Marketing teams at mid-size and enterprise tech companies are being asked to do more with less. Campaigns span multiple regions. Stakeholders multiply. MarTech stacks grow more complex. And hiring? Still slow.
For many CMOs, the answer isn't another full-time hire or another point solution vendor. The answer is a marketing shared services model, a centralized operating structure that handles execution across geographies and functions, without the overhead of headcount growth.
But what does a well-functioning shared services model actually look like? What are enterprise tech companies asking for in their RFPs (Request for Proposals)? And what separates a capable partner from a truly strategic one?
This post decodes exactly that. Drawing on real enterprise tech RFP requirements, we break down what procurement teams are asking for, and what the workload actually looks like month to month.
If your team is stretched thin and your campaign backlog is growing, keep reading.
Why Smart CMOs Are Moving to a Marketing Shared Services Model [Why Move to a Shared Services Model]
The shift toward marketing shared services is not a cost-cutting trend. It's an response to an operational problem.
Global marketing teams are being asked to execute campaigns in NA, LATAM, EMEA, and APAC simultaneously, often with region-specific content, localized workflows, and different platform requirements. At the same time, marketing headcount is constrained, hiring timelines are long, and skill gaps are real.
The shared services model solves this by centralizing execution support. Rather than hiring specialists in each region or managing a fragmented roster of niche vendors, companies route campaign requests through a single, structured partner that handles volume, complexity, and coordination at scale.
For procurement teams, this model also addresses vendor consolidation, a major priority for enterprise tech organizations that often manage dozens of agency relationships with inconsistent outputs and unclear ownership.
The result? Faster execution. More consistent output. And a measurable reduction in the time and cost of getting campaigns out the door.
What an Enterprise Tech Marketing Shared Services RFP Actually Looks Like [Tech Marketing Shared Services RFPs]
When enterprise tech companies go to market for a shared services partner, their RFPs reveal a lot about what's actually broken inside their marketing operations.
The most sophisticated briefs don't just ask for "campaign support." They specify platforms, SLA tiers, monthly volume expectations, pricing structures, and governance requirements. They distinguish between operational delivery and strategic advisory. They ask about AI enablement, global operating models, and quality assurance frameworks.
In short, they're not looking for an agency. They're looking for a structured operational partner.
Based on real enterprise tech RFP requirements, here's what that actually looks like in practice.
The Four Pillars of Scope: What Procurement Teams Are Really Asking For [4 Pillars of Scope]
Enterprise marketing shared services RFPs consistently organize scope around four distinct pillars. Understanding each one helps clarify what a capable partner needs to deliver.
Campaign Operations (Marketo, 6Sense, CVent)
This is the execution core. Procurement teams specify platform fluency, not just general "marketing automation" capability, but hands-on expertise in Marketo for campaign builds, 6Sense for intent-driven targeting, and CVent for event and webinar management.
Campaign types typically include webinars, nurture programs, product launches, and re-engagement campaigns. The expectation is that a shared services partner can take a brief and execute it fully, build, QA, deploy, without requiring the client's internal team to manage the process step by step.
Strategic Advisory (MarTech Management, Program Planning, Process Improvement)
This pillar separates execution vendors from true strategic partners. Beyond building campaigns, enterprise tech companies want a partner who can advise on MarTech governance, contribute to marketing program planning, and identify process inefficiencies before they become campaign failures.
Analytics & Reporting
Standard Marketo reporting is a baseline expectation. The differentiator is whether a partner can move from data to recommendations. Enterprise tech procurement teams want reporting that surfaces actionable insights, not just metrics dashboards.
This is especially important for marketing leaders who need to demonstrate campaign ROI to their CFOs and boards.
Resources, Triage, and Stakeholder Alignment
This fourth pillar is often the most underestimated, and the most operationally critical. Global marketing teams have multiple internal stakeholders: regional leads, product marketing managers, demand generation directors, and corporate communications teams. Each has priorities. Conflicts arise.
A shared services partner that can triage incoming requests, prioritize work based on business impact, and maintain stakeholder trust across the organization is worth significantly more than one that simply executes tasks in the order they arrive.
The Real Workload: Monthly Volumes That Matter [Monthly Workload]
RFPs from enterprise tech companies make the operational reality clear. The volumes are not small.
- ~30 emails per month across regions and campaign types
- ~8 landing pages per month built and QA'd to spec
- ~50 list uploads per month managed through marketing automation platforms
This level of throughput requires a partner with structured intake, reliable resourcing, and consistent quality assurance. It also requires the flexibility to scale during campaign spikes, product launches, major events, end-of-quarter pushes, without dropping SLAs.
For teams already at capacity, offloading this volume to a structured shared services partner is not a luxury. It's a prerequisite for keeping the marketing engine running.
SLAs by Complexity: How Delivery Is Structured [SLA Tiers]
Enterprise tech RFPs don't just specify what needs to be done. They specify how fast. SLAs are typically tiered by campaign complexity:
This tiered structure gives marketing teams predictability. When a campaign brief lands, the SLA clock is clear. Stakeholders know what to expect. Bottlenecks get surfaced early rather than surfacing as missed deadlines.
A shared services partner that operates within this framework—and consistently meets it, builds the kind of trust that leads to expanded scope and longer engagement terms.
The Commercial Model: Pricing Transparency and Flexibility [Pricing & Flexibility]
Enterprise tech procurement teams are explicit about what they want from a commercial model. The structure typically involves:
- Hourly rates by role, giving clients visibility into what they're paying for at a functional level
- Volume-based pricing, enabling cost efficiency as monthly throughput increases
- Demand flexibility, with the ability to scale up during campaign spikes and scale down during quieter periods
- Clear distinction between strategic and operational rates, recognizing that advisory work and execution work carry different value
This pricing philosophy aligns with how Macro structures its engagements. The goal is not to lock clients into rigid retainers. The goal is to provide a commercial model that scales with actual business needs, and remains transparent enough for procurement to defend internally.
What the Ideal Global Marketing Shared Services Partner Looks Like [ Ideal Global Marketing Services Partner]
Enterprise tech RFPs consistently describe the same ideal partner profile. The criteria map directly to six capabilities:
- Strategic partnership and advisory capability — the ability to think beyond the brief
- Global operating model — regional coverage with local execution capability
- Cost and pricing model — transparent, flexible, and scalable
- Team quality and governance — structured QA, clear ownership, consistent output
- Measurement and outcomes — performance reporting that connects to business results
- AI enablement and efficiency — using AI to reduce turnaround time and increase throughput without sacrificing quality
This profile is not aspirational. It's the baseline expectation for any partner invited to bid on enterprise marketing shared services work.
How Macro Delivers: 13+ Years, 4 Regions, 12+ Languages [How Macro Delivers]
Macro has been delivering marketing shared services for enterprise tech companies for 13 years. The track record spans 4 regions and more than 12 languages, covering the scale and linguistic complexity that global marketing teams actually operate at.
The proof points are concrete:
- Atlassian achieved 10X ROI through Macro's partner enablement and marketing execution support
- Google scored Macro 8.2 out of 10, compared to an industry average of 7.5, a meaningful gap in a category where most vendors cluster closely together
Macro's model covers all four pillars of the shared services scope: campaign operations in Marketo, 6Sense, and CVent; strategic advisory across MarTech management and program planning; analytics and recommendations; and the stakeholder alignment infrastructure that keeps global campaigns moving efficiently.
Is Your Team Ready for the Shared Services Model?
The marketing shared services model is not a fit for every team. But for mid-size to enterprise tech companies managing campaigns across regions, dealing with headcount constraints, and looking to consolidate vendor relationships, it's one of the most effective operational structures available.
The questions worth asking internally are straightforward: Is your current execution model keeping pace with your campaign pipeline? Are your regional teams getting consistent support? Do your SLAs hold under volume pressure? Is your MarTech stack being managed proactively or reactively?
If the honest answers point to gaps, a structured shared services partner is worth serious consideration.
Macro has spent 13 years building the operational model that enterprise tech marketing leaders are now actively seeking. If you're evaluating your options, or preparing to issue an RFP, speak with the Macro team to see how a shared services engagement would work for your organization.
