What in your experience is the best way to improve collaboration between sales and marketing?
Director of Marketing in Software, 1,001 - 5,000 employees
The best way to improve or ensure collaboration between sales and marketing is leadership. The leads have to be on the same page. After that, collaboration tools and a set of processes that encourages collaboration is key. If there's a disconnect at any level it will become obvious.Director of Marketing in Software, 1,001 - 5,000 employees
In my experience (both professionally and through 27 years of marriage to a successful salesperson), there needs to be a monetary incentive for Sales to be truly motivated to collaborate with Marketing. I don't necessarily mean immediate incentives (although SPIFFS are a great way to meet immediate needs such as Peer Insights reviews for an MQ). If Marketing can demonstrate statistically that specific collaboration activities from Sales drives more (and better) leads that close larger deals faster, they have a vested interest in working with us on campaigns. Sure, leadership needs to be a driving force. But, if you're in Sales, and your primary motivation isn't to win more deals and make more money, then you're in the wrong role. Fortunately, Gartner provides some good research in this area.VP - Home & Digital Entertainment in Telecommunication, 5,001 - 10,000 employees
Sales and marketing require close coordination to get the best benefit and maximal ROI for the business. Incentive schemes are a classic sales “carrot” but providing the services marketing create to the sales team delivers non remuneration benefits and advocacy (sector dependant)
Shared KPIs are also important to ensure both teams operate with a common, not competing goal. Efficiencies on sales commission and total revenue should be shared KPIs.
Director of Marketing in Retail, 51 - 200 employees
I concur with others on here who have brought up leadership. Leadership can often want goals that conflict with marketing efforts. Such as, "we need to highlight product A." "Okay, that'll be the top of our marketing campaign." Then I hear, "we need to light up product B". "Okay, so what about Product A?" "We need to highlight both." "But that will detract spend contributions from one to the other. And on our homepage, we have room for just one first impression. Either you spend more or you understand prioritizing just one is more realistic." And that's where the disconnect happens. It can be quite frustrating, but leadership often will want goals and have expectations that aren't entirely compatible with each other - wanting it both ways. It's like, I have space on our homepage for just one first offer. One's the first, and then there's a second. You can't have two firsts. And then the communication disappears as they seemingly don't care. Then I ask questions without responses. Leadership, good leadership, can make such a difference and it's unfortunate that many do not have it. Because in the past, I've been told to shift focus to a different product, and have done so, and then been asked what about the other one? And it's like, no, you told me to shift focus, you can't have it both ways. And I think it's less about being educated and communication as it just being completely ignorant and not paying attention. Fun stuff. Director of Marketing in Retail, 51 - 200 employees
I concur with others on here who have brought up leadership. Leadership can often want goals that conflict with marketing efforts. Such as, "we need to highlight product A." "Okay, that'll be the top of our marketing campaign." Then I hear, "we need to light up product B". "Okay, so what about Product A?" "We need to highlight both." "But that will detract spend contributions from one to the other. And on our homepage, we have room for just one first impression. Either you spend more or you understand prioritizing just one is more realistic." And that's where the disconnect happens. It can be quite frustrating, but leadership often will want goals and have expectations that aren't entirely compatible with each other - wanting it both ways. It's like, I have space on our homepage for just one first offer. One's the first, and then there's a second. You can't have two firsts. And then the communication disappears as they seemingly don't care. Then I ask questions without responses. Leadership, good leadership, can make such a difference and it's unfortunate that many do not have it. Because in the past, I've been told to shift focus to a different product, and have done so, and then been asked what about the other one? And it's like, no, you told me to shift focus, you can't have it both ways. And I think it's less about being educated and communication as it just being completely ignorant and not paying attention. Fun stuff.Like
Director of Marketing in Software, 51 - 200 employees
Locate and close any communication gaps, ensure that everyone is working towards the same objective, prioritize quality over quantity, and strengthen relationships across teams are some ways that will improve collaboration between sales and marketing.Director of Sales in Banking, 11 - 50 employees
Two things from me:1. Psychological safety - improve this by showing vulnerability, asking for direction, increasing proximity, removing any judgement or managing feedback well
2. Talking results. How marketing projects have taken sales from x to y over a certain time period, and vice versa. Start with this and transition to talking about both as a 'team', and a collective.
Hope this helps!
Director of Marketing in Education, 201 - 500 employees
Money. As far as incentives go, especially with a sales team, money drives them. So offering up an incentive, or goals, to meet based on monetary gains, I would think that is the best way to get them to collaboratoe together.CMO in Services (non-Government), 11 - 50 employees
The sales team needs to see marketing as an ally, using content and materials created by marketing as a way to improve communication with customers. There are sellers who are almost like "lone wolves", they are not willing to work with marketing in actions that would be incredible, often because they do not want to give access to the information and customers in their portfolio.As many mention here in this topic as well, putting both the marketing and sales sectors aligned towards the same goals and keeping everyone constantly informed about the metrics is essential to unite the teams.
The marketing team also needs to be willing to listen to the sales team's needs and concerns and receive feedback on the materials and campaigns they are creating. This can help the marketing team adjust its approach to better meet the needs of the sales team as well as the customers.
To deal with this situation, it's important that the company's leadership makes it clear that collaboration between the sales and marketing teams is a basic requirement of their work. Encouraging collaboration through rewards and recognition for teamwork often works very well, as does making it clear that lack of collaboration can have negative consequences.
CMO in Services (non-Government), 2 - 10 employees
Theme or framework for marketing should be: Business Aligned Marketing Tenets:
1. Consider the 'Sales team' as an internal customer. This mindset shift helps look at their pain points or asks attentively.
2. Set the expectations right and own the deliverables. Show them how many of their asks have been addressed.
3. Be in the Gemba (workspace): Marketing should do field visits and take customer calls (the entire sales cycle, if possible). This will help the marketing team see areas of improvement.
4. Mindset: I am here to help you achieve your goals.
5. Trust & credits: During the early stages, sales teams should be made comfortable sharing feedback on MQLs - give them confidence that their sales incentives are their own. As the relationship matures, internal incentives can be worked out. Leaders, managers, and executives should be on the same page here.
Who should make the move first? Marketing.
Over a period of time, I have seen sales teams becoming the true champions of marketing.
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CTO in Software, 201 - 500 employees
Without a doubt - Technical Debt! It's a ball and chain that creates an ever increasing drag on any organization, stifles innovation, and prevents transformation.Community User in Software, 11 - 50 employees
saw you say MS Teams was a win for you - curious if you are full on with them for video conferencing also? Any issues?
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