I am well aware that it has been a fair amount of time since I last wrote a listicle, but for the past couple of weeks I have been writing about how sales and marketing should work together (LINKS).
As a recap research has shown when the two are efficiently aligned and harmonised, the results can be that of a 24% faster three-year revenue growth [KT1] and a 27% faster three-year profit growth.
So, I have decided that this topic is deserving of a wee listicle.
Here it goes, the eight top reasons as to why sales and marketing should be harmonizing their teams and working together.
- Enhanced Lead Fostering
The sales team are on the front lines. They can see every day what is required from their product, what drives their customers to seek it out. They are interacting every single day with real people; they know what they want. By merging sales with marketing, the marketing team will have a better insight into what their audiences are seeking, and what they can do to drive them towards the product. It might well be that the marketing team were supplying leads that weren’t ready yet. By communicating in the same room, face-to-face, sales and marketing can work together to ensure that all leads are ready to be passed on, and how, and why they are ready. This will ensure future success.
- Marketing will be able to better understand the customers
Leading on from the above, it is an inherent role of the job of the Sales customers, to be interacting face-to-face with their customers. However, there is no shame in admitting that, marketing, in contrast, has little real* interactions with the customers they are trying to reach. By aligning the two teams, marketing can be given the chance to see what it is that their customers are after, really after. This can allow them to go back to the drawing room, and reevaluate their plans and their strategies to draw these customers in. This can only improve those leads to be ready for the sales team to take over.
- Unified Team
Look, we know that you understand it by now, but marketing and sales working together, well it’s just like our rugby team analogy. Those forwards and backs working together will result in everyone winning. Only by the forwards setting up the groundwork, successfully, will the backs be able to score those tries, also successfully. Harmonise the team, bring it altogether and you have yourself a winning team, just like the All Blacks.
- Increased Leads, Sales and Revenue
I mean, isn’t that the goal we are all striving to achieve at the end of the day? We want to see more sales and hear the ka-ching of that extra revenue being brought in at the end of each year. How do we achieve that? Only through increased leads. How do we achieve those increased leads? By having one team, with the same vision. Harmonisation will result in a collective win for everyone. If your team has been struggling with leads that fizzle out or perhaps just unrealized leads, then bring the teams together, gather the feedback, use it to improve the leads.
- Develop buyer personas together.
The last thing you want, is to have these teams to have completely different ideas of who their ideal customers and buyers are. If sales and marketing both have in their mind’s eye, their ideal customers, what their strengths and weaknesses and their end goals are, then ultimately who can deny that the sales and leads and marketing will altogether be stronger, and more aligned.
- Speak with one voice
It might feel like I am repeating myself, and perhaps I am, but here we go again. Combine your teams! Have one voice, rather than two conflicting, contrasting voices. Combine the visions the teams have. To be successful, the teams need to be united and, on each other’s team, not just batting for their own. The representations that each team presents, needs to be united and collective, otherwise the customers will feel confused. Confused is not what you want your customers to feel, let me tell you that for free.
- Stay ahead of Competition
We’ve talked about how the sales team are on the frontline. But how about we take the time to acknowledge that the marketing team are the ones that scrutinize and analyse competitive rivals in the same market. From blog posts, to social media, to brand awareness tactics, it is marketing’s job to know what is going on. By aligning the two teams, marketing can give sales the intel, the tricks being used by other teams, and together, the teams can look how to surpass their competitors’ products and win over customers.
- Increased Revenues
If you missed my last blog post, read it here. If you need just a reminder, how about this: Hubspot’s research showed that the misalignment between marketing and sales is costing the business world over $1 trillion a year. If that is not enough of a reason for you to realise these two teams need to be combined, well sit down, have a cup of tea, and re-evaluate whether you’re in this for the right reason. Let’s say it again in case you didn’t read it correctly. $1 trillion. Annually. 79% of leads are not being converted into sales. This is down to a lack of communication between the two teams.
In stark contrast, HubSpot found that where teams were aligned efficiently and proactively, these organisations were able to close 38% more deals and achieve a 208% higher revenue intake.
So that’s it. Our compiled list of the top eight reasons as to why marketing and sales belong together. Like salt and pepper belong together, or cows each have a best friend, let’s make marketing and sales friends. Let’s get that revenue growing.
KS
