vickioneill

Episode 2:  Why Align Marketing and Sales

From this episode:

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First step in making change: action.

Any action will do. But, in order to make change happen you need to just take a step toward it.

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Question:  Do your leads exceed a 65% closing rate? If not, there's an opportunity for better alignment.​

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If leads aren't converting at the rate you expect, here are some things to evaluate. Is it:

1. One particular sales person - results or perhaps influencing others negatively?

2. A particular geography?

3. A particular customer persona or digital platform?

4. A particular product or service you sell?

5. A fall out from your prospects expectations (what was in the marketing message) vs. the reality of the purchase (what they actually received or what the sales person told them)?

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Identify the end goal then back into how you can achieve it. If your lead close rate is low, you can check your marketing and sales alignment by starting with your company goals. Confirm the actions you're taking to support your overall business goals. This is reverse engineering the customer journey which I review in episode 4.  

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The best plan is a strategic plan that the entire organization is involved in creating it. Start with the highest level leader and once the strategies and tactics are in place, go to the next level to do the same. Then use this document throughout your fiscal year as a living document - update it monthly and do a quarterly review to check progress with goals. Tweak when necessary!
 

Your marketing and sales efforts are THE two most important components that connect your goals with your results.  Simply put:  Marketing drives Sales. 

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Three questions to consider:

1. Could your lead quality and lead close rate be higher? 

2. Do the actions of your Marketing and Sales teams support the company goals? 

3. Is there consistency in Marketing messaging that drives the right type of leads to sales?

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Final thought:

There is still a strong delineation between Marketing and Sales in most industries. While this may be true in some cases, the line that separates the two areas IS fading. If you look closely at your business, you may notice that there are more similarities occurring over time creating more of a 'gray area'.

As each team increases their understanding of the other and the role they play in the entire customer buying process, there should be an increase in the gray area – Marketing knows more about Sales and Sales about Marketing. A bigger gray area - in this situation - is good. And it's encouraged!

Remember that a well-thought out marketing and sales plan will effectively drive the sales you want.