This article comes from Ari Hoffman’s talk, ‘How to get internal adoption of VOC tools & technology’, at our Las Vegas 2023 Customer Marketing Summit, check out the full unedited talk here.

Have you ever felt like a kid with your nose pressed up against the window of a candy store, eyeing the latest tools and technology? But no matter how much you negotiate, you just can't convince stakeholders to unlock the budget you need to level up?

I've totally been there! As VP of Customer Marketing and Advocacy at Influitive, I struggled for years to get internal adoption and investment for customer marketing technology.

I mastered the art of aligning competing priorities and securing executive sponsorship the hard way, through trial and error. But after refining my approach, I think I’ve truly cracked the code.

Now I want to share what I've learned so you can access the tools you need to crush your goals! In this step-by-step guide, you'll learn the process for cementing stakeholder alignment and securing budgets. So, let’s dive in!

  • The problem: Misaligned priorities
  • Step 1: Align to company goals
  • Step 2: Tailor messaging for each department
  • Step 3: Assess the impact of current state
  • Step 4: Make the case with credible data
  • Step 5: Build a coalition of champions
  • The result: Scalable success

The problem: Misaligned priorities

One of the biggest challenges I faced was that, even though I had an "unlimited budget" in theory, there were always competing priorities.

What do we put in the information security budget first? What will this mean for sales adoption? How will it impact customer success training? I was juggling 50 balls at once, trying to collect information in scattered spreadsheets.

The reality is, many companies have decentralized data collection and disjointed communication between teams. This leads to customers getting fatigued from duplicate outreach and employees churning from misaligned priorities.

This vicious cycle continues until we fix the core problem: lack of cross-functional alignment.

At one company, I spent years being promised investment in a Salesforce integration and advocacy automation tools. But it was always "next quarter."

After an expensive audit of our stack, they admitted they didn't know how to build what I needed in-house. I ended up leaving because they kept dangling the keys to effective technology in front of me but never followed through. It was devastating because I knew the value we could bring if properly equipped.

Step 1: Align to company goals

The first step is aligning your goals to broader company goals. Reference sources like:

  • OKRs
  • Conversations with your CMO
  • The company's mission, vision and values

Document how your programs support key metrics like:

  • Revenue growth
  • Customer acquisition
  • Retention
  • Customer satisfaction

For example, if overall company goals include 40% revenue growth, show how customer marketing technology will help increase pipeline and accelerate sales cycles.

Reference any broader values like "customer-centricity" and connect your programs back to those core principles.

Step 2: Tailor messaging for each department

Next, tailor messaging for each internal department you need to partner with. Focus on topics that matter most to them:

💸 Sales: References, referrals, reviews, cross-sell/upsell

🥇Customer Success: Renewals, retention, satisfaction

🗂️ Product: Feedback, roadmap input

📣 Marketing: Brand, events, nurture

When talking to sales leaders, focus on how customer marketing can provide more references to help close deals. For customer success, highlight how programs can improve retention and satisfaction.

Get into the mindset of each stakeholder and lead with their priorities. Avoid generic messaging - personalize for each audience based on their specific goals and challenges.

Step 3: Assess the impact of current state

Have in-depth conversations with department leaders to assess current performance on key metrics. Ask:

  • How important is this to the company?
  • What would you rate our current performance?
  • What's the impact of doing nothing?

Document the gap between goals and current state. Highlight the cost of not investing in better technology and processes.

This consultative approach allows stakeholders to assess and acknowledge current gaps. You can then show how investment would help close those gaps.

Step 4: Make the case with credible data

Now it's time to make the business case, supported by credible data, avoid relying solely on stats from potential vendors.

You should try to incorporate third-party validation like analyst research, case studies from companies similar to yours or published reports on the ROI of customer marketing technology.

Then quantify the impact on key metrics like:

  • Lower customer acquisition costs
  • Higher retention
  • Increased customer lifetime value
  • Improved product innovation

Use data to connect technology investment to tangible business outcomes - not vanity metrics.

Step 5: Build a coalition of champions

Finally, identify potential allies in each department and get their input, addressing any objections head on. The people who seem most resistant can become your biggest champions if you empathize with their concerns and incorporate their feedback.

Slowly build a coalition of advocates across functions, leveraging their influence to socialize the vision for investing in customer marketing technology and processes.

For example, I identified Customer Success Managers struggling with account protection and lack of visibility into advocacy requests. I met with them 1:1, showed how new technology could alleviate pain points, and incorporated their feedback into proposals. They then became vocal supporters.

The result: Scalable success

After years of playing budget guessing games, I finally unlocked the secrets to getting stakeholder alignment. Now cross-functional partners proudly showcase how our customer marketing technology supercharges their success.

No more sailing solo in a leaky boat patched up with duct tape and dreams! Today, with the right tools and processes, I captain a high-tech battleship to amplify our customers' voices.

But this transformation didn't happen overnight. It required diligence to quantify needs, tailor pitches, and cultivate influencers. With the steps outlined above, you too can secure executive sponsorship and access cutting-edge martech.

With the right framework, you can finally get off the sidelines and score big budget wins for customer marketing tech. The candy store awaits — go grab the goodies you need to delight customers and dominate your market!