Getting sales and marketing on the same page isn't easy, but it leads to amazing results. See 6 takeaways from our lunch & learn for unifying sales & marketing.
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Why can’t we all just get along?
We recently held our October Lunch & Learn, “Getting Sales and Marketing on the Same Page.” This idea is often easier said than done, but companies that get their sales and marketing departments on the same page achieve outstanding results.
We heard from our President, Scott Elliot, and 3 of Birmingham's business leaders who have led the way in aligning sales and marketing. Here is a summary of what we shared!
This one sounds obvious, but it’s the foundational element needed to get sales and marketing on the same page. Your marketing team needs to understand the sales goals, be a part of sales initiatives, understand the process, and know the team. And your sales team needs to provide clear feedback on the marketing efforts, let them know what challenges they are facing, and be open about potential clients and how sales meetings are going.
Your teams need to talk, and they need to have mutual respect for each other. Neither team can do it alone.
Here are 4 foundational marketing elements every business needs and why.
Your sales and marketing teams need to get together and agree on terminology. If they're speaking from two separate indexes of terminology, they'll need help communicating well. For example, what qualifies as a lead? Your business won’t be able to reach its peak potential if your marketing and sales teams have two different definitions for this.
All of these other elements are only strong when they’re consistent. Both teams must discuss the activity on both sides, including celebrating victories when something goes well and debriefing when something doesn't.
See how putting customers at the center benefits both teams!
All our panelists shared that they felt that their sales and marketing teams had buy-in from the C-suite. Your organization’s leaders, whether they have sales and marketing experience or not, have a significant impact on the success of these two teams. Is leadership encouraging them to work together, getting them the necessary tools and resources, and listening to feedback?
Your strategies will be far more effective if leadership is on the same page as sales and marketing.
Sometimes customer feedback points to a product or service strategy that isn’t aligned with your company’s Brand. From a sales perspective, these approaches are valuable in the short term. However, marketing experts understand the importance of Brand consistency.
Short-term success has value, but so does the commitment to building your brand. With both in mind, how can your sales and marketing team collaborate on a solution that meets both needs?
Salespeople are often the first and best internal resource for understanding a buyer’s journey from prospect to lead to customer. But sometimes, these buyers don’t realize every marketing touchpoint they had that influenced their decision.
Did they find you through organic search, or did they already have an awareness of your brand through an article they read or an ad they saw? Maybe they called from a link on your website. What were they looking at right before they made that decision? Your marketing team can provide many of these additional insights.
If you missed this lunch & learn, don’t worry! We plan to host many more events to help business owners like yourself learn more about marketing, branding, video, and more. Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram to stay up-to-date on marketing news, tips, and future lunch & learns!
For any questions about aligning your sales and marketing teams, reach out to us here! We would love to hear more about what you do and share our insights.
Your message is more than what you do. It's why you do it. A message demonstrates you care as much about providing a solution as you do selling a product or a service.
Your "Brand" is the feeling people get when they interact with your company. Design and branding are visual tools to establish your Brand, and nothing is more powerful than a Brand that resonates.
Online advertising provides powerful tools to reach your ideal clients. Websites are the hub that coordinates both traditional and digital marketing strategies to convert engagement into leads.
Video and photography are more than just content for your website and social media. They are powerful storytelling tools that stand apart from all other forms of communication by creating a personal connection.