Marketing and Sales alignment. Not so difficult if marketers play nice.

I'm fairly amused every time I see a white paper or webinar on "Sales and Marketing alignment". Amused because it's such a problem. Amused also because, really? It's such a problem? Here are my observations on the topic with suggestions on how to bridge the sales and marketing gap based on my experiences:

1) I started my career in sales and flipped to marketing after receiving my MBA. More money is in sales; but, my passion is marketing. While trying to get into marketing, marketing executives told me many companies do not want to hire sales people into marketing because sales people don't think out of the box. Too realistic. That set me back. So instead we will pay marketers who know nothing of the sales experience to think out of the box, with unrealistic tools they think sales needs. That ends up to be a BIG waste of money. Sales receives these so called tools that marketing thinks they need and throws them away.

2) Marketing doesn't take the time to understand the sales process in sales terms. Where are barriers for sales people? Is it awareness? Closure? Where do they get stuck in the sales funnel? Then develop programs to help that process along. I have first hand experience here. Using this chart below, I have been able to show sales executives where their prospects match-up to the sales cycle and how marketing could help, we were walking in the same path.



3) Leads. Do you agree on what makes a qualified lead? Probe the sales team. Marketers may have ideas for new targets. Test some things and have sales let you know if it worked. Then modify and test again. If the sales team knows they are part of that process, they want to close sales. They will help.

4) Maybe the sales team is not even equipped with the right messages. Do they know the key differentiating points of their product? I'm hired by companies regularly that do not have sales people saying the same things. When they talk to a prospect, they don't have that 30 second unique selling point. Marketing can own that and step up to provide real value.

5) Databases: Marketing and Sales have different objectives when it comes to needs within the database. Marketers want information to enable relevant messages, programs, and to hopefully tie prospect activities to marketing activities. Sales people need contact information and notes. Often marketers require so much information of sales people, the sales people stop using the contact management software accurately. They may not even post prospects and all the information needed because it's too time-consuming. Get together and discuss needs from each side then give and take. Prioritize information needs. Critical vs nice-to-know.

5) Finally, marketers need to be sales people internally in their organizations. Marketers need to prove their value everyday, more than any other function. We cannot have our head in the clouds because we need to show sales how we can help them. Show finance how our money is impacting sales. Show the C-Level how we are aligned and impacting company objectives.

Marketers: We are an expense that will be cut first in a crisis. Sales people bringing in revenue are valued. It's time marketers realize this.

What do you think?
Jackie

Posted by Jackie Kuehl at 9/24/2010 8:34 AM
Categories: tactics, marketing tips, sales and marketing strategies
Tags: sales and marketing alignment bridge the gap between sales and marketing
 

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