This announcement was originally posted on Salesforce Pardot's Blog by Mike Kostow, Salesforce Pardot's General Manager.

At Salesforce Pardot, our goal is to help marketing and sales teams work better together. We’re laser-focused on equipping these teams with the technology they need to engage buyers, close deals, and grow relationships with their customers. With that in mind, we’re always asking ourselves “What’s next? How can B2B companies market and sell better than ever before?” We’ve had our eyes wide open and we believe that Conversational Marketing is the next big thing.‍

Conversational Marketing: A key pillar in the future of B2B marketing 

For well over a decade, B2B companies have followed the traditional demand generation model: the marketing team identifies qualified buyers, engages them with well-crafted campaigns, and drives them to their corporate website. If buyers are interested in learning more, they fill out a form, and then sales begins the chase to schedule a meeting. 

If qualified buyers are on your site, knocking at your door, why not meet with them right then and there? Conversational Marketing opens the door for real-time, personalized sales conversations with your most important buyers, right on your website. It gives sales teams a platform to have high-fidelity conversations with VIPs at the exact moment your product is top of mind, which translates to higher conversions and more pipeline. 

Salesforce Ventures invests in Qualified: Conversational Marketing for Salesforce Pardot

Earlier this year Salesforce Ventures announced its investment in Qualified, a Conversational Marketing platform founded by former Salesforce executives and purpose-built for Salesforce. With Qualified for Salesforce Pardot, sales reps are given a complete picture of their website visitors, fueled by data from Pardot and Sales Cloud. Sales teams can leverage that information to determine buying intent and deliver personalized conversations.

I’m excited to share that I’ve joined Qualified’s Board of Directors

Since Qualified’s launch the reception from you, our Pardot customers, has been remarkable. We want to help even more companies realize the power of Conversational Marketing and the impact it can have on your B2B marketing organization. 

With that, I’m excited to share that I’ve joined Qualified’s Board of Directors. Qualified shares Pardot’s vision of helping marketing and sales teams work better together, and I’m confident that Conversational Marketing is a game-changer for B2B companies. As part of their Board, I will help shape their strategy and support their team in delivering the best possible products for Pardot customers.

I’m looking forward to working with Qualified’s co-founders, Kraig Swensrud and Sean Whiteley, who have been part of the Salesforce family for a long time. This is the third company they’ve built on the Salesforce Platform, and they both served on Salesforce’s leadership team, so they have a unique vision for how Salesforce companies can succeed with Conversational Marketing.

‍Pardot customers are blazing new trails with Conversational Marketing

The Conversational Marketing movement is in full swing. Pardot customers around the world are using Qualified to meet with high-value buyers and move the needle on pipeline. 

• $1B “Tech Unicorn Company” ThoughtSpot increased sales conversations by 10X and marketing qualified leads by 70% with Qualified for Salesforce Pardot. Read ThoughtSpot’s customer story here.
• The UK’s leading communications platform Gamma increased website conversions by 33% and marketing qualified leads by 22% with Qualified for Salesforce Pardot. Read Gamma’s customer story here.
• Payzer is using Qualified for Salesforce Pardot to help deliver 10X more sales qualified leads. Read Payzer’s customer story here.
  

Are you ready to join the Conversational Marketing revolution? Learn more about Qualified for Salesforce Pardot.