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Marketing automation agency · B2B · London
B2B marketing automation agency automation that feeds pipeline, not just inboxes
GTM Quest is a B2B marketing automation agency in London.
We set up the lifecycle stages, scoring, routing and nurture that move the right accounts from first touch to a sales conversation, in HubSpot, Salesforce or the CRM your team already uses.
For us, marketing automation is part of go-to-market engineering: the data, signals and workflows behind your outbound, ABM and content.
We build it with you, run it, or hand it over documented.
Reviewed by Dan Keegan, GTM Quest · 28 September 2026 · 10 sources linked below
Your decisionExplore the working brief
Module 01 / 03
Trigger
Define the event that starts the workflow, its data source and the conditions required to proceed. Include duplicate and missing-data cases.
Module 02 / 03
Decision
Document routing, qualification and exclusion rules. Name the internal person who can approve changes to those rules.
Module 03 / 03
Action
Specify the task, message or record update and its owner. Make failures observable and give the operator a recovery route.
33%
of their martech stack’s capability marketers said they use, down from 58% in 2020
40%
of an average week sales reps spend actually selling
31%
of CRM admins say poor data costs them at least 20% of annual revenue
01/ our service
Marketing automation agency UK what we build for you
Six parts, built in order.
Each is documented and yours to keep: the fields, workflows, scoring rules and reports stay with you when the engagement ends.
01
Lifecycle stages sales agrees with
One written definition of each stage from subscriber to customer, and the service-level agreement for how fast sales follows up.
Most automation problems start here, not in the tool.
02
Lead and account scoring
Fit (who they are) and engagement (what they do), scored separately, at person and account level.
Simple enough that sales trusts it, reviewed against what actually closed.
03
Routing and alerts
The right record to the right owner in minutes, with context: which account, which signal, what they looked at.
No lead sits in a queue nobody reads.
04
Nurture that respects the buyer
Short, relevant sequences by role and stage, not a monthly blast to everyone.
Clear opt-outs, and suppression that works across every tool.
05
Signals from outside the CRM
New hires, funding rounds, job posts and website visits pulled in through Clay and our own Postgres database, so automation starts from a reason to talk.
06
Reporting on pipeline
Stage conversion, speed to lead, and pipeline and revenue by source: the numbers that show whether the automation is paying for itself.
Marketing automation is one part of what we do.
It sits under our lead generation and demand generation work and our ABM agency programmes, and it is the core of GTM engineering.
02/ platforms
Which marketing automation platform fits? a quick guide
We work with the CRM your sales team already uses rather than asking you to switch.
If you are choosing, this is how we think about it.
Which sounds most like you?
HubSpot
HubSpot: CRM and marketing automation in one place
An all-in-one CRM with marketing, sales and service tools built on the same records.
Quick to set up and easy for small teams to own; the professional tiers add the workflows and scoring most B2B teams need.
- ✓ Sales and marketing on one database
- ✓ Workflows, sequences and scoring
- ✓ Large partner ecosystem
- ✓ Check tier limits on contacts and seats
Often the best fit for SMB and mid-market B2B teams.
Salesforce
Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement
Salesforce's B2B marketing automation (formerly Pardot), sitting on the Salesforce CRM.
Strong lead management and scoring for Salesforce shops; it publishes prices from £1,000 per org per month, billed annually.
- ✓ Native Salesforce CRM sync
- ✓ Lead nurturing and scoring
- ✓ B2B analytics on higher editions
- ✓ Annual contract required
Best when Salesforce is already the system of record.
Marketo
Adobe Marketo Engage
Adobe's B2B marketing automation platform, known for sophisticated lead scoring, attribution and programmes across many products and regions.
Powerful, and needs skilled people to run it.
- ✓ Complex scoring and programmes
- ✓ Attribution and reporting
- ✓ Integrates with Salesforce and Dynamics
- ✓ Plan for specialist admin time
Best for large marketing operations teams.
Lighter stack
A light CRM plus a sequencer
Attio or Pipedrive as the CRM, a sequencing tool for email and LinkedIn, and Clay for data and signals.
Less marketing automation, more targeted outreach.
It is often the right starting point for early-stage B2B.
- ✓ Attio or Pipedrive CRM
- ✓ Instantly, Smartlead or LaGrowthMachine
- ✓ Clay for enrichment and signals
- ✓ Add a marketing platform later
Best for teams whose pipeline comes mainly from outbound.
Other platforms we meet include Salesforce Marketing Cloud for large-scale, multi-channel campaigns, Oracle Eloqua in enterprises, ActiveCampaign for behaviour-triggered email, and Mailchimp for smaller teams.
For a head-to-head, see HubSpot vs Pipedrive and HubSpot for B2B.
03/ the discipline
What is marketing automation? in B2B, specifically
Marketing automation uses software to run, measure and repeat marketing tasks and workflows.
In B2B it usually means lead nurturing, email campaigns, lead scoring, alerts to sales and pipeline reporting, all driven from a shared database of contacts and accounts.
A marketing automation agency brings the expertise to choose a platform, implement it, design the workflows and keep improving them.
The best ones start from the sales process and the data, not the tool, because a workflow can only be as good as the records it runs on.
The gap between what teams buy and what they use is large.
Gartner's 2023 survey of 405 marketing leaders found martech utilisation fell to 33%, from 42% in 2022 and 58% in 2020.
Meanwhile, organisations spent 25.4% of their marketing budget on technology.
Most teams do not need more tools; they need the ones they have set up properly.
Marketing automation and sales
Automation matters to sales because sellers have little time to spare.
Salesforce's seventh State of Sales report, a survey of 4,050 sales professionals in 22 countries, found reps spend 40% of an average week selling and 60% on everything else.
Good routing and alerts give some of that time back; bad scoring wastes it.
04/ services
Marketing automation services what an engagement can cover
ServiceWhat it involvesWhat you get
Platform selection and implementationChoosing the right platform for your needs, budget and technical set-up; data migration, integrations and user trainingA working platform, clean data and a team that can use it
Workflow design and automationNurture, onboarding, re-engagement and lifecycle workflows based on your buyer journeyDocumented workflows with owners and triggers
Lead scoring and qualificationScoring models using fit and behaviour data to find sales-ready people and accountsA score sales trusts, and a review cycle
Integration and data managementConnecting the CRM, website, enrichment, sequencing and ads tools; de-duplication and field hygieneOne record per person and account, synced
Reporting and attributionStage conversion, speed to lead and pipeline by sourceDashboards leadership can act on
Audit and clean-upA review of an existing platform: what runs, what is broken, what nobody usesA prioritised fix list
05/ data
Why automation fails it is usually the data
Automation multiplies whatever is in the database, good or bad.
These figures come from surveys of CRM and sales professionals.
FindingFigureSource
Sales teams without an all-in-one platform that plan to consolidate tech84%Salesforce, State of Sales
So every engagement starts with the data: duplicates merged, fields agreed, sources recorded and enrichment set up so new records arrive complete.
Only then do we automate.
06/ build or buy
Agency, in-house hire or freelancer? three ways to get it done
How working with us compares with the two usual alternatives.
GTM QuestIn-house marketing ops
Time to a working systemWeeksMonths to hire, then build
BreadthCRM, data, signals, outbound and reporting togetherDepends on one person’s skills
Knowledge of your businessBuilt up during the engagement, then handed overDeep and compounding
Best roleBuild the system, then supportRun and improve it long term
→ Often both: we build and document the system, then hand it to your first marketing ops hire.
GTM QuestPlatform freelancer
ScopeAutomation tied to the go-to-market planUsually the platform itself
Outbound, ABM and signalsIncluded where it helpsRarely
CoverA teamOne person
Cost shapeScoped and quoted in writing after the callUsually a day rate
→ A good freelancer is ideal for a defined platform fix. Bring us in when the automation has to serve a wider go-to-market.
GTM QuestVendor onboarding
FocusYour sales process and pipelineGetting the product live
Tools outside the platformConnected and usedOut of scope
After go-liveRun with you or handed overSupport tickets
→ Vendor onboarding gets the platform switched on. We make it do the job you bought it for.
07/ the process
How our marketing automation engagements run from audit to hand-over
The order we work in.
Each step ends with something documented that you keep.
Audit what you have
Platform, CRM, fields, workflows, integrations and data quality.
What runs, what is broken and what nobody uses.
- ✓ Stack and data audit
- ✓ Broken and unused workflows
- ✓ Quick wins list
Agree lifecycle and scoring with sales
Stage definitions, the follow-up agreement, and a first scoring model, written down and signed off by marketing and sales together.
- ✓ Lifecycle stages
- ✓ Sales follow-up agreement
- ✓ Fit and engagement scoring
Clean and connect the data
De-duplicate, standardise fields, connect enrichment and signals, and make sure every new record arrives complete.
- ✓ De-duplication
- ✓ Enrichment in Clay
- ✓ Integrations tested
Build routing, alerts and nurture
Workflows that route records to owners, alert sales with context, and nurture people who are not ready yet.
- ✓ Routing and alerts
- ✓ Role and stage nurture
- ✓ Opt-outs and suppression
Report, tune and hand over
Pipeline reporting, a monthly review of scoring against closed deals, and full documentation.
Then we run it with you or hand it over.
- ✓ Pipeline dashboards
- ✓ Scoring review
- ✓ Documentation and training
08/ UK rules
Automated email and UK law what your workflows must respect
Marketing automation sends at scale, so the rules matter more.
The ICO notes its B2B guidance is under review after the Data (Use and Access) Act.
This is not legal advice.
QuestionWhat the rules saySource
Does UK GDPR apply to B2B email?Yes, whenever you process personal data, for example the name of the person who represents a business.ICO
Do we need consent to email companies?PECR's electronic mail rule does not apply to corporate subscribers (companies, LLPs, Scottish partnerships); sole traders and other partnerships are treated as individuals.ICO
Must we tell people we will market to them?Yes. If you collect someone's details in their business capacity and plan to send marketing, you must tell them and have a lawful basis.ICO
Can people opt out?Yes. Businesses and business contacts can object to direct marketing and withdraw consent at any time.ICO
What do mailbox providers require?Bulk senders to Gmail need SPF, DKIM and DMARC, spam rates below 0.3%, and one-click unsubscribe on marketing messages.Google
How we build it in. Lawful basis recorded per contact, suppression lists that sync across every tool, one-click unsubscribe on every marketing email, and authenticated sending domains.
09/ what it costs
What marketing automation costs platform and agency
Two costs: the platform licence and the people who set it up and run it.
Most vendors publish list prices; most agencies quote after a call.
ItemWhat is publishedSource
Salesforce Account Engagement, Growth+£1,000 per org per month, billed annually; 10,000 contacts includedSalesforce UK
Salesforce Account Engagement, Premium+£12,000 per org per month, billed annually; 75,000 contacts includedSalesforce UK
GTM QuestScoped and quoted in writing after the discovery call; platforms and data tools as separate linesNot applicable
Other vendors, including HubSpot, publish their own list prices, which change with seats, contacts and tier.
Check the vendor's current pricing page and ask about onboarding fees.
Salesforce states that all per-month products require an annual contract.
10/ measurement
Marketing automation KPIs what we report
MeasureWhat it tells you
Speed to leadHow long a sales-ready record waits before someone acts on it
Stage conversionWhere people and accounts stall between lifecycle stages
Score accuracyWhether high scores actually become opportunities
Pipeline by sourceWhich programmes and channels create opportunities, not just leads
Data completenessShare of records with the fields routing and scoring depend on
DeliverabilitySpam complaints, bounces and unsubscribes by programme
These are our working measures, not industry benchmarks.
For how lead quality is judged, see MQLs vs SQLs.
11/ before you sign
Questions for any marketing automation agency including us
01
Do you start with the process or the tool?
Ask how they define lifecycle stages and who signs them off.
A tool-first answer is a warning.
02
Which platforms have you built on?
Ask to see workflows and scoring they have built on yours, and who will do the work.
03
How will you handle our data?
De-duplication, enrichment, lawful basis and where the data is processed.
04
What do you report?
Pipeline and conversion, not emails sent or open rates.
05
What do we own at the end?
Workflows, documentation, admin access and training are all yours.
06
How do we leave?
Notice period and break clause.
Platform licences should be in your name, not theirs.
12/ specialists
Specialists worth knowing for deep platform work
If you need a large platform implementation or a dedicated admin team, these UK firms specialise in it.
Each line is what the firm says on its own site, checked on 28 September 2026.
Nobody paid to appear; the order is alphabetical.
FirmWhereWhat they say they doSite
CloudvLondon and ManchesterSalesforce Marketing Cloud implementation, data architecture, integrations and Journey Buildercloudv.co.uk
CRMT DigitalUKMarketing operations agency; partners with Oracle Eloqua, HubSpot, Marketo Engage and Salesforce Account Engagementcrmtdigital.com
Huble123 Buckingham Palace Road, London (offices worldwide)HubSpot Elite partner: CRM implementation, marketing and ongoing go-to-market supporthuble.com
Six & FlowManchester and LondonHubSpot Elite partner: implementation, RevOps and AI and CRM enablementsixandflow.com
13/ terms
Marketing automation glossary the words in every proposal
TermMeaning
Lifecycle stageWhere a person or account sits, from subscriber to customer, by an agreed definition.
Lead scoringPoints for fit and behaviour that estimate how ready someone is for sales.
RoutingRules that assign a record to the right owner and alert them.
NurtureA sequence of useful messages for people not yet ready to buy.
MQL / SQLMarketing- and sales-qualified lead: stages in a lead-scoring process.
EnrichmentAdding firmographic and contact data to a record from outside sources.
Suppression listPeople who must not be emailed, shared across every tool.
SPF, DKIM, DMARCEmail authentication records mailbox providers require from bulk senders.
GTM Quest editorial guide · Updated 10 October 2026
Select an automation agency by workflow reliability, data quality and handover.
Practical guide · 01
Automate a defined workflow before adding complexity
A useful automation brief names the event, decision and action. Begin with a workflow your team can explain manually, then identify where repeatable rules can help. An agency should be able to show what happens when the expected data is missing as well as when everything succeeds.
- 1
Trigger
Define the event that starts the workflow, its data source and the conditions required to proceed. Include duplicate and missing-data cases.
- 2
Decision
Document routing, qualification and exclusion rules. Name the internal person who can approve changes to those rules.
- 3
Action
Specify the task, message or record update and its owner. Make failures observable and give the operator a recovery route.
Practical guide · 02
Ask for an exception demonstration
A polished workflow diagram is not an acceptance test. Use realistic cases that expose errors before customers encounter them. Keep the test results, the approved rules and the rollback instructions with your own team so the implementation remains operable after handover.
Your decision
Duplicate
Repeat a trigger or submit an existing contact. Check that the intended action occurs once and that existing context is retained.
Suppressed
Use a record excluded from outreach. Check suppression across connected systems rather than only within one campaign.
Practical guide · 03
Worked example: an event enquiry enters the CRM
Fictional example: an event organiser sends a list containing existing customers, prospects and records without enough company detail. Importing every row into the same nurture sequence would ignore important differences. The agency brief should account for those cases before activation.
- Stage 101
Reconcile
Match records to known contacts and accounts. Preserve the event context, inspect ambiguous matches and apply the approved import rules. - Stage 202
Route
Separate customer questions, prospect enquiries and records needing review. Give each an owner and an appropriate next action. - Stage 303
Monitor
Check exceptions and actual outcomes after the first run. Update the approved rules and leave an operator guide for future events.
15 minutes · video or phone
Book 15 minutes on your automation
Tell us which platform you run, what it is meant to do and where leads get stuck. We come back with what we would fix first, whether or not you work with us.
- 0115 minutes, video or phone
- 02We look at your lifecycle, scoring and routing
- 03A written next step after the call
- 04Handover, embedded or run-for-you engagements
Pick a day that suits · live availability
14/ questions
Marketing automation FAQ
The questions B2B teams ask before hiring a marketing automation agency.
A firm that chooses, sets up and runs marketing automation software (lifecycle stages, scoring, routing, nurture and reporting) so marketing creates sales conversations without manual work.
See what we build.
It works at account and buying-group level, not just individual leads: scoring accounts as well as people, routing to account owners, and reporting on pipeline rather than email metrics.
Software that runs, measures and repeats marketing tasks and workflows.
In B2B it usually covers nurture, email campaigns, lead scoring, sales alerts and pipeline reporting.
The one that fits your CRM and team.
HubSpot suits many SMB and mid-market teams; Salesforce Account Engagement suits Salesforce shops; Marketo suits large operations teams.
See which platform fits.
Platform licences plus people.
Salesforce publishes Account Engagement from £1,000 per org per month, billed annually.
Agencies usually quote after a call; we scope and quote in writing after the discovery call.
Yes, and with Salesforce, Attio and Pipedrive.
We connect to the CRM your sales team already uses rather than replace it.
Points for fit (who someone is) and engagement (what they do) that estimate readiness for sales.
We score people and accounts separately and review the model against closed deals.
Usually the data or the definitions, not the tool.
Gartner found marketers use only 33% of their martech stack's capability.
Start with lifecycle stages and data quality.
See why automation fails.
Often both, in that order: an agency builds and documents the system, then your hire runs it.
See agency, in-house or freelancer.
If automation is one part of a wider gap, see what a go-to-market strategy agency does.
Emailing corporate subscribers needs no consent under PECR, but UK GDPR applies to named contacts, sole traders count as individuals, and everyone can object (ICO).
This is not legal advice.
We plan for working routing, scoring and nurture by around week six, then improve from there.
Large, multi-region Marketo or Salesforce projects take longer.
Yes, as part of a wider engagement: we map the data and workflows, migrate, test and retire the old platform.
For a pure platform migration, a specialist listed below may suit you.
People who design and run automation platforms: marketing operations specialists, platform admins and consultants.
Ask to see what they have built on your platform.
Book 15 minutes · London · UK and Europe
Bring your platform login. We’ll show you what to fix first.
A 15-minute call, a written next step, and marketing automation built around your pipeline, then run together or handed over.
16/ sources
Every source on this page
Each figure links to its source. Original source checks: 28 September 2026. The practical guide was updated on 10 October 2026.
- Gartner, Survey finds marketers use 33% of martech capability (Aug 2023)gartner.com
- Salesforce, State of Sales, 7th edition (survey August to September 2025)salesforce.com
- Validity, The State of CRM Data Management in 2024validity.com
- ICO, Business-to-business marketingico.org.uk
- Google, Email sender guidelinessupport.google.com
- Salesforce UK, Marketing Cloud Account Engagement pricingsalesforce.com
- Cloudv, Salesforce Marketing Cloud specialistcloudv.co.uk
- CRMT Digital, Marketing automation servicescrmtdigital.com
- Huble, HubSpot Elite agency partnerhuble.com
- Six & Flow, HubSpot partner agency and officessixandflow.com