No matter how antagonistic it can get, the relationship between sales and marketing is symbiotic. One cannot exist without the other. Their success measures are often deeply intertwined. What’s more frustrating is when one blames the others for lack of growth.
The truth is, there are more points of overlap than differentiation between sales and marketing. By leveraging shared objectives, sales and marketing will enjoy better growth performance.
We’ll take a closer look at four common areas of overlap and how to leverage them to maximize value from your business development efforts.
1. Revenue goals
Sales and marketing are accountable for their contribution to new revenue. Marketing needs to generate new, high-quality leads, and sales need to push those leads to close as new customers.
While the specific metrics for both sides measured vary, the end goal is not. This is the most prominent point at which sales and marketing overlap. It’s also one for both sides should invest significant energy to ensure they are on the same page. Here are two ways?
- Evaluating the definition of lead quality to the company’s revenue goals
- Regular meetings to discuss progress against those goals (Are more leads needed? Do sales need to provide more feedback?)
When both sides get on the same page about their role in revenue creation, many smaller disagreements become small stuff that comes and goes.
2. Social media
Social media is a new standard for communication with prospects and customers. It’s a global amplifier of messaging that levels the playing field among competitors. A mom and pop company in Chattanooga can compete against a Fortune 1000 in New York with the right strategy.
It turns out that social media is valuable to the Relationship Between Sales and Marketing. Marketing is the most visible user of social media, promoting content, and distributing brand messaging. Sales leverage social media as a research and social selling tool that engages prospects at different buying levels.
Every company should have a comprehensive social media strategy. Sales and marketing should communicate their efforts and coordinate messaging to high-value accounts.
3. Tools and resources
Gone are the days of siloed software systems that are for either sales or marketing. Salesforce, the world’s most-used CRM, integrates not only with its own suite of marketing tools, but dozens of other tools. Platforms like HubSpot have both marketing and sales tools baked in.
There is no excuse for not having closed-loop reporting to provide feedback to marketing on a campaign’s effectiveness. CRM and CMS tools make it easier than ever to provide a single login point and a shared database for both marketing and sales activities.
4. Service Level Agreement (SLA)
The SLA is a contractual agreement specifying a given set of deliverables that each party agrees to provide. Both departments set their goals and protocols and define performance measurements in advance. This provides the organization something against to measure success.
The level of agreed-upon overlap results in an authentic partnership between sales and marketing. It ends the marketing vs. sales culture and poises the business to achieve more significant revenue growth.
The benefits of a fully integrated sales and marketing process
Sales and marketing are no longer separate functions within the same company. Both are branches of a process. It starts well before the contract is drawn up and carries through to customer success and renewal discussions years in the future.
Salespeople leverage technology to become thought leaders. They create content that enhances their profiles. Digital marketers are building detailed nurturing tracks to move new leads to qualified sales. Also, to improve the quality of contact before they get on the phone with sales.
The relationship between sales and marketing involves both sides to build a better and more efficient sales funnel. Why? To capture lasting value for the organization. We might see marketing and sales evolve into a single entity. It will have sub-roles that support functions once divided between the two departments.
Sales and marketing understand what’s essential for their company. Website design management and marketing strategies need to be on-point, year-round, to succeed.
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