Do these 12 steps in order, in a development environment. Each step lists where to go, what to do, what to check, what you must know, and the questions interviewers ask about it.
Step 1
Design lifecycle & scoring
Where
Outside Marketo — workshop with Sales
What you do
Define lifecycle stages (MQL, SQL, Opportunity), the scoring model and the Sales/Marketing SLA.
Tips
Sales must agree the MQL definition and handoff rules.
Check before moving on
Lifecycle and scoring documents signed off.
Must know
Agree lifecycle stages (e.g. known, engaged, MQL, SQL, opportunity, customer) and their definitions with Sales before building.
Scoring has two parts: behaviour (what they do) and demographic or fit (who they are).
The MQL threshold must be agreed with Sales, or leads will be ignored.
Interview questions tap to reveal a model answer
What is lead scoring?
Adding points for fit (job title, industry) and behaviour (visits, downloads) to decide when a lead is ready for Sales.
How do you define an MQL?
A lead whose combined fit and behaviour score passes a threshold agreed with Sales, plus any required fields.
Why agree lifecycle stages with Sales?
Handoffs only work if both teams use the same definitions and SLAs.
Admin > CRM > Sync with Salesforce.com (or Microsoft Dynamics)
What you do
Enter the sync user and security token, click Sync Fields, then Start Salesforce Sync.
Tips
Hide unneeded fields from the sync user first — synced fields cannot be deleted.
Check before moving on
Sync status shows Last Synced.
Must know
CRM sync (Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics) keeps leads, contacts, accounts and opportunities in step between systems.
Use a dedicated sync user and decide which fields sync in which direction before turning it on.
Sync is hard to undo; test in a sandbox CRM first.
Interview questions tap to reveal a model answer
How does Marketo-Salesforce sync work?
A dedicated sync user connects the systems; each sync cycle runs and then pauses five minutes. Leads, contacts and Salesforce campaigns sync both ways; accounts, opportunities and custom objects come from Salesforce only.
What do you decide before enabling sync?
Fields to sync and their direction, which records sync, field mappings, and duplicate handling.
Why use a dedicated sync user?
It controls exactly what Marketo can see and edit in the CRM and keeps changes traceable.
Screenshot CRM sync status in AdminAdd screenshots/marketo/step-05.pngStep 6
Field management
Where
Admin > Field Management
What you do
Create custom fields (lead score, lifecycle stage, consent) and confirm field mapping.
Tips
Name fields clearly; avoid duplicates of CRM fields.
Check before moving on
Field dictionary matches the design.
Must know
Every field needs an owner, a format and a clear source of truth.
Normalize values (country, state, job level) with lists or smart campaigns.
Remove or hide unused fields to keep forms and lists clean.
Interview questions tap to reveal a model answer
How do you keep Marketo data clean?
Standard picklists, normalization campaigns, duplicate management and field ownership rules.
What is a source of truth for a field?
The system that wins when values conflict, e.g. CRM for account owner, Marketo for email engagement.
Why normalize job titles?
So scoring and segmentation can use a small set of job levels and functions instead of thousands of free-text titles.
Screenshot Field management listAdd screenshots/marketo/step-06.pngStep 7
Smart Lists & segmentation
Where
Database > New > Smart List; Database > Segmentations
What you do
Build core Smart Lists (by persona, region, stage) and segmentations for dynamic content.
Tips
Segmentations must be approved before use.
Check before moving on
Counts look right for known records.
Must know
A smart list defines who (filters and triggers); the flow defines what happens; the schedule defines when.
Segmentations split the database into mutually exclusive groups for dynamic content.
Trigger campaigns react to activity in real time; batch campaigns run on a schedule.
Interview questions tap to reveal a model answer
Smart list vs. static list?
A smart list updates automatically from its rules; a static list is a fixed set of people you add or remove.
Trigger vs. batch smart campaign?
Trigger campaigns run for each person when an activity happens; batch campaigns run for everyone matching the list at a set time.
What is a segmentation?
A set of mutually exclusive segments (e.g. by industry) used to personalize emails and landing pages with dynamic content.
Screenshot Smart List filtersAdd screenshots/marketo/step-07.pngStep 8
Scoring & lifecycle program
Where
Marketing Activities > New Program (Default/Operational) > Smart Campaigns
What you do
Build scoring campaigns (Change Score flow steps) and the lifecycle campaigns that move leads between stages.
Tips
Use tokens for score values so they’re easy to tune.
Check before moving on
Test lead scores and changes stage correctly.
Must know
Build scoring and lifecycle as operational programs with trigger campaigns.
Use score decay or reset rules so old activity does not keep leads hot forever.
Route MQLs to Sales with an SLA and track recycling of rejected leads.
Interview questions tap to reveal a model answer
How do you build a scoring program?
Trigger campaigns that change behaviour and fit scores on activities and data changes, in an operational program.
What is score decay?
Reducing behaviour scores over time for inactivity so the score reflects current interest.
A lead is MQL but Sales rejects it. What next?
Move it to a recycled stage, record the reason, and use the feedback to tune scoring.
Screenshot Smart campaign flow with Change ScoreAdd screenshots/marketo/step-08.pngStep 9
Emails, landing pages & forms
Where
Design Studio > New > Email / Landing Page / Form
What you do
Build templates, landing pages and forms with progressive profiling.
Tips
Show only 1–2 new fields per form fill.
Check before moving on
Form fill creates/updates the test lead.
Must know
Use templates and tokens (program and person tokens) for reusable, personalized content.
Forms should be short, use progressive profiling, and respect consent.
Test emails on major clients and devices before sending.
Interview questions tap to reveal a model answer
What are tokens?
Placeholders that insert program values (dates, links) or person fields into emails and pages.
What is progressive profiling?
Showing new form questions to returning visitors instead of asking for everything at once.
How do you test an email?
Send samples, preview with real lead data, check rendering across clients, and verify links and tracking.
Screenshot Form editor with progressive profilingAdd screenshots/marketo/step-09.pngStep 10
Nurture programs
Where
Marketing Activities > New Program > Engagement
What you do
Create engagement streams, add content, set cadence and transition rules.
Tips
Tie streams to persona and stage.
Check before moving on
Test lead receives the first cast.
Must know
Engagement programs drip content in streams on a cadence and stop when people convert or exhaust content.
Transition rules move people between streams as they progress.
Measure engagement score and conversion per stream.
Interview questions tap to reveal a model answer
What is an engagement program?
A nurture program that sends content in streams on a cadence, moving people between streams as they engage.
How do people leave a nurture?
Exit rules (e.g. became MQL, opted out) or by running out of content in their stream.
How do you measure nurture success?
Engagement scores, progression to MQL and SQL, and pipeline influenced.
Screenshot Engagement program streamsAdd screenshots/marketo/step-10.pngStep 11
QA & launch
Where
Test lead walkthrough; Email > Send Sample; Smart Campaign > Results
What you do
Walk a test lead through every flow, check rendering (incl. dark mode) and CRM sync, then activate.
Tips
Monitor bounces and complaints daily for two weeks.
Check before moving on
QA checklist and test lead log complete.
Must know
Walk a test lead through every campaign flow step end to end before launch.
Check CRM sync both ways with test records.
Confirm unsubscribes and communication limits work.
Interview questions tap to reveal a model answer
How do you QA a Marketo launch?
Run test leads through each flow, check email rendering, CRM sync, scoring changes and unsubscribe handling.
Where do you debug a campaign?
In the lead's activity log and the smart campaign's results tab.
A lead did not get an email. Why?
They did not qualify for the smart list, were blocked by communication limits, unsubscribed, or the email bounced.
How to use: do each step in your sandbox using the “How to do it” column, then read across the row to see how the same step changes by domain. Each domain column follows one scenario from top to bottom. Add a screenshot and what you learned in the last column.
Travel & Airlines · practice brand: SkyLumen Airways
In Phase 5, build post-purchase and abandoned-cart nurture only if Marketo is used alongside/instead of AJO for this purpose.
Treat Marketo as secondary to AJO/RTCDP for high-volume B2C flows; scope accordingly.
Healthcare
Lab use case: Provider (B2B) outreach
Profile: B2C (patients) + B2B (providers, payers). Compliance focus: HIPAA, HITRUST, consent-first data collection, no PHI in standard analytics tools without a BAA-covered environment.
What changes in this domain: Provider vs. patient audience segmentation; no PHI in any field
Special considerations: Opt-in/consent tracking with strict audit trail
Providers and practices, not patients; no PHI in any field.
How (any domain): Define stages (MQL, SQL, Opportunity), scoring and the Sales SLA with Sales.
Treat this as Marketo’s primary use case — build the full ABM stack: deep scoring, multi-stream nurture, sales-alert triggers, and event follow-up programs.
In Phase 2, ensure CRM sync includes opportunity-level data, not just lead/contact status.
Full task list
Every numbered task from your board, grouped by phase. Use it as the project checklist once you know the steps above.
