Lead Management Software From B2B Marketing Firm Marketo To Automate Lead Nurturing And Scoring

SAN FRANCISCO, MarketingSherpa Business to Business Demand Generation Summit (Booth #8), October 29, 2007 - http://www.Marketo.com — Marketo, a provider of affordable, easy-to-use marketing automation software that helps B2B marketing professionals drive revenue and improve accountability, announced today that it is enrolling beta test users for its new lead management software solution. Marketo’s solution for the first time will allow B2B marketers to easily create, measure, and modify marketing campaigns without requiring time-consuming implementation, training or IT support.

Marketo’s lead management software was created to help manage the growing gap between the time marketing first captures a lead and the time a prospect is ready to engage with a sales representative. Prematurely passing early-stage leads to the sales department only annoys the buyer and wastes the sales person's valuable time, and is at the root of the age-old tension between the sales and marketing departments.

Instead, companies should master lead nurturing, the process of using the Web, e-mail, phone, social media, and other online and offline channels to build relationships with qualified prospects who are not yet sales ready, as well as the ability to monitor lead activity and understand when a lead is ready to engage with sales.

“Ironically, the growth of the Internet has actually increased friction between sales and marketing. As buyers increasingly use online channels to research purchases, marketing meets prospects earlier than ever in the buying process,” states Phil Fernandez, president and CEO of Marketo. “Lead nurturing and scoring are critical to ensure these early-stage but qualified prospects do not slip through the cracks between marketing and sales.”

Lead management can be a complex, manual task for marketers to squeeze into already overloaded workdays. Marketo’s solution will provide all the tools needed to automate this process, including:
• Lead analytics to understand and score the prospect's interests and intent
• Step-by-step drip marketing and event-triggered campaigns
• Transparent connections with salesforce.com to automate tasks and track sales follow-up
• Complete email-marketing functionality

Older demand generation applications require significant up-front investment, integration, and training. Once implemented, programs are difficult to change and adapt, often requiring additional professional services to make even minor changes. Marketo understands that marketers cannot predict future challenges and opportunities, and need a dynamic campaign management tool that lets them easily adapt marketing programs as they review results and evolve goals.

“I believe that this new release from Marketo truly changes the game for marketing automation solutions," continues Fernandez. "Companies that are considering older demand generation applications need to take a look at our new solution before making a purchase.”

Free beta testing of Marketo’s lead management solution will begin in November. Apply to participate at http://www.marketo.com/beta.

About Marketo
Marketo (http://www.marketo.com) provides affordable, easy-to-use marketing automation software that helps B2B marketing professionals drive revenue and improve marketing accountability. Marketo's solutions automate the lead generation and lead nurturing processes, allowing marketing to generate more sales-ready opportunities, while integrated analytics bring accountability and respect to the CMO and help turn marketing from a cost center into a revenue-generating part of the company. Marketo's products are easy to use and easy to buy from existing budgets because they don't require annual contracts or up-front fees. Delivered as an on-demand marketing service, customers can be running Marketo in less than five minutes, with no IT support. The company's blog, Modern B2B Marketing (http://blog.marketo.com), explores best practices in business marketing, ranging from pay-per-click management to lead nurturing to marketing accountability. Marketo is headquartered at 1710 S. Amphlett Blvd. #340, San Mateo, Calif., 94402.
Marketo
1710 S. Amphlett Blvd. #340
San Mateo, CA 94402
http://www.Marketo.com/
http://blog.Marketo.com/
Agency Contact
Mike Yanke
Misukanis & Odden
952-400-7431
MYanke@MisukanisOdden.com

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