SMarketing is about getting sales and marketing to work together. Companies 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 market ROI.
Today's customers have a completely different buying behavior compared to just a few years ago. Today, about 57% of the buying journey is already completed before the customer contacts a salesperson. According to a study by Gartner, it is predicted that 85% of customers' relationship with companies will take place without human contact. The new buying behavior means a shift in power from supplier to customer. It is the customer who decides the terms, where they want to be engaged, and when. This means that businesses and organizations need to restructure.
The way many people work is changing, and new competencies are needed. Companies and organizations 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 handled by the marketing department, but it can be significantly improved by enriching it with sales data. Today, we collect much more data about our customers, and the focus is to start from facts and data. Make sure to do the work together or complement what already exists.
2. speak the same language
Make sure that marketing and sales have common definitions and a common understanding of the different stages of the lead pipeline, from need to decision. When you agree, you can jointly develop common goals and metrics for all parts of the pipeline. This will promote 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 responsibilities and ownership.
4. communicate clearly and often
To facilitate the work between the different departments, it is important to have regular and effective communication. Have meetings constantly, and share constructive criticism with each other. This will strengthen 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
Although it is important to have a common business goal, you need to make sure to focus on the conversion that you can best influence. A tip is to also keep track of 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 adapt 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.
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