By Lisa Evano On Marketing Campaigns, Sales Enablement
Sales and marketing alignment should be an objective for every growing business. They are seamless partners, working together toward the same goal. On the surface, most would agree that sounds like a good idea.
But it’s more than just a good idea. It’s a huge business opportunity.
Sales teams that are aligned with the marketing team are 106% more likely to say they are performing better than their sales goals.
Sales teams that are aligned with the marketing team are 106% more likely to say they are performing better than their sales goals.
Source: Giphy.com
If that’s the case, then why are so many sales and marketing teams misaligned?
Before we look at the 4 reasons marketing gets ignored by sales, I’m going to assume a few things about you:
- You’re likely in a marketing role.
- You have been tasked with helping drive leads for your sales team.
- You want to knock it out of the park and be helpful…
- And maybe gain some recognition along the way.
It’s ok, you don’t have to admit the last one to anyone else. We’re friends here.
Tell me if this story sounds familiar.
From vision to frustration: Why your perfect plan isn’t winning over sales
The growth goal they gave you was daunting.
But you figured out a plan. You studied the revenue and profitability of all your accounts. You pored over the market research. Selected the segments. And sold your vision up the chain.
Now it’s just a matter of enabling the sales team. And you want them to have everything they’ve ever asked for… no complaints this time.
After an unprecedented effort (and expense), you finally stand up at the sales meeting and unveil a hefty set of playbooks. Sales seems into it. Good!
But weeks later, you find out all your work is still sitting in boxes. You F-bomb under your breath. (At least you hope it was under your breath.)
How the hell is this possible?!
Source: Giphy.com
Why does this keep happening?
Unfortunately, sales and marketing alignment can seem more like a dream than a reality. Let’s take a closer look at the 4 reasons that cause the gap — and how to fix them.
Reason #1: Lack of customer-centric alignment
As a marketer, I have no doubt that you understand your business’s ideal customer profile/avatar/right fit/whatever. But if you’re tasked with helping sales, your customer is the sales team, not the end user. This is an important mindset shift.
You have to make sales want what you’ve got. To do that, you have to talk to them. Understand them. Treat them like your customer.
Solution: Eliminate their mental obstacles
What keeps them from using the playbooks you created? Did they have any input during the creation process? Is it written from their perspective? Is it actually helpful?
To create customer-centric materials that are helpful to the sales team, you must first treat them like your customer. Then, you must understand — and eliminate — their mental obstacles. Check out this blog post to learn what it means to be customer-centric while reinforcing sales and marketing alignment.
Reason #2: Communication isn’t clear
Sales needs clear tools. If your playbook is too complex, it’s essentially useless. Sales will ditch your playbook for simpler, self-made tools that they can quickly reference.
You may be thinking, “What does unclear mean? The playbook is crystal clear to me.”
Think of the reasons that you don’t consume something:
- Emails that are too text-heavy tend to get read last, if at all.
- Long paragraphs make it difficult to find what’s important.
- Understanding complex jargon takes your brain longer to process and can feel like a mental marathon.
Source: Giphy.com
Solution: Make it easy
You should aim to keep your playbook simple, helpful, and relevant. If there is a complex idea or product structure, provide clear visuals like graphs or tables. If you are creating content that outlines multiple ideas, use bullet points to make it consumable. (See what I did above?)
A good rule of thumb is that your sales team should be able to find what they need in under 60 seconds. If your playbook involves sorting through a bunch of complex materials, it will lead to frustration. Instead, make it easy to understand.
Easier to understand means easier to use.
Your sales team should be able to find what they need in under 60 seconds.
To further improve your sales and marketing alignment, read this blog post about message strategy.
Reason #3: The content isn’t compelling
Attention is a valuable resource. You are constantly scanning and prioritizing what you should give your attention to. As someone on the front lines, your sales team is doing the same thing. They mentally catalog what resonates with the customer — and what doesn’t.
If you want to create a playbook that gets implemented, you must get the attention of your sales team. If your playbook doesn’t excite or motivate them, it will join the other unused assets in their marketing graveyard.
Solution: Create motivation
Content must show clear benefits and fire up the team. Your playbook should make salespeople eager to use it because it makes their jobs easier. Here are some ways to make your playbook compelling enough to use:
- Share real stories from peers to inspire action.
- Give the initiative a theme to generate excitement.
- Make consuming the playbook an easy and enjoyable experience.
Reason #4: Lack of controlled execution
To have an efficient playbook that your sales team adopts, it must be controlled. But what does that actually mean?
When a playbook is controlled, it means that it’s consistent and compliant. (Stay with me, I know that sounds boring at first blush.)
Consistency means reliability. If your playbook has mixed messages, sales will translate that to mean it’s unreliable.
Take a moment to remember that the sales team is your customer. What happens if your customer thinks you are unreliable?
They lose trust.
Source: Giphy.com
Solution: Drive efficiency
Everything you provide to sales should be consistent, streamlined, and recognizable. Consistency helps drive sales and marketing alignment.
Ask yourself a few questions: Do all of the materials have a common look and feel? Is the message consistent? Can the sales team trust that the content is up to date?
Making sure your playbook is controlled is a key ingredient for building trust. And building trust is key for adoption.
Do all of the materials have a common look and feel? Is the message consistent? Can the sales team trust that the content is up to date?
Crafting a unified front
To effectively bridge the gap between sales and marketing, both departments must collaborate through communication. This means developing tools together that are customer-centric, clear, compelling, and controlled.
If you’re currently facing misalignment between sales and marketing, put your content to the test. Ask yourself a few questions:
- Did I treat sales like a customer by getting their input from the start?
- Is the content clear, or will sales face mental obstacles and revert to old habits?
- Will it get the sales team’s attention and compel them to act?
- Is the content reliable, recognizable, and trustworthy?
Source: Giphy.com
Answering a few of these questions may help you uncover ways to align sales and marketing.
Facing challenges with sales and marketing alignment? Let’s ensure your efforts are not just seen but embraced. Visit our Message Strategy page for more insights and support.
We value your thoughts. Share your experiences with sales and marketing alignment in the comments below or reach out directly!
Related:
How to make your message customer-centric
What is message strategy?
