The Hayden Group Articles

THE WAR BETWEEN MARKETING AND SALES: PROSPECTS FOR PEACE

By Victoria Hayden, The Hayden Group

What started the war between Marketing and Sales anyway?

Good marketing folks would never develop a marketing program without input from Sales.

Good sales folks understand that the brand of a product or service is integral to the sale.

Unfortunately, in far too many companies, Marketing ignores Sales and Sales ignores Marketing.

The "pizza strategy"

When I was a VP Account Director with J. Walter Thompson on B-to-B products and services, I would receive initial input from the clients' marketing folks. Typically, marketing folks would provide copious amounts of information written or articulated in Corporate Speak. Translating the copious Corporate Speak into meaningful, focused information to the Creative folks who had to create the ads was tough. Creative folks want to know--in customer language--what the product does, how do customers use it, and why is the product better. So I developed my "pizza strategy" for obtaining meaningful marketing input.

Sales folks are on the front line

Now, whenever I need input to develop a marketing campaign, I invite the sales folks to a pizza lunch in a client conference room. During the "pizza session," we talk like real folks about real sales calls. What do you really say to customers and prospects? What do they really say to you? Tell me your best success story. Tell me about your most memorable failure? Sales folks, recounting the actual words of customers and prospects, provide the best ideas, insights and headlines for advertising—short of talking to the customer directly.

So given how invaluable Sales can be to developing marketing campaigns, what is the source of the typical disconnect between Marketing and Sales?

Things sales folks do that drive marketing folks crazy

• Refuse to use the sales support materials provided by Marketing.
If the materials are not helping you, let Marketing know about the
problems. If junior marketing folks won't listen to you,
escalate the issue.

• Replace company sales support materials, including PowerPoint
presentations, with home-grown materials. You're kidding yourself
if you think your materials look professional.

• Refuse to learn and use technologies implemented to enhance the
sales process, such as sales portals and sales automation. If not all
sales folks use Salesforce, for example, not all activity is tracked
and the reports are invalid.

• Slam the company ad campaign. Sadly, the ad campaign may, in fact,
be awful. But undermining your company to a prospect will not only
make your company look bad, but you will look unprofessional. And you
will not get the sale. Because the prospect is thinking, "I wonder what
this sales person says about his customers."

• Avoid talking with Marketing. How will you ever make things
better if you don't talk?

Things marketing folks do that drive sales folks crazy

• Create a brand positioning without input from your target market
and/or Sales.

• Create sales support materials without input from frontline sales
folks. Leaving out input from sales folks results in materials that are
too cumbersome to use, and allow for no customization. This includes
both online and offline materials.

• Implement sales support technologies without buy-in from Sales.

• Create sales portals without input from Sales. This results in content
that is not organized in ways sales folks really use that kind of information.

• Launch an ad or direct-marketing campaign to the marketplace before
launching it with Sales.

• Fail to deliver leads to Sales in a timely manner.

• Avoid talking with Sales. How will you ever make things better if you
don't talk?

Money and accountability

Marketing is always going to think more money should be spent on advertising and other marketing programs. And Sales is always going to think more money should be spent on sales. Truth is, both are probably right. Budget fights between Marketing and Sales are likely never to go away.

So what about accountability? Most sales folks work on salary plus commission. You make the sale; you get the commission. No sale; no commission. What about Marketing? Marketing departments can control tens and hundreds of millions of dollars. Where is the accountability for spending marketing dollars? Developing marketing plans with measurable goals, and reviewing those plans with Sales comprise a start But could greater accountability for marketing expenditures be achieved?

In past marketing positions, I have attempted to enhance accountability within my department and foster greater trust with Sales. I initiated dialog with my Sales peers to attempt to link part of my salary, and the salaries of my directors, to sales goals—but we never got past the discussion stage. If any of you have ideas about creating a stronger link between marketing and sales performance, I would love to hear about it. Email me at victoria@thehaydengroup.com.

Victoria Hayden