They say that you can’t understand another man until you walk a mile in his shoes. Let’s look at how this saying applies to the relationship held between marketing and sales. A major reason that the rift exists between the two departments is the lack of communication. Yes, there are plenty of words exchanged, but how often does each side actually sit down and listen?
This past week has been an exercise in understanding how our product is sold and how our marketing materials are used. There’s a good chance that a disconnect exists between the way a marketer would sell a product and the way a salesman would sell a product. In an effort to get the sales perspective, I planned a very sales-heavy week.
Attend Sales Demos
In a company that sells software as a service, the sales team spends a good portion of the day giving sales demos. After the initial contact has been made with a lead, an online sales demo is scheduled to walk the prospect through the software. Attending the sales demo has multiple benefits for the marketer:
- The salesperson will focus on the major selling points of the product – what is most compelling for the potential clients
- The salesperson will choose which marketing messages best capture the attention of the prospect
- The prospect will show interest or disinterest in features of the product.
- The prospect will ask questions about issues that haven’t been addressed
Meet With Sales
The point of attending the sales demos was to gain insight into the product from the perspective of the sales team and the prospect. Hopefully the marketer has come out of the experience with enough great questions or ideas to have a meeting with the salespeople. This meeting can be used to help both parties improve the way the product is marketed and sold.
- The marketer should address the marketing messages and materials that were and were not used.
- The salesperson should be honest about the positives and negatives of each piece of marketing
- Each side should brainstorm revisions or new solutions that could improve the sales process
Opening the floor up for discussion may allow for many improvements to be made. Beyond successful sales demos, the sales team may end up with improved lead generation and drip nurturing campaigns that speak more clearly to the pain points they hear from clients daily.
