Why Marketing should be your best friends in Sales

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, the relationship between marketing and sales has never been more crucial. The traditional approach to sales, characterised by the teach, tailor, and take control methodology, is quickly becoming outdated.

Laura Erdem, Senior Account Executive at Dreamdata, recently joined us for an episode of The Sales Syndicate Podcast, during which she emphasised the need for a paradigm shift in how Marketing and Sales teams collaborate to achieve success.

As prospects now enter the sales process armed with extensive knowledge about the product and its potential to address their needs, Marketing has taken on the role of the educator, transforming lead generation and streamlining the salesperson's responsibilities.

In this article:

1. Marketing's role in educating prospects and driving lead generation
2. Understanding the power of the buyer in modern marketing
3. Holistic relationship between Marketing and Sales
4. How speed of deal increases with sales and marketing alignment
5. Why sales reps should care about what Marketing do
6. Marketers need to understand and respect the role of sales
7. How Sales and Marketing departments collaborate at Dreamdata

Marketing's role in educating prospects and driving lead generation

Gone are the days when prospects solely relied on salespeople to guide them through the buying journey. Today, individuals have access to an abundance of information at their fingertips and arrive at a company's doorstep already well-informed. Recognising this shift, marketing has embraced the challenge of educating prospects and imparting essential knowledge about the solutions the company offers. By doing so, marketing has paved the way for a more efficient lead generation process, equipping salespeople with highly qualified prospects who are genuinely interested in finding a solution.

Laura aptly captures the essence of this new era, stating: "So, teach, tailor, take control. Marketing takes the teach out of the equation for sales. That's why in this new era where nobody wants to talk to a salesperson unless they are really in the market for buying a solution and we're figuring out if they can solve this problem with the tool, then that's where marketing comes in."

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Marketing's role in teaching prospects extends far beyond merely presenting product information. It involves educating prospects about the challenges they face, highlighting the value of the company's offerings in addressing those challenges, and demonstrating how the product can fit seamlessly into their existing workflows. By taking on this teaching component, marketing sets the stage for salespeople to focus on tailoring the sales process to each prospect's unique needs and taking control of the overall sales journey.

For Marketing and Sales to achieve optimal results, collaboration is paramount. Close cooperation between the two teams ensures that Marketing's efforts to educate prospects align with Sales' objectives. Regular communication, shared insights, and a unified understanding of the target audience are critical for bringing well-qualified prospects into the sales pipeline. By working hand in hand, Marketing and Sales can create a seamless customer experience, from the moment a prospect becomes aware of the company's offerings to the final stages of closing a deal.

Understanding the power of the buyer in modern marketing

Nowadays, buyers take full advantage of online resources to thoroughly research products and services, eliminating the possibility of companies charming their way into a purchase. This shift emphasises the importance for businesses to gain a comprehensive understanding of the entire buyer's journey, from the initial touchpoint to successfully closing the deal.

As Laura notes, "You have been trying out to figure out this problem for a long time, like 300 days for us to close the deal, but it goes all the way from first touch to deals closed. Trying to ask your prospects, where have you heard about us from? I have no idea. There were so many things ongoing."

The traditional approach of relying solely on the chemistry between salespeople and buyers is no longer sufficient in this new landscape. Instead, Marketing teams must recognise the power that buyers now hold due to their access to information. Buyers come to the table already equipped with knowledge about what a company offers, how it compares to competitors, and even reviews from other customers. This shift necessitates a strategic approach that aligns marketing efforts with the buyer's journey.

However, pinpointing the exact sources of information that influenced a prospect's decision can be challenging. As prospects progress through their journey, they encounter multiple touchpoints and receive information from various channels. It becomes difficult for them to recall precisely where they first heard about a company or product. This challenge makes it essential for Marketing teams to gain a comprehensive understanding of the full customer journey, as it enables them to optimise their efforts and identify the most effective touchpoints along the way.

To unlock the power of the buyer, Marketing teams should focus on providing educational content and touchpoints throughout the customer journey. By offering valuable and informative resources, companies can position themselves as trusted authorities and establish credibility in the eyes of prospects. It is crucial to ensure that prospects are well-informed at each stage, enabling them to make confident decisions based on their needs and preferences.

The holistic relationship between Marketing and Sales

The essence of a holistic relationship between Marketing and Sales lies in the alignment and collaboration between these two pivotal functions within an organisation. By working together closely, Marketing and sales can adopt a unified approach and deliver consistent messaging throughout the customer journey. This alignment allows for a deeper understanding of the customer's pain points, needs, and preferences, providing valuable insights that inform both marketing and sales strategies.

A key advantage of this collaboration is the ability to enhance lead nurturing and lead scoring processes. Marketing teams can provide valuable insights and data to Sales, enabling them to prioritiSe and target their efforts more effectively. This synergy ensures that Sales teams are equipped with the most qualified and engaged leads, increasing their chances of conversion, and driving revenue growth.

Moreover, Marketing and Sales can join forces to develop personalised and targeted content and messaging that reason each stage of the buyer's journey. By leveraging their combined expertise and insights, both teams can create compelling and tailored experiences that address the specific needs and pain points of customers. This level of personalszation fosters stronger connections and enhances the overall customer experience, ultimately leading to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Another benefit of a holistic relationship between Marketing and Sales is the ability to track and measure the effectiveness of marketing and sales efforts more efficiently and effectively. By sharing data and analytics, both teams gain valuable insights into the performance of campaigns and initiatives. This collaborative approach enables them to evaluate the success of their strategies, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions to optimise future efforts.

How speed of deal increases with sales and marketing alignment

In the realm of sales, speed is of the essence when it comes to closing deals and accelerating the buying decisions of clients. Laura highlights how the collaborative efforts between Sales and Marketing teams can transform gaps in salesperson knowledge into informative articles, creating a rich and informative website for prospects. This approach not only equips the Sales team with the necessary resources to address clients' inquiries but also enables them to efficiently direct potential clients to relevant information.

As Laura explains, “I joined as the first salesperson in the team. So, we didn't have that many blog posts and content written down. What Steffen did, our CMO and Co-Founder did, is that whenever there is a question that Sales is not able to answer on the call, he wrote an article about this. With this, it will be so much easier for a lot of other prospects to find answers to those questions."

The key advantage of collaboration between Sales and Marketing lies in the speed at which deals progress. By working together closely, Marketing teams gain invaluable insights into the specific touches that are instrumental in driving clients towards making purchasing decisions. Armed with this knowledge, Marketing can educate themselves more rapidly, familiarise themselves with the solutions on offer, and fine-tune their content strategy accordingly.

A powerful way to facilitate this collaboration is to document any questions or uncertainties that arise during sales calls, which salespeople are unable to answer in real-time. This collection of inquiries becomes a valuable resource for the Marketing team. They can then utilise these questions as a foundation for creating articles or content that prospects can easily find on the company's website. By proactively addressing potential concerns and providing comprehensive answers, marketing empowers prospects to come to the table already educated and informed.

Why sales reps should care about what Marketing do

If sales reps find that they are not receiving the high-quality content they desire, it is crucial for them to provide feedback to the Marketing team. By sharing their insights, sales reps enable Marketing to understand the specific requirements and preferences that contribute to generating better quality leads. This collaborative feedback loop helps Marketing teams refine their strategies, tailor their content, and align their efforts with the needs and expectations of the Sales team.

Investing time in providing feedback to Marketing can yield significant benefits. When sales reps actively engage in the feedback process, they contribute to the continuous improvement of the lead generation process. By expressing their concerns, highlighting areas for improvement, and suggesting changes, sales reps enable Marketing to fine-tune their approach and deliver higher quality leads.

Ultimately, the collaboration between Sales and Marketing teams is a symbiotic relationship. Sales teams rely on the content and materials provided by marketing to drive their success in closing deals. By caring about the quality of the content and actively providing feedback, sales reps empower Marketing to deliver the necessary resources that will fuel their efforts. This collaboration ensures that Sales teams receive the "meat" they need for every deal, equipping them with the necessary tools and information to close deals successfully.

Marketers need to understand and respect the role of sales

One of the key points highlighted by Laura is the need for Marketing teams to invest time and effort in understanding how Sales teams sell. This involves actively learning about the sales process, attending sales meetings, and gaining first-hand experience of the intricacies involved in closing deals.

By immersing themselves in the sales environment, Marketing teams can develop a profound appreciation for the skill, effort, and expertise required to push deals through the pipeline successfully. This understanding fosters mutual respect and paves the way for effective collaboration between Marketing and Sales teams.

In addition to understanding the sales process, Marketing should also focus on identifying why deals are not closing and actively collaborate with the Sales team to find solutions. By working together to diagnose the root causes of deal losses, Marketing can play a proactive role in refining the product, messaging, or sales process to address any shortcomings. This collaborative approach ensures that marketing efforts are aligned with the needs and challenges faced by the Sales team, leading to a more cohesive and impactful revenue generation strategy.

To improve the relationship between Marketing and Sales teams, it is crucial for companies to shift their mindset from viewing them as separate entities to considering them as a unified revenue-generating team. By adopting a revenue-focused approach, both teams can align their strategies and efforts towards a common goal. This shift in mindset encourages open communication, knowledge sharing, and a shared sense of responsibility for generating quality leads and closing deals.

How Sales and Marketing departments collaborate at Dreamdata

At Dreamdata, the collaboration between the Sales and Marketing departments is a cornerstone of their success. Laura sheds light on how their Sales team works closely with the Marketing department to fine-tune their outreach and content strategies, ensuring a seamless and impactful customer experience. The collaborative efforts between these teams play a vital role in driving conversions and nurturing relationships with prospects.

What the Marketing team does:

1. Attends weekly pipeline reviews
2. Measures which leads moved to Sales qualified and tries to bring more of those
3. Brings predictability into the funnel by knowing which channels bring in the fastest or largest deals
4. The first one to jump when an ICP enters pipeline

What the Sales team does:

1. Feeds questions to Marketing that prospects are asking on sales calls
2. Uses Marketing-produced content in sales conversations
3. Notices the channels that are bringing in the best leads
4. Gets on Linkedin to amplify the content Marketing produces

Key takeaways

1. Marketing and Sales teams must collaborate closely to adapt to the evolving business landscape. Marketing has taken on the role of educating prospects, streamlining the sales process, and generating highly qualified leads.
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2. Understanding the power of the buyer in modern marketing is crucial. Buyers now have access to extensive information and resources, and Marketing teams should focus on providing educational content throughout the customer journey to establish credibility and address specific needs.
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3. A holistic relationship between marketing and sales leads to improved lead nurturing, personalized experiences, and better tracking of campaign effectiveness. Close collaboration allows both teams to align their strategies, share insights, and deliver consistent messaging.
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4. Collaboration between Sales and Marketing teams speeds up deal progression by providing informative content that addresses prospects' inquiries. Sales reps should actively provide feedback to Marketing to improve lead quality and empower Marketing to deliver the necessary resources for successful deal closures.
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5. Marketing teams should invest time in understanding and respecting the role of sales by immersing themselves in the sales environment, attending meetings, and gaining firsthand experience. This understanding fosters mutual respect and effective collaboration between Marketing and Sales, ultimately driving revenue growth.