Solving the Marketing Conundrum – The Disconnect between Sales and Marketing

Do the numbers lie? When it comes to sales and marketing expectations, the answer is yes.

Though marketing and sales teams supposedly work hand-in-hand, the two distinct functions of an organization are measured differently. Marketers are typically gauged by the number of leads passed to the sales team. Salespeople are measured by net new opportunities, conversions and closed-won business. The problem is that these measurements don’t encourage true collaboration between the two teams and they don’t often translate into success. More often, it creates distrust and tension – thus, the consistently problematic gap between the two money-making branches of the business. Uh oh.
When business goes poorly, the two teams blame each other.

Marketing: “How are things coming with the Sanders lead?”
Sales: “Dead in the water. The organization is going through a priority shift.”
Marketing: “I talked to Sanders last week. He said they were in line for a great quarter.”
Sales: “Maybe Q4. Right now, they have no budget. I doubt I’ll be able to do anything with them for a while.”
Marketing: “It’s a good company. I’m sure they’re a good lead.”
Sales: “They’re not qualified in my book.”

Marketing thinks the leads are solid. The sales team disagrees and can’t close. Tensions build and the culture and overall success of the company suffer.
A company can’t be successful when the two primary revenue-driving departments in an organization don’t connect. If a company doesn’t include incentives for marketers to send qualified leads, the results can be disastrous.

The solution is that companies need to alter their approach. Rather than focus on quantity of leads, the priority needs to be shifted to the quality of the leads. When both departments are on the same page and goals and anticipated outcomes are aligned, success is more likely.
Is your organization suffering from similar (if not the same) issues? You need a marketing automation solution that allows you to appropriately score your prospects and customers. If it’s still not quite working, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate the strategy behind the system. Employing lifecycle marketing strategy is the new wave of marketing. Don’t get left behind.

This is the second post in the Solving the Marketing Conundrum series. Follow @roi_marketing on Twitter or subscribe to the RSS feed to stay current with updates from Right On.