According to a Demand Metric 2013 Benchmark Report on Sales and Marketing Alignment, 66% of organizations reporting complete alignment achieved their revenue goals compared to 41% who reported no alignment.
Sales and Marketing alignment is one of the biggest issues facing many sales organizations, today. Companies which have achieved strong Sales and Marketing alignment are getting the most out of their sales systems and are working within the framework of one of the most advanced organizational structures. Conversely, lagging companies are operating in an environment in which Sales and Marketing are virtually on two different planets. Sales asks Marketing to create more marketing campaigns and run more events, while Marketing thinks that Sales isn’t using any of their marketing collateral.
So what does it really mean to “align” Sales and Marketing?
Think of Marketing and Sales as two separate entities, with two separate systems that are fully and effectively integrated.
Sales and Marketing alignment is also characterized by:
- Aligning the two departments to the lifecycle of the customer
- Creating agreed-upon sets of definitions of what constitutes prospects and customers at each stage of the sales pipeline; and,
- Defining how each department will operate and the strategies that they will utilize to achieve revenue growth.
Marketing Automation and CRM
Sales and Marketing execs that are paying attention to alignment have a vision and are working towards achieving it, and they are investing in Marketing Automation and CRM systems as a result. Marketing Automation is a big component of aligning the two departments together as it plays a key role in lead scoring and lead nurturing. When Marketing is able to create lead stages, it becomes possible to identify when leads become sales-ready. Conversely, when Sales is working with a CRM, they can immediately identify opportunities and follow-through with prospects and customers as they come to the closing stages of their lifecycle.
Top performing sales organizations that strive for Sales and Marketing alignment understand that it is a big enabler of revenue growth. Aligning the two departments means putting an organizational structure in places that works to provide the greatest opportunity for Marketing and Sales to achieve success. Peter Ostrow, VP and Group Director of Sales Effectiveness at the Aberdeen Group says “In the era of the hidden sales cycle and content marketing, the days of marketing and sales working in isolation are long gone..” Achieving success in today’s competitive environment means bringing both Marketing and Sales together and working within the framework of a single, consistent sales pipeline.
How effectively are your Sales and Marketing teams working together? Have you achieved your Sales and Marketing alignment goals?
