Using CRM and marketing automation to improve sales

A company's CRM and marketing automation solutions are two of the most important technologies in an organization. However, far too often, the information passed to the CRM system is not sufficient, meaning crucial information is lost in translation and sales are lost in the process.

To avoid this, companies should look to take their integration a step further by providing the sales team with insight into both real-time activity and anonymous tracking of their prospects and prospect organizations on the company website.

Good communication between sales and marketing can mean the difference between a done deal and a lost opportunity. Integrating your CRM and marketing automation activities can lead to more effective targeting of prospects by the sales team. With these systems working in tandem, sales and marketing staff can gain better insight into prospective customers' needs and better evaluate what stage of the buying process they are at.

When both sales and marketing have insight at this level, they can appropriately engage with prospects at various touch points to ensure the sales process is more efficient and more effective.

Jim Meyer is vice president and general manager at eTrigue, a marketing automation and lead management software provider.