MarKeto MCSA Certification Process

June 19, 2021

Current

MARKETO MCSA

CERTIFICATION PROCESS

Process for Candidate to follow when

applying Version 4.3

MCSA CERTIFICATION PROCESS

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Marketo Proprietary and Confidential

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 3

OVERVIEW 3

SAMPLE CANDIDATE APPLICATION 3

AREAS OF EXPERTISE 3

ACCREDITATION 5

METHODS TO BECOME CERTIFIED 5

METHOD USED 5

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED 5

EXPIRATION OF CERTIFICATION 6

PASSING REQUIREMENTS 6

KNOWLEDGE OF SUBJECT 7

WRITING ABILITY 8

SPEAKING ABILITY 8

STRATEGY, DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT 8

PROFESSIONALISM 9

DOCUMENTATION ELEMENTS 9

CASE STUDY 9

SUPPLEMENTAL DOCUMENTATION 11

TIPS 11

FOLLOW UP FOR NOT PASSING 12

CONCLUSION 12




INTRODUCTION

This document serves as a reference for any consultant who is considering applying for their Marketo

Certified Solutions Architect credential (MCSA) or one of the specializations associated with the

MCSA. It details what information is needed, how the process works and what knowledge/expertise is

considered when determining if a consultant meets the requirements necessary for their MCSA

certification and/or specialization.

OVERVIEW

The MCSA process is conducted like a college thesis, with the consultant presenting a case study to a

board of Marketo industry leaders to show that they not only understand how to use Marketo but are

a trusted advisor to their clients.

SAMPLE CANDIDATE APPLICATION

The following information is required of all applicants when applying to attain the various

specializations needed for MCSA designation. There is an additional form you will need to submit

when you are ready to request a certification interview.

• Date:

• Name:

• Business Email Address:

• Personal Email Address:

• Company:

• Job Title:

• Country:

• Current Number and Level of Certifications as well as Types of Specializations Achieved, if

applicable (include Expiration Date):

• MCE:

o Date Passed:

• Specializations:

• Current MCSA Specializations:

• MCSA Certificate:

o Date Passed

AREAS OF EXPERTISE




Next, you will need to indicate areas you are proposing to present during the MCSA assessment. You

should present as many as three (3) areas of expertise at any one time as we only want to allot 1 ½

hours to the presentation at most.

Note: You must attain the Marketo Lead Management (MLM) specialization when first pursuing areas

of expertise. Also, a minimum of three (3) specializations are required before you are awarded the

MCSA Certification.

AREAS of EXPERTISE APPLYING FOR:

Marketo Lead Management (MLM – formally MCC) - Required

Web Personalization (WP)

Account Based Marketing (TAM)

Integrations

Native

Custom (API)

Digital Advertising

Administration

Mobile

Center of Excellence (CoE)

Advanced Analytics

Migrations - Marketo to Marketo

Advanced Creative (Velocity/API)

Note: A candidate should not present in more than three (3) areas at one time.




ACCREDITATION

METHODS TO BECOME CERTIFIED

The following is the process Marketo will use to grant the MCSA certificate to a candidate.

METHOD USED

Co-Delivery – A Marketo Professional Services Consultant must validate successful completion

Onsite Certification – Consultant presents in person to board

Virtual – Consultant presents via online webinar complete with video

(Please remember your presentation will be video recorded whether it is a virtual or onsite presentation.)

You will need to provide the following to achieve your certification for MCSA:

• Possess a current MCE certificate

• You must submit and pass at least three (3) areas of concentration (advanced specializations)to attain MCSA certification. You will receive a gold specialization identifying you as MCSA-certified in the Marketo Community.

• For each specialization to be awarded, it will be required to show that the client projectswere successfully implemented and you have the results to support your presentation.

• Documentation will be expected to ensure you cover the key areas of strategy, design,implementation and results of the project. PDF/MS Word documents, Excel spreadsheets (ifneeded) as well as any other documentation necessary to confirm your expertise are requiredto accompany your PowerPoint presentation.

• In addition to outstanding content, you will also be judged on your professionalism inpresenting your findings.

Sign off from a Certification Review Board consisting of Marketo consultants, support and/or

engineering personnel will be required to confirm that you possess the proficiency needed to attain a

specialization/certification.

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED

Documentation is needed to support the consultant’s presentation in attaining a specialization and

subsequent MCSA certification. It is expected that the consultant will create a technical spec and/or

design document showing the strategy, the design, the implementation process and the analysis of




the project used to successfully address the needs of the client in the specific area of expertise.

Candidates will provide this documentation no less than one week prior to their scheduled

presentation.

This documentation may be used to create case studies, if the candidate’s client agrees, that the

partner and/or Marketo may want to post to their websites. This documentation may also serve as

the foundation for potential presentation decks for use at various partner events and/or at Marketo’s

annual Marketing Nation Summit. Additionally, these documents may be used to support, if needed,

any questions that may arise of this consultant’s ability to implement a solution.

In addition to the required documentation, the consultant/candidate will present a PowerPoint

presentation during the oral exam. This presentation will be videotaped and provided to the

consultant upon request.

EXPIRATION OF CERTIFICATION

Quality work is expected of everyone who receives a specialization or their MCSA certification. If you

are not meeting the required level of service; for example, loss of clients, too many “How to”

questions to the support team, negative reviews from clients, etc., this could potentially be grounds

for the removal of a specialization(s) and/or certification.

Additionally, you will be required to maintain your MCE certification via exam every two years.

PASSING REQUIREMENTS

Whether a candidate passes or not will be determined by a majority vote of the Review Board. At

least three (3) members of the Review Board are needed to evaluate the video, live presentation and

documentation before reaching a judgement2.

These are the key areas that will be used in judging a candidate’s competency in achieving

certification:

• Knowledge of the Subject (50%)

• Writing Ability (15%)

• Speaking Ability (15%)

• Strategy, Design, Implementation, and Success of the Project (10%)

• Professionalism (10%)

Each member of the Review Board will rate the consultant on a scale from 1–10, with 10 being

excellent for each of these five areas.

The scoring would be dependent upon the weighted average of each area of expertise. For example,

if someone received an 8 for Knowledge they would be awarded 40 points, 7 for writing and speaking




would be 10.5 points each, 10 for strategy equals 10 points, and 9 for professionalism being 9 points.

Their total would be 80 points

A passing grade would be 75 points on average of all the Review Board members.

Notes: 2 In the case of using Co-Delivery as the means of certification, the assigned Marketo

Professional Services person will confirm subject knowledge and presentation skills. The rest of

the Board will review the documentation provided to determine if the consultant passes.

KNOWLEDGE OF SUBJECT

MCC/MLM: This will be the same process that Marketo uses for the MCC certification where the

consultant needs to provide a proficiency in the core Marketo functionality; including governance,

lead lifecycle including activating and maintaining the Modeler, program best practices, and

reporting.

WP: Implementation of campaigns on the client’s website, including predictive content, and the

results from these campaigns. Some actual understanding of how the tag system works for a website

will be required.

TAM: Candidates must show that they have run an TAM workshop working with Sales and Marketing

to understand the client’s sales strategy, show how they implemented successful programs and share

the results stemming from these programs.

Integration: We will require both native and custom integration experience for this specialization.

• Native: Through the administration section of Marketo, candidates must show that they have

an advanced knowledge on how to integrate Marketo with 3rd party solutions. This will

typically be the CRM solution. (We are not looking for someone who can set up a webinar

vendor.)

• Custom (API) – With the use of our API solution, candidates must display that they have a

proficiency in understanding Marketo REST and/or SOAP API.

Digital Advertising: This will require a candidate discussing the strategy methodology used to

implement digital solutions at a client, and the successful use of the Marketo Ad Bridge solution.

Administration: Candidates will demonstrate backend knowledge of the Marketo solution, including

advanced governance (workspaces and roles, deliverability management, data management, website

set up (predictive content, munchkin codes, 3rd party solutions), and subscription management.

Mobile: Candidates must show proficiency in working with our SMS solutions, webhooks, 3rd party

vendors, and responsive landing pages in providing a user experience consistent across multiple

devices.




Advanced Analytics: This requires that candidates set up custom reporting in RCA or RCE that

provides the client with KPIs that address their needs at each level of management; from the CEO, to

Sales, to the marketing managers.

Center of Excellence (CoE): Candidates must show the ability to manage a client on an ongoing

project where they provide leadership in setting up and maintaining a CoE. They should provide

evidence that they are a trusted advisor for Executive steering committees, perform Quarterly

Business Reviews, drive general monthly meetings, implement process and change management,

provide Marketing Maturity assessments, and drive roadmaps to ensure the expansion of the Marketo

solution, when needed, at the client.

Migration: We are looking for a candidate who has managed a migration from Marketo or Marketo

sandbox/dev site to new production. This would involve the assessment of what assets to migrate,

previous campaign, and historical data.

Advanced Creative: Candidates must demonstrate the ability to enhance Marketo assets by using

Marketo HTML template markup/syntax, HTML/CSS, Velocity Scripting, JavaScript and/or the

Content API.

WRITING ABILITY

The board will examine the overall writing ability of the consultant.

• Do they provide a clear concise document where the audience can follow the process used to

implement the solution? Evidence will include proficiency in creating MS Word documents,

PowerPoint presentations and/or any other support documents.

SPEAKING ABILITY

How are the consultant’s presentation skills?

• Do they possess the vocabulary necessary to communicate well with the client and other

consultants?

• Do they speak clearly?

• How is their body language?

• Do they have the confidence to lead a room in a strategy session?

STRATEGY, DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT

Did the consultant use best practices, logic and efficiency when implementing the project? Were the

methods employed the best way to implement and did their approach clearly show success in the

project?




PROFESSIONALISM

• Do they appear professional?

o Courteous, and professional in their demeanor

o Not allowing distractions during a presentation (phone ringing, popups on desktop,

etc.)

o On time

o Dressed professionally

DOCUMENTATION ELEMENTS

When putting together your case study to present, you should include all the following components.

CASE STUDY

Case Study Title

Author: names, job titles, institutional affiliations, short professional biography and a professional

photograph.

Executive Summary (Abstract): Summarize key points for busy readers in 150 – 200 words. Used in

promotional communications.

Case Presentation

Problem Statement: Describe the challenge that the initiative or program sought to address,

including its scope. Provide readers with a brief history that helps them understand the

problem/challenge in context, highlighting the key factors that led to the decision to develop the

initiative or program, including opportunities and partnerships that made that decision possible and

obstacles surmounted. (Tip: address relevant policies, pressures, incentives, and sources of support.)

Initiative/Program Description: From design to implementation, describe the plan/course of action

taken to address the problem or challenge.

Contributors: Identify all contributors on the client team, Marketo, and any additional partners

involved. Describe the roles they played in relation to the overall initiative or program (i.e.

technical solution, as a sponsor, key contributors).




Design: Describe the stated goals and measurable outcomes of the solution, the hypotheses it was

designed to test, the premise that influenced its design, and the framework selected to evaluate it.

Implementation: Describe the implementation process. Address any unexpected hurdles,

distractions, or other challenges that arose during implementation and how these were—or were

not—overcome.

Supporting Technologies: Describe the process used to select supporting technologies, if needed,

appropriate to the problem/challenge. Identify the technologies ultimately selected and the

practical rationale for selecting these specific technology approaches/partners.

Evaluation and Outcomes: Describe the learning and/or outcomes of the solution and the results.

How, and to what degree, did the initiative or program contribute to meeting the goal(s) of the

client? Did the solution ultimately address the original problem or challenge? Is it a viable solution

that others should consider?

Analysis, Discussion, Lessons Learned: Looking back, what were the essential factors leading to,

or contributing to, eventual outcomes—for example, was it the creative, the timing of the

communication, the technologies involved, etc.? Were there any roadblocks that had to be overcome

to achieve the desired outcomes or made it necessary to redefine the goals? What lessons were

learned in executing the solution?

Future Plans: Looking forward, describe your plans—if any—for ongoing iteration, integration, along

with an overall marketing maturity roadmap for your client. Given hindsight, what would you do

differently?

Conclusion: Offer final thoughts and considerations. In your experience with this initiative or

program, what conditions must be in place for the client to collaborate deliberately and successfully?

What makes collaboration work—or not?




SUPPLEMENTAL DOCUMENTATION

We will expect you to have supplemental documentation to support your case study. We would

expect for you to present your case study in a PowerPoint presentation covering the areas above, as

well as Excel spreadsheets and/or PDFs when necessary.

Tips

Summary: Write the summary last.

Provide Numbers: What was the original quantity vs what you have now once implementing the

solution? What was the delta change/improvement – with quantity, time, quality, etc.? Did you have

a control group?

Be Specific: So, you doubled the client’s website traffic or sales, right? How did you do it? This is

where you sell your products or services simply by saying which ones you used and how they led to

the desired result. You shouldn’t just say “our online marketing services led to these results.”

Instead, you should say “it was a combination of a three-month dedicated social media campaign

focusing on Facebook and YouTube as well as five months of link building that led to an increase in

rankings plus the improved brand exposure that led to these results.”




FOLLOW UP FOR NOT PASSING

If a consultant is not given a passing grade, they may be asked to do one or more of the following:

• submit another area of expertise

• work on having a better knowledge of the solution

• provide another proven implementation of the subject

• work on their presentation skills

• work on their writing skills

We want consultants to succeed. The Review Board will provide quality feedback and guidance for

the consultant. For example, attending a PMCSA (Pre-MCSA) workshop might be a required next step.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the new MCSA certification process should resolve the issue of partners being

certified without actual experience implementing a solution.

If you have any questions, please contact Marketo Partner Enablement at grp-marketo-

[email protected].

To initiate an application for MCSA certification, please visit this link:

http://premierpartners.marketo.com/mcsa-application-requirements.html.

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://premierpartners.marketo.com/mcsa-application-requirements.html

Documents

MarKeto MCSA Certification Process