We have all heard the common complaint “marketing and sales just do not play well together”. Exactly where and when this problem began is a mystery and as essential to business success as these functions are, it amazes me that this rivalry has prospered for so long. Business leaders acknowledge that it exists in their organization and in many cases even allow it to live on.
Whether you are a business with a marketing department of one and sales team of two or a larger company with multiple employees in each, your job is to align the two teams. Too many times marketing and sales work in silos rarely coming together, often business leaders believe marketing automation and CRM systems are the link that connects the two. In actuality, this is putting the cart before the horse. Organizations with specific growth goals must bring these two divisions together to develop a shared and common vision and encourage a culture where marketing and sales support one another. Success depends upon strong leadership, hard work, human interaction, collaboration and cooperation by all parties.
So, how do you improve what seems to be an unnatural working relationship to begin with?
Bring your sale and marketing teams together & answer these questions:
1) What is our message to the world?
A unique value proposition is an important yet constantly overlooked aspect of a business. Not only should the marketing and sales departments speak the same language but ALL employees in an organization should know the value that the company brings to the marketplace. Bringing these two groups together to review, discuss and collaborate on your unique value proposition is the first step and a key ingredient to successfully promoting your business and empowering your employees.
2) Who are we trying to attract?
It is crucial to know who your buyer is and how your buyer thinks. A buyer persona is NOT only the description of your buyer (ideal client definition) but also the understanding of why they act and how they buy. In depth personas guide the marketing campaigns and inform sales. Having your marketing and sales teams develop this in a collaborative manner is a beautiful thing!
3) How do we know the parties we are attracting are truly interested?
Define the parameters. Each group will and should have different ideas and opinions of what makes a lead qualified. What actions does one need to take to be a marketing qualified lead and what level of interest is needed to be a sales qualified lead? Working together and agreeing upon these criteria brings alignment and understanding to each group eliminating the resentment that comes from unclear delineations.
4) What are we each shooting for?
Without knowing the ultimate goal, how can we expect marketing and sales to play in the sandbox nicely together? Setting and sharing realistic and appropriate goals for each department and/or individual brings accountability to their actions and an understanding of how each impact the bottom line. You have now provided your marketing and sales teams the opportunity to clarify and develop together the information they need to be successful in their individual roles as well as understand and support one another.
Finally, don’t allow for the historical antagonism to creep back into your organization. Make sure you can track and analyze the actions of each department and individual so that your accountability meetings are based on facts not emotions.
Yes, marketing and sales have a long-standing contentious relationship…a crazy notion when you think about the responsibilities of each and the impact they share on the success of a business. Smart leadership will not foster this tendency; instead, goal-driven leaders will create and encourage a collaborative environment and reap the benefits of this powerful duo working together.
To learn more download our free guide to making sense of marketing.
