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Getting Sales and Marketing to Get Along
Where are the opportunities to encourage and improve sales and marketing collaboration? Massini Group CEO Kermit Yensen asked that question during a panel discussion on the topic at the Frost & Sullivan Sales & Marketing Executive MindXchange earlier this week in Tempe, AZ. He also responded to the question, citing three areas where sharing is the answer.
First, Yensen said, is the need for a shared target list of customers, whether sites or accounts. This will help improve such efforts as lead generation, such that marketers will be better able to gather the “right” leads to send to sales, and sales in turn will feel that the leads they’re receiving are of better quality.
Next, Yensen suggested sharing target titles, to hone the account penetration strategy, as well as targeting marketing efforts. Finally, he advised attendees to have their sales and marketing teams share CRM and related applications. However, these tools should be optimized for each team’s specific needs, he said.
Rob Rush, CEO of LRA Worldwide, suggested that companies improve their internal branding efforts. “Employees who are connected with the brand can better communicate its value,” he said, adding that this connection will help salespeople and marketers communicate the same message to customers. This is especially important for customer retention, Rush said. “CMOs who create a brand promise that their company can’t deliver on will hemorrhage customers,” he said.
What I see most often in the struggle between Marketing and Sales is the lack of agreement on what defines a (qualified) "Lead". Sales expects a prospect delivered on a silver platter and ready for closure. Marketing believes that the volume(s) of response indicates success and Sales should sort out the good and the bad.
We coach organizations to agree on the definition of a Lead. And, that there is a qualification process that is required once the Lead is obtained (by Marketing). We champion the definition of a Lead as, "A prospect who has shown an interest in (y)our products or services." Note that a qualification of that interest (and buying probability) is still required. Larger organizations can add a tier called "Telemarketing" to further refine the Lead. Smaller organizations need to rely on their Sales team to do the qualification.
Think in terms of Cause and Effect. Marketing 'causes' an event to happen, and Sales 'effects' the outcome.