Dynamics 365 Sales and Marketing Consulting for Ohio Teams That Win on Repeat Customers
Most Dynamics 365 partners implement Sales and Marketing as two separate projects handed to two separate teams. We implement Dynamics 365 Sales and Dynamics 365 Customer Insights - Journeys as one funnel for Ohio businesses, so a lead Marketing calls qualified is a lead Sales actually works. Kickoff and discovery can run in person from our Hilliard office near Columbus, and teams in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, and Dayton work with us remotely, or on site by arrangement.
What Is Dynamics 365 Sales and Marketing Consulting?
Dynamics 365 Sales and Marketing consulting is the work of setting up Microsoft's sales CRM, Dynamics 365 Sales, and its marketing automation app, Dynamics 365 Customer Insights - Journeys (formerly Dynamics 365 Marketing), so they run as one lead-to-revenue system. For Ohio companies, many of which sell to the same customers again and again, that means the customer record, not the web form, is where scoring, follow-up, and reporting start. Our team is based in Hilliard, near Columbus. Sunflower Lab runs this as a full implementation engagement, not just the layer on top.
Sales and Marketing Are Built to Share a Platform. Most Companies Still Run Them Like Strangers.
The gap is a pipeline leak, not a culture problem.
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
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
How Ohio Businesses Use Dynamics 365 Sales and Marketing
Six Ohio sales motions where one shared customer record keeps the next step visible, from a quote that went quiet to a harvest calendar.
Industrial and electrical distributors in Cleveland, Akron, and Dayton
Quotes are where distributor deals stall. A quote in Dynamics 365 Sales that has gone five business days with no order creates a task for the rep, and Customer Insights - Journeys sends the buyer a short reminder with a link to the quote. Product line segments keep a fastener buyer from receiving fluid power news. Power BI then shows quote win rate by rep and by product line. This replaces a quote log in an ERP nobody opens.
Machine and equipment builders in Toledo, Springfield, and Cincinnati
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.
Farm suppliers and cooperatives in Findlay, Lima, and Wooster
The year runs on a calendar, so the journeys do too. Segments by crop and acreage send early order reminders for seed and crop inputs in winter and harvest service reminders in late summer. An agronomist field visit is logged as an activity on the farm account, so the next rep to call sees what was recommended. Power BI shows early order volume by territory, which tells you where winter outreach worked.
Freight brokers and third party logistics firms in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Toledo
Shippers are accounts with lanes saved on the record, such as Columbus to Atlanta. 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.
Electrical and mechanical contractors in Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati
General contractors and architects are accounts, and each invitation to bid is an opportunity with a due date and a project type. Customer Insights - Journeys sends project updates and prequalification reminders to the right general contractors by trade and project size. A rep logs the bid result and the reason, and Power BI shows win rate by general contractor, which tells estimators whose invitations are worth the hours.
Regional accounting and law firms in Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati
Security roles limit who can open a client record to the partners and managers on it, so a client list stays confidential inside the firm. Each proposal is an opportunity with a service line, and Customer Insights - Journeys sends seminar invitations and year end checklists by industry and fiscal year end. Power BI shows proposals by partner and source. Client files and billing data stay in the practice system. Your firm reviews message wording against its own advertising rules.
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. For Ohio teams, discovery can start at our Hilliard office or at yours, and we also list which customers are served by more than one plant, office, or division, because that is where two customer lists disagree.
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. Our Hilliard team reviews score thresholds with you after the first quarter and again after your first full sales cycle.
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.
