What in your experience is the best way to improve collaboration between sales and marketing?
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Director of Analyst Relations in Softwarea year ago
The best way to improve or ensure collaboration between sales and marketing is leadership. The leads have to be on the same page. After that, collaboration tools and a set of processes that encourages collaboration is key. If there's a disconnect at any level it will become obvious.Director of Marketing in Softwarea year ago
In my experience (both professionally and through 27 years of marriage to a successful salesperson), there needs to be a monetary incentive for Sales to be truly motivated to collaborate with Marketing. I don't necessarily mean immediate incentives (although SPIFFS are a great way to meet immediate needs such as Peer Insights reviews for an MQ). If Marketing can demonstrate statistically that specific collaboration activities from Sales drives more (and better) leads that close larger deals faster, they have a vested interest in working with us on campaigns. Sure, leadership needs to be a driving force. But, if you're in Sales, and your primary motivation isn't to win more deals and make more money, then you're in the wrong role. Fortunately, Gartner provides some good research in this area.VP - Home & Digital Entertainment in Telecommunicationa year ago
Sales and marketing require close coordination to get the best benefit and maximal ROI for the business. Incentive schemes are a classic sales “carrot” but providing the services marketing create to the sales team delivers non remuneration benefits and advocacy (sector dependant)
Shared KPIs are also important to ensure both teams operate with a common, not competing goal. Efficiencies on sales commission and total revenue should be shared KPIs.
Director of Marketing in Retaila year ago
I concur with others on here who have brought up leadership. Leadership can often want goals that conflict with marketing efforts. Such as, "we need to highlight product A." "Okay, that'll be the top of our marketing campaign." Then I hear, "we need to light up product B". "Okay, so what about Product A?" "We need to highlight both." "But that will detract spend contributions from one to the other. And on our homepage, we have room for just one first impression. Either you spend more or you understand prioritizing just one is more realistic." And that's where the disconnect happens. It can be quite frustrating, but leadership often will want goals and have expectations that aren't entirely compatible with each other - wanting it both ways. It's like, I have space on our homepage for just one first offer. One's the first, and then there's a second. You can't have two firsts. And then the communication disappears as they seemingly don't care. Then I ask questions without responses. Leadership, good leadership, can make such a difference and it's unfortunate that many do not have it. Because in the past, I've been told to shift focus to a different product, and have done so, and then been asked what about the other one? And it's like, no, you told me to shift focus, you can't have it both ways. And I think it's less about being educated and communication as it just being completely ignorant and not paying attention. Fun stuff. Director of Marketing in Retaila year ago
I concur with others on here who have brought up leadership. Leadership can often want goals that conflict with marketing efforts. Such as, "we need to highlight product A." "Okay, that'll be the top of our marketing campaign." Then I hear, "we need to light up product B". "Okay, so what about Product A?" "We need to highlight both." "But that will detract spend contributions from one to the other. And on our homepage, we have room for just one first impression. Either you spend more or you understand prioritizing just one is more realistic." And that's where the disconnect happens. It can be quite frustrating, but leadership often will want goals and have expectations that aren't entirely compatible with each other - wanting it both ways. It's like, I have space on our homepage for just one first offer. One's the first, and then there's a second. You can't have two firsts. And then the communication disappears as they seemingly don't care. Then I ask questions without responses. Leadership, good leadership, can make such a difference and it's unfortunate that many do not have it. Because in the past, I've been told to shift focus to a different product, and have done so, and then been asked what about the other one? And it's like, no, you told me to shift focus, you can't have it both ways. And I think it's less about being educated and communication as it just being completely ignorant and not paying attention. Fun stuff.Like