Should Sales Do More Marketing?

Cringe much? I am sure many of you did and that’s ok! ?Traditionalists would scoff at such a thought.? But today’s B2B environment is changing all the rules.? No longer is sales just sales and marketing just marketing.? Sales and marketing are coming together (whether forced or organically).? With shared pipeline responsibilities and joint revenue targets, one cannot be successful without the other.?

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Maybe that is why we are seeing a growing trend here at Activate where more BDR teams are reporting up to marketing and not sales in the org charts.? This is a development that was inconceivable less than a decade ago but is now a reality.? Only time will tell if this will continue. ? But for right now, there is a very intentional integration between sales and marketing that presents new challenges and opportunities.? The first question then becomes how do sales and marketing improve the sales-marketing relationship and co-exist together?? Or better yet, how do they expand upon and support each other’s efforts?

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In an upcoming interview with Tom Alaimo, founder of TA Sales, he brought some very interesting perspective on the topic.

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“I see the most successful salespeople doing outbound marketing which is something you didn’t see 2 or even 5 years ago.? They are bringing value to potential customers based on relevant content and important considerations.”? And he should know.? Tom is considered the “BDR Whisperer” having trained thousands of B2B sales pros through corporate trainings, in person boot camps and direct coaching.

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This evolution sparks questions such as what is value content? Where does marketing end and sales begin?? Does marketing need to concede some control over what gets distributed through direct and social media?? This goes beyond just company posts that are widely reposted by sales.? This gets into blogging and content creation.? Are there potential bumps in the road?

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It’s all subjective.? There are some considerations for sure.? While marketing does control the overall company narrative, sales can provide additional resources to marketing while boosting their own value to potential customers.? Here are some key content strategies for sales content:

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Bring Value:????? No one wants to read or hear a blatant sales pitch about how great a product or service is.? Bringing value to content is simply looking at things from a prospect’s perspective and exploring information and perspectives that will help and assist in a potential buying situation or some considerations that may not have been thought of previously.? Content should bring insight and perspective that is useful.

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Bring Relevancy:?? Know your audience and bring forth content that is aligned with them.? Alignment based on topic, title, responsibilities or interest.?

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Be Considerate:? Don’t waste anyone’s time.? If someone gives you their time and attention, make sure you are delivering something worthwhile to them.? Have them feel satisfied that their time was well spent with your content and not a regretful experience.

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As the B2B tech landscape continues to evolve, we should likely see more integration between sales and marketing through content, demand gen efforts and revenue responsibilities.? It will provide growing pains and redefined responsibilities for both.? However, organizations that are able to align and expand sales and marketing efforts will be far ahead of those who still draw lines in the sand between sales vs marketing.?

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Is your sales team actively producing their own marketing content?? Would love to know more on how these efforts are working at your company.? Feel free to IM me and thanks for reading…? John