The "Bad" – trying to find a full service integrated demand generation agency.
I just took over marketing at a small software company and want to create a demand/lead generation engine in order to help build the sales pipeline. The problem is that we are very light on marketing staff and don’t have decent marketing automation or CRM systems. My choices are to buy a slick system (e.g. Eloqua, NetSuite) and hire a staff to build the capability in house, or I can go the outsource route by hiring a full service integrated demand agency who can run the programs for me. The problem I am running into is that there are lots of B2B teleprospecting firms and even more direct marketing agencies but very few vendors who provide both…i.e. integrated demand generation. I’ve talked with many of the top B2B teleprospecting agencies, and while they are quite good at dialing for leads they have virtually no real direct marketing capability. Most say they do, but I found that it usually means their tele-agents send emails to the people they just spoke with. That is hardly what I would call direct marketing.
I’m looking for a firm that can provide a truly integrated capability where they profile the segments, build the database, develop the messaging/communications strategy, and then execute the demand gen programs (themselves, not through subcontracted partners) utilizing the full spectrum of channels including a minimum of email, direct mail, web, and call center to drive qualified leads. Moreover, the firm I’m looking for will develop and execute a lead nurturing program for the other 90% of the prospects that are not immediate sales-ready leads. And, they will use their CRM system and its inherent analytics to refine and optimize the campaign messages and tactics on an ongoing basis.
Maybe there are some firms like this out there and I just haven’t found them yet. There certainly is a market need for this type of outsourced marketing since there are lots of other companies in the same boat as mine that would love to utilize best practice integrated demand generation programs but can’t afford to build it themselves. If you know of any vendors that fit this description please shoot me a note.
Good day Todd,
Let me first say that I have a tremendous amount of empathy for you with regards to your most recent post. I’ve been there! It is a challenge that both our CEO and I dealt with consistently in our past lives (SEQUENT, IBM, Inside Prospects USA, Unicru).
My reason for responding is more to (hopefully) show that there is a firm like what you are looking for and it was built to address the very issues you mention in your post…
We founded an agency, Rubicon Marketing Group (www.rubiconway.com) to address the very complex, yet necessary issues, you mention.
We specialize in demand generation and nurturing, lead management, and marketing automation (we are a certified Eloqua partner and leverage that on behalf of our clients to give them all the benefits of the technology without the need for additional overhead and head count) for business to business and technology companies. We bring a truly integrated strategy with a deep understanding of direct, interactive and strategic marketing.
Everything is routed in bringing the science and creativity of marketing together with one goal in mind: Generate qualified business opportunities for sales with 360 degree closed loop reporting that can track each and every dollar spent on marketing to revenue.
I’m just wrapping up some final vacation things with the family today but I would love the opportunity to provide some more information to you on our firm to see if we may be a resource for you. How should I best do that? I can re-post or send you an e-mail. You can also visit our website at http://www.rubiconway.com for some additional information. I hope you had a great holiday.
Best Wishes,
Robert Moreau
EVP Sales & Marketing
Rubicon Marketing Group
Todd,
We are out here, but you are right there are not many of us yet, and hardly any that do both strategy and execution. I was an Eloqua client for 3 years and then started DemandGen for that reason….to help other clients succeed.