Sales and Marketing: 5 Tactics to Help Avoid the “Frenemy” Zone

Posted by Katie Coombs on October 16,2014

Frenemy1UrbanDictionary.com defines the term frenemy as “someone who is both friend and enemy, a relationship that is both mutually beneficial and dependent, while being competitive, fraught with risk and mistrust.”

Does this sound like the general tone of interactions between the Sales and Marketing teams at your company?  A little work on these five aspects of the Sales/Marketing relationship and you’ll see an immediate improvement.

Communication1. Communication: 

It is virtually impossible to forge an alliance between Sales and Marketing when the two teams never interface.  There must be consistent communication to ensure there is a strong relationship between the two and that everyone is on the same page, working for the same end result.

2. Collaboration:Collaboration

Work together to create targeted buyer personas. The Sales team is out in the trenches each day, interfacing with customers and building relationships.  The Marketing team MUST leverage this knowledge when developing content that speaks directly to a buyer.  If Marketing and Sales have differing ideas of who the target buyer is, the Marketing messages are not going to be as effective as they could be.

Blame13. Trust:

Quit playing the blame game.  Sales complains about the quantity and quality of the leads provided by the Marketing department.  Marketing points the finger at Sales for not closing those leads.  The fault rarely lies solely with one team or the other, but with how they work (or don’t work) together. 

 

Transparency4. Transparency:

By creating a clear Service Level Agreement (SLA) both teams establish measureable goals that tie directly to the company’s bottom line revenue growth. For example, Marketing will generate X number of qualified leads to help Sales meet their quota.  Sales will follow up on those leads in X number of days and make X number of touches before abandoning the lead. 

Value5. Value:

Ditch the sales pitch and focus on how you can help your customers overcome their business challenges.  If Sales and Marketing work together, there is far less need for a sales “pitch” in the traditional sense.  The Marketing team can create content that speaks directly to the customer’s pain points.  This will demonstrate the value of your product to the prospect before a sales person ever touches the lead.  If the Marketing team can put the sales person two steps ahead before they step through the door, we’re headed in the right direction. 

handshakes1It is vital that Sales and Marketing see each other as business partners and not adversaries. 

Communication, collaboration, trust, transparency and value are indispensable facets of this relationship. Creating a strong, lasting partnership between Sales and Marketing can be the basis for systemic change for the better, within your company now and for the future. 

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