What Sales Wished Marketing Knew

They say that sales is a sprint and marketing is a marathon. Great analogy. Sales is focused on short-term results. Marketing is focused on long-term value. Granted, we run different races. But we’re both specialties in the same sport. So why doesn’t it feel like we’re on the same team?

I want marketing to know that we wear the same shoes.

I work with the sales departments of many large organizations, so I see firsthand the chasm between sales and marketing. Sales thinks marketing has its head in the clouds. And marketing thinks sales will sacrifice anything, including the brand, to make their quarterly numbers. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Truth is, we’re both responsible for winning the race, so in an effort toward understanding and working together, let me present the sprinter’s perspective.

I want marketing to know they’re right – all sales cares about is the bottom line. 

Everything marketing thinks about sales is true. Bring in revenue. Nothing else matters. Everything else that does not achieve that goal is a waste of time. That’s our job. That’s how we’re measured on performance. It’s how and why we get paid. But we don’t sacrifice the long race. We don’t erode the brand. We learned long ago that discounting is bad for business. And that it’s not a numbers game, it’s a relationship game.

I want marketing to know that they never see the hardest part of selling. 

Prospecting. Relentless, fanatical prospecting. It’s the hardest part of the sales job. And something marketing never sees. For them, it’s about creating communications programs that attract prospects. For sales, it’s about hitting the street. Working to find the right prospect. Carefully nurturing the relationship so that trust and understanding are developed. Then closing the deal and having a customer for life. If we work together, marketing-qualified leads can turn into sales-qualified leads as smoothly as passing a baton.

I want marketing to know that sales really wants to work with them.

Sales wants marketing to be on the same team, focused on agreed-upon goals and objectives. Too often, it feels like marketing is holed up at HQ working to please the corporate side while sales is out in the field trying to close deals. Ideally, marketing and sales should be side by side – touching prospects with clear, concise and effective messaging. That way, sales grabs the prospect after marketing grabbed them with the right information.

I want marketing to know that we are their eyes and ears.

Sales teams are on the street every day picking up information, spying on the competition, getting feedback from prospects and customers, and testing different selling angles. We’re the scouts, pointmen and researchers that marketing needs. This is the street-smart intelligence that helps everything from product development to brand messaging to promotions.

Let’s get everyone running on the same team, in the same direction.

At North Star, our mission is to redefine marketing – leveraging all of its power for sales. That’s why we developed the Sales Amp program. It bridges the gap between marketing and sales by effectively marketing each and every sales rep in an organization. Sales Amp allows all of the difficult, time-consuming work to be expedited significantly. By utilizing the latest inbound and outbound marketing techniques for each sales rep, prospects are engaged and nurtured with the correct information, so that when the sales team does engage, their time is spent on the right prospect at the right time. Every time.

Marketing and sales both have unique perspectives on the same sport. When we run together, the whole team wins. For more information on North Star’s SalesAmp program, call or email Dean at +1 (401) 294-0133 or dean@fortheloveofmarketing.com.