Collaborate to Win: Bridging the Marketing-Sales Gap

Digital buying has blurred the line between marketing and sales — a crucial shift for midsize businesses aiming to increase revenue growth.

With so much information available, today’s buyer can choose their own adventure, toggling at will between online and human touch points. For marketers, simple, mid-funnel lead handoffs are behind us.

Rethinking the relationship with sales is critical to effective selling, but more than 70% of marketers say they don’t feel very confident in their sales and marketing alignment.

Why does marketing-sales alignment matter?

The most obvious answer is that sharing data between marketing and sales leads to more informed strategies and better decision-making by you and your prospective clients. But the actual value of alignment goes even deeper.

Today’s customers engage in a three-stage learning process (a funnel within a funnel if you will), and they need to flow seamlessly across digital and human channels to build confidence in their buying decisions. A more aligned approach allows for this unobstructed flow of information, which ultimately leads to a better customer experience, increased buyer confidence, and a higher likelihood of purchase.

Take the following steps to bridge the marketing-sales alignment gap:

1. Establish common goals. Ensure both teams agree on key metrics and performance indicators. This alignment fosters a shared sense of purpose and a more streamlined customer journey.
2. Foster open communication. Joint strategy sessions and regular meetings can break down barriers and build trust. Consider implementing a shared communication platform to facilitate ongoing dialogue.
3. Develop joint content strategies. Marketing and sales should collaborate on content creation, ensuring it covers all pain points at every stage of the buyer’s journey.
4. Enable real-time data sharing. A 360-degree view of customers is a game changer. Adopt tools and platforms that enable cross-functional visibility into customer insights — and engage in continuous feedback so both sales and marketing can adjust approaches with greater agility.

Breaking down the silos between marketing and sales is your first step toward unlocking revenue growth. Looking to implement a concrete solution? Contact one of our archers to see how we can assist.