Samuel Thimothy is VP at OneIMS.com, an inbound marketing agency, and co-founder of Clickx.io, the digital marketing intelligence platform.
Picture an orchestra—the woodwinds, brass, and percussion coming together in perfect harmony to create a symphony. Before a performance, however, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes, with each instrument group practicing solo to nail down their sections before they come together as a whole.
How do the different instrument groups play as one unit, even though they bring different agendas, skills, knowledge, and instruments to the table?
How does the conductor get them to succeed and work in harmony?
The answer to both questions is that they all have the same goal: to deliver an unforgettable musical experience. When all the sections of an orchestra are aligned—and everyone knows their role in the ensemble—magic happens.
It’s the same with marketing and sales teams.
To truly be successful, sales and marketing must communicate, coordinate, and collaborate, working together seamlessly to achieve shared goals.
Unfortunately, sales and marketing teams are often siloed and function independently of one another, which not only puts a business at a significant disadvantage but also can lead to lost revenue—in fact, according to Linkedin’s B2B Marketing Benchmark Report, an estimated $1 trillion is lost every year due to misalignment between marketing and sales.
But by functioning as a cohesive unit, aligned sales and marketing teams can work together to drive revenue growth.
The Importance of Sales & Marketing Alignment
Companies that foster sales and marketing alignment can experience a range of benefits, including driving revenue, creating a seamless customer experience, and improving cross-departmental efficiency.
Increased Revenue
Aligning marketing and sales teams leads to higher conversion rates, fewer wasted resources, and increased revenue over time. The numbers don’t lie: Companies with high levels of alignment grow revenue 58% faster and are 72% more profitable than their unaligned competitors.
Better Customer Experience
A significant benefit of sales and marketing alignment is a unified, seamless, and more cohesive customer experience. With consistent messaging, clear handovers, and informed staff, buyers can enjoy a smooth purchasing journey.
Enhanced Efficiency
When sales and marketing teams are aligned, communication channels are established, and technology is integrated, the entire buyer’s journey is streamlined. There is also less risk of duplication of efforts. The result is a more efficient organization.
6 Strategies for Achieving Sales & Marketing Alignment
Clear communication and transparency are the foundation of better alignment between marketing and sales teams. Use these strategies to jumpstart your journey into sales and marketing alignment.
1. Schedule Frequent Meetings
Hold regular meetings with both the sales and marketing teams in attendance, as often as weekly depending on availability, to share insights, ensure alignment, and encourage collaboration. Monthly or quarterly meetings focusing on big-picture items like goal-setting and metric tracking are also a good idea.
2. Agree on Common Terminology & Roles
Successful communication starts with common ground.
Establish definitions for shared terminology, such as the difference between marketing qualified leads (MQLs) and sales qualified leads (SQLs), so there is no opportunity for misunderstanding. Additionally, define roles within sales and marketing so all employees are clear on their responsibilities—and the responsibilities of those in the other department. Sales representatives should know exactly the process prospects go through before getting to their (metaphorical) doorstep, and marketers must understand the sales tactics and common questions that come up as deals are closed.
3. Integrate Technology, Data, & Systems
Siloed sales and marketing teams likely use different technologies that don’t speak to each other, further entrenching the divide between departments. Today’s software, systems, and platforms should be able to collect and share data easily across the organization.
Integrate technology as much as possible, make sure information syncs appropriately, and ensure all processes and data are visible to relevant parties. It’s essential to create a single source of truth so everyone is working with the most up-to-date data.
4. Offer Different Opportunities for Feedback
Make it easy for sales to provide feedback on marketing campaigns and for marketers to share suggestions about using content assets—clear avenues for feedback are crucial for sales and marketing alignment. Employees in both teams should be comfortable sharing and receiving feedback.
Customer feedback is just as important. Create opportunities for sales and marketing teams to receive and discuss feedback from prospects and customers all throughout the buyer’s journey. Together, they can collaborate on ideas to address customer feedback.
5. Set Shared Goals & Metrics
While marketing and sales likely both have their own separate goals, they should also have shared goals, such as increasing revenue and growing the bottom line. Working together to achieve these common goals is the overarching purpose of sales and marketing in an organization.
Agreed-upon metrics shared by sales and marketing provide tangible indicators of progress and help define success. Set key performance indicators (KPIs) and track metrics so both teams are up to speed on how well they are performing.
6. Foster a Culture of Collaboration & Trust
Sharing technology and attending regular meetings won’t do much unless there is a commitment to creating a culture of collaboration and trust across the organization.
There are several ways to foster this type of company culture. One example is to develop a shared calendar between marketing and sales so everyone is in the know and can more easily coordinate. You could also create a channel on whatever messaging application you use (Slack, Teams, etc.) reserved for sales and marketing team members. Even moving desks around so marketing and sales folks interact more often could help. And organizing outings, attending events, and having fun as a cross-departmental group is always a good idea.
Building trust, encouraging collaboration, and celebrating wins together is a vital part of successful sales and marketing alignment.
Conclusion
By aligning your sales and marketing teams, you can empower both teams to collaborate, coordinate, and communicate—so they can work together to attract new customers, retain existing buyers, achieve shared goals, and drive revenue growth.