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Organizations spend a considerable amount of resources and budget on Marketing. Recently, marketing has become largely automated. Although the process has been automated, the marketing team still has to create, curate and set up the automation rules. Multi-channel attribution is crucial in today’s marketing and organizations have to ensure that the message is reaching customers on the right engagement channels at the right time.

One of the most important steps to kick off a good marketing campaign is by equipping your team with the right tools. A marketer without the right tools is like a car without wheels! Salesforce Marketing Cloud is arguably one of the best tools on the market right now. But is it right for your business? Can it keep up with the demands of your marketing initiatives?

Here are some questions you can ask your Marketing Cloud consulting partner before you decide. These will help you understand if Marketing Cloud, your business objectives and the consulting partner in tandem would make a good fit.

Functionality:

• What features does Marketing Cloud support?
• Is Marketing Cloud suitable for both B2B and B2C?
• How does Marketing Cloud capture data?
• Would there be an integration between my Salesforce CRM and Marketing Cloud?
• Does Marketing cloud support multi-channel attribution?
• How do I set up automations?
• What are journeys and how will they enhance our marketing efforts?
• What are the limitations of Marketing Cloud?
• What data can I track in Marketing Cloud?
• How long does it take to set up Marketing Cloud?

Company:

• How many projects has your company executed on Marketing Cloud?
• What experience do you have in our business vertical?
• How well do you understand the Salesforce ecosystem?
• What are some of the common obstacles you face during implementation/integration projects?
• Does your company qualify to provide consulting services in Marketing Cloud?
• How good is your customer satisfaction rating?
• What security measures will you take when working with my company?
• Do you follow best practices while executing the contract?
• How is your company different from other Salesforce consultants?
• How would my team communicate with yours?

Costs/Timelines:

• How long does it usually take to implement Marketing Cloud?
• What are some of the different packages you offer?
• How would we be billed?
• Are there any early termination fees?
• What if the scope of the project changes midway?
• Are there any hidden costs?
• Do you execute the projects or do you outsource them?
• How do you handle escalations about pricing/timelines?

One of the key factors to consider for your partnership with a consultant is the ease of working with them. Ask the critical questions to fully understand their experience, price, process, project management experience and their trust factor in the Salesforce ecosystem. Also, do remember that a partner who has in-house, cross-functional expertise will be more beneficial. The partner should have a holistic view of all the associated technologies and align them with the possibilities/limitations of Marketing Cloud.

Make sure you have everything you need to know before signing on with a partner, limiting potential issues and ensuring a smooth transition to Marketing Cloud.

Related Posts

• Salesforce Pardot vs. Hubspot for Marketing Automation
• How to Find the Best Salesforce Consulting Partner

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