The Relationship Between Marketing and Sales

The Relationship Between Marketing and Sales

There are many departments in your company that help to operate it and make it successful. Two of the most vital are marketing and sales. To increase your sales and grow your business, they must work together to promote your products and get your name out in front of customers. Here are a few ways to improve the relationship between them. 

Give Them the Same Goal

The departments in your organization have their own tasks and responsibilities. While this is essential, it can cause division between the two groups as they concentrate on their own assignments. This applies especially to your employees in sales and marketing. To bring them back together to collaborate as a unified team, write a sales plan that specifies what their goals are. Adding revenue to your company should be the primary point on your list. To achieve their objective, they will have to talk with one another and compare notes. In this way, you can strengthen the bond between these two essential areas of your company. 

Encourage Communications Between Departments

The first step to bridging the gap between your marketing and sales departments is to encourage communication between them. Set up meetings with the members of your staff who are working on the same projects and ask questions of them to get their honest feedback. Help them to see why the other group is important to their success. Remind them of their goals and the importance of their participation. Design a culture that promotes problem solving through teamwork between everyone, especially between these two areas. 

Look For Software That Works For Both Teams

One issue that can cause problems between your sales and marketing departments is that the programs that they use to do their jobs are often different. When they talk about the hurdles they are experiencing while they are helping a client, it can seem like an opposing language to the other party. Research options on the market that both parties can utilize so that they can collaborate on the same platforms. However, if you have difficulties finding software that will manage this, consider cross training your employees on the other group’s information. It can assist them in understanding the other party so that they work together better. 

Cross Train the Team So They Understand What the Other Department Does

Along with instructions on how the other group’s software works, you should also organize times for your sales and marketing departments to find out how the other one operates. Assign teams to spend time shadowing each other and ask them to take notes as they do. Bring in an expert to hold a seminar with everyone to discuss the latest trends in the industry. Offer to pay for the tuition of any employee in either group who wants to take classes that specializes in what the other one does. When your staff understands what tasks are involved to make the entire project successful, they will be more likely to collaborate with one another.

Promote Account Based Strategies

Another way to bring your departments together is to adopt an account based strategy. Your sales department locates a demographic that they want to build leads from. They will rely on your marketing department to develop an advertising campaign that targets the potential clients that belong to this group. This partnership requires that everyone involved works together to find the customers that they want to pursue then design a message to draw them in. Assign teams to work together to get this done. Evaluate each individual’s strengths and skills then combine them with someone who contemplates it. Monitor their progress to ensure that they are the perfect fit and that they are producing the way that they should. 

Make It Worth It To Your Entire Team

Salespeople are often motivated to get sales by the commissions that they get. The more that they sell, the greater the cash reward will be. However, this provides little incentive for your marketing department to get involved. Develop a program that gives bonuses to everyone that contributes to the planning and execution of a sale. Your staff will be more inclined to cooperate with each other and build the best campaign possible if they know that they will get something in the end for their efforts. You can set up methods to track their progress and make it a competition for the individuals in the two groups. Making it fun for all will add to your revenue and bring more business to your company. To bring in new sales and increase your customer base, your sales and marketing departments must work together to plan the perfect campaign for the leads they come up with. Giving a bonus to everyone, teaching each group what the other one does, and encouraging communication between them all can lead to their collaboration and boost your revenue.