Marketing Automation Evaluation: 40 Questions to Avoid $50K Implementation Disasters
Comprehensive scoring framework to evaluate Marketo, HubSpot, Pardot and others on performance, integration, and hidden costs that matter in production.
Scoring Framework
Rate each vendor 1-5 on every question, then multiply by the category weight. Vendors scoring below 3.5 overall will cost you 50% more than budgeted and take 6+ months longer to implement than promised.
Evaluation Criteria
Platform Performance & Reliability
30% weightHow the platform handles real production loads, API limits, and database performance as you scale from 10K to 100K+ contacts. Performance issues cost $15K–40K annually in lost productivity.
Sample Questions
- Can the vendor demonstrate a smart campaign processing 25,000+ leads through a 7-step workflow in under 2 hours?
- Does the platform provide real-time API usage monitoring with predictive alerts before you hit overage fees?
- How does campaign performance degrade when processing 100K+ contact databases vs. their 5K 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+ records without manual review processes?
Integration Capabilities
25% weightReal-world integration performance with Salesforce, webinar platforms, and other marketing tools. Integration failures cause 60% 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 real-time Slack alerts when leads hit behavioral score thresholds?
- What field mapping limitations exist for custom Salesforce objects and how do you work around them?
- 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 40–60% 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 & Flexibility
15% weightHow well the platform adapts to business model changes and maintains data quality as you 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 the duplicate detection handle variations in company names and contact information?
- What data export capabilities exist if you need to migrate to another platform?
- 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 your lead statuses?
Implementation & Support
10% weightRealistic implementation timelines, data migration capabilities, and ongoing support quality. Poor implementation planning extends timelines by 3–6 months.
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 vs. optional for successful implementation?
- How do they handle implementation delays caused by integration complexity?
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