Are your marketing and sales groups truly aligned?
Marketing and Sales = 100% aligned or tolerated coexistence with different purposes.
Rui Lapa
5/23/20243 min read
Positive Signs
Singular Purpose
clear and simple language to explain why the company serves a particular customer, segment, or industry
✓
List of items to look for and work towards as you ensure both sales and marketing are 100% in alignment—serving your customers.
Values Explain Behaviours
3 or 4 action-oriented descriptors with short phrases on how you show up for your customer
✓
Dynamic Playbooks
sales: ideal customer profiles ICPS (ex. Personas, ABC, Key-Growth-Target, etc.), deal support, sales-to-buy funnel enablement, onboarding process, technology enablers, product-service formation paths aligned to ICPs, sales processes that simplify customer conversions
marketing: The same ICPs profiles in alignment with sales, business-aligned marketing plans, brand strategy & identity, channel-specific marketing execution strategy, robust communications framework, a narrative framework, demand generation plan, VOC process and execution plan
✓
One Team Priority
✓
for the next 3–18 months
unceasing focus on communicating the purpose and top priority
A Team, Not a Group of Coworkers
business strategies and dynamics that seamlessly integrate sales and marketing responsibilities
relentless pursuit of values-driven team behaviours
✓
✓
Leverage
everyone’s expertise (capabilities and natural work personalities)
readily available, on-hand technology
Prioritise Strategic Fit
Data-Driven Insights
✓
✓
explore the person's drive, humility, and people skills when hiring
analysis and synthesis of data that assists the sales and marketing groups purposefully engage with prospects and customers
Quicksand Indicators
Notice any? You are on the wrong road.
❌
leadership individuals prioritise their areas over the whole, resulting in unwarranted and unnecessary swim-lane conflicts between groups
vague purpose
overemphasis on demand generation versus customer engagement
more than one main priority
hiring based on inconsequential factors
relying on best practices that are too broad
❌
avoiding reinforcing value-driven team behaviours
complicated or cumbersome sales and marketing processes
knowing-all-attitudes, too many assumptions
neglecting market landscape and relevant feedback and inputs
superiority complex within any division, department, or group
obsessed on the next shiny magic-bullet technology
Positive Signs
Singular Purpose
clear and simple language to explain why the company serves a particular customer, segment, or industry
✓
List of items to look for and work towards as you ensure both sales and marketing are 100% in alignment—serving your customers.
Values Explain Behaviours
3 or 4 action-oriented descriptors with short phrases on how you show up for your customer
Dynamic Playbooks
sales: ideal customer profiles ICPS (ex. Personas, ABC, Key-Growth-Target, etc.), deal support, sales-to-buy funnel enablement, onboarding process, technology enablers, product-service formation paths aligned to ICPs, sales processes that simplify customer conversions
marketing: The same ICPs profiles in alignment with sales, business-aligned marketing plans, brand strategy & identity, channel-specific marketing execution strategy, robust communications framework, a narrative framework, demand generation plan, VOC process and execution plan
One Team Priority
for the next 3–18 months
unceasing focus on communicating the purpose and top priority
A Team, Not a Group of Coworkers
business strategies and dynamics that seamlessly integrate sales and marketing responsibilities
relentless pursuit of values-driven team behaviours
Leverage
everyone’s expertise (capabilities and natural work personalities)
readily available, on-hand technology
Prioritise Strategic Fit
Data-Driven Insights
explore the person's drive, humility, and people skills when hiring
analysis and synthesis of data that assists the sales and marketing groups purposefully engage with prospects and customers
Quicksand Indicators
Notice any of the below? You are on the wrong road.
⛔️
⛔️ Leadership individuals prioritise their areas over the whole, resulting in unwarranted and unnecessary swim-lane conflicts between groups
⛔️ vague purpose
⛔️ overemphasis on demand generation versus customer engagement
⛔️ more than one main priority
⛔️ hiring based on inconsequential factors
⛔️ relying on best practices that are too broad
⛔️ avoiding reinforcing value-driven team behaviours
⛔️ complicated or cumbersome sales and marketing processes
⛔️ knowing-all-attitudes, too many assumptions
⛔️ neglecting market landscape and relevant feedback and inputs
⛔️ superiority complex within any division, department, or group
⛔️ obsessed on the next shiny magic-bullet technology