Especially the gap between sales and marketing must be removed, partially because of the shift of the buying process to online channels, but also due to the need of a more integrated approach of the ROI of all commercial activities as well as the increasing focus on the client.

 

In reality, this isn’t an easy task to accomplish, especially regarding the relationship between sales and marketing. Ultimately, both departments are about the customer. Therefore, it’s logical that the focus in the sales and marketing relationship is often on the management and coordinated identification and nurturing of leads.

 

However, those who truly want sales and marketing to work together, will have to look beyond challenges regarding leads and how those are managed by the various departments. An integral approach is necessary.

 

Often, this requires a change of mentality, as well as changes within the company’s culture. Therefore, quite some change management is needed.

 

The gap between sales and marketing is gradually getting smaller and borders are disappearing. Still, most companies aren’t ready yet to change their entire organization. And so the question is how to optimally integrate the targets of marketing and sales, in order to  have them create strategic synergies.

 

Below you’ll find some tips.

 

 

Marketers have to interact with sales, now more so than ever. If there is no clear understanding within sales on just what marketing wants to achieve and how they want to do it – and vice versa – then the existing gap will remain. Furthermore, both departments should come to an agreement on, for example, the type of moments of contact, the number of interactions, and the priorities of sales and those of marketing. By the way: the ultimate goal of both departments is the same: generate business and make sure that the client is satisfied. Marketing feeds sales, but sales feeds marketing as well. Keep communicating during and after actions as well.

 

 

In many companies, the data from various departments and even different divisions or activities within those departments, is stored in a wide range of databases. This often leads to, for example, product marketing working with the same target groups as other marketing divisions, without any mutual coordination. Also, there are more and more tools for sales that previously typically “belonged” to the marketing division. If those tools provide an immediate advantage, then they’ll certainly be used. Still, everything starts and ends with a centralized and coordinated approach and mutual data-feeding on the clients, prospects, and interactions.

 

 

Some feel that sales should be a part of marketing. The line between them is gradually disappearing and marketers are nowadays more than ever involved in the pipelines and funnels. Yet, there are also people who say that marketing can only offer support to sales, since marketing must provide the right content, tools, and channels which help sales with the increasingly digital interaction with the customer. This debate actually isn’t relevant at all, and misses certain aspects that are typical to the marketing process (think: “branding”) as well as the buying and selling process. It’s clear, however, that both departments must put down a mutual go-to-marketing strategy, and that both have to agree on the following and ‘nurturing’ of leads as well.

 

 

In a customer-centric and cross-channel reality, there’s really no place for silos. Yet on the other hand, sales and marketing are very broad terms that encompass quite a lot of fields and activities.

 

There will always be specializations, and not every wall can be taken down. And that’s not necessary either. The most important thing is that there’s an integrated strategy present, in which processes, strategies, and tools are aligned with each other.

 

Above all things, coordination between all of the departments is of an utmost importance.

 

And that’s a task of the management: putting the right people in the right functions and roles where they can work and think customer-centric and integrated above and beyond the silos.

 

The author is an interactive marketing consultant and experienced blogger. You can connect with him via Twitter.