if you're still managing things on paper, or some low-level electronic version of a calendar -- consider making marketing automation your top concern in 2007.
Technology is often a small business's best way to compete with larger, more pokey competitors.
And you've got to start somewhere, and the first place to start is taking a on a new mindset that this is the year you're going to do it.
