The Confluence of Marketing and Sales

At their core, marketing and sales are two sides of the same coin. The goal of marketing is to generate leads that can be converted into customers, while the goal of sales is to close deals with those leads. In other words, marketing brings people in, and sales turn them into paying customers. Better yet, marketing creates the stories, and sales articulate and execute those stories to compel customers to take action. In many organizations and maybe yours, leadership doesn't effectively discern the differences between the two. The lack of understanding of these differences is problematic and can cause investing in the wrong area of your business to get maximum effect.

It's not enough for marketing and sales to simply exist in harmony; they need to work together closely to be truly effective. Equal commitment to each is vital. After all, there's no point in generating a ton of leads if your sales team can't close them, and there's no point in closing deals if you don't have any leads to begin with. The relationship between marketing and sales is therefore one of symbiosis—each side needs the other in order to function at its best.

How Marketing and Sales Work Together

There are a few key ways in which marketing and sales need to collaborate in order to be successful. First, there needs to be a strategic plan and an understanding of each other's true functions. Most companies have sales strategies, goals, and tactics to increase revenue without the inclusion of marketing as a factor. Think of marketing as the framework to create your why. If you are selling a product or service, what is the message that resonates with your customer? Products and services don't sell themselves and without marketing, sales have a less strategic roadmap for success. You accidentally create a process of individual contributors telling their own stories that may or may not align with the companies. Therefore confusing internal and external customers, that debilitates effective selling. There needs to be a clear alignment between the two teams on who and what constitutes a qualified lead. This way, the sales team knows when they should reach out, and the marketing team knows when their efforts are bearing fruit.

Second, both teams need to use a common language and set of metrics. This creates a shared understanding of what's working and what isn't, making it easier to make adjustments on the fly. Third, there should be a clear handoff process from marketing to sales— ideally, with lead nurturing happening throughout. Finally, regular check-ins between the marketing and sales teams are essential so that everyone is always on the same page.

Conclusion

Marketing and sales are two essential functions within any business—but they're only effective if they're working together closely with equal attention and effort. If you are on the executive leadership team do you understand the important relationship between marketing and sales? If you do, are you committed to investing in and fostering the relationship? It's not only about aligning qualified leads, using a common language and a set of metrics. It's about the collaboration of two teams working as one as if one's success depends upon the other. Because in today's competitive environment, it's a requirement for success.