Time and resources are the biggest reasons for failing with Marketing Automation and CRM implementations
But you don't need to be a technical wizard or hire a full-time resource to use Marketing Automation and CRM software.
Marketing Automation and CRM still feels complex and difficult to grasp for most marketers and sales managers. Too many spend too much time on implementation projects without seeing return on their investment.
Project management, proactive support, training and consultation forever
We do all the setup and other work that you don't need to learn
Yes, while others charge $2-4,000/mo. for similar services - we include it!
Your MarTech Team
We are your team and your marketing automation partner. We will help you with all of your Marketing Automation and CRM questions, and get the most out of SharpSpring's great system.
As our client, our Marketing Automation & CRM services are included with your software license. Our job is to help you utilize the full feature set of the software so that you will stay our happy customer forever. Read more about our team members and their backgrounds by clicking on their image below.
You need a great Marketing Automation and/or CRM system
You get SharpSpring, one of the fastest growing all-in-one systems for marketing and sales. Plus, a team that will help you make the most out of it.
You don't have time or budget for complicated technical implementation projects
You get our help with implementations, customizations, automations, reports and much more. All included!
You want to digitalize your sales process but you're not quite sure how to go about it
You get a long term partner, with your own project manager supported by a team of experts, with the mission to help you grow.
Why are we one of the world's premier Marketing Automation agencies?*
How can we include incredible, proactive support, project management and strategic help at no cost?
The "secret sauce" is our unique business model and our internal processes. Both are geared towards a long-term relationship rather than short-term gains. So far, our churn rate is negative (meaning we get more customer referrals than customers cancelling their license).
Our customers include B2B companies, both large and small, from various industries. Here are some examples:
Consultants and software developers such as Strikersoft
Enterprise and government software vendors such as Itello
And many more both small and large organizations mainly in B2B
* By no. of clients managed. It’s difficult to come by actual numbers, but as one reliable benchmark, we’re the world’s 3rd largest "SharpSpring" partner (a popular Marketing Automation platform used by over 10,000 businesses worldwide).
Are you considering a system? Don't forget that the biggest part of your success is dependent on what the vendor can help you do! Choose a partner who is invested in helping you grow.
Who are we and why should you trust us?
Hi! I'm Yusuf Young, FunnelBud's founder.
My marketing career started at a small enterprise software vendor, where I simply wanted to generate more leads to myself and the rest of the sales team.
During my free time after work (and with the CEO's permission), I went ahead and experimented with various internet based marketing strategies. At some time, I stumbled across what was then the most popular Marketing Automation and CRM software, Hubspot. In just 2 years, we went from just a few hundred monthly website visitors to over 6,000. At the end of the this journey, we were getting over 50 good leads every month, with an average deal value of tens of thousands of dollars. We closed deals for several hundreds of thousands of dollars per year from this our Inbound Marketing initiative.
This fed my desire to help other businesses accomplish the same results. So I became a Marketing Automation consultant, primarily working with the then popular solutions Hubspot, Pardot and Salesforce.
It was during this time that I discovered an unsettling but very common situation. Most businesses who had purchased these solutions were throwing money in the bin! They barely used the systems, and were not getting any results. In fact, that's why they wanted to hire a consultant like me, to fix it!
Turns out, most companies drastically underestimate the amount of time and resources it will take to become successful with a Marketing Automation implementation that generates leads and sales. (But it's well worth it if you do!)
Most companies who invest in Marketing Automation lack the time, resources and experience necessary to get a return on their investment.
So, most companies who purchase a Marketing Automation system end up needing to pay extra to some agency who will help them. That costs a lot. Many times more than the system itself, in fact. And to make matters even worse, when you hire an external agency - what happens when you stop paying? All the expertise disappears with the agency, and you're stuck again.
A common scenario:
1. You buy a complex system to get all the features
2. But discover this:
3. Lack of time and technical complexity leads to underutilization
I don't like that model!
That's why I started FunnelBud. Today, we've grown into a large team who help customers all over the world. We don't lock you into long contracts. We don't try to implement a cookie-cutter standard solution regardless of your unique needs. We don't leave you after the initial implementation. Instead, we are your long-term partner, and we actively work with you continuously to improve your marketing automation and sales processes. We give you strategic advice and help you implement solutions that address your needs.
How this affects you:
No terms. Quit whenever you want! Turns out, customers love us so much, they don't just stay - they also refer others!
SharpSpring services included. Consultation, implementations of solutions and processes, active recommendations of best practices and suggested solutions. It's all included. We set up everything so that you can simply execute campaigns and do sales.
Low cost. You pay for your license, and that's it. We don't charge anything extra for all the help and services you get. For the same services, other agencies charge 5-10x what we do.
Our teams consists of experienced SharpSpring consultants. You will be taken care of by your own project manager who will get to know your business in-depth. We limit the number of customers to 8 per member so that each customer gets the attention they deserve.
Our promise to you is this: We will not just answer your questions. We will try to understand your need, and help you address it in the best way possible.
Our mission statement is simple:
How do we deliver such a powerful system and include so much services, at a fraction of the cost that others charge?
Or let us show you the system live in a shared screen session. Click the button below to get a SharpSpring demo:
We hope that we have been able to explain who we are and how we believe that we can help you on this page. If you still have questions, feel free to submit the form below.
Where am I from? I was born in Somerset West, a short distance outside of Cape Town South Africa. I studied at Stellenbosch University and have lived and worked all over Cape Town, now living in a small town over the mountains called Greyton.
Why did I join FunnelBud? I was consulting with SharpSpring Agencies when Yusuf offered me a full-time position at FunnelBud. This was an irresistible offer to help create the type of company that I would want for myself, without needing to manage administrative overheads.
What do I enjoy doing most at FunnelBud? I love doing anything that has a high impact on our employees or clients, for example, finding solutions to seemingly impossible problems and writing easy to understand help articles that make SharpSpring features easy to understand and help clients achieve their goals.
Skills, education, courses completed: I have worked with SharpSpring since October 2015, with four years of experience in technical customer service and operational management before that.
Fun facts: I’m trying to grow as much of my own food as is practically possible. I have a huge herb garden, grow all my own sweet and hot peppers (in season) and a few other veggies. I have an awesome dog and five beautiful Rhode Island Red chickens.
Hobbies: Reading, long walks or hikes (I can walk out of my front door, choose a direction and just start walking!), self-sufficient farming and building things with my hands.
Where am I from? Originally born in Turkey and moved to the small city Trollhättan in Sweden when I was six years old. I studied in Linköping and lived in Dublin, Ireland for several years. Today I am enjoying Stockholm.
Why did I start FunnelBud? After implementing HubSpot as a marketing manager in my previous job and helping tens clients implement and use various other Marketing Automation platforms, I realized that many clients are not able to get started due to the high cost and time barriers involved. I started FunnelBud to help more businesses reap the benefits of Marketing Automation.
What do I enjoy doing most at FunnelBud? I love working with the growth-oriented team we have, where we help each other learn new things every day.
Skills, education, Courses completed: I’m probably the only person in our company didn’t yet get the SharpSpring Gold certification (only Silver).
Fun facts: I used to have a cat, Nisse, who used to follow me around wherever I would go. But his territory did not reach all the way to my school, so he used to stop right at the border and meow loudly at me as I crossed it. I felt sorry for him, so I used to shake him off my trail by running around a hill so he’d lose sight of me every morning on my way to school.
Hobbies: Badminton, reading. I have a badminton rival who I’ve been competing with for years. Other than growing FunnelBud and helping our customers grow, my goal is to beat him in badminton. Also, I love my wife.
Where am I from? I am from the Philippines, living in a small town in Laguna since I was four. I lived in Manila for a while to study but went back home again.
Why did I join FunnelBud? After I left my day job as a developer many, many years ago, I dabbled into all kinds of online jobs. But FunnelBud was the only one who offered me a career and not just a job, and it’s a company where I can utilize and develop my current skill set and learn new ones.
What do I enjoy doing most at FunnelBud? I enjoy helping clients, understanding their needs and setting up automations, that can help in their marketing activities. It feels good when something I’ve done has created an impact in their business.
Skills, education, courses completed: I have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering and worked as a Systems Developer for three years before I went online. My “online” skills include WordPress, internet marketing, SharpSpring, HubSpot, HTML and CSS.
Fun facts: I don’t drink coffee (some people find that strange). And it makes me happy whenever I do DIY craft projects, especially for an event like our wedding and my daughter’s birthday party.
Hobbies: Playing with my daughter, reading, watching movies/videos, doing crafts.
Certifications: Hubspot academy inbound certified.
Where am I from? Originally from the Czech Republic but I travelled, lived and worked in places all around the world. I have a Master Degree in Entrepreneurship and Marketing and a certificate in Journalism.
Why did I join FunnelBud? I am a big fan of Inbound Marketing, and I was eager to learn SharpSpring and all the technical details behind Marketing Automation. At FunnelBud, I am always learning new things, and I am constantly challenged to improve my skills.
What do I enjoy doing most at FunnelBud? I enjoy creative tasks, anything that has something to do with Landing pages development, even designing templates. I always welcome an opportunity to work with our clients or our own WordPress site. Being able to teach and empower my clients is also very rewarding.
Skills, education, courses completed: Marketing, journalism, WordPress web design. SharpSpring Gold certification, HubSpot certificates: Inbound, Email, Social Media, Sales and Content Marketing.
Fun facts: The idea about creating the “Meet the team” page came to me in a dream. 🙂 I am also trained to save lives in the wilderness.
Hobbies: I like to be active, so sports are my hobbies. I cannot decide whether horse-riding, climbing, snowboarding, surfing or yoga is my favourite. I also enjoy travelling and exploring new places on Earth, even more, if they are hidden to most tourists.
Where am I from? I’m from a small city, Mykolaiv, near Lviv in Western Ukraine.
Why did I join FunnelBud? After about two years of working as a freelance WordPress website developer, I was thinking of becoming a part of the team to boost the speed of my growing. And I found this team. I like the fact that the company has a good team spirit through which the company is actively growing.
What do I enjoy doing most at FunnelBud? I like the fact that I can grow up every day by fulfilling new tasks and challenging myself. The systematization of the entire process helps me to assist, train and consult clients and grow with them.
Fun facts: I have the best partner for Mountain bike training - my dog - who shows extraordinary results in the long-running distances. Hobbies: My passion is Mountain biking and all that is connected with that - trip to the mountains, competitions, etc. I also like to travel with my wife and friends and try new sports that give me an adrenaline rush.
Where am I from? I’m from Kenya, a country in East Africa renowned for producing world-class marathon runners. I enjoy running and hope to compete in a half marathon in the near future.
Why did I join FunnelBud? I like working with companies that value hard work, innovation, transparency and teamwork. I found all those things in FunnelBud, where I currently work as a project manager.
What do I enjoy doing most at FunnelBud? I enjoy working with the FunnelBud team to help our clients utilize the SharpSpring platform effectively in their marketing & sales processes.
Skills, education, courses completed: SharpSpring gold-Level certification, bachelor’s degree in Mechatronic Engineering and more than five years of project management experience working with online clients on a variety of projects.
Fun facts: I love watching thought-provoking science documentaries on YouTube and researching about cryptocurrencies.
Hobbies: My hobbies are playing scrabble, swimming and hiking. I also like watching live events like soccer and athletics as I socialize with friends.
Where am I from? I was born and raised in the coastal city of Mumbai (India), then lived in the small town of Champaign, Illinois, and finally moved back to Mumbai in 2017. I went from a population of 18,400,000 to 87,000 and then back.
Why did I join FunnelBud? FunnelBud gives me the opportunity to leverage my skills to help clients effect real change in their strategy and create meaningful differences that help achieve extraordinary goals.
What do I enjoy doing most at FunnelBud? Learning something new from the incredible team at FunnelBud everyday! Whether it is brainstorming an out-of-the-box solution with a client, or collaborating with the team to break down complex use cases, each day is a new amazing experience!
Skills, education, courses completed: I went to the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign to study Systems Engineering and Design (the art of making processes more efficient and beautiful)! I have worked with small businesses since the age of 16 to help them scale operations.
Fun facts: I once held 2 world records: the largest amount of Salsa made by a group and the longest continuous team row (72 hours, 48 mins in -14°C).
Hobbies: Cooking a mean steak, finishing an entire pint of ice cream by myself, leg day at the gym.
Where am I from? Originally from Sweden, but I’m living in Spain for the last 6 years together with my husband and two cats.
Why did I join FunnelBud? A combination of the company culture of always learning, growing and challenging yourself plus online marketing, which I’ve studied on the side as a hobby and love it!
What do I enjoy doing most at FunnelBud? Learning new things! I like working with clients, setting up systems and streamlining processes.
Skills, education, courses completed: I really enjoy online marketing, SEO and analytics. I’ve also built several personal websites, using different website builders.
Fun facts: I’ve hitchhiked across Europe twice, and the worst country ever was Spain. You can stand for hours waiting for someone to pick you up. Germany was one of the easiest countries, fast pick-up and long drives.
Hobbies: I love music and I play guitar, learning harmonica and my next plan is to learn cello. I also draw and have done various martial arts for the last 8 years, right now I want to dive deeper into HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) and learn some kind of weapon-based art. I also love working out.
Where am I from? I am from Ivano-Frankivsk, Western Ukraine. But I have spent the last 8 years mostly outside of Ukraine.
Why did I join FunnelBud? After almost a year working as a Marketing Automation freelancer, I decided to join FunnelBud on a full-time position, and I love this journey since the very first day as I enjoy a friendly atmosphere and teamwork.
What do I enjoy doing most at FunnelBud? I like learning something new every day! I am a fan of Marketing Automation (and automation in general) and I enjoy helping clients to find a solution that will help them to automate their processes and to achieve their goals.
Skills, education, courses completed: Marketing Automation Course, looking forward to completing SharpSpring Gold certification and this is just the beginning!
Fun facts: I have spent 8 years working for the cruise line (7-8 months onboard the cruise ship and 2-3 months off) which gave me a great opportunity to see the world and make friends all over the globe.
Another fun fact:
My hometown is located next to the biggest ski resort in the East part of Europe (Bukovel) and I haven’t ever tried skiing or snowboarding yet.
Hobbies: I like diving (that’s truly a different and amazing world down there), hiking and I do enjoy the extreme stuff like bungee and skydiving. Also, I love reading.
Where am I from? I was born in a city called Novi Sad in Serbia. I studied in Faculty of Natural Sciences University in Novi Sad, a section for programming.
Why did I join FunnelBud? I come with a development background, and I was looking for a company where I could use both my project management skills as well as developing skills. FunnelBud seemed like a logical choice.
What do I enjoy doing most at FunnelBud? In FunnelBud you have a feeling that you can do anything. If you have an idea to help clients and other project managers in non-conventional ways and with outside the box way of thinking, you are encouraged to do that.
Skills, education, courses completed: I have worked in web development for more than 15 years and have large experience when it comes to server setups and even DevOps. Some of the courses and certification include SharpSpring Gold Certificate, PHP web development, Basic Cyber Security course and certificate in Advanced Mathematics - Algorithms.
Fun facts: Even though I live on the 9th floor, I am trying to harvest the power of wind in turbulent conditions. I also tried for years to create hover based engine that will be powered by magnets that will generate an opposite force of earth's gravity, making it weightless and therefore levitating. I still wake up sometimes thinking that solution is nearby.
Hobbies: Making automatic watering system including a small computer and sensors that detect moisture in the ground. Even though I am too old for games, I enjoy playing them from time to time.
Where am I from? I am from Novi Sad, the coolest city in Serbia.
Why did I join FunnelBud? After several years doing projects in a few similar industries I wanted to try something else. FunnelBud offered me a chance to try something new and interesting.
What do I enjoy doing most at FunnelBud? I like that here you are not limited to do just a few things that you have learned before. You are encouraged to push your limits above your comfort zone and to learn new skills.
Skills, education, courses completed: Online courses in Front-end and Back-end development.
Hobbies: Crosswords, playing online games, hiking, I would like to learn more about wood crafting.
Where am I from? I was born in a city called Malout in Punjab(India). I studied in Punjab Technical University in Punjab, a section for Bachelor of Engineering.
Why did I join FunnelBud? I come with a development background, and I was looking for a company. And then I got an offer from FunnelBud where I could Improve my development skills as well as management skills.
What do I enjoy doing most at FunnelBud? At FunnelBud, I'm always learning new things, and I'm constantly challenged to improve my skills.
Skills, education, courses completed: Bachelor's degree in computer engineering with more than four years of experience in web design and development.
