All business units are under increasing pressure to show the
real value they provide to the organization, and marketing is no different.
That means marketers are no longer being asked simply to deliver a bunch of
leads – they’re being held accountable for making sure those contacts turn into
actual revenue.
What can marketers do to meet those new demands? One of the
keys is for marketers to begin working more closely with the sales team in
order to make sure marketing strategies and sales goals are aligned.
Doing so will help both marketing and sales improve their
operations and ultimately boost the company’s bottom line.
Break down the silos
In too many organizations, marketing and sales teams operate
separately, with little collaboration beyond marketers stuffing leads into the
sales pipeline. However, there are some steps marketers can take to break down
the silos and open up the lines of communication.
Here are key tips outlined by Rob Butters, Principal Analyst
with Frost & Sullivan, during a
recent webinar:
1.
Align
schedules – A lot of benefit can come from a fairly simple change: Get
marketing and sales operating on the same cycle. Both groups will do a better
job planning if they collaborate. After all, the planning should all be geared
toward the same goals. However, in many companies, marketing and sales do their
planning and big kick-offs at different times of the year. Changing those
schedules will help get everyone on the same page.
2.
Get sales
reps involved – Marketers can get a lot of help by including members of the
sales team in their planning sessions. And that means not only the director and
C-level people within sales, but also the “voice on the streets” – i.e., the
sales people who are actually interacting directly with customers. Those people
have valuable opinions and insight they can share that will help marketing do a
better job at nurturing leads until they become sales. For instance, they can
offer insight about what potential customers’ top concerns are, what types of
content attract the best prospects, and what kinds of feedback they’re hearing
straight from the customers.
Share
information – Likewise, marketers have access to a lot of information that
can help the sales team improve its results. For example, marketing should be
able to know what actions leads have taken before they’re contacted by a sales
rep – for example, what white paper they downloaded, what video they watched,
etc. Knowing those details will help sales reps conduct their conversations
more effectively.
4
Speak the
same language – If marketing and sales are going to share information back
and forth, it’s important that both sides are keeping track of the right data.
The two teams should meet to decide which metrics to track as well as decide on
a common terminology so that everyone can understand each other.
5
Review
and refine the strategy – Getting marketing and sales aligned doesn’t
happen with one quick meeting. It’s a never-ending process that requires
continual effort by both sides to stay on the same page and working toward the
same page. That’s why it’s critical for leadership on both the sales and
marketing sides to be on board and put in the effort to keep the collaboration
going.
For more information on how marketing teams can improve
their results and create more real value for their organizations today,
download the Executive Summary of Frost & Sullivan’s eBroadcast,
Marketing’s New Paradigm: Show Us the Money!
As publication editor and lead writer for Frost &
Sullivan’s Integrated Marketing Solutions practice, Sam Narisi creates and
curates content on a variety of topics, including marketing, innovation, and
communication. For more marketing information and insight, visit
Frost &
Sullivan’s IMS Knowledge Center.
