1. SUCCESSNext ExitBy Paul Kirch, PRCPresident & CEOSales and Marketing AlignmentMaximizing Your Impact In Todays Competitive Environment

2. 8% of B2B Companies Feel They Have A TightAlignment Between Sales and MarketingdForrester Research B2B Sales And Marketing Alignment Starts With The CustomerIf your company is part of the 92%, then your success is being stifled or severely limited.Marketing and Sales must align for there to be synergy. Avoid adding conflictingmessages by creating messaging which sales embraces and truly understands or believesin. Creative marketing should be embraced, but only if its also effective and beingleveraged.Is your marketing driving more sales or revenue? Should this be the emphasis andexpectation of your marketing efforts? Lets look at this further.Whatabout theother92%?Takeaway Points 3. We Have Two Departments,Sales and Sales SupportaCharles Wang, CA TechnologiesTakeaway PointsIf this slide offends your way of thinking, please stop and look at this honestly. If youmeasure your company success by revenue growth or reaching sales targets, then yourobjective should be to embrace any means of reaching those milestones. Marketingmust be used as a tool to support this. Yes, there are other reasons to celebrate within acompany, but without revenue generation, its likely your firm will not become successfuland it will likely not lead to sustainability. Lets look at how the word marketing isdefined, as this alone leads to a very telling story of where your focus should lie. 4. Marketing DefinedWikipedia: Marketing is the process of communicating the value of a product orservice to customers, for the purpose of selling that product or service.Merriam Webster: Marketing:1 a : the act or process of selling or purchasing in a market.1 b : the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product orservice.2 : an aggregate of functions involved in moving goods from producer toconsumer.Takeaway PointsAny way you look at marketing, the practice is dedicated to generating more sales withinan organization. Even your branding should be centered around a value based message,where top-of-mind recognition leads potential buyers to seeking your companys productsand services. Visibility does matter, but if it isnt attracting buyers, then its time to revisityour approach. Being known is not the same as being desired. Desirability will lead tomore revenue, which allows for your company to invest back in areas which support growthand innovation. Without that, its about survival instead of sustainability. 5. Goal AdoptionTakeaway PointsAre your marketing and sales teams goals in alignment? If not, they need to be. Oftenmarketing creation occurs in a silo, where there is not mutual buy-in. Perhaps this is driven bymanagement or a creative marketer. Client conversations that the sales team has are oftennot relayed to the marketing team. The end result may be competing messages, instead ofsynergistic messaging. Common goals and open communication can create opportunity anddrive a culture where success is celebrated! If not aligned, then both groups will believe theother is not doing their job. This creates a cultural clash and may lead to productivity decline.They just dont get it!Most Sales or Marketing Executives, Referring to Their Counterparts 6. Website Usability1. Accessibility2. Identity3. Navigation4. Content *Takeaway PointsWebsite usability is one example where message alignment must exist. If your salesteam is using talking points or discussing products which dont exist on the website orother marketing, this leads to client confusion and can damage credibility. Also, awebsite focused on lead generation and sales support has a significant, positive, impacton the sales process. A focus on content marketing and lead capture will turn an onlinebrochure into a sales support tool, which can lead to new business or an increase inbusiness from existing clients. The small cost of managing such a site can pay dividends.Is Your Site a Brochure or A Sales Tool? 7. Message AlignmentNo More SilosSynergyCommunicationTakeaway PointsCreative marketing developed in a silo is, arguably, not that creative. Focus ondeveloping synergy between marketings message and how sales is applying it. Thesales team can provide feedback on what is and isnt working and then re-alignment canoccur, to provide maximum impact. Dont let the marketing teams efforts be wasted bynot receiving buy-in from the people using the message with prospects and clients.Constantly Check Alignment 8. Modern SalesTakeaway PointsCreating an environment where both marketing and sales work together, as one team,leads to a powerful place where marketings messages and tools are creating realleverage within the market place. By learning what isnt resonating with buyers,adjustments can be made that can lead to a significant increase in revenue. Also, it canhelp save money by identifying areas which simply arent effective. The handoff processcreates a collaborative opportunity that creates a culture of success, instead of conflict.Never should either team state, They just dont get it in reference to their counterparts. 9. An Aligned TeamWhats the weakness in the messaging?Takeaway PointsA missed opportunity in many organizations is related to training. To ensure the successof the sales team, it is paramount that they be provided education on the use of newmessaging or the selling of new product offerings. Often when a new concept is difficultto leverage or the sales professionals find that it isnt comfortable or effective, they resortto using verbiage which they are comfortable with. Falling back into old patternscreates internal frustration. We created it, but they arent using it may be heard inthese instances. Roll playing and other training may make the implementation of newconcepts more effective , providing a great degree of confidence with the new direction.Do not allow things to unravel and break. Focus on communication and training. If thereis weakness in the messaging, this will surely help identify areas of improvement.Whats Resonating with the Marketplace? 10. Marketing & Sales Aligned 11. Paul Kirch, CEOActus Sales IntelligenceEmail: pkirch@ActusSales.comMobile: 214-412-0573Office: 214-295-6111http://ActusSales.com