Too often when we meet with clients for the first time and get to know more about their organization, it is rarely discovered that the marketing and sales functions are on the same page with the company's goals. Sure, everyone likes to say that Kathy in marketing and Michael in sales talk all the time and work together well, as if they know it's the right thing to say but do they truly understand how important this relationship is to the revenue equation ?
Traditionally, sales within an organization is viewed mostly as "transactionally" based and motivated towards "making their number." Marketing on the other hand has been responsible for branding, advertising, and creative collateral and is often characterized as an "expense." While the two functions are both rooted in revenue growth, all too often they operate in separate silos. Companies that have not become more in tune with today's customer journey will be at a distinct disadvantage versus their more progressive competitors that have realigned their sales and marketing functions to become more congruous.
Ever since the explosion of information, made available by the internet to anyone with a computer or smartphone, today's consumers are much more discerning towards what, when and how they buy. In fact, much of the buying cycle has been completed before a customer makes any contact with a sales person, if at all. Buyers are no longer at the mercy of a salesperson (good or bad) to learn about products or prices. This information is plentiful and readily available thanks to the internet and search engines. NOW more than ever before, sales and marketing need to work together to be competitive and achieve growth objectives.
For today's consumer, marketing has much more of a direct impact on sales. Companies that invest in digital marketing (internet based) are focused in lead generation, credibility, reach, strategy and engagement geared towards converting a prospect into a paying customer. Isn't that pure sales? Furthermore, shouldn't sales leadership and personnel want and need to know how many people are visiting the website, responding to social media content, emailing for "more info" about products? Absolutely! Similarly, wouldn't marketing managers want feedback from their sales reps on what their customers like most about their products, who they are and how they found out about what is being sold? The answer is yes, of course! Anything short of this ideal will limit a companies ability to maximize the benefits afforded to them from aligning their marketing and sales.
If your company hasn't taken time to invest in how to align their sales and marketing efforts, do so now and watch your business soar!