The ultimate dream is when your marketing and sales teams work in harmony. The misalignment of the two is more common than you might think across business-to-business (B2B) companies and industries, which puts you at a huge disadvantage. They’re at their most effective when they’re working together towards the same goals; driving conversions, and growing your sales and revenue. So, it’s time to align your marketing and sales teams and propel your business growth.
Why Marketing and Sales Alignment Matters
Marketing and sales alignment is one of the largest opportunities for business performance growth. When the two are aligned it unites a single revenue cycle, resulting in an increase of return on investment (ROI), sales productivity and as mentioned before—growth. A chain of studies have shown “an average of 19% faster revenue growth and 15% profitability” (Demand Gen 2019 B2B Buyers Survey Report) when these teams ae aligned. Research proves that as a result of their marketing efforts, strongly aligned teams are “67% more effective at closing deals, 58% more effective at retaining customers and drive 208% more revenue” (The truth about smarketing**).** The numbers speak for themselves; B2B companies without alignment are working at a disadvantage.
Did you know that, according to LinkedIn’s research, the lack of coordination between marketing and sales teams wastes an estimated $1 Trillion every single year. Are you still wondering why marketing and sales alignment matters?
The Role of Data in Marketing and Sales Alignment
There are quite a few ways to coordinate marketing and sales teams, for long-term alignment success it’s important to create shared goals and KPIs, as well as reportings and campaigns. But there’s another key factor that plays a pivotal role in marketing and sales alignment, and that’s data; turning guesswork into strategic decisions. By combining data from both teams you’ll gain insights into customer behavior and buying patterns as well as fueling data-driven decisions. This allows your teams to identify growth opportunities and drive tailored campaigns that not only attract leads but also conversions.
Implementing real-time analytics tools that allow seamless data sharing is another great way to boost your team's alignment and drive those all important conversions. Tools like customer relationship management systems provides a 360-degree view of each customer to both teams; improving workflow efficiency and better coordination between the two teams which essentially leads to better crafted pitches and an increased likelihood of a deal closing.
Building the Right Tools for Alignment
But how do you get both teams on the same page and keep them there? Technology can be a big step forward to achieving seamless alignment between marketing and sales teams.
Customer Relationship Management
One essential tool is customer relationship management (CRM) software. CRM platforms, such as Salesforce and HubSpot, allow your teams to create joint custom dashboards to track customer interactions, sales stages and lead engagement which allows them to coordinate efforts and monitor progress together.
Marketing Automation
Set up a marketing automation workflow (like Marketo) that aligns with sales stages and allows marketing to send relevant content and alerts to sales when a lead is primed for outreach.
Data and Reporting
Data and reporting tools are essential for measuring the success of sales and marketing alignment efforts. Create regular reports (from i.e, Google Analytics or Tableau) that analyze both marketing and sales metrics to keep both teams on the same page.
Content Management System
Content management systems and collaboration tools further streamline content sharing and real-time updates. Tools like WordPress enable marketing to produce and distribute content that sales can easily access and share; from blog posts to case studies, these will support sales in engaging prospects in a meaningful way, setting the stage for smoother, faster conversions.
Consistent Communication
And finally, you can’t expect easy flowing alignment without clear, consistent communication. Use tools like Slack and Microsoft teams to set up dedicated channels so both teams can stay updated on leads, campaign feedback, and shared KPIs in real-time to encourage constant communication and alignment.
How to Align Sales and Marketing Teams
There are no simple answers for how to align both teams; it’s a continuous process that thrives on open communication, joint goals and shared metrics. But if you’re looking to increase ROI and speed up the sales cycle, then bridging the gap between these teams is the best way to boost your efforts because together they have the power to transform leads into loyal customers faster than ever; turning alignment into a powerful and measurable driver of success.
Ready to see how aligning your marketing and sales teams can transform your results? Discover how a unified strategy can drive your ROI higher and close deals faster. Schedule a free consultation with us today and let’s start building your path to success!
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