“All Marketing does is produce useless brochures” complains Mr. Sales.
“All Sales does is complain about our brochures” counters Ms. Marketing.

In many businesses there’s a growing rift between Sales and Marketing. Sales sees Marketing as ivory-tower, know-it-alls who stay away from the real action, while Marketing sees Sales as demanding egomaniacs that are never satisfied with the tools they provide.

The two resemble bickering Siamese twins; joined at the hip yet arguing incessantly.
I think the two can get along better if they first understand where the other is coming from, and then take some simple steps

Extroverts v. introverts
There’s no question that sales and marketing folks are wired differently. By and large, sales people are extroverts who feed off the energy of meeting new people and persuading them to buy. No other person in a company is as motivated to meet and befriend strangers.

Marketing people, on the other hand, are more analytical and reflective. They happily spend time on solitary duties like analyzing data, reviewing copy or generating budgets. A bigger part of their day involves being by themselves.

Field work v. office work
Most sales people I know hate sitting at their desks. Their lifeblood activities—making sales calls and entertaining customers—happen outside their office. Have you ever watched a sales person in a day long meeting? It isn’t pretty.

Conversely, marketers must spend large blocks of time in their offices. Their lifeblood activities—gathering and analyzing information, and coordinating projects—necessitates making an office the hub of their daily activities.

Sales thinks in days; Marketing in years
Ask any marketer how far out they plan and they’re liable to answer “Three years”. Ask a sales person the same question and they’ll answer “Thirty days”.

Because Marketing grapples with strategic tasks like developing new products and finding new markets, its time horizon by necessity is longer. Sales though, with its monthly quotas, cares little about events 30 days from now.

Marketing’s view is 30,000 feet; Sales’ is 3 feet
Because a marketer concerns herself with groups of customers (segments), she is obliged to view the business from a 30,000 foot perspective. But Sales views the business from just 3 feet—the distance between them and a prospect.

This sets the two departments up for ongoing conflict. For example, a salesperson in the Midwest region sees nothing wrong with requesting a special, one-time-only promotion for a preferred customer.

But the marketer, from her 30,000 foot perspective, sees this request as creating an imbalance that could potentially anger customers, prospects and sales personnel in all other regions.

How Marketing can get along better with Sales
1. Visit sales offices
Whether you’re presenting Marketing’s newest initiatives or just listening to sales feedback, nothing builds bridges faster with Sales than visiting their turf.

2. Schedule ride-alongs
If you’re wondering how customers view your latest initiatives, schedule a ride-along with a sales rep. You’ll hear firsthand from your customers and get some valuable feedback from your sales rep at the same time.

3. Bring Sales in early
Marketers too often bring Sales in at the end of the strategic planning process, expecting their rubber stamp of approval. Marketing, you’ll save lots of time if you incorporate Sales’ opinions right from the start.

4. Respect their processes
Sales organizations already have their own structures and processes in place. Respect them. Before contacting a sales rep, OK it with the sales manager. Pay attention also to a sales team’s peak periods. The end of a month, quarter, or year are particularly dicey times for Sales, so leave them alone then.

5. Leave room for customization
Sales will tell you that every customer is unique, and they’re right. Unfortunately Marketing can’t design programs for every single account, but we can leave room for account customization in sales tools we develop. One Fortune 500 company client of mine designs collateral materials with standardized text, and then leaves sections of the collateral blank. The local sales rep can then “crash imprint” customized information into these blank spaces to address an account’s unique situation.

How Sales can get along better with Marketing
1. Provide feedback
Since you’re on the front lines, and Marketing isn’t, you’re a vital information source for them. On a regular basis, give Marketing feedback (both negative and positive). And if you preface your comments with “I was just with one of our customers and he said…”, I guarantee Marketing will listen.

2. Recognize that all your feedback will not be acted upon
A good marketer constantly asks questions of sales people, then listens to the answers. But Sales shouldn’t mistake this as a subtle promise by Marketing to act on everything you say.

3. Let Marketing develop the messaging
The folks in marketing must consider all customers when developing a new product or service. They therefore are best suited to craft messages that appeal to the broadest array of customers and prospects. Let Marketing develop:

• Positioning statements
• Elevator pitches
• Brochure copy

Sales should provide initial feedback into these efforts, but then back away and let Marketing finalize them.

4. Stop making Marketing the scapegoat
When sales slow down, don’t train your guns on Marketing. It’s easy to fall back on the tired refrain “We’re not advertising enough”. But ask yourself first “Am I doing all I can to reactivate dormant leads, sell more to current customers and jumpstart stalled prospects?”

Come together
Sales and Marketing are members of the same team. Neither works for the other; you both work together. The executive staff should work hard to identify goals that both will pursue. Then they should incent both groups on the same measures, to ensure cohesion. Finally, they should ensure the lines of communication remain open between both groups.

After all, the bottom line of your company is at stake.

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Author Bio

Jay Lipe, aka the “Plan Man”, is the CEO of Emerge Marketing; a firm that helps growing companies improve their marketing. He is the author of the book The Marketing Toolkit for Growing Businesses (Chammerson Press) which is available at major bookstores and online at www.amazon.com. He is also a sought after speaker and seminar leader, and can be reached at (612) 824-4833 or lipe@emergemarketing.com .