The relationship between marketing and sales

Similar goals, different perspectives

You may know of, or even be, a head of sales and marketing. The relationship between these two practices is widely misunderstood. From the outside, sales and marketing are two sides of the same coin, focused on reaching prospects, growing existing customers, or driving increased engagement with your brand’s services. But even though this is true, it’s incredibly common for sales teams and marketers to find themselves at odds with each other, dropping the baton as it’s passed between the two departments. Why can’t we all just get along?

From the salesperson’s perspective

A salesperson’s MO is to identify a prospect, connect with them, and provide them with the information they need to choose their company’s products or services. An inside sales representative answers requests as they come in, or they reach out from their office using phone calls, emails, or social media messages. They’re often compensated for making a required number of calls and securing deals.

Outside salespeople hit the street, knock on doors, and meet in person. Often, an outside salesperson’s job is to maintain and increase an existing customer’s commitment. They visit their clients at their locations, have lunch, and sometimes entertain them to maintain their relationships.

In the end, whether a salesperson uses marketing materials, classic relationship-building strategies, or another approach, they’re often measured by results like spend amounts, long-term commitments, or other metrics. Very rarely is a successful salesperson measured by how well they tapped into the marketing resources that their counterparts have created.

From the marketer’s perspective

From the highest level, great marketers talk about benefits over features. Our goal is to help potential customers and partners understand how our solution is best suited to their unique challenges.

In sales-driven organizations, many marketers field requests from the sales team. They may need a customized presentation, a case study that speaks to the customer’s challenge directly, or a well-designed sales sheet.

In other organizations, marketers work long before the sales effort to create inbound strategies, searchable online resources, overview materials such as videos, and validation pieces like customer testimonials or awards that the company has won. 

A healthy mix

As marketing teams create an ecosystem of materials consisting of a great website, an engaging social media presence, downloadable content, and resources that the sales team can refer to during the sales process, our goal is to provide the salesperson a wealth of reference materials that help them secure meetings with prospects, facilitate a healthy discussion, and increase the likelihood of winning business. But so often, the materials go unused, or at least not used to the extent a marketer would hope.

Not being in the room (or on the call or email thread) during the sales discussion, marketers may not realize that their pre-created materials aren’t as relevant as they hoped. If our materials say, “Our solution solves X problem,” but the prospect says, “I’m looking for a solution for Z problem,” the salesperson does not need the available marketing materials.

On the other hand, the marketing team may have crafted a great way to talk about your brand, product, or service, and the salesperson may feel that they have a better approach. So, while the marketing team poured a lot of thought and great design into the materials, their sales counterpart feels that they are fine, or even better off, without them.

Getting on the same page

How do we solve this age-old problem and strengthen the relationship between marketing and sales? First, both sides must speak to each other. This isn’t groundbreaking, and it shouldn’t be challenging. After all, both disciplines are founded on excellent communication skills. But at the same time, assuming that the other side doesn’t “get” what you provide, or what you need, creates distance, not unity.

Next, spend time understanding the other side’s motivations. If marketing is creating a great case study next quarter, but the sales team needs to close a deal next week, we’re missing out on the power of collaboration. Going further, marketers who spend time in the field, or listen to sales conversations, have a better understanding of how they can truly support sales and prevent wasted time on materials that don’t drive the sales conversation forward.

Successful organizations close the gap by creating a cadence of reporting between their sales and marketing teams. How often does a particular marketing resource get utilized in the sales process? How could it be better or more effective? What kinds of questions are the sales teams hearing repeatedly that could be addressed on the company’s website, on the social media platform, or through a marketing asset like a video or blog entry?

Most of all, the relationship between marketing and sales needs to be a priority at the top. A single leader who is responsible for both marketing and sales should spend their time unifying the two sides. If each discipline has its own dedicated leader, those leaders exemplify the kind of relationship their teams will have with each other. One should act as the left foot, and the other the right, displaying how the organization moves forward best when they act in tandem and trust one another.

A supportive relationship

One of Lunne’s four primary services is sales and marketing support. When we work with marketing teams to provide support to their sales counterparts, our primary goal is to understand how the sales process operates, how prospects receive information most effectively, and how the marketing team supports the process with relevant resources. We have facilitated cross-functional workshops, developed playbooks, and provided an outside perspective that strengthens the sales and marketing relationship.

Is your organization in need of help to unify these functions for the success of your brand? Reach out to learn how the Agency of Relationships brings teams together.