Most companies have an ongoing battle between the sales and marketing departments. Sales reps think the marketing people are out of touch, provide the wrong support materials and don’t have a clue how ‘tough it is out there.’ And worse yet, they spend a lot of money and show little return. Marketing thinks the sales reps are lazy, don’t follow through on all the sales leads they’re given and when they finally get an appointment they can’t close the deal. And, they think the sales reps are a bunch of overpaid whiners.
Whoa, what is going on here?
We have a serious case of two departments operating in silos. For all the business books, articles and seminars where managers go to ‘get ‘it, it is astounding how many Presidents, CEO’s, VP’s, middle managers and Owners don’t. They manage organizations into dysfunction. There is no coordinated and aligned strategy for the company and especially for two critical areas: new customer acquisition and customer retention. Among the managers, there is no agreement on how to reach goals. Sometimes, goals get established for the two departments that are in conflict or are unrealistic. Or, worse yet, there are none!
For real progress and real results, marketing and sales need to get on the same page. The page of specific corporate expectations and goals. The page of togetherness. The page of team.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
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1 comments:
Offering public speaking events and seminars for marketing is a great thought. What better way to get to know your venture marketing partner than working a public event with them such as an informational seminar? Of course, you need to select a partner that offers complimentary services, but this can be a great setting for marketing. They aim at providing a learning atmosphere without the need for constant note taking, review, and study.
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