Automated Marketing and Sales Tools Help Drive Business Growth—An Interview with Mike Schultz

RainToday.com's Podcast: Marketing & Selling Professional Services

Automated marketing and sales tools are not new, but their increased number and lower costs are. And those two things are expected to play a significant role in business growth.

"There's so much technology out there that's possible for us to use in marketing and selling. … And the cost for these technologies is plummeting," says Mike Schultz, co-president of RAIN Group and co-author of Rainmaking Conversations. "Three or four years ago if you wanted to use a technology like Eloqua or Silverpop or Manticore Technology, you were probably looking at spending $50,000, $100,000, $200,000, even more. Now you're starting to see some of these technologies that do similar things for $19 a month, $39 a month, $2,000 to get started."

Not only that, but firms of all sizes can use them, he says. No longer are they restricted to large organizations. And firms have to get over that way of thinking if they want to sell more.

"There are people who say to me, 'Those are all the things that larger businesses with more resources do.' They think, 'I can't do that. I can't use these technologies. I can't be sophisticated with my marketing and sales. I simply can't do these kinds of things." So, they don't. And the guy sitting next to him is laughing all the way to the bank because he happens to be using them," Schultz says.

Listen as Schultz discusses:

• Trends and events that affected businesses in 2011
• Sales and marketing trends to keep an eye on in 2012
• The critical role of sales and sales conversations play in generating revenue