Tested Tips For Successful Sales and Marketing Alignment
Sales and marketing alignment is proving beneficial across all organizations that incorporate the strategy. Traditionally, companies have operated their sales and marketing teams in separate silos with each department working towards individual goals. However, allowing these two divisions to share goals and strategies is showing far greater success in the 21st-century world of business.
This interdepartmental alignment strategy fosters an environment of encouragement and support while enhancing the general shift toward more collaborative working environments. The results speak for themselves as companies are experiencing fewer missed opportunities. They also report better use of people and resources and stronger, more confident teams.
Recent research reinforces the benefits of this strategy. Studies have shown how companies that successfully align these two departments can generate 32% more revenue, retain 36% more customers and achieve 38% higher win rates.
Here are some tried and true tips on how to successfully bring together sales and marketing to achieve unified goals.
Leverage The Use of Cloud Technologies
So why is this new sales and marketing alignment strategy so successful? One of the greatest reasons is the introduction of cloud technologies to the business sector. Marketing departments have benefited most from cloud technologies as they’re no longer bound by restrictive technologies.
Cloud technology has opened doors for ‘inbound’ strategies which have changed the marketing landscape from the more traditional pushy sales pitch to that of a more customer-centric approach. Removing elements like location dependency and opening opportunities for social strategies create easy entry points for brands to reach their audience. Plus, communication and delivery processes are simplified.
Cloud technologies have also leveled the playing field in terms of access. The customizations and features offered by these software solutions are ideal for any sized organization. In addition, many cloud services offer ‘pay-as-you-go’ and try-before-you-buy options. These give smaller companies the opportunity to purchase and use state-of-the-art technologies.
With the ability to centralize data results, marketers can efficiently analyze data from various sources. This provides more accurate and fast feedback which in turn allows marketers to create more defined strategies going forward.
Build Sales Around Buyer Personas
One area where sales and marketing alignment is of significant benefit is in the analysis and development of strategies pertaining to buyer personas. With customers actively choosing how they engage with brands, companies need to ensure they are paying careful attention to the strategies they develop and implement. To effectively accomplish this, sales strategies should be built around the buyer personas interacting with their brand.
In essence, buyer personas are representative profiles of your clientele that provide insight into their exact wants and needs. A thorough understanding of a customer base gives marketers perspective into how to attain and retain the right customer base and what measures need to be put in place to engage with these customers. It also allows sales teams to focus on what the user needs, rather than what businesses think they should be selling them.
Segmenting your customer base according to defined buyer personas, and building your marketing and sales strategies around these personas, builds trust between you and your customer base. It adds credibility to your brand which establishes loyalty.
Once buyer personas are defined, allow your sales team an opportunity to undergo training on the various buyer personas so they can strategize their sales approach around relevant buyer information. Regular training is beneficial on so many levels. It refreshes learned knowledge, improves communication skills, builds confidence when dealing with clients and provides an opportunity to introduce new technologies geared towards assisting reps in the field.
Have a Detailed Content Creation Plan When Strategizing Your Sales and Marketing Alignment
The statement ‘content is king’ has never been truer than in the process of developing your sales and marketing alignment strategy. Defining a content plan is a good way to get these two departments talking. Developing buyer personas provides a great opportunity for both these departments to really get inside the head of customers. What interests them? What would they like to read, learn about, be exposed to? A deeper understanding of the customer makes both teams more effective.
Unfortunately, only half of B2B marketers feel comfortable collaborating effectively with their sales teams. The disconnect between the two teams creates unique content creation challenges that affect the entire company. Developing comprehensive content plans through sales and marketing alignment has significant benefits for the whole organization and is achievable.
Sales and marketing alignment results in a content plan suited to the potential customers and will see both departments benefit from it greatly.
Don’t Take Sales Meetings for Granted
When developing sales and marketing alignment, it is important to plan regular meetings within these departments. These meetings help establish the joint culture you are trying to foster within these two departments.
They also give you a chance to assess progress. Unpacking situations, scenarios and developments is a critical step in any growth plan. This is more than just reporting facts and figures, it is a chance to brainstorm situations and find solutions as a team. It is an opportunity for each department to gain insight into what challenges both departments face.
Meetings such as these encourage communication, something that is often a stumbling block in an organization. Open and honest communication gives way for motivation and problem-solving. They are also a great way for managers to assess skill levels regularly and address any additional training that may be required.
Finally, they encourage celebration. Celebrating the small successes is important for both departments and is a great way to foster a team spirit.
Improve Sales and Marketing Alignment with a Cloud Presentation Software
Never before has the opportunity to develop sales and marketing alignment been greater. In a world focused on collaboration and communication, this strategy is ideal. It opens the doors to an increased understanding of the various roles and their challenges and encourages real communication through dissecting day-to-day challenges.
Sales and marketing alignment brings the customer front and center, allowing for the creation of accurate and relevant buyer personas. Personas that a sales team can get to know intimately.
Cloud technology companies like Ingage offer professional presentation software that comes stacked with dynamic features. The versatile nature of the software allows users unprecedented control over their work and the cloud-based interface is intuitive, allowing multiple users to update slides in real-time, encouraging collaboration and teamwork.
The ability to customize the software to suit your needs makes this an affordable and extremely workable solution for your company and your sales and marketing alignment goals.