1. Understand what the current reality is and change your mindset.
This is undoubtedly the most complicated step for a manager. But the reality is that the most successful marketing and sales strategies today are those focused on the user (user-centric) and not on the seller (seller-centric). And more specifically, focused on the data we get from the user thanks to the use of technology.
75% of companies say that closing more business is their top sales priority, according to a study by HubSpot. However, according to the same study, in 2016 still 40% of Sales reps used informal means such as Microsoft Excel or Outlook to store customer and prospect data. And for this reason among others, it is understandable that this study confirmed that, in 2018, 40% of salespeople have had a harder time getting a response from leads and 30% said it is increasingly difficult to get a closed sale.
The amount of data that must be handled today can be overwhelming for sales reps, especially when they are only working in the later stages of the consumer buying cycle, i.e., only dealing with them on the assumption that they are closer to making the purchase.
However, the reasoning of today’s consumer is more complex, especially due to the amount of information available on the Internet. And for this reason, it is essential that a cooperative work is established between the departments or representatives ofSales and Marketing, i.e., that the ideal conditions are in place for sales enablement or Sales Enablement to occur.
With these conditions it would be possible to provide the necessary data in the hands of the right salesperson at the right time, in order to ensure that the buying process of the potential customer progresses optimally until the sale is closed. In short, it would be to turn data into your greatest asset, starting by aligning your Marketing and Sales teams.
2. Align your Marketing and Sales teams for the same goals.
We won’t say that traditionally Marketing and Sales reps have always gotten along like cats and dogs, but on some occasions we could say it’s almost been that way. The truth is that, for a long time, many companies have encouraged this competitiveness between the two departments by establishing, for example, different objectives and different work methodologies.
And in more pessimistic scenarios, some businesses have even had a digital marketing team that they considered purely decorative, when the truth is that more than 90% of companies, using methodologies such as Inbound (which facilitates Sales Enablement), have managed to increase lead generation, more qualified sales opportunities with which salespeople have been able to work and convert more easily.
The ROI of digital marketing is more than proven in most cases, especially when strategies such as those based on content are so easily measurable with the right analytics tools. And even more so, when that which is most demanded by users on the Internet, is precisely quality content that Marketing creates and monitors.
And the current reality is that most users proceed with some research on the Internet before making a purchase of products or acquiring services, especially if the decision is difficult to make. Sales departments cannot remain oblivious to this need and the sales strategy must become more sophisticated to provide the response (much more personalized thanks to the contact data obtained) that consumers need.
Today, faced with this reality, it is necessary to align the marketing and sales teams, so that they are able to work towards the same objectives: the generation of more sales for the company. And for this, it is essential that there is coordination, that is, that the company defines a repeatable sales process that is known by both teams.
3. Define a sales process that is scalable for your business
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