Blueprint for Sales & Marketing Alignment: Part 1

by Donal Daly

 

Image via FreeDigitalPhotos.net/SalvatoreVuono

Few distinct viewpoints in business are as polarized as those of marketing and sales professionals. Marketing is glamorous, sales less so. Sales are measurable, marketing less so. The uneasy relationship between sales and marketing is widespread and infects almost all types of businesses, particularly technology companies that provide high-value solutions to large corporations. Marketing folks decry the poor sales conversion rate delivered by the sales team, who in turn abhor what they would characterize as the laughable value delivered by expensive marketing campaigns.

 

I’ve met with many sales and marketing professionals, and the polarity of perspective is striking. “Salespeople are just quick-talking, quota-driven snake oil dealers” was the opinion of the marketing quarter, while the sales constituency responded, “Sales teams draw the picture, and marketing teams color it in!”

Like many opposing forces, however, their true interdependence is understated and sometimes unclear. The strategic marketing function (not marketing communications) believes that it sets out the game plan, sometimes only to find that there are no players who understand the strategy. Sales teams execute plays, without understanding where the corporate goal is. On today’s playing field, successful selling and the leading sales professional encapsulate the best of strategic marketing, but at an individual customer level. Today’s sales winners leave behind their previous role as vehicles for value communication and take responsibility for value creation, delivered to carefully chosen prospects – to convert them to customers.

Principles, once seemingly engraved in stone, now reveal themselves to be more fluid than rigid. In a world where value creation is a necessity, and the foundation upon which profitable sales relationships are built, activity alone no longer suffices. The old adage of “sales is a numbers game” rings hollow in a world where information is everywhere, and customers are frequently as knowledgeable as you are about your products, and those of your competitor. Unless you create – rather than just communicate – value, customers will look elsewhere. Professional selling has evolved beyond a “Go get ‘em, Tiger!” approach, and a good listener will beat a fast talker every time. Customers now look to a sales professional to be their partner in developing a future vision for their organizations. They expect actions -- not just words. The winning professional salesperson is becoming a customer confidante, a trusted advisor in his industry, and the person who leads his colleagues to President’s Club, year after year.

Bringing Sales and Marketing Together

For sales and marketing to work together, there must be a

• common framework,
• blueprint of the deal,
• shared perspective of the ideal customer, and
• single understanding of typical problems the customer is trying to solve.

The function of any such blueprint should be to equip anyone selling or marketing high value, complex products to large corporations with a defined process that can be molded to an individual salesperson’s style but which also takes much of the uncertainty out of the sales process. I tried to do that here. It combines high-level, strategic marketing principles to draw the map, with focused tactics to complete each journey, addressing the practical stops along the way.

Its purpose is to help you grow revenue. We have all spent too many hours in airports, traveling to sales calls, to focus on anything else. Selling is an honorable profession -- and a tough one. Marketing is no less honorable, but is absent the rejections in sales that are many and varied, or the highs which are sometimes not as frequent as the lows. But when sales is good, when you close that big deal, or win a really competitive bid, there is almost nothing to compare. If we can construct an environment where sales and marketing are fellow travelers on this journey, sharing the same map, and headed to the same destination, it is more likely that the destination reached will be a treasured one.

I have set out here a defined, repeatable sales process that is pragmatic and usable. It is focused around the sales process and highlights what the sales person needs to do, and how the marketing organization might think about how to support the sales process, each step of the way. The process sets out key principles, and arranges them into these six manageable, actionable steps -- a framework that you can adopt to aid your efforts. 

1. Select target customer.
2. Understand buyer need.
3. Qualify the ppportunity.
4. Plan and manage the pipeline.
5. Execute the sales plan.
6. Negotiate and close.

In following posts, I will go into detail on each of these steps in the sales process, outlining the respective and interdependent tasks for sales and marketing. But, in the meantime, if you want to create a customized sales process for your own company, you can do so for free at DealmakerGenius.

Donal Daly is CEO of The TAS Group.

Comments

[tomsxseltb]

We have been top quality providers, our goods for example automated skeleton observe , The far east physical automatic await supervise purchaser. To know more, you should visits ladies skeletal system view.
German born fictional honours ds lite

[rolex replica]

Over the years the recent metal calls and plastic material,ralph lauren france

[omega replica]

The next progress was involving automatic wristwatches.

[Cheap Ugg Boots]

elling is an honorable profession -- and a tough one. Marketing is no less honorable

[Louis Vuitton Sale]

Customers now look to a sales professional to be their partner in developing a future vision for their organizations.

[Louis Vuitton Borse]

In following posts, I will go into detail on each of these steps in the sales process, outlining the respective and interdependent tasks for sales and marketing.

[Estate Planning]

This can be the particular very best file I have examine appreciate it We've come to realize lots of abilities in this subject. Estate Planning http://www.bulkping.com/rss-feed-generator-creator/feed/c6f5b87b4febb16827b90a6565d9e51b.xml

[Scuppoky]

buy best burberry outlet online , for special offer JNfBXwef http://burberryscarves3.ahoban.com/posts/3

[Enelenda]

click to view christian louboutin outlet sale qYWBNDNc [URL=http://www.christian--louboutin-outlet.net/ - christian louboutin outlet shop [/URL - , just clicks away glJtZSVo http://www.christian--louboutin-outlet.net/

[Unowdumn]

for online louis vuitton outlet for gift cmtNnDHR http://www.louis-vuittononline-shop.com/

[Indendtwiff]

gqsuk beats by dre mdgog http://www.foxbeatsbydre.co.uk jyipn beats by dr dre ffcdt http://www.add-beatsbydre.co.uk xqeql dr dre beats vggcz http://www.beatsshop2013.com lubdp beats by dre ydvbj http://www.onlinecheapbeatsbydre.com btdmv beats by dre sale sayic http://www.justdrdrebeatssale.com poqkr dr dre beats ayouq http://www.vip-beatsbydresale.com ffjc

[Indendtwiff]

xkxhu dr dre beats fzhwa http://www.foxbeatsbydre.co.uk dhelo beats by dre mglmo http://www.add-beatsbydre.co.uk umkgq beats by dre gnwnb http://www.beatsshop2013.com skpdk dre beats ouwvh http://www.onlinecheapbeatsbydre.com tlqvg beats by dre ewron http://www.justdrdrebeatssale.com eraxm cheap beats by dre wdbyu http://www.vip-beatsbydresale.com rkrb

[Dambooms]

get cheap christian louboutin outlet usa kJBYstyp [URL=http://www.christian--louboutin-outlet.net/ - christian louboutin outlet reviews [/URL - , just clicks away TPWXAHBy http://www.christian--louboutin-outlet.net/

[Yuna]

Game Marketing is so bad .. For the people who fololw him all know that he always try to take shot at Jay and always put big rapper on this track but his sales aren't near Platinum status. Somebody need to tell Game that its all over. And to all those Young Kats need to read up on your real hip hop .Jay maybe old but he is keep the true meaning of hip hop together .cause Drake Singing ass and Lil Wayne non-understand ass is not make hip hop real. J cole is the real youngster who is fololwing the past to greatness.

[Faifiace]

buy best moncler store YLdXHEHo [URL=http://moncleroutlet3.webs.com/ - moncler hat[/URL - to get new coupon NUWoSXEb http://moncleroutlet3.webs.com/

[Messjeme]

buy a moncler jackets men NusuMZKo [URL=http://moncleroutlet3.webs.com/ - moncler[/URL - and check coupon code available XgskCamm http://moncleroutlet3.webs.com/

[usenedup]

view moncler women dCYqgTOL [URL=http://moncleroutlet3.webs.com/ - moncler outlet[/URL - for less kYUcfdBA http://moncleroutlet3.webs.com/

[Essesebromy]

Turn $200 into $5,000 Every Month - Secret Reveled!

Learn this simple way to make an extra income from home.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VyiMfqQST8

[oeetgbdhpd]

Rt4iq3 , [url=http://bgkxaogfwwlp.com/]bgkxaogfwwlp[/url], [link=http://uvtlhebttflo.com/]uvtlhebttflo[/link], http://hnzmeoqktytm.com/

[EvatMege]

view louis vuitton fake JsWKkMpd [URL=http://www.replicalouisvuitton2013.wordpress.com/ - louis vuitton online store[/URL - and get big save cYYvzsSq http://www.replicalouisvuitton2013.wordpress.com/

[WeirdandUniqueChameleonJewelry]

I care for such info much. Weird and Unique Chameleon Jewelry http://www.zyaviation.com/bbs/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=2078701 Weird and Unique Chameleon Jewelry

[http://www.hangzhouwan.net/read.php?tid-133081-ds-1.html]

I fancy coming defeat common to decide your thoughts. I comprise your page bookmarked on my regular announce inventory!

[seksanonse]

Szukasz seksu bez zobowiazan ? Najwiekszy portal randkowy dla doroslych, zajrzyj do nas

free adult chat

[ivoqcjwcj]

Other needful office supplies:
hermes online
http://links.sparklit.com/main.spark?linksID=22901 - chanel bags outlet
http://louisvuittonbagsoutlet.20m.com/
Maxx
hermes bags
http://cheapchanelhandbagsoutlet.20m.com/ - Chanel Outlet Store
http://outletstore.cabanova.com/

[ivoqcjwcj]

Other needful office supplies:
hermes online
http://links.sparklit.com/main.spark?linksID=22901 - chanel bags outlet
http://louisvuittonbagsoutlet.20m.com/
Maxx
hermes bags
http://cheapchanelhandbagsoutlet.20m.com/ - Chanel Outlet Store
http://outletstore.cabanova.com/