Why Sales & Marketing Should Sync

It amazes me how many companies still have sales and marketing departments that aren’t integrated. These two ultimately have the same goal and should always at least be on the same page, if not directly working together. The size and services of a company will influence how much the two departments overlap, but regardless they should both work at different levels to generate leads, educate about the product/service and increase sales. If they aren’t aligned with the same messaging and communication points it causes big problems.

Marketing should be used up front to create brand awareness for the company and services. While advertising, e-newsletters, SEM (paid search) and other tools are taking place, both marketing and sales should work to gather and deliver data. A CRM (customer relationship management) system should be utilized by the sales team to input and track all prospects. This can be from initial meetings, cold-calling, and warm leads from the website or advertising. The same messaging that is marketed on the company website and advertising should be used in sales pitches and calls. If messaging is not standard across both departments, you will confuse and ultimately lose prospects and customers. If a prospect reads one thing on your website but hears something different from the salesman, company credibility and product/service advantages are instantly diminished. Timeliness is also essential, if a warm lead contacts the company via marketing materials, the marketing or sales associates, or both, should instantly log the information into the CRM and follow-up with the new lead.

Part of messaging is education of the prospects and target audience. If a sales associate is going to make a pitch or hold a meeting, he needs proper marketing materials to help get his point across and sell the idea. Marketing tools such as brochures, flyers, or even a branded jump drive with the presentation to leave with the prospect. The pitch and the “leave behind” work together to educate the prospect about the services, present the company in a professional, detailed manner, and establish a relationship that encourages future discussions.

Once you’re past the initial meet and education stage, the sales team should continue building the relationship with ongoing contact, while the marketing team measures and logs the effectiveness of its tools. Metrics such as hits to the website, calls from advertising, clicks from e-newsletters, etc. If both departments communicate and work together, they have a much greater understanding of the prospects and customers, enabling them to sell in a more customized and effective manner. Knowledge is king, and if both sales and marketing work jointly to gather information, analyze and share data, and build customer relationships, it will be much easier to close deals and increase sales & profits for the company.