SMarketing - How to make sales and marketing work together

SMarketing is about getting sales and marketing to work together. Companies today that have succeeded in getting the departments to work together have seen clear changes, both in terms of new and existing customers, as well as turnover and marketing ROI.Today's customers have a completely different buying behaviour compared to just a few years ago. Today, about 57% of the buying journey is completed before the customer even makes contact with a salesperson. According to a study by Gartner, 85% of customer relationships with companies will be without human contact. The new buying behaviour implies a shift of power from supplier to customer. It is the customer who decides the terms, where they want to be engaged, and when. This means that companies and organisations need to restructure, the way many people work is changing, and new skills are needed.Companies and organisations today need to review their objectives, and measure success within departments. So how do you get sales and marketing to work together?

1. Unified customer view

Customer journey and audience analysis is a job that has traditionally been done by the marketing department, but can be significantly improved by enriching it with sales data. Today, we collect much more data about our customers, and the focus is on facts and data. Make sure to do the work together or complement what already exists.

2. Speak the same language

Ensure that marketing and sales have common definitions and a common understanding of the different stages of the lead pipeline, from need to decision. Once you are in agreement, you can jointly develop common goals and metrics for all parts of the pipeline. This will foster collaboration and break down silos by having a common focus.

3. Have a clear handover process

Define the MQL process together with sales. Review what information is critical for sales to receive a lead. Also set up a disqualification process and develop a strategy for how you will handle these leads. Make sure there are clear lines of responsibility and ownership.

4. Communicate clearly and often

To facilitate interdepartmental work, regular and effective communication is essential. Have meetings constantly, and share constructive criticism with each other. This strengthens your relationship with each other. Internal SLAs (service level agreements) between sales and marketing are crucial. Set SLAs that are concrete and easy to follow up.

5. Have clear responsibilities with common goals

While it is important to have a common business goal, you need to make sure that you focus on the conversion that you can best influence. The tip is to also keep an eye on the stage that comes before and after your own. Give feedback on the quality of leads/MQL/SQL to the person responsible for the stage before, and adjust your efforts based on the feedback you have received from the person responsible for the stage after.Finally; dare to invest in time and resources and your business will probably grow in the long run.Want to read more about SMarketing? Read more here.Don't miss out on following us on LinkedIn for our latest scoops on both SMarketing but also other exciting topics.