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“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.
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
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