Sales and marketing teams work toward the same goal — increasing revenue — but often approach it from different angles. While marketing teams focus on creating awareness and generating leads, sales teams focus on converting those leads into clients. If marketing and sales aren’t aligned, the disconnect can lead to wasted time, confusion and missed opportunities.
It’s important to remember that sales and marketing are on the same side, even if their strategies differ. If your sales and marketing departments feel a bit disconnected, read on. In this issue of PromoPro Daily, we’re sharing some tips from Clementine Jones, a content marketer at Foleon, on bringing sales and marketing closer together in the year ahead.
1. Create common goals. The first step is to define your shared KPIs, like revenue or pipeline growth, Jones says. Make sure both departments understand lead definitions, like marketing qualified leads (MQLs) and sales qualified leads (SQLs), to avoid miscommunication down the road.
2. Find shared tools and processes. Sales teams use their preferred platforms and CRMs, and marketing teams use their favorite tools. However, try to find shared processes, like lead handoffs or content creation. Jones says this ensures more transparency and helps reduce double work.
3. Invite teams to shadow each other. Set aside some time for marketing and sales departments to observe each other. Marketing pros could listen in on sales calls and sales reps could participate in a brainstorming session. These sessions allow staff members to get a better understanding of each other’s work, Jones says.
4. Collaborate on content creation. Jones points out that creating targeted, relevant content starts with truly understanding your audience and the messages that will hit home with them. Bring your sales and marketing teams together to share content ideas. This will help you create content that’s truly useful for your audience.
5. Communicate often. Collaboration requires communication — and a lot of it. This could mean providing feedback, giving updates or sharing insights. Jones recommends scheduling regular meetings to keep sales and marketing teams speaking to one another frequently.
While sales and marketing teams may not interact much, they should always be on the same page. When they’re aligned, teams benefit from higher-quality leads, smoother handoffs and more closed deals. Plus, your whole organization can work toward the same goals, with greater efficiency.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Clementine Jones is a content marketer at Foleon, a content creation platform.
