Sales and marketing alignment is the key to closing more deals and increasing revenue. Unfortunately, as Bill Carmody put it in a recent Inc. article, perfect alignment between the two departments is typically the exception. Sales and marketing tend to operate in silos.
In order to drive sales and marketing alignment, I’ve summarized Carmody’s 8 things sales must know about marketing, below:
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No one wants to be “sold,” but everyone likes to buy.
Old school, high-pressure sales tactics don’t work anymore. Marketing helps sales move away from these tactics by generating demand for the company’s products and driving engagement among prospective buyers. This in turn makes it easier for sales reps to build value. Successful marketing strategies mean that sales reps no longer have to rely on aggressive tactics to close the deal. Because value is already established by marketing, sales reps become trusted advisors who are there to build relationships and bring solutions to an already qualified prospect’s problems.
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People buy on emotion and backfill with logic.
In this case, marketing brings the emotion while sales reps apply the logic. Marketers understand how to pull at a consumer’s heartstrings. They can get a person excited and make them fall in love with a product by supplying the emotion people need to justify their purchasing decisions. Buyers need that “feeling” that a certain product or service is right for them. Potential buyers are available to the sales team because marketing established that emotional connection.
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Big data can help determine when a person is “sales ready.”
Big Data is a term we hear often these days. It was established to help us break through all of the “noise” out there. Content and data are being created every day. It’s up to marketing to sift through that content and get the relevant information to the sales team.
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There is science behind the art of persuasion; much of that is marketing.
Sales teams aren’t the only ones who are masters in the art of persuasion. Marketing teams know how to influence people as well. Many techniques highlighted in Robert Cialdini’s new book, The Small Big, are centered on how changes in marketing strategies can drive sales growth. Persuasion is practically required when is comes to sales, but what salespeople don’t often realize is that marketing is using the art of persuasion to effectively engage prospects before they become customers.
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Marketing helps prospective buyers know, like, and trust you.
Another important aspect that sales must realize is that no matter how much a customer needs your product, they won’t be interested in buying if they don’t trust you. Gaining that trust is yet another aspect of marketing’s job. Marketing is responsible for building the company’s brand, which inadvertently helps you build your reputation. Marketing establishes the potential buyer’s first impression of the company and product you are trying to sell.
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When done correctly, marketing makes your job a lot easier.
As Carmody puts it, marketing is like having a great wingman (or wingwoman). Even when you haven’t talked to the prospect yet, marketing has already filled them in on how great your company’s offering is. Marketing engages with prospects prior to your sale’s pitch in order to help you move the sales cycle along.
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Marketing people love and respect salespeople.
It’s no secret in the business world that salespeople are the ones bringing in revenue for the company—revenue that ultimately pays for the company’s marketing efforts. The marketing department isn’t working to jeopardize the sales team in any way. Marketing works to support sales efforts in order to help drive more revenue for the company. Generally speaking, sales teams that are consistently closing deals are not just respected by the executive team. They are also greatly respected by the marketing department.
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You need each other.
Marketing needs the sales team in order to close deals. Sales needs the marketing team in order to generate leads and create content that helps them close deals. It’s a two-way street.
In fact, more companies understand that having strong alignment between the two departments is crucial to their success, so they are starting to merge the two roles. Neither department can do its job effectively without the other. Therefore, marketing and sales must be seen as partnership that cannot—and should not—be broken-up.
How is your company driving sales and marketing alignment? Let us know!
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