Marketing and sales go together like peanut butter and jelly. Unfortunately, in many instances, the two of them end up siloed. While 87 percent of marketing and sales leaders say collaboration between the departments fuels vital organizational growth, 79 percent of marketing leads never convert to sales, according to the education business LXA.
On top of that, 65 percent of salespeople report problems finding content to send to prospective clients, and only 59 percent of marketing professionals feel they know what kind of content their company’s sales reps need.
This disconnect between two departments that should work closely together leads to lost sales and frustration for professionals on both sides. If you want to boost sales and improve employee experiences, it’s worth reviewing the alignment between your marketing and sales teams and taking steps to get them on the same page.
The cost of failing to sync sales and marketing
If sales and marketing work separately instead of in sync, that disconnect could seriously hurt your organization. LinkedIn global research found that 60 percent of survey respondents believe misaligned sales and marketing teams could have a detrimental effect on financial performance.
Each year in the U.S. alone, marketing and sales waste approximately $1 trillion because they’re out of step with each other, according to LinkedIn’s The Art of Winning guide. Meanwhile, companies classified as “highly aligned” grow 19 percent faster and are 15 percent more profitable, according to a blog by Forrester Vice President and Senior Research Director Phil Harrell.
How to get sales and marketing on the same page
Fortunately, there are plenty of strategies you can employ to get your sales reps and marketing team members working together like a well-oiled machine. Here are a few top tips to improve alignment from HubSpot, Outreach, and G2.
- Hold joint “smarketing” meetings. Routine check-ins with members of both departments present will ensure frequent communication and keep everyone on the same page in terms of projects in the pipeline and strategy.
- Encourage frequent feedback from sales. Marketing staff members won’t know if the content they’re producing has the desired impact without input from the sales team. Ongoing constructive feedback is a must.
- Establish joint objectives. You’ll inevitably end up with conflict if the two departments have different goals. Get your marketing team members and salespeople together to agree on common objectives and key performance indicators for smoother sailing.
- Create and target buyer personas. In addition to working toward the same goals, it helps enormously if everyone targets the same prospective clients. Define who you’re selling to in terms of demographics and psychographics and ensure marketing and sales keep the same customer persona(s) in mind.
- Utilize the same software. If you rely on different systems to track leads, you’re more likely to end up out of sync. A common customer relationship management (CRM) platform can help keep marketing on the same page with sales.
- Attend the same training sessions. To stay aligned in terms of strategy, ask your marketing and sales staff to undergo the same training and attend the same seminars for continuing education.
Ultimately, marketing and sales can accomplish great things together. However, it’s vital to ensure these two essential factions don’t end up siloed within your organization.
If you’re interested in exploring CRM platforms and CX solutions that can help align sales and marketing, our trusted technology advisors would be happy to help you. We’ll leverage our tech expertise, advanced tools, and expansive partner network to streamline the purchasing process and identify the best products for your business.
Get started today by calling 877-599-3999 or emailing sales@stratospherenetworks.com to schedule a consultation with one of our advisors.
