What happens when sales and marketing stop fighting? ?? Things get done

It's a story as old as the industry itself.

• Marketing often thinks sales wants them to do all the work
• On the flip side, sales believes marketing just makes their job harder

When I worked at PepsiCo in 2012, the relationship between sales and marketing was often strained. Both sides had their own perspective, and collaboration wasn’t always smooth. When I transitioned to working in real estate in Dubai, I encountered the same dynamic. The tension between sales and marketing was still there, with both sides often misunderstanding each other's roles.

From my experience across different companies, this relationship has improved significantly over time. There's now a clearer understanding of how these two functions are interdependent, and more effort is put into aligning them.

But here’s something you don’t hear often from marketing director: marketing’s main goal should be to make sales easier.

Sales is tough. Marketing isn't a walk in the park either, but sales teams typically face bigger targets and more pressure.

Unlike sales, marketing doesn’t have to deal with the frustration of spending time on potential customers. Sales requires resilience and a thick skin to handle the stress of closing deals and meeting targets every month.

This pressure often results in higher turnover within the sales department, which is usually the team with the most hiring and firing each year.

If you're losing more salespeople than you'd like, marketing might be part of the issue.

When marketing is done right, it plays a crucial role in supporting sales by driving consumer demand and ensuring products move off the shelves efficiently. This alignment not only boosts sales performance but also helps keep employee turnover in check.

So, what does marketing need to do exactly?

Marketing’s primary job is to build strong brand awareness and drive consumer demand. It’s about ensuring that your products stand out on crowded shelves and resonate with shoppers. This means developing campaigns that not only highlight product benefits but also tap into the emotions and lifestyle preferences of the target audience. Effective marketing also involves constant market research, understanding consumer behavior, and adapting strategies based on changing trends. By creating strong, memorable campaigns and ensuring consistent messaging across all touchpoints, marketing ensures that consumers are not just aware of the brand but are motivated to choose it time and again over competitors.

How does marketing generate sales?

Marketing generates sales by creating a strong brand presence and influencing consumer purchasing behavior. This is achieved through impactful advertising, strategic product placement, and effective promotions. Marketing ensures that products are visible, desirable, and readily available to consumers when and where they shop. Through consistent branding and targeted messaging, marketing helps build trust and loyalty, encouraging repeat purchases. Marketing teams also work closely with retailers to secure prime shelf positioning, promotional displays, and in-store activations, all contributing to product turnover and sales growth.

You hold the key to making marketing work. Without you, it's just noise.

Sales and marketing must work hand-in-hand to drive success. While marketing creates demand and brand loyalty, the sales team ensures that the products reach the shelves and stay there. Sales provides valuable insights from the field—what consumers are saying, how products are performing, and where improvements can be made. This feedback is critical for refining marketing strategies and adapting to market trends. Without the collaboration and input from sales, marketing efforts won't be as effective in driving growth and meeting business objectives.

P.S. remember, marketers – we’re the masterminds behind the plan. ??