You're caught in the middle of a marketing-sales team strategy clash. How do you navigate towards a solution?

Tension usually occurs when there one team's expectations of the other's performance are askew. Very often we hear the marketing team saying, 'We are providing unheard of levels of leads to sales, but they are just delivering results', while sales team answers, 'The leads we receive are not a good enough quality' as a basis for non-performance. Ultimately, if one or two salespeople on a team are not performing it is one thing, but an entire team (5-500) stating that there is an issue with the lead data they receive is a serious spotlight pointing to a lack of understanding of what the leads must entail.

I always listen first, think, then act! Often choosing the ‘middle ground’ which I find really works as everyone in the room gets behind my decision as it’s fair. You could criticise that this is very diplomatic but for me it works.

I agree with the sales person meeting with Marketing. However, the sales person should take the lead. That person knows the Customer better than the Marketing people The Marketing people will assess the situation from the profitability and availability standpoint. There are often times when micromanaging does not good. Actually, it usually ruins the sale.

When marketing and sales butt heads, it's usually because they're wearing different lenses. Marketing sees the big picture, painting with broad strokes of brand awareness, while sales zeros in on closing the deal. The key is to step back and look through both lenses—understanding where they diverge and why. By bridging the gap with open communication and shared goals, you can turn the clash into a collaboration. Aligning their efforts ensures that both teams are driving towards the same finish line, not running parallel races.

After pinpointing the friction points, the next step is to align everyone on shared goals that are crystal clear and achievable. Think of it as setting the GPS for both teams, ensuring they’re headed toward the same destination. Whether it's improving lead quality or boosting conversion rates, these goals should resonate with both marketing and sales, fostering a spirit of collaboration. When everyone’s rowing in the same direction, the journey becomes smoother, and success becomes a team sport. This alignment transforms potential conflicts into opportunities for growth.

An exceptionally precise way of dealing with this sort of situation comes via the setting of a Service Level Agreement (SLA). This document - drafted by the company's leadership or by combining high-level strategic vision with the input of the teams themselves - should stipulate exactly what a high-quality lead comprises in terms of data quality, timing, and necessary quantities that would be considered a success (which is also handy to monitor as KPI fulfilment for management!).

One method I have introduced is the company organising a joint keynote of department heads providing a refresher overview of THE OTHER department's work. This proved exceptionally informative as teams were better prepared to listen to one of their own providing them information about the other group, reducing inter-group tensions, but at the same time providing a comedic environment with panto-like feedback from either team. As a result, both teams left the presentation better informed and with better appreciation of their counterparts.

In my business I encourage cross department working, this helps to facilitate any potential barriers and aid with sharing tasks. It’s a very agile way of working also makes everyone feel on the same level.

A CRM should be the absolute first touchpoint of both teams hands down. Whether it provides insights of an organisation's overall marketing efforts or an individual salesperson's approach to a client, this level of openness provides grounds for better understanding between teams and better grounds for collaboration and sharing of best practices.

In my organisation we introduced a CRM system and it really has helped not only our sales & marketing teams but also our business development managers who speak to our valued customers every day. The most important thing to note is that the customers experience improves because all of the teams have the same information at their fingertips and they are perceived much more professional and experienced.

An absolute must. We must align and offer transparency, accompanied by one goal, whether by customer, sector or company wide. One destination!!

By establishing clear metrics and key performance indicators, you can monitor progress towards common objectives. Regular check-ins and open communication between teams are essential to identify areas of misalignment and find common ground. Emphasizing the importance of collaboration and shared success can help bridge the gap and foster a more productive working relationship.