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Automated portals increasingly seen as
cost-effective solution to partner/channel
marketing challenges in difficult times
Executive White Paper
".despite billions of dollars spent by marketers on channel lead generation programs and branding campaigns, the truth is that much of this time and money is being wasted, failing to drive channel performance or product sell-through. Given that sales channels roughly account for 70 percent of the revenues of many industries, the bottom line is that the most critical avenues of customer engagement and purchasing are dysfunctional."
- C hannel Performance Outlook 12008, CMO Council
Topline Summary: This Executive White Paper, sponsored by Pitney Bowes Marketing Solutions Group, a provider of web-based marketing automation solutions, examines the competitive advantages offered by marketing automation portals and the potential impact of these types of portals on marketing campaigns deployed in complex, rapidly evolving markets.
Pitney Bowes Marketing Solutions Group
1 C MO Council, Channel Performance Outlook 2008 (Executive Summary) p2A unique set of challenges for marketers and growing. The CMO Council estimates that major indirect There's no question that today's economy presents a unique sales channels represent trillions of dollars in potential 2set of challenges for marketers, especially when complex revenue opportunities.partner/channel relationships are involved. And yet many organizations still encounter insurmountable Breaking through the clutter with strong, consistent, clearly barriers when attempting to align the partner/channel branded messaging has never been more difficult. marketing tactics that are the prerequisites for driving sales.Fortunately, newer technologies enable savvy marketers to A recent study by the CMO Council paints a stark picture of overcome many of the obstacles facing them. Unlike the challenge:technologies of the past, newer systems are less expensive, easier to use and significantly more effective. "T he performance potential of many organizations is still inhibited by lack of integration among channel, sales, It's fair to say that for the first time in history, complicated marketing and customer service groups. Strategies and partner/channel marketing challenges can be resolved programs are developed in isolation, customer and prospect without invoking the cumbersome, inefficient and costly information is often siloed and not shared. Leads frequently practices of the past. languish, or are not properly qualified or acted upon as they 3lay buried or dormant in underutilized CRM systems."
Sustainable competitive advantages in crowded markets Integration is the key In a time of limited resources, highly fragmented markets Many of these inhibiting factors diminish or vanish and intense pressure to achieve positive results quickly, altogether when organizations use integrated marketing successful companies rely on proven marketing automation automation portals.solutions to streamline, coordinate and optimize their critical partner/channel marketing activities. Tightly integrated marketing automation portals enable customer-focused organizations to create sustainable Increasingly, marketing automation solutions are perceived competitive advantages in complex, swiftly changing markets as absolutely essential components of any comprehensive in which partner/channel marketing efforts are crucial strategy for overcoming enterprise marketing challenges. to success.On the other hand, there is broad agreement that ad hoc In addition to ensuring superior ROI on marketing dollars, systems or loosely connected applications can actually these portals make it practical for organizations to plan, hamper an organization's efforts to compete effectively develop and execute true one-to-one marketing campaigns, for attention in today's crowded marketplace. the holy grail of modern marketing.Partner/channel marketing scenarios, while offering Until recently, the means for achieving wide-scale integration multiple benefits, can be particularly difficult to manage of multiple marketing technologies were available only to very effectively. Because of their inherent complexities, partner/ large, well-financed organizations. Thanks to the development channel marketing efforts can be hamstrung at numerous and widespread availability of newer and mor... [download for more]
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