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Get Sales and Marketing TalkingBy: Kim T. Gordon Is there a disconnect between the marketing and sales functions in your small business? If so, you may be wasting thousands of marketing dollars and employee time to boot. According to research by the Aberdeen Group (www.aberdeen.com), as much as 80 percent of marketing expenditures on lead generation and sales collateral are wasted because these efforts are ignored by salespeople. Marketing teams make an equally damaging blunder by overlooking critical input from salespeople regarding customer data and needs, causing salespeople to spend as much as 40 to 60 hours a month creating their own customer-relevant collateral materials. Even worse, this problem may go unrecognized for years, causing a downward spiral in sales results. A Dangerous Gap The bottom line is that marketing exists to support sales. Your marketing department can develop a terrific product strategy, but it’s up to your sales staff to implement it. And when the marketing and sales departments – whether they consist of two people or 200 – fail to share the right information, the whole company suffers. It’s easy to see where the disconnect starts. Salespeople are required to spend the bulk of their time in the field meeting with customers, in the office on the telephone or at the computer. In retail organizations, a salesperson’s entire day is generally spent in the store with customers. The sales staff’s income can be dramatically affected by the quality of leads or foot traffic generated by marketing and they’re on the front line when it comes to hearing all the positive – and negative – input from customers. Marketing staffers, on the other hand, are constantly under pressure to solve challenges quickly and creatively while analyzing the available information on the competition, marketplace, company products and services and the target audience. They rarely have any interaction with customers, unless it’s through second-party reports from surveys or focus group research. They’re almost always juggling tight budgets and countless vendors, from ad agencies or media reps to printers and the press. With both groups constantly under pressure, frequent, scheduled face-to-face interaction is imperative, even in the most closely knit companies. To succeed, your marketing people must get the sales staff involved in development of new programs and materials from day one, and keep them apprised of all activities from product launches through promotional campaigns – because if the sales force isn’t on board, chances are your programs will fail. And the sales staff must share customer insights as well as candid information on the usability and effectiveness of marketing tools and campaigns. Get Them Talking Here’s what each of your teams should bring to the meeting table. Marketing should present: > An overview of the current business conditions your company faces, including new technological breakthroughs, competitive product launches and government regulations, that will affect customer relations. > Promotional and advertising programs in the works, their central messages, key features and launch dates. > A description of the marketing programs of your major competitors. > Information on upcoming press coverage. > Insight gained from customer feedback via your Web site and research. Your sales team should report on: > Any changes in customer demographics or hot buttons. > The quality of leads generated by marketing. > The effectiveness of special promotions. > Objections raised by customers and the sales strategies and tactics used to overcome them. > Feedback on how well your company’s marketing messages relate to customers’ needs. > Competitive product or service comparisons as they relate to company strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. > Feedback on the usability of sales tools and materials. When you ensure vital information flows between your sales and marketing teams, the resulting marketing campaigns and materials will be right on the money. Get In-depth Coaching on this Topic>> Kim T. Gordon's columns and articles are read by nearly 3 million small and home-based business owners each month. She is the author of two books, including Bringing Home the Business: The 30 Truths Every Home Business Owner Must Know. Copyrighted material. May not be reproduced in whole or part without expressed permission from the author. |
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