You Don’t Have a Process to Automate
Overview: Let’s imagine for a moment that we are no longer talking about implementing
Marketing Automation, but building a factory to manufacture hammers. Everyone
knows what a hammer is, and pretty much its component parts: a hammer head and
a handle. And let’s say you are in charge of automating the process of building
hammers. Your instructions are, of course, 1) build hammer heads any size or
shape you want and 2) build handles any size or shape you want as long as you
build a bunch of them really, really fast. Right? Because how they fit together
later is a problem for another time.
Well, let’s
look at the way you’ve created your marketing “factory.” How much does it
resemble the hammer factory described above? Are your campaigns, assets and programs
all sitting in bins in a warehouse somewhere still waiting to be assembled into
a finished product called Marketing Automation?
Last week we looked at the critical
interdependence of the “Three Ps” People, Process and Platform. You may wonder,
then, why we are beginning with the second “P” of Process, rather than People.
It is a great question, and has a very straightforward answer: Process drives the requirements for People.
Let’s continue with our hammer factory analogy.
To build
hammers, I need to first build the two component pieces: hammer heads and
hammer handles. These are two very different things made from (generally) very
different materials. To correctly
build a hammer, I need handles and heads built to fit together and stay
together. To build wooden handles, I need a worker skilled in woodworking tools
used to build the handles and to build steel heads, I need workers skilled in
metallurgy, casting and forging processes. So I don’t hire highly skilled
accountants or attorneys to perform these tasks.
When using
the hammer factory analogy, it seems an elementary point. But going beyond
theory into practice, how many people are currently in your Marketing
Automation process without the key skills needed to perform their jobs at a
high level? Are there copywriters building campaigns or graphic artists
managing Marketing Ops because they were available resources? Do you have the
correct positions defined for your organizational model and adequate job
descriptions for those positions? For more information on organizational models
and roles and responsibilities within those models, see my earlier series on why you are not organized for successful Marketing Automation.
We’ve talked
about the component parts in your process, but we also need to address the
process itself. Again, the hammer factory makes a great and simple analogy. There
is an obvious order of precedence in the manufacture of a hammer, but there are
also subtle sub-components of that process. Build the handle, build the head
and assemble. It’s that easy, right? Ask your project managers and, if you
aren’t using project managers in your automation process, consider starting
that practice. Let’s examine the seemingly straightforward process of
assembling a hammer head to its handle.
Consider the
mortise and tenon joint and the tolerances required ensure the joint doesn’t
fail after repeated, violent impacts. Are you going to slap those two pieces together
with a little bubble gum and duct tape and hope it holds? Or will you require
tight tolerances and a high-tension mechanical fastening system? How will you
test the handle and head independently to insure they will fit? Where should
the testing occur in the manufacturing cycle? At what frequency should you
test? Who is authorized to test? Is testing validated, and at what frequency?
Are the testing methods themselves tested?
And this is
a two-piece hammer! How many independent operations and component parts
comprise you marketing factory?
Understanding your Process
While it
seems like a lot of process detail to build a simple hammer, that level of
detail is exactly what allows for the factory to predictably manufacture high
volumes of hammers with consistently high quality. Without the attention to
detail, rework and scrap rates skyrocket while profits plummet.
So we’ve
established detail is essential, but how much detail is enough? This checklist
is a good starting point in understanding the marketing and sales processes you
intend to automate. Do you currently have complete and accurate documentation
for:
- Lead process for every possible prospect input and output
- Lead Stage system (or Demand Waterfall) with complete definitions for each stage, actions in stage and triggers
- Defined SLAs for each Lead Stage progress
- Defined Sales Opportunity Stages, complete with probabilities
- Persona definitions for all of your key buyer types
- Target market segmentation rules
- Touch point governance rules and campaign calendars
- Accurately catalogued asset and content libraries
This is not
an exhaustive list, but is a great starting point to determine the elements you
will need to consider automating.
Notes:
Commit to your process first. If the process
is right for your organization, you will find a platform that can be customized
to meet your process requirements and you can hire or train the skill sets
necessary to successfully manage your “Marketing Factory.”
The more detailed your planning, the more
effective your MAP implementation will be. Avoid the urge to get your system up
and blasting out emails. Plan and implement a long-term successful “Marketing
Factory.”
If you haven’t completely implemented at
least one Marketing Automation platform, you will likely need help. There are
not a lot of competent and skilled consultants in the Marketing Automation space,
so choose wisely.
If you do choose to hire a consultant, heed
his or her advice. It is likely he or she has already seen around the corner
you are currently trying to navigate. Here’s an insider’s tip: we make a lot of
money fixing systems that were implemented according to a non-critical deadline
rather than a process plan. For those of us old enough to remember the Fram oil
filter commercials, “You can pay me now, or you can pay me later.”
People,
Process and Platform – the Three P’s. In next week’s edition, we will look at
the people side of the equation. It is the most difficult and most subjective
element in the automation equation. But with a well-defined process as a
roadmap, even the most subjective element can come into clear focus and the
roadmap will help you make decisions leading to success.
Tags:
Marketing Automation, Lead Management, Lead Process, Marketing Data, Sales and
Marketing Process, Marketing Operations Skills, Marketing Automation Skills,
Marketing Automation ROI, Marketing ROI, ROMI
