The marketing triangles

I’ve been bogged down working on phase two of our CRM program, which is a quotation system using QuoteWerks software. QW integrates with Goldmine, making a more complete solution. This phase consists of three basic tasks (But that’s not the marketing triangle.):

1. Develop a consistent product database. Here I am trying to fix all the sins of our current system. Most of this is back-end stuff to manage our product information efficiently and accurately.
2. Create a new quotation form that presents only information that the customer wants. This means cutting out distracting content and making sure the info they do want is obvious.
3. The hardest task will be training our staff to use QW and make sure they are following the rules so that all my sin-fixes won’t go to waste.

All this work makes me think of a favorite book by Jeffery Veen, The Art and Science of Web Design. In it he describes web design as a triangle of knowledge and skills:

I was thinking how much this applies to marketing in general, and how much technology has become the leading-edge of marketing. However, with web design, all this is concentrated around pleasing the user. I’ve got to come up with a system that satisfies everyone: prospects, salespeople, and the backend operation. Wait that’s another triangle!
Looks like the marketing guy is in a bit of a pinch! (With leading-edges of technology and customers.) No wonder this project is so exhausting.