Category: Jo.e Pulse

Do I Have a Future in Marketing Ops?

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Hi Jo,

I’m new to Marketing Operations, and it feels like a wide-open field.

On a given day, I’m planning and budgeting for email campaigns, learning how new integrations work, and working with different teams on issues far and wide.

Sales needs leads scoring, Marketing wants to know where to spend ads, and IT and Data Science need input on the processes for managing our systems and data.

It’s a lot.

I appreciate the challenge and variation of my job, but that same nature makes it difficult to figure out if I’m in the right place or how I might progress. How can I succeed in Marketing Operations? How do I know if I’m on a path with a bright future?

Yours,
Unsure in Utah

Unsure in Utah, you’ve come to the right place.

My journey to marketing operations wasn’t planned. I became the Marketo person for my team while working in demand gen. This was long before MOPs was a carved-out role.

 

“You’re at the crossroads of
many different corners of the company.”

 

I got to grips with how the tool works, how to handle and maintain data, and how to run reports — but that didn’t quite prepare me for the real, full-time deal in MOPs.

You’re at the crossroads of many different corners of the company. The good news is you get to choose where you walk.

 

Determine what excites you

Ask yourself: Of all the things that I’m doing, what really excites me?

If it’s the tactical side of planning and analyzing campaigns, Campaign Management might be for you.

Digital runs on a parallel track, but it takes similar skills with creativity and data, one if you’re equal parts art and science.

Read our post “When Is It Time For a Career Change in Marketing Operations?” for more on this subject.

 

Everything is a learning opportunity.

Here’s the beauty in MOPs: Everything is a learning opportunity.

You’re around different people with unique perspectives, there are new and interesting problems to solve, and new tools and technology, like AI, give you more time/resources/insights to experiment.

There’s always a need for your skills, so if you take the reins and specialize, you’ll go far and fast at once.

 

Positive signs you’re in the right place in MOPs

Wherever you are right now, here are some positive signs that you’re in the right place in MOPs:

👉 You’re being challenged — and you like it.

👉 You’ve got a problem-solving mindset, and you’re learning and growing from putting it to use.

👉 You’ve got access to senior figures, managing upwards and making your opinions heard. This is a tell that your company takes its investment in MOPs (and in you) seriously.

👉 You’re passionate (or at least curious about) your industry and space, what you’re selling, and who you’re selling to.

 

“You’re not an order-taker.
You’re a strategist. A doer.
An expert.”

 

That’s quite a bit to think about, Unsure in Utah.

For now, I’ll leave you with this. You are not an order-taker. You’re a strategist. A doer. An expert.

That’s your future in MOPs.

You’ve got this,
Jo Pulse

How Can Our Teams Create a Better Customer Journey?

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Hi Joe,

The sales team at my company is struggling to close, and it’s become clear that the leads they’re receiving aren’t correctly qualified.

Upon taking a closer look, it seems there is a significant lack of alignment between Marketing and MOPs, especially when it comes to managing leads as they progress through our funnel.

Any advice on how our teams can get back on the same page – and help our Sales team close more deals?

Thanks,

Alignment Anna

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Hi Anna, thanks for writing in.

This is a challenging issue.

The unfortunate news is that it’s a common issue.

The good news is that it’s one that can definitely be remedied with a few tactical moves.

 

“Good communication is
critical to this solution.”

 

I should start by saying: good communication is critical to this solution. Without regular discourse and updates from all sides, alignment between teams is nearly impossible.

With that out of the way, I do have some more practical tips that will improve collaboration between MOPs and Marketing, ensuring they are fully calibrated when it comes to managing your buyer’s journey.

 

1. Plan and document lead progression metrics.

Leads are constantly coming into your database from several different ingestion points, such as

👉 landing pages
👉 paid advertisements
👉 events, and more.

As these leads are collected and segmented, it’s important to put relevant metrics in place that clearly demonstrate the requirements that must be met in order to progress a lead through your system.

For example, these metrics should specifically indicate when a site visitor is converted into a lead, then a marketing-qualified lead (MQL), sales-qualified lead (SQL), sales accepted lead (SAL), and so on, until they eventually become a customer.

Once your teams understand – and agree on – what these metrics are, I encourage you to create a well-defined, metrics-based map of the buyer’s journey that everyone can refer back to.

 

Well-defined buyer’s journey
=
sustained alignment.

 

Having accessible, detailed documentation like this is a reliable way to sustain alignment and eliminate future confusion. It ensures that your MOPs, Marketing, Sales, and even Demand Gen teams know the exact metrics and qualifications that push leads through funnel thresholds – leading to efficient collaboration and more effective campaigns.

Constantly testing these metrics for accuracy is important, too, as it ensures the desires of your Marketing team are aligned with how your audience is interacting with your content.

 

2. Clearly define buyer personas.

It is also important that everyone is on the same page about the categorization of leads as they relate to the type of buyers you want to target. For example, is your company looking to target C-level executives, lower-level managers, or something in between?

The answer to this question must be consistent for every team. Clear buyer personas allow Marketing to create more relevant content, nurture campaigns, and personalized messages that should be delivered at the right time in the buyer’s journey.

And while MOPs doesn’t create the actual content, the team is responsible for managing your lead database. This responsibility includes scoring and qualifying leads based on relevant metrics and characteristics that should be informed by those your buyer personas.

Some examples of these metrics include the number of:

➡️ CTAs a lead has clicked within marketing emails over the past several months.
➡️ service- or product-specific webpages visited.
➡️ interactions they’ve had with sales personnel.

 

3. Leverage tracking for timely content

Once your company’s buyer personas and lead progression metrics are well understood by all teams, the next step is to implement solid processes that track leads throughout the buyer’s journey.

Where is the lead in your sales funnel? Are they at the top of the funnel at the awareness level, in the middle of the funnel past problem identification, or near the end of the funnel and ready to purchase?

These are questions that your MOPs team can answer through the use of good tracking and filtering in your MAP.

This will allow personalized content send-outs, such as nurture campaigns, to be meticulously timed, reaching leads at critical points in their journey.

 

Bringing it all together

Your MOPs and Marketing teams can work together to create the best buyer’s journey possible by:

1️ Documenting proper lead progression metrics for all teams to see.
2️ Clearly defining buyer personas that inform these metrics and steer content creation.
3️ Implementing good tracking processes to enable timely content send-outs.

Ultimately, following these steps will improve your organization’s conversion rates and reduce headaches for your Sales team.

For more advice on aligning sales and marketing, download ‘The Roadmap to B2B Marketing Success.’

You’ve got this,

Joe

How Can I Get Sales & Marketing in Sync?

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Hi Jo,

My sales and marketing teams aren’t working well together.

People from both teams aren’t really talking to each other or sharing information that could help them both to succeed.

As a result, we work in an environment where:

❌ processes are slow
❌ communication is tense, and
❌ Marketing and Sales don’t understand one another.

How can I make my teams collaborate like partners? How can we bridge the gaps between us?

Thanks,
Out of Sync Sally.

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Sally, it’s good that you’re asking how to fix things.

When disconnect is the norm, it’s impossible for teams to work effectively together.

In a past workplace, my Marketing team would publish whitepapers and run events as a separate machine from Sales. Likewise, Sales turned down the majority of our leads without giving any feedback.

You’d have no idea we shared the same goal: Drive revenue for the business.

We were completely misaligned, and worse still, nobody felt they could speak up. That was ‘the way things were done,’ with little hope for dialogue or change.

Three key elements were missing:

✅ Strong purpose.
✅ Shared understanding.
✅ Active listening.

Now that I’ve moved on to manage teams, I realize just how essential these components are to bring people in the workplace together.

Here are some tips for creating an environment where teamwork actually makes the dream work:

1. Have someone representing each team attend the other team’s meetings and presentations.

Having a representative to share feedback and updates, to show interest in helping and understanding each other — will help both teams to work more considerately.

2. Encourage transparency around data, goals, and knowledge.

If Sales shares where they need help fulfilling quotas, Marketing can help them size up the impact of campaigns. Which Marketing webinars are valuable to particular prospects? Who can Sales pursue based on event attendance? How can Sales and Marketing line their activities up?

3. Invite teams to share their updates on a monthly basis.

Common dashboards that visualize key performance metrics, project presentations from people in various different roles—these initiatives help everyone to demonstrate how their work connects to the bottom line.

4. Consolidate your teams on one project management tool

This will get your teams on the same page. It’s a visual tool to show how each person’s activities contribute towards a shared outcome.

5. Create open channels for people to share their successes or ask for help.

The mindset you want to promote is: “How can we celebrate or solve this together?”

6. Ask people what they see their purpose as, and accept honest answers.

If someone doesn’t know their purpose in the company, encourage them to think about the bigger picture and show them the true impact of their contribution. Whether it’s press coverage from Marcomms or products from Merchandising, quality work in every role plays a part in the company’s growth.

7. Get people moving around and talking to each other.

Hotdesking, catch-up calls, open invites to knowledge-sharing and brainstorming sessions; all of these help sociability and belonging as a team.

Ultimately, people want colleagues and leaders they can trust. Make clear that Marketing and Sales are on the same side, and that you’re here to help and encourage them to perform at their best.

You’ve got this,
Jo Pulse.

P.S. If you’re looking for a take on sales and marketing alignment through the scope of data analysis, read this Tough Talks Made Easy.

Mastering Salesforce: A Must for MOPs Professionals

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Hey Joe,

My company recently invested in Salesforce and we’ve been using it for a few months.

Our sales team has been receiving ongoing training for the platform, but I’m not getting much guidance on the marketing ops side.

I’m concerned that when the time comes for me to use certain parts of Salesforce (or other platforms, I’m less familiar with), I’ll be lost.

How can I bolster my technical toolbelt and stay prepared?

Thanks,
Eager Ed

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Ed, I applaud your proactivity. Keeping your technical skills polished and up to date is very important in the marketing ops world!

 

“It’s rare to be a pro at
Marketo and Salesforce.”

 

Many MOPs members are proficient with marketing automation platforms like Marketo. Still, they won’t know as much as they should about CRMs like Salesforce. In fact, it’s rare to find someone who is a Marketo expert as well as a Salesforce admin.

This can be a problem because MOPs members must know how to navigate Salesforce to access lead modules, campaign data, and several other integrations to keep information across MOPs and Sales Ops clear and synchronized.

Let’s talk about some things you can do to improve your proficiency with less familiar tools:

 

1. Complete certification courses 🎓

Tell your boss you want to build your technical toolbelt and inquire about services you can use to train yourself independently on different platforms. For example:

👉 Many companies have training programs that allow their employees to acquire a Marketo certification.

👉 Hubspot also has a free certification course – as long as you can access a Hubspot instance.

👉 Salesforce has a free online learning platform called Trailhead that you can use as well.

 

2. Explore external resources 🧭

If you want to supplement these certification courses, or you want to hone in on a specific area of a tool, there are plenty of high-quality external resources available out there if you look carefully.

Healthy, active communities of users can be found online and are very helpful when it comes to learning about different platforms.

You can turn to sites like Reddit or official user forums managed by the platform owners themselves – such as Marketing Nation by Marketo or the Salesforce Developer Community forums.

Youtube is also home to many experienced users who create screen share tutorials, walking you through processes step-by-step.

 

3. Attend conferences and workshops 🧠

There are plenty of workshops and conference events (both in-person and online) that major platform companies like Salesforce, Hubspot, and Adobe will host throughout the year.

Attending these events is a great way to pick up technical skills, as well as build relationships with other MOPs and Sales Ops people who can offer guidance.

Many companies will pay for their employees to attend these events to expand their technical knowledge and bring back information for other team members to learn from.

 

4. Connect with your sales team 🤝🏽

If you still need help when it comes to using Salesforce at your company, try reaching out to one of your Sales Operators.

Ask if they can briefly walk you through a certain integration or process – this can go a long way in strengthening your understanding of the platform.

When you go down this route, however, be sure to come prepared. I recommend doing as much independent research as you can (through the above methods), so you can approach your Sales Operator with high-quality, concise questions.

🔥 Pro tip: Record the session with your Sales Ops team for internal reference purposes. Sales Operators are busy, so having that recording will allow you to independently review it after a one-time walkthrough. This will be helpful not only for your own reference but to train other members of your MOPs team who need to learn the same process.

Over time, this can develop into a useful collection of internal training resources for MOPs if anyone needs a walkthrough of Salesforce features in the future.

 

“Remember to stay curious
and stay engaged.”

 

It’s great to see you taking ownership of your professional development. Remember to stay curious, stay engaged, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

With these tools and resources at your disposal, you’ll be well on your way to mastering new platforms and adding value to your company. Keep up the good work!

You’ve got this,
Joe.

My Campaign Failed. How Do I Turn This Around?

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Hi Joe,

My campaign fell flat, and I’m struggling to figure out why.

We based this email around a great asset: a whitepaper with advice and analysis that seemed valuable to our audience.

Everything went according to plan. Our team was all on the same page about the content, and we sent it out right on schedule. So far, so good.

Our numbers—email opens, CTA clicks, whitepaper downloads—are all roughly on-target, but they haven’t added up to any new leads or conversions.

What am I missing here? How can I understand why this campaign failed? How can I prevent this from happening again?

Thanks,

Disappointed in Dallas.

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Hi, Disappointed, I understand how you feel.

A few months back, we launched a campaign targeting a new market for the first time. Everything seemed to come together—images, content, our offer to the audience—and I really thought we were onto something.

The response? Crickets.

It was a tough pill to swallow, but in every “failure” there’s an opportunity to learn.

We tested, tweaked, and tried again—we figured out what messages struck a chord with our audience, and now we’re making real headway in the market. You can’t undo past missteps, but you can take the lessons forward and do better. So let’s start now.

 

Which metrics equal success?

First of all, it’s good that you know what metrics equal success for this campaign. Success is relative to your goals, after all.

That said, numbers like clicks and opens don’t tell you much in a silo.

As a starting point: compare your metrics, and your results, to the campaigns you’ve run in the past.

Think about what’s changed between your more successful campaigns and this one.

Your team was all on the same page about content, but was it the right message for the right audience? Did it miss the mark as far as cultural sensitivities go? Was it personalized enough?

 

Ask the tough questions

There are many potential factors at play here.

  • Sending the email out on schedule is good news for your processes, but did you choose the right time and day of the week?
  • Was email really the most effective channel for the people you wanted to reach?
  • Did any small errors or placeholder names sneak into the final text?

Size up the content and the numbers with past campaigns, which will help you crack the case.

A/B testing

Then, you move from diagnosing problems to making improvements. Every part of your email is fair game for A/B testing, be it the subject line, content, time and date, imagery, or CTA.

Test alternatives constantly, and you’ll build up a strong understanding of what really resonates with your audience.

One of our best-ever campaign responses came from targeting execs with an email right after the Masters Tournament on a Sunday evening.

Why?

We had a distinct segment (execs—the kind who’re into golf), we had a good idea of what was on their minds (checking emails before the week ahead), and we caught them at the right time.

You get to know what makes your audience tick from testing campaigns continuously, and that refines your experiments from shots in the dark into calculated risks.

 

QA testing

The other kind of testing you want to do is QA.

Get an extra pair of eyes or two on every campaign, checking your content for mistakes and cultural issues lost in translation.

Sure, it’s no one’s favorite job, but it’s the backbone of quality.

Any measure that side-steps “Hello [Name]” misfires is one to bring on board.

And even before then, getting feedback on your campaign ideas from around the company can help you gauge whether your approach is sound at the root.

 

Refine your process

With all the parts involved in getting a campaign off the ground, the process is everything.

Think of the steps you took that worked well in the past, whether sending a certain number of reminders for an event or staggering the timelines for approvals and translations in a particular period.

Use those tried-and-true processes as a foundation for your campaigns, and keep layering on top of new ideas and tweaks from your testing.

You might stumble and get frustrated, but don’t worry — you’ll find out what works along the way.

Just remember: “failure” gives you a chance to do better. If you need any help, contact us

You’ve got this,
Joe.

I’m Starting a Job as an SDR. What Tech Should I Know About?

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Hey Joe,

I’m about to start a new role as a sales development rep – and if all goes well, there’s a good chance I can move into an account executive position down the road.

What specific tools in my company’s tech stack will be most relevant to me as I embark on this journey?

I want the whole picture now, so I can prepare myself and start off on the right foot.

Thanks,

Revitalized Renata

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Hi Renata, thank you for the question, and congratulations on your new role as an SDR!

Gaining a holistic view of the tech at your disposal is essential in sales and will certainly set you up for success over the long term.

So how can we identify and prioritize the tools that are most relevant to you?

 

The 4 sales tech pillars

I like to break down the Sales tech stack into 4 major pillars. Let’s get into them:

1. CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

This is one of the more obvious, but important, aspects of your company’s tech stack.

Whether it’s Salesforce, HubSpot, or anything else, chances are your company will have a dedicated CRM.

Ideally, your CRM will contain information on leads, contacts, and sales opportunities informed by activity, contract history, and so on.

A well-managed and comprehensive CRM is a must-have for effective Sales and Marketing reporting.

 

2. Sales Engagement Platform

Next is to figure out what Sales Engagement Platform your company uses. A few examples include Salesloft and Outreach.

These tools allow you to be as efficient and effective as possible, particularly when it comes to setting up your outreach cadence.

As an SDR, you will also be using this tool often for prospecting, forecasting, reporting, and so on.

 

3. Sales Intel Platform

This tool will be highly relevant to your role as an SDR.

The sales intel platform could be something like LinkedIn Sales Navigator or ZoomInfo.

This tool provides valuable information on leads and opportunities so you can pursue relevant prospects and build relationships.

 

4. Contact Information Platform

The fourth and final pillar of the Sales tech stack is a contact information platform like Zoominfo.

This will provide phone numbers, emails, and LinkedIn profiles of clients, prospects, and other important contacts.

 

Many tools have overlap

It’s important to understand that many of these platforms will have overlapping use cases and functionalities.

For example, ZoomInfo offers certain modules that provide “intent” information on contacts, classifying them as potential prospects or sales opportunities based on their search history, activity, and so on.

Then, you might have LinkedIn Sales Navigator, which can provide similar benefits, such as alerting you when a growing company has just raised funding or had a change in leadership.

In short: Not only do you need to identify the tools that are relevant to your role, but you also need to understand how they can work together optimally. Read our post ‘How Do I Evaluate New Pieces of Technology‘ for more information.

 

Your role in all of this

As an SDR, you exist at the top of the sales funnel. You’ll fill the pipeline with leads and get the conversation going, which means you’ll likely be using your company’s sales engagement and sales intel platforms more than anyone else.

Conversely, as an account executive, you will be spending most of your time in the CRM as you strive to develop relationships and ultimately close deals.

But these rules aren’t set in stone!

Many account executives, especially ones who do their own prospecting, may be utilizing your sales engagement and intel platforms as well. This is where it depends on your company’s structure, size, and interpretation of the account executive’s responsibilities. Read our post ‘How Can Sales Succeed With Limited Resources?‘ for more on this.

The important part is to work with leadership to make sure the responsibilities of your role are clearly defined.

Then you can start putting relevant pieces of the tech stack together to fulfill those responsibilities and reach your goals.

You’ve got this,
Joe.

What Essential Skills Do I Need When Starting in Sales Ops?

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Hi Joe,

I’ve been considering a career in Sales Ops for a while now, and I think I’m finally ready to pursue this idea more seriously.

As someone new to the world of Sales Ops, where should I focus my attention, and what skills should I develop to set myself up for success?

Thanks,
Courageous Carl

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Hey Carl, welcome to the world of Sales Ops!

I’m happy to outline some key findings I’ve picked up over the years that will help you succeed in your new role.

Let’s get right into it.

 

The science behind selling

I like to think of Sales Ops as the “science” behind selling.

It’s a discipline that carefully combines strategy, technology, operations, and performance to help your sales team become more efficient and effective throughout the sales process.

In Sales Ops, you’ll likely be asking (and answering) questions such as:

  • Are your company’s sales tools and platforms being utilized effectively?
  • Are you capturing relevant leads at the right time? Are the goals of your Sales team clearly defined?
  • Are your tools and processes set up to facilitate these goals?

 
With a clearer picture of what Sales Ops entails, here’s what you should keep in mind as you dive into this world more deeply.

 

Play to your strengths

People come into their Sales Ops role in many different ways and from different professional backgrounds.

Their unique experiences and perspectives will likely dictate how they contribute to the success of the overall Sales Ops function — especially in the beginning.

For example, someone may be a successful salesperson with a deeply ingrained knowledge of a certain product and industry.

Once they join Sales Ops, they can combine their existing strategic knowledge of the industry with the technical aspects of operations to further optimize sales for their company.

 

Know your industry

Let’s say the previous example doesn’t really apply to you. Maybe you previously worked as an Operations Analyst, for example, and you already know a lot about sales technology and reporting – but you lack knowledge and experience when it comes to the strategic side of sales.

In this case, it’s imperative that you learn everything you can about the industry you’re in and the people you’re selling to. Gaining a holistic view of your industry will give you:

  • insight into the psyche of your buyer
  • credibility in your conversations with salespeople
  • ability to pivot/predict changes in the industry, and
  • better adaptability.

 

Understand your salespeople

While we’re not quite talking about Sales Enablement (you can read about the difference between Sales Ops and Sales Enablement here), it is still important for Sales Ops to understand the pains and needs of the salespeople they’re working with.

Part of your job is to reduce friction within the sales process so your salespeople can work more efficiently – doing this requires a deep and thorough understanding of their needs and how you can best address them.

 

Keep updated with tech

It’s important to keep an eye on the latest updates and innovations when it comes to Sales Ops tools and platforms. For instance, how AI is transforming the space.

But be cautious. While new tech is always being developed, not every tool is necessarily right for you.

When new software is released, it’s crucial to understand its use cases and evaluate whether or not it’s actually relevant to your overall sales strategy.

Buying up every new tool that comes out puts you at risk of tech bloat and tech debt – so make sure it’s a right fit before you invest.

 

Stay attentive and curious

I’ll leave you with this: Stay as attentive and curious as possible throughout your career in Sales Ops.

This means taking initiative when you notice opportunities or inefficiencies in the sales process and always striving to find new ways to improve and innovate.

Sales Ops and MOPs require constant optimization and those who view this space as a puzzle they’re continuously solving tend to be the most successful in the long run.

You’ve got this,
Joe.

How Can Sales Succeed With Limited Resources?

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Hi Joe,

I’ve just been put in charge of the Sales team at a relatively small company. So far, things have been great – but there are definitely some limitations.

Compared to the last company I was with, we don’t have nearly as many resources for the Sales team to use.

We’re hitting a plateau right now, and I’m unsure how to break through it. Any advice on how Sales can work more efficiently and effectively with what we have?

Thanks,
Efficient Emma

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Hi Emma, thank you for the question – I’ve been in your shoes before.

Helping your company grow past a plateau, especially with very limited resources, is a serious challenge.

Here’s some advice I think will go a very long way in helping you get through this.

 

Understand your tools

I can’t emphasize this one enough.

If your company has a dedicated CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform that is integrated with a marketing automation platform like Hubspot, it’s crucial that you know how it operates and how you can get the most out of it.

These are essential tools that will guide your sales process, allowing you to track and define the different stages of leads as they progress from lead to contact to opportunity closed and so on.

After that, see if your company has any other tools like Outreach or Salesloft that will optimize outreach campaigns and communication. You can learn more about the 4 pillars of a Sales tech stack here.

 

Sync with marketing

Alignment between sales and marketing is key. Especially when resources are low, every dollar must be used as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Keep direct lines of communication open with your marketing team, so sales can stay up to date with relevant campaigns, inbound and outbound programs, and other materials that marketing has put in place. These are materials sales can leverage, including:

  • whitepapers
  • product comparisons
  • product demos
  • case studies, and
  • customer success stories.

Ideally, marketing sees what happens before prospects get to sales, so make sure to leverage any intel you can get to increase your understanding of clients – which brings us to our next point.

 

Personalize communication

Having limited resources doesn’t mean you can’t personalize your emails, phone calls, or any other communication channel. In fact, it’s even more reason to ensure every reach-out is as effective as possible.

Doing this will require using tools such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator to get detailed insights into the pain points of possible leads, which will help you tailor your messaging and create effective, targeted communication points that can increase conversion rates.

If you don’t have access to software that can help with this, or you’re at a stage where you simply can’t afford to invest in a data enhancement tool, then I encourage you to do as much manual research on your leads as possible. Depending on your business, even 2 to 3 hours of extra research on a single lead is worth it if it means closing on a sale.

Once you’ve collected enough data on leads, you can work with marketing to create an ideal customer profile (ICP), as well as key personas that will aid communication strategies going forward.

 

Automation is your friend

If your team is hitting a plateau, one way to accelerate productivity is to automate anything you can. Find yourself entering the same pitch, message, CTA, or value offer more than once? Make it into a template!

And if you’re working closely with marketing, you should have a good understanding of what each persona in your ICP needs to hear at different stages. This will allow you to create templates with reusable content for every scenario, so you can spend more time personalizing your message.

You’ll find yourself sending higher-quality messages to more prospects this way.

 

Stay patient

If a certain approach or sales strategy isn’t working right away, it’s okay to persevere and see it through for a longer time.

I’ve seen far too many sales teams give up on a strategy after a single week if the email open rates weren’t ideal, only to realize later that their strategy needed more time and a larger sample size to produce meaningful feedback that can guide future decisions.

Of course, it’s good to persevere – but do so within reason. If you’ve been following the same sales strategy for months without success, it’s time to experiment with new approaches.

And when you’re trying something new, KPIs and deadlines are your friends. Adding specific numbers to benchmark against (such as reaching a minimum of 1,000 prospects in 3 months, for example) will make the process easier to control, measure, and replicate.

Follow the points above, and your sales team will certainly be getting more out of the limited resources that you currently have.

If you still need more help to push past this plateau, Revenue Pulse is here to help.

You’ve got this,

Joe

How Can I Become a Better Communicator in My MOPs Role?

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Hi Joe,

I’ve been steadily improving my skills in MarTech, but I feel like other important soft skills have been lagging behind.

When it comes to building stronger relationships with my team members, communicating with other departments around the company, or even presenting in front of large groups in meetings, I’m really struggling.

Any advice on how I can communicate and present more effectively?

Thanks,

Awkward Alex.

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Alex, I know how you feel, and I’m sure many others out there do too.

Building and developing soft skills for better communication and presenting is no easy feat, especially if you’re a bit more on the introverted side or you’ve struggled with public speaking in the past.

Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to have many conversations and experiences that have helped me forge these skills. Here are some tips I’ve picked up along the way!

 

Lead with empathy

When I think of soft skills, empathy immediately comes to mind as the number one trait to look at for improving communication.

Practicing empathy in all your interactions will help you develop deeper relationships around the company, as well as encourage and inspire those around you.

This goes for speaking with clients as well. Consciously employing more empathy will help you understand your clients’ needs more clearly. Ultimately allowing you to serve them more effectively.

This is one of my favorite Simon Sinek quotes that embodies this concept: “Empathy is being concerned about the human being, not just their output”.

 

Find common ground

If empathy is number one on our list of soft skills, then close behind it is the ability to find common ground with others.

Whether you’re speaking with sales, marketing, IT, or anyone else involved in the company, there will always be an opportunity to find some piece of common ground.

It could be anything from sports, pop culture, where they’re from, or what companies they’ve worked for — MOPs can be a small world! This is a great way to bolster your professional relationships and it’s a seamless ice-breaker when speaking with new hires for the first time.

 

Everyone is rooting for you

When speaking in front of an audience – whether it’s an internal meeting, client presentation, or anything else – it’s natural for most people to have some anxiety or fear of rejection.

To help with this, I defer back to the idea that: it’s in our nature to want others to do well.

We don’t want to see others fail or feel embarrassed. So the next time you find yourself speaking in front of a large group, keep in mind that they’re on your side and want to see you succeed.

It may seem simple, but internalizing this shift in perspective will go a long way in helping you feel more poised during presentations.

 

Company culture matters

A lot of soft skill development also has to do with the culture of the organization you’re with.

Here at Revenue Pulse, we promote a culture of teamwork and support. Mistakes will happen, and being transparent about your flaws in an authentic way will help build trust and strengthen relationships – both within the company and with clients.

It’s also important to surround yourself with people who will give you honest feedback so you can improve.

Give others permission to tell you if a presentation wasn’t impactful or if a conversation felt off – while we need to take our work seriously, it’s important we don’t take ourselves too seriously as well.

 

Leave your comfort zone

While all these tips are important, the final ingredient that ties everything together is experience.

I don’t know of any great communicator or presenter who is speaking in front of a group for the first time.

Put yourself in front of audiences as much as possible and have conversations often. Getting the reps in will help you build confidence, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a better communicator.

You’ve got this,

Joe.

Should I Take the Marketo Certified Expert Exam?

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Hi Jo,

I’m in the early stages of my career in MOPs, and I’m wondering if I should take the Marketo Certified Expert (MCE) exam.

Many people in the industry have this qualification, though I’m not entirely sure what doors it can open.

My current role is mostly about supporting campaigns, but I could see myself heading down a more hands-on path with tech.

Is taking the MCE a smart decision for me? If so, what can I do to make sure I pass the exam?

Thanks,
Excited Ellen.

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Ellen, it’s great that you’re considering how the MCE can support your career.

The MCE is like a badge of honor.

It tells employers, clients, and the MOPs community that you’re someone they can trust when it comes to Marketo.

Obtaining the qualification can be beneficial in various ways, but its relevance ultimately depends on your goals.

 

Benefits of MCE

Passing the MCE helped me progress from a campaign operations role into Marketo consultancy and negotiate a higher salary.

Do you like the idea of moving towards strategy or systems operations? If you’re interested in designing the sales, data, and reporting processes in Marketo that allow others to run campaigns and get performance insights, the MCE can give you that momentum.

 

Other options

That said, not taking the MCE isn’t a hard stop for career development. If you become interested in a more generalist marketing role or a discipline that’s less about managing tech, like field marketing, then you’ll use Marketo in a less administrative capacity.

In that case, you might want to look at the Marketo Certified Associate (MCA) qualification, which validates the functions and skills you need for running campaigns.

Taking either the MCE or MCA lets you practice and prove your skills with Marketo.

While you’ll never use all of Marketo’s features, I find getting either certification helps people in various roles to speak the same language about this vast and important piece of tech.

 

Tips for acing the MCE:

From my experience taking the MCE, here are some tips I can recommend to ace it on the first try:

  • One year’s experience as a system admin is a good estimate for the time it takes to pass the MCE. If you don’t have admin access, practice processes like implementations, migrations, and integrations in a sandbox until you’re confident in your skills.
  • Try out features that you’re less familiar with. You likely have a good grasp of campaigns, so branch out into functions like reporting and databases.
  • When Marketo’s your day job, you’re effectively preparing for the test by going to work. Think about the test-relevant functions you can implement into your day-to-day workflow.
  • Practice exams and sample questions, like these, are close to what you’ll see in the real exam. Do a few of these and you won’t have any major surprises.
  • Marketo product documents are a great resource for checking the finer points of how things work.
  • Marketo user groups and MOPs community channels are also active spaces for support.

Whichever exam you decide to go for, you want to gradually expand your use of Marketo until you’re comfortable with the fundamental skills tested in the MCE or MCA.

Try not to rush or stress through your prep; slow and steady wins the race.

You’ve got this,
Jo Pulse.