A quick Google search results in a ton of articles and research on the divide between sales and marketing, especially in B2B environments. As far back as 2006, Harvard Business Review published an article titled ‘Ending the War Between Sales and Marketing’, and in 2019, an industry survey revealed that over half of marketers and salespeople reported a divide between the two departments, despite them both working towards one common goal – to increase company turnover.
So the question is, do you have a divide between your sales and marketing teams? And if you do, is it killing your business?
Some of the symptoms to look out for include:
- A lack of definition and clear lines of communication.
- Duplication of effort or blurred lines between roles. For example, sales teams changing company messaging, making content, and acting independent of the agreed marketing strategy.
- Inconsistent turnover due to departmental dysfunction.
- Metrics, targets, and KPIs that conflict with each other.
- Frustration among teams because marketing isn’t ‘generating enough leads’ and sales aren’t ‘closing enough deals’.
Some, or all, of these problems means your organisation could end up with:
Inconsistent marketing and sales messages. Erratic methods of communication. Target leads not clearly defined. Prospects are being qualified incorrectly or at the wrong time. Tools and software don’t add value to help sales and marketing teams do their jobs effectively. WATCH OUR WEBINAR ON ALIGNING SALES AND MARKETING
1. LEADERSHIP
By stepping up and setting the direction and tone for how the functions communicate with each other, leadership in any or both these areas can help to nurture a more productive culture. At the end of the day, as cliche as it sounds teamwork is more effective than siloed working.
2. BE CLEAR
Ensure both the roles of the sales and marketing function are clearly defined in terms of responsibility and accountability.
3. CLEAR MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE
Where possible, have both functions reporting to one senior manager. Where this is not possible, make sure the two individuals at the top have a good working relationship and are able to communicate effectively.
4. SHARED GOALS
Set targets and KPIs for the different functions that are complementary to the other’s performance.
5. BETTER UNDERSTANDING
Get the marketing team out on the road with the sales team to meet customers and discover the reality of customer pain points. Get the sales team to sit down with the marketers to understand the bones of the company’s branding, messaging, and target markets.
6. THE RIGHT METRICS
Monitor only those metrics and measurements that feed into the business’ overall growth objectives. By attempting to measure everything, you truly measure nothing, and it’s a massive drain on resources. Using tools such as Zymplify means you can streamline your reporting process and spend more time cultivating your prospects.
7. AUTOMATE, AUTOMATE, AUTOMATE
Prospecting and lead generation can be a thankless task, that is also often resource heavy. Use a third party or automated software tool such as Zymplify to generate leads at volume and allow your marketing and sales teams to do what they do best – generate amazing content and close those deals. If your marketing and sales teams are having a turf war, stop waiting for change to happen. Get them speaking the same language by using the same full-service platform.
