Sales managers tend to believe that marketers are out of touch with what is really happening in the market. In turn, these professionals believe that the sales force is myopic, overly focused on individual customer experiences and the short term.
Kotler P. 2006
In 2006, Philip Kotler , Neil Rackham and Suj Krishnaswamy switzerland whatsapp mobile phone number list wondered why sales and marketing professionals were unable to be aligned and, to a certain extent, faced with each other, fighting for different interests. They published their interesting conclusions in Harvard Business Review in an article they titled " Ending the War Between Sales and Marketing."
15 years after the publication of this article, we can confirm that there has not been much progress in B2B industrial companies , and its recommendations for aligning these two functions are still valid.
We review the market trends that are requiring this coordination to be successful in sales and we advance how a focus on accounts, and not contacts, can be a marketing methodology better adapted to achieve your business objectives .
The relationship between sales and marketing today.
Proposal to align sales and marketing.
The relationship between sales and marketing today.
There are countless definitions of the role that a marketing department plays in the business environment . Among the most common objectives and functions that they perform are the improvement of brand reputation, market analysis, optimization of internal communication and coordination processes, the design and execution of promotional campaigns, event preparation, etc.
However, it is not very common for the marketing department to highlight its contribution to increasing, consolidating or improving the profitability of the company's sales. In addition, the active participation of those involved in marketing tasks in the sales process is not usually a priority .
Marketing and sales for industrial companies
Currently in the market , and especially in the one where B2B companies operate, there are a series of trends that require greater coordination of the functions of the marketing and sales departments:
Greater competition favours the “commoditization” of products and services offered by B2B companies.
More mature and demanding markets that no longer require products, but rather increasingly personalized solutions.
Ability to access technical and commercial information available to the potential buyer, long before contacting the sales department.
Longer sales processes with a greater number of people involved, which makes operational management of sales processes difficult.
Technology that enables you to impact potential customers through multiple channels.
The sales team's ability to influence B2B sales processes is decreasing . Customers are increasingly better educated and have access to more information and a growing range of services and solutions. In a context like the current one, where potential buyers have all the information about a product or service at their fingertips before contacting the sales team, leadership in the sales process must be shared with the marketing department, working on customer segments or even very specific accounts in a joint and personalized way . In a model of these characteristics, of course, sales objectives do not only involve the sales department.
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The reality in SMEs and especially in B2B companies is that either there is no marketing department , or the people involved in the department are focused on communication and production functions, without having any involvement in sales. In many cases, it is the company's own sales director who performs the functions of marketing director and is supported by a marketing technician or external companies that support them in web design, digital marketing, etc.
Regardless of the internal structure of each company and the people involved, marketing actions must be aimed at achieving commercial objectives, supporting commercial action at all times.
In this sense, it is becoming increasingly necessary to understand the end customer and provide value at all stages of the sales and customer retention process. And in this context, marketing work is essential.
Proposal to align marketing and sales
Does it make any sense for sales management to have well-defined target customers or customer segments, but for the marketing actions that the company implements not to be aimed at achieving these commercial objectives?
Marketing should be geared towards supporting sales with actions aimed at achieving specific objectives. And in the first phase of the sales process with a buyer, marketing can and should be the one to open the door .
Marketing plan in industrial companies
There are currently two marketing strategies that attempt to align marketing and sales actions: Inbound Marketing and Account Based Marketing (ABM).
