Oftentimes, the ESP\u2019s salespeople or sales engineers make the system look perfect. A quick walk-through of this feature or that one, and it seems ideal. How could anyone not love it? <\/p>\n
Then, the sales reps tell you what a great deal they\u2019ll give you if you sign before the end of the month. They capitalize on your excitement, moving you away from the deep technical dive and right into the pricing<\/a>. Emotions and a false sense of urgency are made to move you forward. You sign for a year, or two, or five\u2014and you\u2019re stuck. For better and for worse, even if the ESP does not live up to the expectations. <\/p>\n You may think this example sounds a bit far-fetched, but we have seen it more than once. Although some of the bigger companies may have people with experience to help prevent a mistake in choosing an ESP, many small- or medium-sized businesses have only one or two people managing email-marketing. As a result, there may not be enough hours in the day to spend time on a thorough analysis of potential ESPs. <\/p>\n So, out of an urgency to migrate to the new provider, a deal is cut, with the hope that the new platform meets your organization\u2019s email-marketing needs.<\/p>\n So, what can you do to ensure that your next ESP choice is the right one?<\/p>\n Even if you don\u2019t have much time, it\u2019s so important to try out the platform for your organization. Here\u2019s what I suggest:<\/p>\n This includes things such as getting promotional emails out the door, running A\/B split tests<\/a>, and reviewing metrics of an automated email series. These are examples of some of the most basic features, but there also may be some that are particularly critical for your company\u2019s email-marketing success, such as integration with your CRM, website, or Salesforce Sales Cloud.<\/p>\n Based on your list of essential features (short or long, depending on how much time you have), create a few specific scenarios to test the ESP. We call these use cases<\/i>. Look at how the ESP synchronizes data. See how it moves and presents performance metrics (e.g., opens, clicks, unsubscribes, spam complaints) back in the CRM software. Even if you can\u2019t set up an actual environment with full integration as a test, be sure you see exactly how it would work with your CRM.\n<\/li>\n Before seeing initial demos from vendors, make a comparison checklist of the ESP features most important to your organization, as well as many of the less essential items. Plus, be sure to weigh the features based on importance so you can determine which ESPs belong on your short list. For example, are telephone and chat support key for your brand\u2019s success? <\/p>\n Keep in mind that, after seeing a few ESPs, it might not be easy to recall what everyone said and showed to you. ESPs might start looking the same<\/a>. So, be sure to write down comments, questions, pros and cons, and consider making a video or taking some screenshots for each ESP. This is especially crucial if multiple staff members are doing the evaluation, or if you need to present a business case<\/a> with a rationale for your recommendations.<\/p>\n You likely won\u2019t have enough time to test more than a couple of ESPs, so be sure that your short list makes sense based on your organization\u2019s ESP requirements. In addition, get an estimate of costs while making your short list, because pricing will have an impact on your final ESP choice.<\/p>\n A trial may not answer every one of your questions\u2014and it won\u2019t eliminate all risk related to making a good decision\u2014but it\u2019s a good way to reduce your risk by seeing how the ESP can work in your environment with your organization\u2019s requirements. <\/p>\n A trial won\u2019t let you fully test how it integrates with everything in your back end\u2014which is important for some businesses\u2014but be sure to have your tech team test the key API calls that would be relevant for your organization\u2019s needs. For example, some ESPs limit the number of calls you can make in a period of time, which could be a deal breaker for an organization.<\/p>\n<\/span>Take that ESP for a spin<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"esp](\"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/ESP_demo_trial_fulcrumtech.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/span>1. Make a list of the features that are most important for your email-marketing program. <\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>2. Create use cases to test.<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\n<\/li>\n
\n<\/span>3. Make a short list of ESPs to compare. <\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>4. Request a fully functional trial of the ESP.<\/span><\/h2>\n