Dynamics 365 Sales and Marketing Consulting for Cincinnati Teams That Sell Through Samples, Bids, and Booked Appointments
Most Dynamics 365 partners implement Sales and Marketing as two separate projects handed to two separate teams. We implement Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Insights - Journeys as one funnel, so a lead Marketing calls qualified is a lead Sales actually works. Kickoff and workshops run remotely from our Hilliard office, about 100 miles away, and we come to Cincinnati for on site sessions by arrangement.
What Is Dynamics 365 Sales and Marketing Consulting?
Dynamics 365 Sales and Marketing consulting is the work of implementing and connecting Microsoft's CRM application, Dynamics 365 Sales, with its marketing automation platform, Dynamics 365 Customer Insights - Journeys (formerly sold as Dynamics 365 Marketing), so they run as one lead-to-revenue system instead of two apps that happen to share a data model. That includes configuring both applications around your actual sales process, building the lead scoring and handoff rules between them, migrating data from whatever you're on today, and building the reporting layer both teams actually look at. Sunflower Lab runs this as a full implementation engagement, not just the layer on top. For Cincinnati teams, that usually means one record that shows a sample request, a bid, or a booked visit next to the emails that came before it.
Sales and Marketing Are Built to Share a Platform. Most Companies Still Run Them Like Strangers.
Sales and marketing alignment has a measurable revenue impact, and the gap isn't a culture problem, it's a pipeline leak. The gap is widest where the sale has a step before the order, such as a sample request from a Sharonville supplier, a research bid in Blue Ash, or a showroom visit in Anderson Township that nobody follows up when the customer does not arrive.
None of that is a licensing problem. Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Insights - Journeys are built to run on the same Dataverse. The gap shows up when they're implemented as two separate projects with nobody responsible for what happens between them, and it's usually the part that gets rushed or skipped.
Two systems, two truths
Marketing runs its own definition of a qualified lead. Sales runs its own pipeline. Nobody agreed on what "qualified" actually means, so the handoff breaks every time.
The handoff has no owner
A lead clears marketing's bar and sits in a queue no rep is watching, or lands with a rep who has zero context on what that lead already engaged with.
Reporting stops at MQL
Marketing reports on leads generated. Sales reports on closed revenue. Nobody can trace a closed deal back to the campaign that started it, so budget decisions get made on gut feel.
If any of that sounds familiar, that's exactly where we start.
Dynamics 365 Sales and Marketing, Implemented as One System
We run Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Insights - Journeys implementations from discovery through go-live, and we build the alignment layer most partners treat as an afterthought.
CRM Implementation Built Around Your Process
We configure Dynamics 365 Sales around how your team actually sells, not the out-of-the-box pipeline stages. We work on:
- Lead, opportunity, and pipeline configuration mapped to your real sales stages
- Product and pricing catalogs so quotes don't require a spreadsheet on the side
- Email integration and Server-Side Sync so activity logs itself instead of relying on reps to type notes
- Territory, security roles, and forecasting set up so a pipeline review reflects what's actually happening
Marketing Automation on the Current Platform
Microsoft is retiring the older batch-and-blast Outbound Marketing model in favor of Real-Time Journeys, and we build on the current architecture from day one. We work on:
- Real-time journey and segment setup replacing manual send lists
- Forms and lead capture connected directly into Dynamics 365 Sales, not a separate database waiting on an export
- Consent, unsubscribe, and compliance data structured so marketing can prove it's following the rules
- Campaign and journey performance tracked at the contact level, not just aggregate opens and clicks
The Layer Most Partners Skip
This is where most Sales and Marketing implementations actually fail. We build it deliberately:
- Lead scoring built on your actual conversion data, not a default template neither team believes in
- Automated handoff rules so a marketing-qualified lead lands in the right rep's queue with context attached
- Power BI dashboards blending marketing engagement data with sales pipeline stages, one funnel view both teams look at
- Campaign attribution tied through to closed revenue, not just clicks and form fills
- Tracking for the steps before the order, such as samples, bids, and pilots, so they show up in the funnel
Automation and Apps Around Both Systems
Once the foundation is solid, we extend it with the rest of the Power Platform:
- Power Automate workflows keeping campaign and pipeline data in sync without manual exports
- Power Apps for the exception workflows neither app's standard forms cover
- AI-assisted lead summaries so a rep walks into a call already knowing the touchpoints that got them there
Where Dynamics 365 Sales and Marketing Fits in Cincinnati
Cincinnati sells through launches, bids, pilots, and showroom visits as much as through straight orders. Six examples show how one shared customer record keeps the next step visible.
Machine and equipment builders in Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Fairfield
Each machine sold becomes a record with a serial number, model, install date, and the customer that owns it, stored in a custom table (a record type added to Dynamics 365 for information the standard tables do not hold). A segment in Customer Insights - Journeys picks owners of a model past a service age, and a journey offers a parts kit or a service visit. Reps see the installed base on the account before they call. Warranty claims stay in your service system.
Freight brokers and third party logistics firms in Cincinnati, Florence, and Hebron
Shippers are accounts with lanes saved on the record, such as Cincinnati to Memphis. Customer Insights - Journeys sends lane specific capacity updates, and a first load journey starts when a rep marks a new shipper first load booked. A quote request is an opportunity, and a lost bid records a reason. Power BI shows win rate by lane, so reps spend time where freight actually moves.
Ingredient, flavor, and packaging suppliers to consumer goods brands in Sharonville, West Chester, and Blue Ash
Your customer plans around a launch date, so each brand launch is an opportunity in Dynamics 365 Sales with the launch date, the item, and the order cut off you must meet. Customer Insights - Journeys sends the brand team reminders as the cut off nears and keeps technical contacts, such as a formulator or a packaging engineer, separate from buyers, so each gets the right message. A lost launch records a reason such as price, lead time, or minimum order. Power BI shows revenue by launch and by brand. Specifications and certificates stay in your quality system.
Contract research and lab services firms in Blue Ash, Mason, and Uptown
A sale starts as a request for proposal from a sponsor, the company that pays for the work, with a due date and a study type. Each request is an opportunity in Dynamics 365 Sales, and each sponsor is an account with the scientists and procurement contacts who have worked with you before. Customer Insights - Journeys sends capability updates by study type, and your scientific team reviews every template. A lost bid records a reason, such as timeline or price. Power BI shows bids submitted and win rate by sponsor. Participant and patient data stay in your research systems, not in the CRM.
Software and service vendors selling to insurers and benefit administrators in downtown Cincinnati and Blue Ash
Insurance buyers rarely sign without a pilot. Each pilot is an opportunity in Dynamics 365 Sales with a start date, an end date, and the success measure the carrier agreed to, such as claims handled per adjuster. A task fires two weeks before the end date so the review meeting gets booked while the sponsor still has budget. Customer Insights - Journeys sends case study updates by line of business, and your compliance contact reviews wording. Power BI shows how many pilots turn into contracts. Policy and claim data stay in the carrier systems, never in your CRM.
Home remodeling and design build firms in Anderson Township, Montgomery, and Newport, Kentucky
Remodeling leads come from referrals, home shows, and web forms, and the lead source decides how much you should spend to win it. A lead is a household with a project type and a target start season, and a booked showroom visit is an appointment on the record. An estimate is an opportunity with an amount, and a lost estimate records a reason such as price or timing. Customer Insights - Journeys sends project idea emails by room type and a check in when a quote has gone ten days without a reply. Power BI shows close rate by lead source. Scheduling and payment collection stay in your project software.
Planning Your Dynamics 365 Sales and Marketing Implementation
Discovery & CRM/Marketing Audit
We map your current Sales pipeline configuration, your marketing automation setup, and exactly where the handoff breaks today. We also list every step that happens before an order, such as a sample, a bid, or a pilot, because most teams track those in a personal spreadsheet.
Alignment & Implementation Design
We agree on one lead scoring model and one handoff SLA before any configuration starts, with a fixed-price roadmap.
Build & Migrate
Our certified Power Platform developers configure Sales and Customer Insights - Journeys, migrate existing data, and connect Power BI reporting. Typically 4 to 8 weeks depending on scope.
Optimize & Scale
We stay on to tune scoring thresholds, extend journeys, and add the Copilot/AI layer as adoption grows. We review score thresholds with you after your first full quarter of live data, and again once your first launch, bid, or pilot cycle closes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Talk to our Dynamics 365 Sales & Marketing experts
Free 30-minute discovery call. We'll audit your current CRM and marketing automation setup, map the handoff gap, and scope a fixed-price implementation plan.
