40-Point Marketing Automation Evaluation Checklist
Score Marketo, HubSpot, Pardot, and others on platform performance, integration reliability, and hidden costs that matter once you're in production.
Scoring Framework
Rate each vendor 1 to 5 on every question, then multiply by the category weight. Vendors scoring below the midpoint tend to overrun budget by something in the 50 percent range and extend implementation timelines by quarters rather than weeks.
Evaluation Criteria
Platform Performance and Reliability
30% weightHow the platform handles real production loads, API limits, and database performance as you scale from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of contacts. Performance issues compound into meaningful annual cost in lost productivity.
Sample Questions
- Can the vendor demonstrate a smart campaign processing 25,000-plus leads through a 7-step workflow in under two hours?
- Does the platform provide real-time API usage monitoring with predictive alerts before overage fees apply?
- How does campaign performance degrade when processing 100K-plus contact databases versus the demo environment?
- What happens to active campaigns when integrations fail. Do leads get stuck or continue processing?
- Can the platform handle duplicate detection across 50K-plus records without manual review?
Integration Capabilities
25% weightReal-world integration performance with Salesforce, webinar platforms, and other marketing tools. Integration failures account for a large share of marketing automation project delays.
Sample Questions
- Does Salesforce sync handle bidirectional updates of custom objects and campaign member statuses?
- Can webhook integrations retry failed calls automatically with exponential backoff?
- How quickly do lead score changes sync to Salesforce for sales team visibility?
- Does the GoToWebinar integration handle complex registration states like 'registered but didn't attend'?
- Can the platform send fast Slack alerts when leads cross behavioral score thresholds?
- What field mapping limitations exist for custom Salesforce objects, and what are the workarounds?
- Does the integration maintain campaign attribution data when leads are merged or updated?
Pricing Transparency
20% weightUnderstanding true costs including contact counting, API overages, and forced upgrades. Hidden costs typically add something in the 40 to 60 percent range to quoted prices in year one.
Sample Questions
- How does the vendor count contacts for billing. Do unsubscribed and bounced emails count toward limits?
- What specific features require plan upgrades that aren't clearly marked in initial pricing?
- Are there API overage fees, and what activities count as API calls beyond basic email sends?
- Can you see real-time billing usage and contact count increases in a transparent dashboard?
- What happens to pricing when you exceed contact limits. Automatic upgrades, or usage-based billing?
- Are advanced features like lead scoring and attribution available in the demonstrated pricing tier?
Data Management and Flexibility
15% weightHow well the platform adapts to business model changes and maintains data quality at scale. Rigid data models force expensive migrations within 18 months.
Sample Questions
- Can you change custom field types from single-select to multi-select without breaking existing campaigns?
- How does duplicate detection handle variations in company names and contact information?
- What data export capabilities exist if you need to migrate to another platform later?
- Can the platform handle complex lead lifecycle changes like freemium to paid conversions?
- How granular are user permissions for database access and campaign management?
- What happens to historical campaign data when you restructure lead statuses?
Implementation and Support
10% weightRealistic implementation timelines, data migration capabilities, and ongoing support quality. Poor implementation planning extends timelines by quarters rather than weeks.
Sample Questions
- Does the implementation timeline estimate account for your specific tech stack complexity?
- What data migration tools exist, and what historical information gets lost in the transfer?
- Are there guaranteed response time SLAs for technical support issues?
- Can you get hands-on training for advanced features, or just documentation and videos?
- What professional services are required versus optional for successful implementation?
- How do they handle implementation delays caused by integration complexity?
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