As I told you in the first article in this seriesI had the chance to spend a full day in the offices ofExactTarget in Paris. I give you here the second part of the day.
Around a lasagna with Amaury Martin, ExactTarget from the seller's perspective
Amaury joined ExactTarget France when the Paris office opened. He had the chance to follow the evolution of the platform's perception in France for many months. Hurried between two meetings, we had the opportunity to chat for an hour over a lasagna.
Jonathan Loriaux: What intrigued you the most when you joined ExactTarget?
Amaury Martin: I spent the early part of my career at some very large print and marketing companies. What impressed me the most was the startup spirit at ExactTarget... a startup with over 2000 employees.
JL: Since ExactTarget set up shop in France, how has your visibility in the French market evolved?
AM: At the very beginning, French advertisers were happy to see a new player, with new blood, arrive on the market. Their curiosity opened many doors for us. We have also taken the gamble of never focusing on mass but on quality and commitment to the tool. The important thing for us is to create value around our tools and therefore to only respond to players with a real demand, a real need for a multi-channel solution.
Today, the test is transformed. We are no longer in the curiosity effect. The companies that come to see us know exactly what they want, they are very well informed about the capabilities of the tool.
JL: Does the arrival of SalesForce change the game regarding the profile of your customers and prospects?
AM: SalesForce and ExactTarget solutions already work together today. This gives us the possibility to close deals faster.
This is an opportunity to reach larger companies that do not necessarily have the classic ExactTarget customer profile.
ExactTarget is also about support. Meet Olivier Delord.
Olivier is new to ExactTarget, when I met him, he was just finishing his apprenticeship. This is a great opportunity to find out what a newcomer thinks. Olivier works in the service team, which is designed to advise and support ExactTarget's customers.
Jonathan Loriaux: How long have you been using ExactTarget?
Olivier Delord: I discovered the platform when I joined ExactTarget in December 2013. I learned how to use the tools during my apprenticeship period, and during this period, one person is dedicated to helping new members of the service team get up to speed.
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As for getting used to it, it was very quick, especially since I have used other similar tools in the past. ExactTarget's ergonomics did the rest.
Going back to my time at ExactTarget, what impressed me the most was the sense of belonging to the company that develops very quickly. There is always someone to help you when there is a problem.
JL: In your opinion, what makes the tool unique compared to the competition?
OD: What makes the difference is the first contact with the tool, the feeling. ExactTarget's platform offers a very high level of adaptability. The analysis and reporting tools are much more powerful and flexible than what I've seen elsewhere.
Another point that makes the difference is usability. ExactTarget is a complex tool in the sense that it allows you to use a large number of different channels, to integrate many external platforms and data streams, while at the same time succeeding in offering an easy-to-use interface where each tool has its place.
JL: What is the capacity for "customization"?
OD: Customization is at the core of the tool, the most visible part is HubExchange which is a platform for providing modules, which can be considered as plugins. All ExactTarget partners have the possibility to add additional modules to HubExchange and all customers can benefit from this.
Another specificity of ExactTarget is that the APIs are available free of charge. All our users can use them to connect any system to extend the functionality of the tools offered, but also to control them from another system.
JL: How would you describe the maturity of the customers with regard to the platform?
OD: When we talk about maturity, it's mainly due to the complexity of designing truly multi-channel campaigns. It's the role of the service department to support ExactTarget users in scaling up their use of the platform. The service department also studies how customers use the platform, how practices can be improved, how campaigns can be optimized, etc.
To conclude
If this account of my day at ExactTarget ends here, we will still have the opportunity to talk about the tool, since I had the chance to attend a full demo of it. On the other hand, I will also have the opportunity to talk with Arnaud Clément-Bollée, deliverability specialist at ExactTarget.
Article sponsored by ExactTarget
