Marcia Trask

• In the “people/process/technology” triangle method of issue resolution, process is the underutilized approach  
• Automating processes, conducting process audits and adopting agile methodologies can drive effectiveness in times of crisis
• Process improvements are a low- to no-cost approach for greater efficiency in uncertain times

• CMOs need relevant and timely marketing performance updates for effective decisionmaking and planning
• From the beginning, CMO dashboards should be designed with the audience and their information needs in mind
• Effective dashboards tell a logical story, as measurement results are not always intuitive or readily actionable
  

• Getting approval to purchase new technology is just the beginning of an often-complex procurement process
• A successful procurement process includes clear business requirements, a vendor short list and a structured RFP review
• Expedite results by building internal stakeholder relationships and communicating proactively throughout the process

• User adoption is crucial to technology implementation, but can take time to achieve
• Vendor training is the beginning, not the end, of the user adoption process
• Understand user roles, prioritize role-based training and provide ongoing support

• Marketing skills have become an increasingly urgent topic for B2B CMOs.
• Marketing leaders are faced with a growing skills gap fueled by sweeping organizational and technological changes affecting the marketing function.
• The data from SiriusDecisions’ 2016 global CMO study is clear – an overwhelming majority of CMOs plan to acquire, revise or enhance the skill sets within their marketing function over the next two years.

• Marketing enablement is an emerging function that systematically equips marketing staff with the competencies to succeed in their job roles
• Marketing enablement functions are challenged by the lack of dedicated technology solutions to support their efforts
• Savvy leaders use a DIY approach to leverage existing technology to address their marketing enablement needs

• Regardless of company size or industry, the majority of B2B CMOs are focused on the same short list of key topics
• Account-based marketing (ABM), brand strategy, change management, organizational design, planning and technology are currently top of mind
• Marketing professionals can leverage a variety of resources to support CMO initiatives in these areas

• Defining and effectively measuring marketing influenced pipeline is top of mind for operations practitioners
• Developing and executing impactful buyer needs-based campaigns remains an important issue
• There continue to be questions on organization structure and alignment between sales and marketing operations

• Successful MRM implementations address pre- and post-implementation workstreams in addition to technology selection
• Workstreams include requirements gathering, relationship building, implementation prep, training, user adoption and system support
• Leverage cross-functional working teams and a proactive communications plan to ensure project success

• The explosion of new marketing resource management (MRM) solution offerings gives marketers many choices – and a need for structured decisionmaking
• First define requirements in the four areas of MRM functionality: planning/budgeting, project management, asset management and communications
• Evaluate build vs. buy and suite vs. pure-play considerations to develop a focused list of MRM solutions to meet requirements

• B2B organizations can come together in shared experiences of marketing competency development and marketing enablement
• While it’s important to train marketers to use new tools, it’s vital that they understand foundational marketing skills
• Keep in mind that marketing managers need enablement, too

• One of the questions we are frequently asked is “What makes a good marketing plan?”
• To sort out the confusion around building a good marketing plan, it’s important to separate the inputs from the outputs
• Inputs into the marketing plan can be grouped into three categories

• Discover benefits that.competency mapping can bring to a B2B marketing organization
• B2B marketing teams are grappling with a significant level of change that is fueling a growing skills gap
• Creating a list of core competencies, and aligning them to marketing functions, allows leaders to build focused competency maps

• As marketing organizations adopt an integrated campaign approach, there’s often a struggle to create buyer-centric campaigns
• We’ve created a list of six fundamental campaign planning questions that we challenge you to answer
• The SiriusDecisions Campaign Framework assists with marketing planning and execution to align the overall organization to business goals

• B2B marketing has changed dramatically due to technology shifts, the popularity of data and analytics, and empowered buyers
• The gap between what marketers used to do and what they must do now is getting wider
• Many skills fall into the categories of messaging, content strategy, technology and analytics

• The need for marketing operations has increased because of changes in the buying process, marketing technology, and buyer and customer data
• Current marketing operations staffing levels vary based on.company size but range from 4 to 5 percent of total marketing staff
• To support the needs of stakeholders, marketing operations’ range of responsibilities is extensive and diverse

What actions can a B2B organization take for better cooperation and alignment between sales and marketing teams? Find out our findings and advice.

A frequent question I hear from clients is, “Should we combine our sales operations and marketing operations functions into one team?” When I get this question, I start hearing the old Sesame Street jingle “One of These Things Is Not Like the Others” playing in my head. Sales and marketing operations may look very similar […]

At our Summit 2014 in May, we introduced the SiriusDecisions Intelligent Growth Model and the SiriusDecisions Confidence Index. They contained research findings on B2B companies’ optimism about growth over the next 12 months, as well as on the execution challenges to support that growth. In addition to showing insights on how sales, marketing and product […]