An open letter to (any) Sales & Marketing team!

Hello there!

Thank you for coming, I am taking this moment to share with you some reflections on the main Sales & Marketing takeaway that I learned in a decade in business.

If you have been exposed to annoying Sales meetings or negative Marketing material that triggers everything but the willingness to know more about an offering, well... welcome to the club.

I have been studying and living in 5 countries and I can tell you that it is disappointing to see that this department -the one who is meant to be the first interphase with customers- is getting the message wrong.

Most of the companies look to serve a current need in the market, sometimes this need is "created" and it is all good in business until... it is not anymore.

The reason behind this is because they are serving a need and not a cause. Let's be serious, a need is way far from being a cause.

Following to serve a need is an ephemeral momentum in the Sales lifespan and journey, it will adapt, change and mutate into whatever it takes to get a deal done. While serving a cause is a perpetual momentum that evokes inspiration and a forward way of thinking. That is, exactly where you want to be if you are looking to stay in this game for a while.

I guess many people are landing in frustration while getting deals done precisely because if you don't understand the cause, you are fighting with limited tools to perform, and most likely, without the most powerful one: Creativity.

Don't believe me this one? I invite you to go through the last email you sent or the last phone number you dialed. What was that conversation about? Can you identify your cause or the one of your counterparts? Can you name it?

If not, let me introduce you to Petra, and no, it is not the new Siri or Alexa. It means "Stone" and it is the root word for "Petrified". It is the symptom of being stacked or piled in the gray zone of fear and frustration.?

Finding "your cause" creates a powerful current in your body that transforms the way you react and see things, in other words, it changes the way your brain is wired. When this cause is shared and embraced by more people in your organization it enables collaboration between peers and coworkers, inspires teams to follow and replicate streams. And when the Sales & Marketing teams find that jewel, it becomes a genuine approach that is welcomed by Partners and Customers.

For the ones who know me, you know I am not exaggerating when I say that I looked in so many places and cities. Failed job applications and fighting against poor languages skills. Exchanging Visas and Working Permits (we will talk about that some other time). Facing the world with an outdated laptop and 2€ left on my prepaid phone. In the end, the cause was never outside, it was inside of me, a sincere act on what I believe my life should be like.

This journey brought so many cool stories and learnings, it also brought so many bombastic failures and F-ups, but you know what? It has been the best decade of my life!

What are you doing to find your cause?

May the force be with you!