Even though you both work in the same company, sometimes it feels like sales and marketing are always fighting over what’s most important. Perhaps marketing wants to focus on bringing in very specific targets, while sales would rather have a broader base to work with and qualify later. Or maybe the two departments are presenting your product in different ways, focusing on different features and benefits.
Children. Let’s all play nicely. We’re all here for the same reasons, right? It’s time to get your sales and marketing team in the same room and make peace. Grab some coffee and a box of donuts and let’s all get on the same page, shall we?
The first thing you need to determine is what you sell. Sure, you probably know what your widget is, but what is the real benefit to your customers? Are you selling peace of mind, security, wealth, happiness? These are the principles marketing has to understand, and sales has to carry through in the one-on-one sales process. If marketing brings prospects in with promise of value but sales talks about white-glove service, there will be a disconnect.
Once you know what you’re selling, you next need to figure out who you’re selling to. This can be a broad base, but remember, everyone is not your customer. If you cast such a broad net, all the fish will slip right through. Instead, you need to figure out some broad demographic and psychographic parameters to aim for. Marketing, use sales’ experience to better understand who makes a good customer. It doesn’t matter how many great leads you bring in if none of them ultimately are willing to put money on the table.
Take the time to talk about sticking points in the sales process. Where do prospects balk? When do they walk away? If you know that from the beginning, marketing can help get ahead of the problem and answer some of those questions and concerns before the prospect even walks through the door.
Finally, attach concrete numbers to your sales and marketing. What are your revenue goals? How many customers would you need to hit those goals? What’s your sales department closing rate? How many prospects does marketing need to bring in? Now, you’ve got benchmarks and numbers that will help hold both sides accountable.
Remember, you’re all here for the same reason. You all want your business to grow. In order to do that, you’ve got to start singing from the same choir book. Take the time to understand how sales and marketing work together for the biggest maximum success.
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