Sales and Marketing – The Power Couple

The hallmarks of great B2B Sales and Marketing alignment come from the genesis of connection and understanding.

Well-aligned Sales and Marketing teams work in lockstep, acting as a one-two punch to optimise growth and deliver commercial outcomes. For example, while Marketing unpacks needs and motivations and builds a brand that resonates, Sales work hand in hand to convert opportunities into profitable revenue growth.

As we experience yet another wave of economic uncertainty, increased commercial pressures, and market noise, B2B leaders cannot afford to be in situations without Sales and Marketing alignment. Over the past five years, we’ve been helping some of Australia’s largest teams achieve Sales and Marketing Alignment so that they can optimise their performance outcomes.

1. Sales and Marketing Unification

Behavioural sciences teach us that we’re more likely to believe and trust people we know well. So, break down functional barriers and invest in building relationships and understanding.

Developing a shared vision is an exceptional place to start – 87% of Sales and Marketing leaders state successfully achieving Sales and Marketing Alignment enables critical business growth. With a platform of trust and understanding, it becomes easier to unify goals and identify key performance metrics that can be shared across the Sales and Marketing functions. For example, are there revenue streams within your organisation where Sales and Marketing play different but equally important roles? If so, starting debating shared business accountability may be a natural point.

2. Accountability and Motivation

Proactively drive Sales and Marketing alignment by creating well-structured forums that push teams together. This is where cadence becomes king. Implementing weekly meetings and open platforms for Sales and Marketing collaboration will allow your Sales and Marketing teams to communicate in a coordinated and sustained manner, signalling expectations of collaboration and interdependencies of success.

This is also where the unification of KPIs becomes powerful. Giving your Sales and Marketing teams aligned and, where practical, shared cross-functional responsibilities can act as an incentive to create a more motivated and driven Sales and Marketing team.

3. Shared Data and Insights

Create simple, measurable targets to help focus Sales and Marketing activity and collaboration. Shared data ensures everyone is working from one source of truth: a data dashboard. Concentrating on this shared data eliminates conflicting reporting while helping ensure an aligned Sales and Marketing team.

A simple and effective reporting tool ensures your Sales and Marketing teams can access the same insights and results. Implementing a basic data dashboard that can be easily updated and shared amongst stakeholders aids focus and helps align cross-functional activity. Your organisation’s CRM may have existing data dashboard templates that can be manipulated to suit the needs of your Sales and Marketing teams and objectives.

There are also several off-the-shelf solution data dashboards you can purchase and integrate quickly and at a relatively low cost. Above all else, remember that there may be a story behind them, but the numbers don’t lie. So, ensure your sales and marketing conversations are based on a visible and shared view of your performance, with your shared data at the core.

To see more, check out our case studies and blogs for examples of how Emmet has helped improve performance between Sales and Marketing and successfully achieved Sales and Marking alignment for our clients.