[Best Practice 8] Start with implementing marketing automation to improve sales efficiency

The toolsthat enable MAare called"MA tools." Based ontarget customer attributes and browsing information tracked via cookies, these tools build approach scenarios tailored to responses and actions. They then automatically execute communications across various digital channels like email, websites,and social media. Additionally, they accumulate the target customer's response history as "contact history" within a database.

By leveraging these MA tools, marketing departments can not only generate sales opportunities but also proactively understand customer needs. This enables them to enhance the efficiency of sales negotiations in the field and contribute to increased sales.

 

Why is MA necessary?

Today,MA initiativescentered around corporate websites as hubsare gaining critical importance.

This emphasis stems from the following challenges:

① Increasing difficulty in contacting customers

The spread of the internet has made information gathering easy for anyone, changing the consumer purchasing process.It's now standard behavior tonot only visit acompany'swebsitebefore purchasingbutalso gather information on comparison sites and social media.

Before the internet, consumers would typically visit a store or contact a sales representative to gather information about products or services when they first began considering a purchase. However, with the ease of obtaining information online, consumers can now narrow down their choices for products or services on a website withoutcontacting a representative. This has led to a decrease in actual contact points with sales personnel.

For example, a survey conducted by Dentsu Inc. on the car purchasing processfound thatabout 60% of new customersview the websitebefore visiting the dealership.

Conversely, before the widespread adoption of the internet, it was common to visit dealerships multiple times to check car designs and prices. Now, data shows the average number of visits before purchase is less than two.

This indicates that digital information gathering accelerates decision-making, meaning customers often arrive at the dealership merely to "confirm the actual product." Information obtained digitally frequently influences the decision, and the outcome is often decided before sales activities even begin. In other words,the website must take the place of the salesperson in waiting for the customer.

② Decisions are made without face-to-face interaction

However, simplyhaving a website isn't enough to capture the hearts of potential customers. The digital spaceis flooded with information—competitors, comparison sites, social media posts—and decisions are largely made based on this content.

It's crucial to detect the "timing" – when customers start seriously considering options, when they're torn between this product and that one – and deliver information then. It's no longer enough to just have content on your website that meets customer needs; you must also pay attention to that timing, engage in real-time communication, and strengthen touchpoints.

Implementing MA tools enables you to deliver precisely the information customers truly need at the right moment, based on their interests and stage of consideration, positioning you to respond to their genuine needs.

③ Equipping Sales Teams with Customer Insights

As mentioned earlier, when marketing and sales departments operate in silos, customer list management falls to sales teams or distributors, not marketing.

However,in today's environment wherecustomers proactivelygatherextensiveinformation from websites and come well-informed, marketing initiatives tailored to each individual customer who has already progressed in their consideration are required. This necessitates a unified effort not only from the sales field but also from the marketing department and sales field working together to meet customer needs.

With MA tools, the marketing departmentcan manage data on browsing behavior on the company's website and content, thereby understanding each customer's level of consideration and areas of interest. Meanwhile, the sales department and retailers can leverage this pre-visit customer information to provide precise, needs-based customer service. Knowing in advance what information the customer already possesses and what they want to know next enables focused proposals even in short meetings, boosting the efficiency of negotiations and sales.

Therefore, in the era of advanced digital marketing,it is crucial to establish a framework that enables unified management across channels like the web and physical stores.

 

Preparing for Marketing Automation Implementation

When implementing marketing automation, the following three steps are essential:

・STEP1: Prepare to capture prospect behavior onyour company'swebsite

・STEP 2: Infer needs from behavior and automatically execute personalized marketing initiatives

・STEP3: Integrate information with sales in real-world channels

Preparation alsorequires:- Reviewing marketing processes - Designing scenarios based on customer insights- Coordinating with relevant departments and securing MA personnel resources -Establishingorganizational structures, including dedicated departments or personnel responsible for sharing information (such as newly qualified leads) obtained through MA tools with sales - Considering the standardization of internal systems

In today's environment of increasingly diverse and complex information and channels, it is essential for marketing and sales departments, as well as headquarters and sales companies, to unite in creating mechanisms for continuous customer engagement and embracing digital transformation to leverage digital technology.