Pardot Announces Platform Ready Certification for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011
Integrated Marketing Automation / CRM Solution Enables SMBs to Monitor Prospect Activity and Track ROI Throughout the Sales Cycle
Pardot, the leading provider of marketing automation for small and midsized businesses, today announced that Pardot’s marketing automation suite is certified as Platform Ready for integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. Pardot is a Microsoft Partner, offering marketing automation functionality that enhances the abilities of Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
Earning the Microsoft Platform Ready certification indicates that Microsoft recognizes a product as tested, approved and compatible with their offerings. Pardot debuted its Microsoft Dynamics CRM integration at the 2010 Microsoft Convergence event in Atlanta. The Pardot team will return to Microsoft Convergence this May to showcase the new and improved Dynamics CRM integration.
“In order to get the most accurate information on your prospects and truly track ROI throughout the sales cycle, it’s essential that your CRM and your marketing automation tool are always talking to each other,” said Adam Blitzer, COO and co-founder of Pardot. “That’s why we jumped on board early to be sure we were compatible with the upcoming release of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. We know our clients are looking forward to taking advantage of all of the new features the platform will offer, and we’ll be right there to support them with the marketing tools they need.”
Pardot enables collaboration between marketing and sales departments. Marketing teams can nurture inbound leads until they are sales-ready, allowing the sales team to focus on closing their hottest prospects. Integration with the CRM system increases sales adoption because representatives can track prospects in the familiar CRM interface. With micro-level tracking, sales representatives see a detailed account of a lead’s online activity, allowing them to tailor a pitch and increase sales.
Currently, more than 40 Pardot clients use the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform for lead management. This includes several Pardot users that are running Dynamics CRM 2011 (Beta).
“Being able to integrate Pardot with Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a huge timesaver for me,” said Pardot client Joan Muschamp, Marketing Director at Portal Solutions. “Prospect activity and actions against specific campaigns are easy to view and visible immediately in our CRM. We are now able to more quickly see which campaigns are the most successful and more closely monitor our outbound activity. Our sales representatives, who live and breathe in the CRM, know which information each prospect has been sent, and can easily open a discussion.”
About Pardot
Pardot is a B2B marketing automation software provider that increases revenue and maximizes efficiency for companies with multi-touch sales cycles. Pardot’s lead management software features CRM integration, e-mail marketing, lead nurturing, lead scoring, and ROI reporting. The combination enables marketing and sales teams to work together to generate and qualify sales leads, shorten sales cycles, and demonstrate marketing accountability. Pardot’s pricing starts at $500 per month. Plans do not require contracts.