This month marks the three-year anniversary of the partnership between The Annuitas Group and Silverpop. Starting back when Engage B2B was known as Vtrenz up until now, the partnership has taken on many forms, but we have been fortunate enough to work a great company, who has great solutions and understands the values of solid process.
I had the opportunity to recently speak with Will Schnabel, Silverpop’s Vice-President of International Markets and ask him a few questions about the partnership over the last few years.
AG: From the Silverpop perspective, please provide a brief overview on your relationship with The Annuitas Group.
WS: Having met Carlos and Jay back in 2006, it was clear from our first meetings that both Silverpop and The Annuitas Group had a similar approach to serving the needs of B2B markers. We quickly connected on the concept that it takes more than just innovative technology to solve the day-to-day challenges of a marketing professional and agreed that the right process can either make or break a successful marketing automation implementation.
From the beginning, we have worked closely to ensure both organizations understand and trust the other as we go to market. The trust factor is, in my opinion, one of the biggest hurdles in any partnership relationship. To build trust takes time, and The Annuitas Group understood this, and spent the time necessary to become both experts in the technology, but also in understanding the people and process behind the technology. They are one of the few organizations that I’ve seen that effectively marry the capabilities of technology with the process and organizational change of the marketing organization. They are strong marketers themselves, but have a great ability to facilitate and explain new concepts in a way that clients can understand.
AG: What value does the process development work that Annuitas provide bring to the Engage B2B customers and prospects?
WS: EngageB2B is a key technology enabler for modern lead management. However, in order to gain the highest benefit from the solution, marketing organizations should look to adjust their current business practices and approaches (i.e. campaign approaches, lead definitions, rules of engagement with sales, etc). By looking at implementations as more of a change initiative rather than just moving to a new tool, clients derive an even higher return on investment and long-term success. The correct process development can help to optimize the technology capabilities by working within the boundaries of the solutions. Rather than working in a vacuum, The Annuitas Group has a strong understanding of the EngageB2B solution and can develop processes that make best use of key features within our solution bringing a better experience to our customers.
AG: What role do you believe process has in the future of marketing automation and lead management?
WS: I believe that there will be continued emphasis on process best practices around B2B marketing and sales. Without companies like The Annuitas Group to fill a much needed void, Marketing Automation could go the way of CRM solutions of the 80’s and 90’s . . . . big promises, but mediocre results.
AG: As the market continues to grow in the understanding of the need of marketing automation and process, what value do you see in the partnership between Silverpop and The Annuitas Group?
WS: The Annuitas Group partnership allows us both to focus on our core strengths, while at the same time sharing knowledge and insights into the best process, technology and organizational changes necessary to gain lead management excellence. The more marketers look at lead management and marketing automation as a process change program, the better results they will see, and the more strategic our relationship with them becomes. Ultimately, lead management is a journey, and The Annuitas Group act as our clients ‘guide’ to understanding where they are today, and where they want to be in the future.
We look forward to continued success in this partnership and delivering this kind of value to our customers.
