As part of the SalesWings Expert Interview series, Sercante Founder & CEO Andrea Tarrell engaged in a progressive conversation in March 2024 with SalesWings Co-Founder & CEO Philip Schweizer. They talked about the future of marketing automation and what we can expect from Marketing Cloud Growth Edition, as well as Andrea’s journey to building a leading Salesforce Marketing Cloud consultancy.
These are the main points they covered during their conversation:
- Growing Sercante into the third-largest female-led Salesforce system integrator (SI) consulting partner
- The rebrand of Sercante and how it reflects our consulting approach
- The main audience for Marketing Cloud Growth Edition and how they will benefit
- Opportunities for Salesforce ISV growth in the future
- Andrea’s perspective on AI
Click here to watch the recording
Points Andrea and Phillip covered during the SalesWings interview
Marketing Cloud Landscape
Andrea highlighted the traditional gap between agencies’ and tech consultants’ approaches to marketing. She emphasized Sercante’s focus on understanding customer needs and allowing strategy to take center stage before selecting the right tools.
“We [Sercante] always take a step back and ask ourselves, ‘What are the client’s needs? What are their challenges?’ Then we identify the right tools and technologies to address those specific needs,” Andrea said.
Marketing Cloud Growth Edition
When the topic of the new Salesforce product offering for marketers came up, the pair took a closer look at its audience. They talked about the Marketing Cloud Growth Edition announcement and who it’s designed for (SMBs and mid-market customers new to marketing automation or new to Salesforce).
“Marketing Cloud Growth Edition is a game-changer for small and mid-sized businesses. It puts the power of enterprise-grade marketing automation within reach for those who may not have had the budget or resources before,” Andrea said.
They also covered its key features, such as being built on the Salesforce platform and Data Cloud.
Andrea said, “We’re seeing the world of possibilities around AI with Marketing Cloud Growth Edition: we can all be on the same shared data, same infrastructure with all the pieces connected and have the AI help us determine the best audience segment and create assets like campaign briefs and emails.
There is still a lot more work to be done and we need to continue to think about how we can make the AI work for us, but it’s making this vision real that has me really excited about the next chapter.”
Data Cloud
The conversation moved toward the role of Data Cloud as the foundation for Marketing Cloud Growth Edition. Andrea clarified that Data Cloud runs in the background for most users, providing seamless integration and real-time personalization.
“Data Cloud is the secret sauce behind Marketing Cloud Growth Edition. It allows us to use our customer data more effectively and personalize marketing campaigns at scale,” Andrea said.
The Rise of AI in Marketing
Andrea offers her perspective on AI in marketing, acknowledging her initial skepticism but growing optimism. She recognized the potential of AI to automate tasks and streamline workflows for marketers.
However, she also emphasized the importance of data hygiene and ongoing development to make AI truly impactful.
“Initially, I was a bit skeptical about AI in marketing. But after seeing its capabilities firsthand, I’m a believer. AI can automate so many time-consuming tasks, freeing up marketers to focus on strategy and creativity,” Andrea said.
Watch the full SalesWings interview with Andrea Tarrell
Andrea and Phillip’s conversation is chock full of insights about the future of marketing strategy, Salesforce consulting, and the Salesforce platform as a whole. It also includes a few gotchas about making major technology decisions that anyone can appreciate. Check it out!
Find the interview on the Saleswings website or watch it below:
Need help figuring out where to go next with your digital strategies? Wishing your Salesforce consulting experiences had that seamless edge? That’s what we’re here for. Reach out to the team at Sercante to start a conversation.