While marketing automation is beginning to approach critical mass, implementing marketing automation successfully is still something many companies struggle with. There’s a lot of hype that still surrounds these products, which is fueled by the word “automation.” Oversimplifying the benefits and value of marketing automation creates a dangerous overconfidence that undermines a successful implementation. A company’s state of readiness requires the same — if not more — thoughtful and disciplined planning that went into launching your customer relationship management (CRM) system.