Why do we still talk about marketing and sales alignment? Because it hasn’t happened yet. In this Expert Insight Interview, Darrell Amy discusses how we can create alignment between sales and marketing by making them both focus on the revenue growth engine. Darrel Amy is an author of the book Revenue Growth Engine, growth strategist, and speaker.
This Expert Insight Interview discusses:
- Delivering outcomes to the ideal clients
- Influencing decision-makers
Deliver the Outcome
The best way to achieve alignment between sales and marketing is to make them both focus on the same thing as driving a revenue growth engine with the ideal clients. By identifying the ideal client, we also identified the prospects meaning that sales do not need leads anymore. Instead, both departments can now focus on the outbound marketing approach meaning that sales can call the prospects while marketing can send them messages. However, the crucial thing is to have these two departments consistent with the messaging they send to the prospects. The truth is, people do not buy products or services, but the outcomes those products or services provide them. So, we need to know what our ideal prospects want. Clients’ wants and needs change all the time. Speaking of B2B, businesses that once wanted productivity, scaling, and efficiency now value resilience and flexibility the most. In times of uncertainty, we need to be able to speak to our ideal clients. Each B2B business has an average of 6.7 decision-makers. We need to talk to each of them and get all of them on the same side. Talking with clients is an area in which marketing people could step in as well and support the alignment with sales.
The Strategy to Influence
Considering that B2B business usually has many decisions makes, we need the strategy to influence them. Sales and marketing need to collaborate in developing the content packages to bring to the buying team because, for instance, the IT manager needs to hear different things than the finance manager. Throughout the buying cycle, we talk with various people building a network of people. For networking, we can use business and sales processes such as CRM. Once when the sale is closed, the sales department usually thinks that their job is over, shifting the focus on marketing and customer success. Instead, the sale closing means opening the relationship and creating the opportunity to grow. Customer experience is the continuing process, and since we gained so many client insights already through the buying process, marketing and sales can work together again to contribute to the overall customer experience.
Our Host
John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.
Originally published on Sales Pop.
