5 Reasons Why EVERY Marketer Should Start in Sales
I'm going to propose a bit of a curveball but hear me out!
Forget the traditional marketing route - Sales experience can actually turbocharge your marketing career. As someone who went from sales to marketing myself, I can't recommend this path enough. And here's why:
1. You'll Get to Know Your Audience: Sales puts you face-to-face with your ICP. You'll chat with them, learn their lingo (SEO jackpot alert!), understand their pain points (get a sense of the things they search for), and their buying motivators. This kind of intel is gold when it comes to crafting marketing messages that ACTUALLY resonate.
2. Your Messaging Becomes Laser-Focused: Believe it or not, buyer do not like jargon or fluffy marketing (sorry folks). So, if you have never spoken with the ICP before, how else will you know if you hit the spot? By starting in sales, you'll be able to explain value clearly – essential for creating killer content and engaging strategies. This is a superpower if you ask me.
3. You’ll get Real-time Feedback: Forget surveys and focus groups, sales is a real-time feedback loop on steroids. You constantly encounter the same objections and questions, giving you a gut feeling for what resonates and what falls flat. This intel is priceless for crafting marketing content. In fact, I used this data to co-host a webinar where we tackled these objections head-on, one by one. My manager was sceptical to open up the can of worms but why not address those objects at the start instead of later in the sales cycle?
4. You'll Become More Credible: Mastering persuasion isn't just about fancy words. It's about weaving real-world stories into your marketing copy. Think of it like this: by sharing relevant anecdotes ("a client of mine once...") you showcase your understanding of customer challenges. This builds trust and positions you as an authority. And guess what? Search engines love sites with strong E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). So, persuasion becomes a secret weapon for crafting content that ranks higher and drives action.
5. You’ll build a stronger relationship with your Sales Team? A sales background fosters a deeper understanding between marketing and sales teams. When these two departments work together seamlessly, it's a recipe for serious business growth. However, this is easier said than done because there is often a disconnect between the departments. By being in sales shoes even if it is just a short time, you’ll know what is needed from a marketer and what constitutes a quality lead.
So, the next time you're charting your marketing career path, don't be afraid to consider sales as a springboard. It might just be the secret weapon that propels you to become a truly exceptional marketer. Still unconvinced? Let's chat in the comments below! Share your experiences and we can create a conversation that benefits other.
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Corp Communicator, Storyteller, and Writer | Sales & Partner Marketing Traffic Cop | B2B / B2G & Channel Partner Marketing Director | Content Marketer | Brand Ambassador | Creating Influential Visibility | Chief of Staff
10 个月Luckily, our sales/marketing team is very synergistic. We sell mostly through channel partners, and we have a point at which Sales involves Marketing in on-boarding new partners, and then attending regular base-touch calls. I've never had a corporate sales position, but I've always supported Sales in some way, and I've been on many sales calls/meetings. I value this mutually beneficial connection. After all, we ARE working for the same company!
I believe every marketer at one time in their life should attempt/try and/or go into sales and every salesperson should do the same with marketing. Unfortunately in many tech cultures/organizations, leadership comes from the ranks of ops/engineering/tech and often doesn't understand and/or respect what marketing does from process to strategy. They view marketing as a "cost" and expect immediate results. Marketing often has to sell the C-Suite the benefits/needs for marketing because that agency you need or the additional staff/event marketing budget you require for growth/execution cuts into the COO/CFO's bonus. Marketing and sales may or may never be fully aligned because they look at reality through different filters. It starts with alignment with leadership and sometimes you need to brush up/leverage your sales skills to get a seat at the table.
I've always been that weird marketing person who wants to talk to the sales folks...not the VP of Sales, the folks who are actually in the trenches and know what is working and not working on those calls. My favorite question to ask is "what was the last pitch you lost and why"...great thing about sales folks...they will tell you.
Sr. Vice President of Marketing | Cybersecurity Marketing Leader | Product Marketing Leader | Demand Generation Leader Achieving 34X ROI
10 个月I totally understand your viewpoint here, Sawsan. As somebody who did NOT start in sales, I compensate by going on calls with my sales folks as often as they'll let me. Not always easy, though ... But certainly, there's absolutely no replacement for talking with your actual ICP on a regular basis -- for all the reasons you highlight here!