MarTech Podcast ™ // Marketing + Technology = Business Growth Episode: The CRM Moneyball Moment Release Date: February 11, 2025

Hosts: Benjamin Shapiro and Val Riley

Introduction

In the latest episode of the MarTech Podcast™, host Benjamin Shapiro engages in a compelling conversation with Val Riley, Vice President of Marketing and Strategy at Unbound. The discussion delves into the strategic acquisition of Insightly by Unbound and explores the innovative concept of the "CRM Moneyball Moment." Drawing parallels from the renowned "Moneyball" strategy in baseball, Val and Benjamin uncover how data-driven approaches within Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems can unlock hidden potential and drive substantial business growth.

Unbound’s Acquisition of Insightly

[01:15] Benjamin Shapiro

"Today we're going to discuss CRM acquisitions from our tech. Joining us is Val Riley who is the VP of Marketing and Strategy at Unbound..."

Val Riley begins by outlining Unbound's recent acquisition of Insightly, highlighting how this strategic move positions Unbound to enhance its CRM capabilities. Insightly, known for its robust CRM solutions, brings a wealth of data management and customer lifecycle expertise to Unbound, enabling the company to offer more tailored and effective solutions to modern businesses.

Understanding the CRM Moneyball Moment

The conversation transitions to the central theme of the episode: the "CRM Moneyball Moment."

[02:26] Val Riley

"There are Moneyball moments in everyone's CRM. You have to dig through the data to uncover it, just like they did in the movie."

Val explains that similar to how the Oakland A's used data analytics to identify undervalued players and build a competitive team, businesses can leverage their CRM data to discover overlooked opportunities. These "Moneyball moments" are instances where hidden patterns or insights within CRM data can lead to significant business advancements.

[04:11] Benjamin Shapiro

"Look for people that get on base... If you're not a baseball fan, look for the micro win."

Benjamin elaborates on the concept by emphasizing the importance of focusing on consistent, small-scale successes within CRM data. Instead of chasing large, uncertain opportunities ("home run hitters"), businesses should identify and capitalize on numerous minor wins that collectively enhance performance and growth.

Uncovering the Secret Sauce: Getting More from CRM Data

The discussion deepens as Val outlines the "secret sauce" for maximizing CRM data utility.

[04:55] Val Riley

"The ingredient is quite simply a custom field, but the custom field with a little bit of automation to it."

Using a practical example, Val describes how a manufacturer in Indiana utilized custom fields and automation within Insightly to track used equipment sales. By creating a custom field that auto-populates equipment categories and implementing email automations, the company was able to significantly increase sales of used equipment. This approach demonstrates how tailored data fields and automated processes can transform raw CRM data into actionable business strategies.

[07:23] Benjamin Shapiro

"Get the data, build a custom field to extract it, make sure that it can be searched for, and then have some way to automate that into something that can be customer-facing."

Benjamin synthesizes Val's example into a clear recipe for achieving a CRM Moneyball moment: gather relevant data, customize fields for extraction, ensure the data is searchable, and automate its integration into customer-facing platforms. This systematic approach enables businesses to harness their CRM data effectively.

Balancing CRM Automation vs. Time Spent in CRM

Val and Benjamin then tackle the debate on whether businesses should prioritize CRM automation or invest more time in manually working with CRM data to find hidden insights.

[08:32] Val Riley

"There's so much that's in there. You just need to unearth what's already in there... it's buried in places that aren't searchable or discoverable."

Val argues that the key lies in uncovering the latent data within existing CRM systems rather than solely relying on automation. He insists that valuable insights are already present in CRM records but often remain inaccessible due to poor data organization.

[09:07] Benjamin Shapiro

"You have the tools, we have the technology, we have artificial intelligence... it's a little bit of both."

Benjamin concurs, highlighting the importance of a hybrid approach. Automation and AI can streamline data extraction and initial analysis, freeing up time for sales leaders to delve deeper into the nuances and strategic implications of the findings. This combination ensures both efficiency and depth in uncovering valuable CRM insights.

[10:15] Val Riley

"AI doesn't have the eye that the sales director does. So I'll agree with you. It's a little bit of both."

Val emphasizes the complementary roles of automation and human expertise, noting that while AI can handle data processing, the strategic interpretation still benefits from human oversight.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

As the episode wraps up, Val and Benjamin reflect on the importance of data-driven strategies in CRM.

[10:36] Benjamin Shapiro

"If you want that CRM Moneyball moment, you have to have the sign, right? You have to have a hypothesis."

Benjamin underscores the necessity of a scientific approach—formulating hypotheses and testing them against CRM data to continuously discover and capitalize on new opportunities.

[11:01] Val Riley

"I would agree."

Val concurs, reinforcing the value of systematic data analysis in achieving sustained business growth.

[11:15] Val Riley

"Catch me on LinkedIn. I'd love to connect with all the listeners of the Martech podcast and we can learn from each other."

The episode concludes with an invitation for listeners to connect and continue the conversation, emphasizing the community aspect of shared knowledge in marketing and technology.

Key Takeaways

1. Strategic Acquisitions Enhance CRM Capabilities: Unbound's acquisition of Insightly exemplifies how strategic moves can bolster a company's CRM offerings, enabling more personalized and effective customer relationship management.

2. CRM Moneyball Moments Unlock Hidden Potential: By adopting a data-driven approach akin to the Moneyball strategy, businesses can identify and leverage underutilized opportunities within their CRM systems to drive growth.

3. Customized Data Fields and Automation are Crucial: Implementing custom fields and automated processes within CRM systems can transform raw data into actionable insights, facilitating significant business improvements.

4. Balanced Approach Between Automation and Manual Analysis: A hybrid strategy that combines the efficiency of automation with the strategic insight of human analysis is essential for uncovering and capitalizing on valuable CRM data.

5. Continuous Hypothesis Testing Drives Success: Establishing hypotheses and systematically testing them against CRM data fosters an environment of continuous discovery and improvement, leading to sustained business success.

Notable Quotes

• Val Riley [02:26]: "There are Moneyball moments in everyone's CRM. You have to dig through the data to uncover it, just like they did in the movie."

• Benjamin Shapiro [04:11]: "Look for people that get on base... If you're not a baseball fan, look for the micro win."

• Val Riley [04:55]: "The ingredient is quite simply a custom field, but the custom field with a little bit of automation to it."

• Benjamin Shapiro [07:23]: "Get the data, build a custom field to extract it, make sure that it can be searched for, and then have some way to automate that into something that can be customer-facing."

• Benjamin Shapiro [10:36]: "If you want that CRM Moneyball moment, you have to have the sign, right? You have to have a hypothesis."

This episode of the MarTech Podcast™ offers invaluable insights into leveraging CRM systems through a data-centric approach, inspired by the Moneyball philosophy. By effectively mining CRM data and balancing automation with strategic analysis, businesses can uncover hidden opportunities that drive substantial growth and success.