Salesforce.com is a dominant player in the CRM category and an integral part of many companies’ lead management, database marketing, and demand generation programs. Yet in my experience marketers often have a love-hate relationship with Salesforce, a tool originally designed for salespeople that now, like it or not, has become a critical part of the marketing machine. DT: Well, the biggest misconception about Salesforce is that it’s something Sales reps like and Marketing folks don’t. DT: Let me give two answers here. HS: Thanks David! MORE >>

A couple of weeks ago our firm prepared a detailed ROI analysis for a client helping them substantiate to their management the investment in a marketing automation platform. For other companies, the decision of whether or not to take the plunge into marketing automation is less of a slam-dunk. Or even if the processes with which those leads are shepherded along the sales cycle are woefully inadequate, a company may not generate the volume of inquiries necessary in order for marketing automation to make a difference. What would you add to this list? MORE >>

When marketers embark on a formal lead nurturing strategy, opportunities for process improvement can arise in unexpected ways. Using satellite technology for internet connectivity has particular appeal for companies with operations in remote, hard-to-reach locations, so it’s no surprise that iDirect’s market is heavily segmented, focused on key sectors such as oil & gas, maritime, and federal/military. First, the company invested in Marketo , a leading marketing automation platform that integrated well with the company’s CRM system, Salesforce.com. MORE >>

Even while fewer than 30 percent of contacts on average actually change companies (your numbers may be higher depending on the industries you serve, or even target geographies), one thing is certain: the data you have in your CRM database on an individual customer or prospect is likely to be outdated after a mere 12 months. Most commonly, companies looking to clean up CRM data turn to database providers like ZoomInfo, Data.com , and InsideView to append and replace outdated contact information. That incentive is good content. MORE >>

On Focus.com , Holly asks: “Does marketing automation work if I only have a cold list of records? My response: It’s true that most marketing automation implementations involve either customers or existing prospects – people with whom the company has had prior contact – but there’s no reason why you couldn’t use the same technology against a cold list. The client sourced the names from their CRM database and outside lists and has taken great pains to verify the contact information. How effective would using this cold list be?&#. and so on. MORE >>