THATBlog

Sales and marketing... It's never been easy to get these two teams on the same page, but given the overwhelming number of technologies available today to make it happen - and the changing nature of the buyer’s journey - integration should be part of your corporate strategy.

"Should," though and "Is" are two very different beasts! So how do you make it happen? How can you get both teams working in tandem? This quick guide can help.

Step 1: Realign Thinking

Your team members may not realize exactly how much they need each other until they step back and look at the bigger picture. Ads don't physically make the sale; they prime the pump, so to speak. The sales team then draws the water.

Without the ads, though, there may not be any leads walking through the door to create the sales opportunity. Explaining this to your teams may help them adjust how they think about the other component. You have to have sales to make your numbers at the end of the day. Those sales, though, won't happen unless people know what's available, and that's marketing's job.

Eliminate silo thinking; we’re all on the same team at the end of the day.

Step 2: Help Both Teams See The Reward Involved

There really is a silver lining to alignment. It's possible to shorten the sales process if marketing knows what adjustments to make. Having your sales team get involved with that is key. After all, sales has the opportunity to obtain direct feedback from customers on almost a daily basis, something your marketing team may not have hands-on access to.

If sales efforts align with marketing campaigns and sales people ask about those marketing channels that work, marketing will have an opportunity to make changes where they're needed. This is especially true if you make continual feedback between the two teams pivotal to your corporate strategy.

Step 3: Use Technology

The technology to align both teams is out there. Make sure you're using it.

Find a platform that allows you to integrate your data from the marketing to the sales process. Make sure your sales team collects and records all of the data they have through your CRM software. Work to get on the same page with coordinated attacks that means sales efforts are focused around marketing campaigns.

Account-based marketing campaigns are one great way to align both sales and marketing teams and ensure they're on the same page. Don't forget, too, to utilize what's out there in terms of communication so everyone knows exactly what role they should be playing and what teams expect out of the other side.

Alignment could mean everything for your next campaign. Imagine the possibilities if sales and marketing were a cohesive teams rather than two distinct functions? They are endless.

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