Remember when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were married, everyone called them as “Brangelina” to signify their power couple status? That’s what it’s like when sales and marketing are working in sync. It’s smarketing.
When Sales and Marketing Align, it’s called Smarketing
mar·ket·ing| ˈmärkədiNG |
the action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising:
sales | sālz |
1 the exchange of a commodity for money; the action of selling something:
A Cohesive Marriage
In today’s digital-driven world, sales and marketing must be a cohesive marriage.
It’s easy for sales and marketing to work together when leads are flowing, and customers are purchasing products or services, but, in challenging times, such as now, it is more important than ever.
In the past, 71% of all sales were closed face to face. In today’s business environment, those numbers have changed significantly, and companies must align and adjust to keep the doors open. When sales and marketing are working in sync, smarketing happens.
What is smarketing?
It’s the process of aligning the sales and marketing functions of a corporation to have mutual goals and a common cohesive approach to generate leads and sales.
Benefits of Smarketing
The best smarketing occurs when sales and marketing are coordinating to lead the customer through the buyer’s journey. You must think of the lead funnel as a shared approach where each team does its part in nurturing and fostering that potential customer even beyond the decision to purchase. If one team member drops the ball, or if there is disagreement on how to get a lead from point A to point B, there’s going to be problems and inefficiencies. However, when smarketing is at it’s best, there are a myriad of benefits.
What are the benefits of cohesive sales and marketing alignment?
- Costs decrease
- Leads soar
- Retention rates are higher
- Lead Generation takes less time
- Sales cycles are shorter
The Importance of Communication
Like a good marriage, smarketing all starts with Effective Communication. You must be on the same page and share the same goals to attract the right customer!
The teams must have ongoing conversations about what is working and what is not, as well as recommendations on what to change.
- Collaborate on projects
- Analyze to understand potential buyers
- Create personas based on marketing research
- Utilize sales data from existing clientele
- Leverage expertise from each team
Find the Win/Win
It’s easy to point fingers and place blame in challenging times, but your goal is to find a win/win for all parties involved.
Chemistry and developing common interests are other must-haves in a successful marriage. You must have trust, enjoy spending time with each other, and have some good laughs. You can collaborate on projects, attend each other’s respective meetings, and focus on the strengths each team brings to the table. This is also an opportunity to embrace and value the differences, which is the essence of synergy.
Fill each other’s tanks. Another great quality in a fruitful marriage is serving each other. Finding how and what the other team needs to be successful and provide positive reinforcement to make that happen. Show up with empathy and compassion and seek to understand issues and problems. Give shoutouts on social media and praise to senior management.
Seek first to understand then be understood. Taking a play from Steven Covey’s book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People sales and marketing must come to the table with open ears and listen with the intention of understanding. Be willing to hear the concerns and concepts of each team and how they see things. Be empathetic by creating an environment where you allow each other to express themselves and allow space for changes, creativity, and thoughts.
And finally, assume positive intent. When you come to the relationship with arms crossed and expectations, it’s a breeding ground for problems to arise. Bring an open mind and assume they are doing the same. Remember, both departments work for the same company, so team up, pair up, and sync up. When you do, it’s like an “us against the world” mentality.
When working together, you can drive revenue and become a force to be reckoned with!
Key Takeways:
- Communicate Effectively and often
- Look for common interests
- Fill each other’s tanks
- Come with open ears
- Assume positive intent
