B2B Sales Funnel: Why CRM and Marketing Automation is a Must?

If you have been in B2B marketing and sales for more than a year, you already know generating demand and making a sale is hard, and it requires effort, time, and resources and involves a multi-step process.

You work hard to formulate a robust prospecting strategy to increase conversions, but what about those who are the perfect fit but are not ready to buy?

In most early-stage start-ups, there is no proper process to identify the stage of readiness to buy, not to mention a proper re-engagement strategy that will turn them into paying customers when the time is right.

Little do many know that some CRMs, like Hubspot, support very robust functionalities to help them cater to this and ensure no hard-earned leads leak through the funnel.

CRM helps track how ready your customers are to buy

Also referred to as prospecting, your outbound marketing usually involves sending messages via email / social media platforms or telephoning prospective consumers to generate initial meetings. While this is a beneficial and cost-effective growth strategy for B2B start-ups, in many cases, those that are not perfectly ready are just abandoned. In contrast, you can transfer them into reengagement mode, also called inbound marketing.

Boost profitability by mixing outbound marketing and inbound marketing

Inbound marketing is relatively different in both concept and execution. It's designed to slow cook relevant potential prospects, according to their stage of readiness and provide them with education and resources to make the buying decision when they are ready.

Depending on the prospect's readiness, inbound marketing can deliver the appropriate information to move them nearer to decision-making. Throughout the funnel, a prospect is affected by different triggers and requires different types of information, depending on whether they are at the awareness, decision-making or buying stage. Automation and pre-defined triggers can help you distribute this information flawlessly so that prospects feel as if they are approaching you, rather than you trying to sell them hard.

Monitoring Outbound Marketing

Outbound marketing can be laborious, but it’s a great way to generate new leads. You will end up with information on a wide range of potential clients and customers, but how do you keep track of prospective leads and any progress made?

The last thing you want is to overlook an opportunity to secure a lucrative contract or sale or worse, to lack the data necessary to know what optimizations and tests to make in your outreach efforts. Appearing unprofessional is a no-go – your business will be frowned upon for contacting a buyer at a company only to discover their colleague has already been in contact with someone else from your organization. Outreach should be slick and smooth, be it for outbound or inbound marketing, and that’s where CRM automation comes in.

What is CRM Automation?

CRM automation software helps businesses to forge robust relationships with their customers. There is various software to choose from, such as HubSpot, Zoho, Nextiva, etc. The software often features a variety of valuable tools such as email marketing, lead management, contact control, lead scoring, sales and customer service records, and analytical tools.

The software has proved popular and successfully drives inbound and outbound marketing automation. Don’t forget outbound marketing generates worthy leads and can quickly transform into inbound marketing, conversions, and increased sales.

Businesses can use CRM software to collect and evaluate data, formulate marketing strategies, streamline sales and automate day-to-day operations. CRM automation boasts several benefits: improved efficiency, enhanced collaboration, increased revenue, and a healthier rapport with the target market.

Whether you’re seeking marketing automation for start-ups or a long-running enterprise, CRM will save time and provide you with the opportunity to scale up your business.

When is a good time to implement marketing automation?

Marketing automation is an effort that requires time and attention and therefore is not always the best option for very early stages. The time to implement marketing automation is when you start a more active and consistent strategy of interacting with different client personas and multiple targets across regions, industries or just different needs.