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Make Your Marketing & Sales Team Work Together

First what is "Smarketing"?  HubSpot defines it as the alignment between your sales and marketing teams created through frequent and direct communication between the two. But I would just say the love (and goals) are finally met between the two, without any hair pulling.

Every business wants to have a happy and fully functional staff, but usually, when you mesh marketing and sales together it can often be frustrating for all parties involved, almost like a peanut butter and mayo sandwich or a bad marriage. Yet sometimes all it takes is a plan and a little more communication to make a team work together better. And sometimes it is not so simple. We have some tips for both.

Both marketing and sales staff said that they feel misunderstood and unappreciated by their respective counterparts. According to Harvard Business Review  87 percent of marketing and sales professionals described each other negatively. Why? Because each job is supposedly expected and held to different goals but yet must work together to reach a common core goal.

First, on our list would be creating a minimum goal for each side. How many leads marketing generated this month and how many sales followed up with (for example)? This way marketing feels as if their efforts did not go to waste and sales are not obligated to exhaust every moment pursing them.

Second, provide a way for marketing and sales to discuss their hardships and frustrations (constructively), in weekly meetings and in CRM systems (and other integrated technology). This will not only keep the teams organized but they can look at the quantitative data for marketing leads and sales can follow up on those leads. They can also offer feedback to one another and all be involved in the marketing and sales process from the beginning.

Bill Rozier, senior director of global marketing at Ciena has a similar solution, “First and foremost, we take our field direction from sales. I think that's a huge change here. And for their part, sales helps us with some of the heavy lifting of field-marketing programs.”

This comes with education. Knowing what makes you different and how you achieve those goals through different tactics can help establish an understanding.

For example, marketing tends to be in charge of coming up with the content and graphics for the print materials while sales tend to disseminate the materials to the clients (or leads). Having weekly meetings and including all sales personal into the “idea factory” as we like to call it, counts for more brain power as well as a feeling of value to each person as they have had a direct influence into each and every project.

All in all, marketing and sales has the same end game: gain clients and keep them, while excelling the company as an industry leader. Although each approach this task at different times, in different ways, it is about successfully representing the company, and each working together can ensure their respective jobs go smoother. Marketing can make a potential customer already know your brand, making the sale that much easier, while sales keeps that personal relationship alive. Well get to it and happy bonding!

AJ Printing & Graphics and Wine Country Signs is a commercial printer in Santa Rosa, California specializing in the print and sign industry. We put our relationships with our clients over everything in order to ensure their success. With over 30 years’ experience in the industry, leave the printing to us and focus on other things. We are a green business, recycling all of our paper and buying from trusted businesses that commit to the sustainability of our planet. We are your partner in print, design and marketing located at 1315 North Dutton Ave, Santa Rosa, CA (707) 525-8600!