Sales & Marketing Need to Work Better Together

A courageous marketer works towards forging a stronger bond between sales and marketing.

In the realm of business operations, there has historically been a chasm between sales and marketing. They’re often seen as two distinct entities with separate objectives. However, in a world driven by cohesive branding and customer experience, collaboration between these two departments is more critical than ever. A courageous marketer recognises this and actively works towards forging a stronger bond between sales and marketing. The rewards? Improved efficiency, better targeting, and ultimately, higher returns.

Why the Divide?

Historically, marketing’s role was perceived as creating brand awareness and generating leads, while sales took over once potential leads were identified, working to close the deals. Issues arose when marketing handed off leads that sales deemed 'unqualified' or when sales teams didn't fully utilize the materials and insights provided by marketing. The courageous marketer sees these gaps as opportunities, not challenges.

Examples of Success Through Sales & Marketing Collaboration

HubSpot's SMarketing:

HubSpot, a leading inbound marketing and sales platform, has always been an advocate of aligning sales and marketing — or what they aptly term “SMarketing.” By ensuring regular communication, shared goals, and mutual respect between the departments, they’ve managed to drive growth. Their Service Level Agreements (SLAs) between sales and marketing ensure both teams are accountable to each other, leading to better lead qualification and follow-up.

Microsoft’s Inside Sales & Marketing Alignment:

Microsoft, a tech behemoth, realized the significance of aligning its marketing strategies with its inside sales processes. Adopting a 'One Microsoft' strategy, they combined their internal resources to create a streamlined customer journey. This ensured that marketing campaigns were directly complemented by sales strategies, enhancing the customer experience and boosting sales.

Atlassian’s Unified Approach:

Atlassian, known for collaboration tools like Jira and Trello, uses a unique approach where they don't have a traditional sales team. Instead, they rely heavily on marketing to drive inbound leads. However, they maintain a tight-knit feedback loop with their 'support' teams to understand customer pain points, refine marketing strategies, and create resources that directly address customer needs.

Steps to Bridge the Gap

Unified Goals: Establish common objectives. For example, instead of marketing aiming for 'X leads' and sales aiming for 'Y conversions', have a joint goal of 'Z qualified conversions':

Define Objectives Clearly: Start with a clear understanding of what both teams want to achieve. These goals should be interdependent to foster a sense of teamwork.
Joint Planning Sessions: Conduct workshops or brainstorming sessions where both teams can jointly set these unified targets.
Flexibility in Revision: As the market dynamics change, be ready to realign and readjust goals to ensure they remain relevant and achievable.

Open Communication: Regular meetings, shared tools, and platforms can ensure both teams are on the same page:

Regular Check-ins: Schedule weekly or bi-weekly meetings for both teams to discuss progress, challenges, and feedback. This ensures timely interventions if things go off track.
Collaborative Tools: Use tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Trello that can foster easy communication and project tracking.
Open Feedback Channels: Encourage a culture where both teams can provide feedback to each other constructively.

Educate Each Other: Sales can train marketing about on-ground realities and customer feedback, while marketing can educate sales about the broader brand strategy and campaign insights:

Sales Trainings for Marketing: Organise sessions where sales teams share their on-ground experiences, common objections they face, and the nuances of one-on-one customer interactions.
Marketing Workshops for Sales: Let marketing offer insights on wider industry trends, campaign strategies, and customer personas. This can help sales teams tailor their pitches more effectively.
Cross-Functional Projects: Occasionally, have members from both teams work together on projects. This not only educates them about each other's roles but also fosters camaraderie.

Shared Metrics: Implement shared KPIs and dashboards to track and measure the success of collaborative efforts:

Integrated Dashboards: Use tools that allow you to create dashboards where both sales and marketing metrics are displayed side by side. This can offer a holistic view of the funnel, from lead generation to conversion.
Joint Review Sessions: Analyse the metrics together to understand where the strengths and gaps lie. This can form the basis for future strategies.
Celebrate Wins Together: When a campaign succeeds or a big sale is made, celebrate it as a joint victory. This fosters a sense of shared success and responsibility.

A few last words...

A courageous marketer understands that in the interdependent ecosystem of sales and marketing, success doesn't come from isolated efforts but from collaboration. By ensuring that sales and marketing work cohesively, businesses can create a streamlined customer journey, maximize the potential of leads, and drive impactful growth. In today’s competitive landscape, it's not just about getting your message out there; it's about ensuring it resonates and converts, and that requires the combined strength of both sales and marketing. Bridging the gap between sales and marketing isn't just a strategic move; it's a cultural one. It requires a consistent effort, an openness to understand each other's perspectives, and a shared commitment to the business's overall success. When done right, the synergy between these two pillars of business can be a game-changer.