Tasks and timelines for merging an acquired company’s martech systems

Kickoff meeting

• Level setting expectations
• Learn how business works
• Current marketing programs
• Current nurture system (scoring, MQL, etc)
• Lead-to-sales flow (tasks, routing, queues, notifications, SLAs)
• Subscription management and privacy, data hygiene programs
• Broad discussion of how this fits with global (acquirer) workflow
• Agree on milestones, timeframe, next steps

Audit phase

• Audit current programs, planned initiatives, paid media
• Analyze and classify programs and assets (port, discard, let run and expire)
• Engagement programs
• Emails, newsletters, webcasts, webinars, events
• Forms
• Gated content, landing pages
• Sales fast tracks (request a demo, contact us, sign up)
• Internal forms and processes (BDR prospecting)
• Audit Salesforce custom objects, custom fields, webhooks

Planning phase

• Map net new lead > MQL processes in new system
• Map MQL > SQL > SQO processes in new system
• Map Recycle process
• Compile list of assets to produce:
• Forms
• LP templates
• Email templates
• Best practice programs
• Subscription preferences center
• Plan data migration and QA

Buildout phase

• Custom fields, custom objects, webhooks
• Data migration
• Build asset templates
• Build subscription center
• Build best practices templates
• Rescore new leads
• Stage new leads in lifecycle

QA phase

• Test all assets and programs
• Test scoring, lead flow, attribution
• Test notifications, lead assignments
• Test reporting in Marketo and Salesforce and/or BI tool

The team:

At minimum, you will need stakeholders from the newly acquired company as well as your team for a half-day kickoff. Job roles on both sides would include:

• Salesforce admins
• Database administrators (if different than SF)
• Project manager
• Marketing/demand generation team (senior manager, practitioners)
• Front-end developers

How this works:

The kickoff is a discovery session that provides a snapshot into the acquired company’s workflow and systems. The discovery worksheet should be distributed, filled out, and reviewed prior to the workshop. Teams should outline milestones and timelines, agree on responsibilities and next steps. A weekly status meeting should be planned.

The audit phase is cross-team and looks at the entire library of assets including Salesforce workflows, webhooks, sales playbooks, as well as Marketo assets and corporate web pages. Once completed, the teams should meet to discuss what to move over to the new system, what to discard, and what to let run and expire. This can be a contentious meeting, so a senior executive’s presence is highly advised.

Once this is complete, a work plan with milestone dates can be created. Buildout tends to be fairly quick as most of the decisions have been made in the planning and audit phases.

Testing should be performed both on assets and programs for accuracy, but also for lead flow, assignment and alerting. Attribution and reporting should be tested as well, as this is often overlooked.

In summary, the more upfront planning that can be done, the stronger the work plan. Executive sponsorship, presence, and perspective is invaluable during the early phases.