Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have long been on marketers’ radars, but it’s only recently that they’ve begun to show up in customer relationship management tools. AI and ML are often viewed with skepticism, but many B2B marketers will discover that these features can enhance their effectiveness in contacting the right leads, closing deals and nurturing client relationships. The underlying fear has been that machines will replace marketers, but the reality is much more promising.

Picture it: a warm August week in lovely Boston, a brand-new resort and casino, three epic marketing and sales events packed under one roof, networking with hundreds of your peers and all the clam chowder and lobster rolls you can eat.

If all of the above sounds like a damn good time, then mark your calendars for the B2B Sales & Marketing Exchange, taking place at the beautiful, new Encore Boston Harbor Resort & Casino August 12-13, 2019. So new, in fact, that it’s not even open at the time I publish this blog post.

Research shows that nearly half of marketers (43%) say their database initiatives need significant improvement. So, if looking at your MAP and CRM systems sparks stress instead of joy, it may be time for a Marie Kondo makeover.

LiveChat offers live chat and help desk software for businesses. Through a new integration with the company’s other product, ChatBot, it has released new chatbot capabilities designed to help marketers and custom service managers better manage their relationships with customers.

Drift, a conversational marketing platform, has appointed five senior executives across its sales, marketing and engineering teams.

Marketing performance measurement is an ongoing challenge for many B2B brands. For example, our research shows 87% of B2B companies ranked marketing measurement and reporting as a growing priority, but more than half (58%) said their current ability to track marketing performance “needs improvement” or worse. Progressive companies such as Iron Mountain and ServiceMax are succeeding by moving beyond baseline metrics to analyze pipeline velocity and track marketing performance across various stages and campaigns.

Would you rather spend this winter stuck in your office hiding from the cold, or join thousands of your peers in a beautiful desert oasis with a plethora of things to do?

This is a five-minute read; but for the short attention spans among us, I’ll cut to the chase. There are four primary changes we should expect to see from Forrester’s acquisition today of SiriusDecisions:

The holiday season is all about giving. It’s also a season of showing you care about your family and friends, as well as colleagues and customers whom you’ve built strong relationships with over the year.