Share what you know with millions of people

Focus is the best place to turn what you know into remarkable content

×

Mac McConnell

Follow Following Unfollow

Partner and Founder, BlueBird Strategies, Inc.

184 points

Experienced marketing, business development and sales professional deep multi-industry experience. Established track record of developing high-impact marketing programs that are proven to drive leads, pipeline and revenue. Excel in high pressure, fast-paced, deadline driven environments by seeing the “big-picture” and quickly adjusting the allocation of resources and employees where appropriate.

Oct. 13, 2011

Mac McConnell and 13 other people answered this question

For a start-up, what are the best CRM and marketing automation apps that need the fewest add-ons?

Jeff, the first item is whether your client is wed to Zoho. If yes, that may limit your options. My firm focuses on marketing automation and lead gen solutions with experience in MS Dynamics, SFDC, Siebel-OnDemand and Manticore, Marketo, Act-On, Eloqua, Pardot and Loopfuse.
Independent ... more

Constant Contact

April 25, 2011

Mac McConnell and 8 other people answered this question

What are the first things that you should do when you implement a marketing automation system?

I can’t agree more with the other experts. Process, buy-in and data quality are super critical to a successful implementation. I would like to add a couple tactical, in the app, things to consider.
Asset Inventory – Get rid of the junk
Assuming you are not ... more

April 25, 2011

Mac McConnell and 9 other people answered this question

How does marketing automation help you connect with your customers?

Sales is a one-to-one relationship, while marketing is a one-to-many conversation. The game is making the many feel like they are the only one.
In the past, the marketer’s tools were limited. Advertising, direct mail, email blasts, even telemarketing could only be personalized based on ... more

Marketing Automation

Feb. 8, 2011

Mac McConnell recommends this answer by Jim Williams

Is RPM an extension of marketing automation or a whole other category?

Hi Carlos,
This is Jim Williams, the Director of Product Marketing at Eloqua. The short answer is that we see Revenue Performance Management as more than simply an extension of marketing automation. Marketing Automation is a necessary requirement of RPM (as is sales force automation), but ... more

Feb. 7, 2011

Mac McConnell is now following Craig Rosenberg

Feb. 4, 2011

Mac McConnell published a brief

Lead Scoring: 5 Steps to Building a Model that Sales Respects

Lead Development

Lead Qualification

Feb. 3, 2011

Mac McConnell is now following

Feb. 3, 2011

Mac McConnell is now following

Feb. 3, 2011

Mac McConnell is now following

Jan. 20, 2011

Mac McConnell and 6 other people answered this question

What steps must be taken to ensure a successful marketing automation implementation?

So far, great information. One thing we see is companies (like people) get excited about their new toy. This exuberance to get building, scoring, sending, nurturing, profiling and analyzing can lead to unexpected issues down the line. I am the biggest proponent of speeding the ... more

Marketing Automation

Marketing Automation Solution

Jan. 19, 2011

Mac McConnell and 18 other people answered this question

What are some alternatives to Jigsaw for getting business contacts and information?

Sarah, there is a ton of great business contact data out there these days. Beyond JigSaw, NetProspex and Zoom Info are good sources of perpetual use (aka purchase) data.
However, unless you have very deep pockets you are restricted to signing a contract with only ... more

Contact Information

Jan. 18, 2011

Mac McConnell and 1 other person answered this question

Should your marketing department be the owner of your marketing automation efforts?

I agree with Brian - marketing should own the system with input from other key stakeholders. Marketing is the only group in an organization with the right charter to manage such a system. If done properly, marketing should be having a one to many conversation, ... more

Marketing Automation

Marketing Automation Campaigns

Marketing Department

Jan. 18, 2011

Mac McConnell and 1 other person answered this question

For Sales and/or Marketing Automation users ... Is segmentation happening in your CRM or MA system?

My take is that most segmentation should occur in the marketing automation system. For our clients, one of the key goals is to keep junk out of the CRM system. This means that the MA application is the repository for all inquiries and leads, right ... more

CRM Data Segmentation

Nov. 23, 2010

Mac McConnell and 12 other people answered this question

Lead scoring best practices: what are your 3 tips for successful lead scoring?

I am going to focus my "best practices" on the tactical elements of building your first scoring model. Too often, companies approach the design of the first model in guessing mode. This does not need to be the case. With some fore-thought, a good scoring ... more

General Management

Nov. 11, 2010

Mac McConnell and 5 other people answered this question

How do I produce all of the content required for marketing automation?

Content can be scary and is often the biggest bottleneck to successful demand and lead gen programs. It is hard to develop good engaging content. Development requires the buy in and time of the experts, not to mention the costs for writers and layout. Let ... more

Content Marketing

Marketing Automation

Nov. 9, 2010

Mac McConnell answered this question

What is lead recycling?

A recycled lead is one that has been returned to marketing from sales for additional follow-up and qualification.
Lead recycling is the process for allowing sales to return leads to marketing for further outreach instead of disqualifying them.
Hopefully those rough definitions make sense. Let me ... more

Nov. 6, 2010

Mac McConnell and 7 other people answered this question

Your Marketing Automation budget just got an extra $10,000. Where do you spend it and why?

I agree with all the items that the other respondents have highlighted. It is always tough to gauge without knowing the details of the situation, but content is where the biggest gap is at most companies. If it were me, here is how my list ... more

Budgeting and Expenses

Marketing Automation

Marketing Automation Strategy

Following 5 Topics

Lead Management

Marketing Automation

Following 1 Person

Followed by 19 People

Knowledgeable in 18 Topics

#213 of 2984

Marketing Automation

#45 of 531

#178 of 2156

Marketing Automation Strategy

#9 of 51

#183 of 636

Marketing Automation Campaign

#3 of 21

Marketing Automation Best Practices

#7 of 38

#27 of 50

#76 of 206

#155 of 341

General Management

#406 of 1194

#7 of 22

Marketing Automation Implementation

#14 of 22

#12 of 26

Marketing Automation Solution

#9 of 27

#225 of 419

Marketing Automation Campaigns

#13 of 20

Marketing Strategy

#136 of 208