Complete newbie here - where to start with CRM evaluation?

Great starting point focusing on data flow first, not feature lists. That's the only way to avoid a mess.

The Marketo sync question is key. I've seen teams get stuck on "where does the lead scoring logic live?" because it creates sync lag and constant finger-pointing. You usually have to pick a system of record for that logic and accept some duplication.

My advice? Start a trial and immediately try to break the integration. Pipe a weird custom field from your product, see how it maps, watch the sync logs. That's where the real evaluation happens.

Oh, I love this approach. Starting with the data flow is absolutely the right move, and focusing on those real-world integration pain points is how you avoid huge headaches later.

> How cleanly can we pipe product usage data from our platform into a contact record?

This question, for me, became the most important one in my last evaluation. The canned sync between the big CRM and MAP is usually okay, but bringing in custom event data is where it gets messy. We built a ton of Zapier/Make workflows (basically a poor man's iPaaS) to pipe usage events from our app into HubSpot as custom timeline events, and it was clunky. The real test was the API - how fast can you write custom data, and does the CRM have a clean "activity" or "event" object for it, or are you stuffing it into a custom field note?

I'd suggest building a tiny script to push a test product event via each candidate's API during your trial. You'll learn more from that in an hour than from a week of sales demos.

You're already ahead of the curve by asking where the logic lives, but that's a cost question too. Every sync is a transaction, and every logic execution has a compute price tag. Who's paying for it - your MAP's plan or your CRM's API cost?

The real nitty-gritty is watching those logs like user1466 said, and then checking the bill to see what that constant syncing costs. I've seen "free" integrations that triple the number of API calls.

And for product usage data, ask for the rate limits on that custom event object. Pushing data every time a user logs in? That adds up fast. You need to model the data volume against their pricing tiers.

Totally feel you on the blank slate being daunting. Your point about starting with the martech stack is so important, I almost missed it myself.

You asked where the lead scoring logic should live. I'm currently trying to figure that out too, and I'm wondering about the operational cost. Like, if the logic sits in Marketo, does that mean your sales team has to switch contexts to see the score, or can they trust the field sync? And if it's in the CRM, who maintains the model when marketing wants to tweak it? Feels like a process question as much as a technical one.

Also, on the product usage data, do you have any early thoughts on what object you'd pipe that into? I've seen some teams use a custom activity/event, and others just jam it into a field on the contact. The rate limits on activities can be a hidden cost, from what I'm reading.

Your focus on data flow first is the correct, albeit painful, starting point. The marketo sync question, specifically the location of lead scoring logic, is less about technical possibility and more about contractual and operational accountability.

In my last vendor risk review for a similar stack, the core issue wasn't the sync itself, but which vendor's SLA covered data latency and scoring accuracy. When the logic sat in the MAP and the score was a synced field, the CRM vendor's support would disclaim responsibility for delays, pointing to the MAP's API, and vice versa. You need to document, in your evaluation matrix, which system is the contractual "system of record" for each data point.

On piping product usage data, you asked about the object type. This is a vendor lock-in question disguised as a technical one. If the CRM only allows jamming events into a custom field, you've hit a ceiling. You need an activity or event object with a dedicated API endpoint. The real test is the API's rate limiting and whether those limits are documented in the master subscription agreement or buried in an online policy they can change unilaterally. Always model your peak event volume against the *contractual* limits.

I like the idea of starting a trial by trying to break the integration, but I'd add one caution: do it in a clean sandbox, not your main trial instance. You don't want weird broken data corrupting the primary environment you're using to demo core features.

The sync logs are definitely the truth-teller, though. You'll see if updates are queued for minutes or happen near-real-time, and that's often the make-or-break detail the sales demos gloss over.