Sales and marketing; two areas which are always - and rightly so - paired together. Even when selecting categories, it’s always sales and marketing. While the general understanding is that both contribute to the profitability of a business, these two teams can still have a tough time working together.
Although the culture shouldn’t be this way, there are still rumbles of rivalry between department when things aren't looking so rosy. There is also the misconception that if you have a sales team, you shouldn’t have to invest so much in marketing and vice versa.
Working together
Often a major issue between these two departments is rivalry. So how can you make sales and marketing work better together if teams aren’t seeing eye to eye.
1. Feedback, and then feed that back
There is a real benefit in marketing to listen to what a sales team has to say about new pitches, queries and calls they have had. They are the front line of your ever-adapting buyers personas' and can inform campaigns of how to attract new business by addressing barriers the sales team are facing. Having said that, sales teams' sometimes want marketing to be more responsive by creating material on the spot, especially in regards to changes in data production laws. Marketing enables the sales team to talk to engaged parties about their content, offering an opportunity to connect better with potential buyers
2. Plan, but be agile about it
There is an emphasis on marketing teams planning huge chunks of campaigns, spanning the year within larger companies. While having key points and themes is important for budgeting, in the digital marketing age it is unrealistic to make plans that are difficult to adapt. This isn’t a seal of approval for every bit of content a sales member wants the green light on. There are still key things which need to be considered when looking at a change of direction such as current trends, content time, decay and audience relevance.
3. We are all aiming at the same goal
When things aren't on target everyone wants to show they are doing what they are supposed to. If the company culture is one where things aren't going well, other teams are empowered to help with the solution rather than be blamed, it can make a huge difference to campaign success. Is there something that’s being missed? Is there a nugget of information in digital marketing analytics which can help steer sales conversations back on course? Are there consistent questions from buyers which being ignored when planning content?
Everyone should feel they can work together which means sharing in success as well as challenges.
Working with multiple agencies, teams or even multiple roles with their own targets to implement expectations can be tough. Having the right culture and larger team work ethos can make a difference to the content produced. This is a sales approach which ultimately improve the experience of your brand to potential customers.
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