It wasn’t that long ago when sales and marketing acted as competing functions.

Budget that went to marketing often came from sales and vice versa.

The two were locked in separate silos – and, in many organizations, locked in combat. The idea of sales and marketing alignment as a business growth strategy was all but unheard of. Now, it’s essential. A seamless, cohesive customer journey that meets people where they are requires both teams’ input.

To make a brand reliable, modern, and trustworthy, every step of the customer journey needs to be informed by a combined sales and marketing perspective. That creates consistency so newcomers trust you, understand your value, and vigorously pursue a relationship, reaching that all-important first sale sooner.

Ultimately, sales and marketing alignment accelerates conversion velocity and boosts Lifetime Customer Value.

But it’s not enough to hold a meeting, write a document, or roll out a tool that should foster collaboration. It calls for true organizational culture change. That can be tough, even when sales and marketing are relatively friendly. Savvy business leaders know they need a cohesive change management strategy for the long haul.

Let’s dive into how that could look:

1. Understand Each Side’s Strengths

Sales and marketing bring different strengths to the table, but each side produces more when they function as a harmonious whole. Marketing excels at understanding and mapping the customer journey so you can offer real value from the start. Sales personnel, on the other hand, oversee lead conversion to secure new customers.

In effect, each side has a clear, specific, but incomplete view. Marketing clarifies the big picture, understanding behavioral trends in the aggregate and adapting strategy accordingly. Sales personnel are the first to spot new objections and changing preferences in real individuals, so you can see hints of new trends as they take hold.

Your sales staff should record and report their observations on a regular basis so they can be integrated into your brand’s understanding of those you serve. But that doesn’t mean sales is subordinate: Marketing has the responsibility to convert sales insights into content that resonates even as your audience continues to evolve.

2. Get Everyone Around The Table

No matter how healthy your company culture is, there are some members of your team who think “their side” is superior and “the other guy” just makes stuff up. Reaching accord starts with spending time together. With key sales and marketing stakeholders present, you can build trust and focus on areas of commonality.

Once everyone is in the room, start with open-ended questions about brand and strategy, for example, “What do you see as the company’s biggest challenge this year?” As you get input on high-level topics, participants will naturally start to see where they’re aligned. Only then should you explore what each side wants from the other.

3. Develop Clear Success Metrics

Sales and marketing often focus on different metrics, even though their efforts intertwine. There are plenty of Key Performance Indicators that both sides have a hand in: Cost of Acquisition, Lifetime Customer Value, and many more. Look for concrete ways both sides can work together to improve one or two high-value metrics.

At the same time, it’s good to define best practices for the new spirit of collaboration. Make sure each side has access to data from the other, on your Customer Relationship Management suite or otherwise. Verify where a sales pro should direct requests for input from marketing (and vice versa) and how responses will propagate.

4. Assign Effective Diplomats

Cross-functional collaboration doesn’t happen in a vacuum. A monthly or quarterly meeting can’t keep it alive without someone stoking the flames. You need change leaders – diplomats – who can keep the ball rolling. An effective diplomat is someone who’s secure within their own team and has some rapport with the other one.

While the all-hands meetings keep everyone striving toward the same goals, the diplomat should be working to ensure that day-to-day collaboration is in place. Are sales team insights making their way to marketing? Is marketing acting on them in a way that shows up in the content calendar? Are requests and responses flowing both ways?

5. Share Successes And Lessons Learned

Everyone loves to have their contributions recognized, although how that looks can vary from one person to another. When cooperation pays off, underline it. Use multiple methods to get the point across: A team-wide email, call-outs during meetings, one-on-ones, even cards or other reminders. Focus primarily on the positive outcomes, but make sure misses get captured and diagnosed so you’re always trending in the right direction.

New York Ave delivers integrated marketing that helps bridge the gap between your internal teams so you get superior lead conversion from your marketing campaigns. Contact us to learn more or get started.