Many organizations struggle getting sales and marketing aligned and moving in the same direction. It is as if they are both in two separate boats with their oars taking them to different places. My advice don’t row alone.
How can you strive to alter this classic conflict between sales and marketing by applying a set of rules and guidelines?
- Marketing is a support to sales – If you don’t communicate this to your sales leadership, they’ll never believe you are sincere in wanting to align. Most organizations want to grow the right type of revenue and customer base, and it is marketing’s job to provide a range of services to help their customer (sales) achieve their goals. Start from this place to gain confidence from sales leadership.
- Understand the Big Picture – I may be in love with marketing tactics, but if I don’t understand the vision for the brand (or company), I may be leading a team toward the wrong goal. Without a clear picture and consensus on the destination, you will never know if you have succeeded.
- Do Most of the Listening – I like to start aligning by listening to the sales leadership. What do they want to achieve in the coming year? How will they measure success? I might ask clarifying questions, but I don’t offer suggestions immediately. First, either my marketing colleagues or I write up our understanding of their goals. If they agree to those goals, then we can put our marketing hat on to figure out the best path forward.
- Write Down the Plans – Without a written plan of action, how will you know that you are aligned. A simple 3-page marketing plan that sales leadership agrees to is your contract with your client. Marketing supports sales, and the plan is the agreement for the action.
- Be Specific About the Major Spending – I don’t want to get lost in days of planning, but a detailed spreadsheet tied to a written marketing plan is your ticket to success. It keeps you and your sales colleagues on the same page. Don’t expect sales to write the plan or provide the tactics. Just make sure they agree to the key themes.
- Share throughout the organization. I like finance, operations, IT, HR and senior leadership to understand what marketing will do and spend to get us to increased awareness, more qualified leads, etc. By sharing marketing plans, you invite questions, challenges, and comments and position yourself as the fuel in the engine. Keeping marketing plans to within your department is a dumb idea.
- Be a Coxswain Steering the Course- In a rowboat, the coxswain steers and correct the direction. When the fiscal year begins, plans can quickly get off-track as team members start rowing off course. Sales and marketing leadership needs to keep the team on course. In rowing, the coxswain puts an oar in the water to steer toward the direction the team wants to go. In an organization following lean practices, this would be a countermeasure that helps you readjust your path.
- Keep Score – By the beginning of the fourth quarter, it becomes clear if you can achieve your goal. Are you generating the awareness and leads you promised – what went right or wrong and how can you keep correcting? Marketing is a series of A/B tests to keep you heading toward that north star.
How aligned are your sales and marketing efforts?
Need a coxswain to help steer your path forward? I can help align sales and marketing teams. Call me at 919 720 0995 or email me at jeffslater@themarketingsage.com to learn more about rowing together.
Photo by Matteo Vistocco on Unsplash
