the sales and marketing alignment challenge

The Sales and Marketing!Alignment Challenge!

!Driving alignment between marketing automation and sales behaviours!

Why are most marketing automation and sales strategies not delivering results? !

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Because people in marketing and sales teams are asking the wrong questions!


•  Why wont they call the damn leads?!

•  Why haven’t they returned the list I asked for?!

•  Why won’t they use the systems?!

•  Why are they so protective of “their” clients?!

•  Why are they wasting my time with these useless leads?!

•  Why are they spamming my clients?!

•  Why does this take so much time?!

•  Why did they send them that information?!


My goals for tonight...!

•  Help you ask better questions!•  Challenge you around why

this is so important!•  Give you a framework for

thinking about and working towards sales and marketing alignment!


What is success in marketing automation, lead nurturing, CRM ultimately all about?!


Warning !My answer might upset you!!


More sales

Easier (lower effort) sales

Faster sales

Higher margin sales

Broader sales

Ongoing sales


Conflict and misalignment occurs when marketing efforts are ultimately all about leads.!


More unique views

More downloads

Marke=ng’s KPIs

Marke=ng’s Budget

More leads

Lead scoring



The Right Question!How can we leverage marketing automation, lead nurturing, CRM, to achieve sales?!

We need a shared understanding of what “sales” is all about!


Describe in detail the sales process your sales team uses to engage with clients and prospects!



The Sales Process!

This is the sales process in a perfect world to those that aren’t offering the “cheapest” solution.!

Outcome Focus!I’m perfectly clear about the outcome(s) I’m committed to achieving and the marketing/ inside sales team’s work has increased the probability I’ll succeed.!!I’m perfectly clear about the outcome(s) salespeople need to achieve in each type of sales interaction/ opportunity and what marketing/ inside sales can do to help increase the probability of success.!


Credible Reason!Every interaction between inside sales and a lead is experienced as a good/ valuable use of the lead’s time.!!Every end user MQL has confirmed an understanding/ acceptance of the need to talk to an expert/ consider the elements of our value proposition vs. just buying on price/ asking for a quote.!!Every MQL has confirmed a genuine need, desire and preference for our solution or a solution that matches the core of our value proposition.!


Credible Reason!Every interaction between inside sales and a lead is experienced as a good/ valuable use of the lead’s time.!!Every end user MQL has confirmed an understanding/ acceptance of the need to talk to an expert/ consider the elements of our value proposition vs. just buying on price/ asking for a quote.!!Every MQL has confirmed a genuine need, desire and preference for our solution or a solution that matches the core of our value proposition.!

How does this compare to the majority of MQL’s you are currently delivering to the sales team?!


Build Rapport and Credibility!Every SAL sales engages is open with information, easy to access, helpful and has a preference for doing business with your brand and purchasing your solution based on a perceived existing relationship and reciprocity.!!Every SALE sales engages perceives your salespeople as experts in their solution that provide valuable consulting/ advice rather than salespeople that can and should offer quotes/pricing.!


Build Rapport and Credibility!Every SAL sales engages is open with information, easy to access, helpful and has a preference for doing business with your brand and purchasing your solution based on a perceived existing relationship and reciprocity.!!Every SALE sales engages perceives your salespeople as experts in their solution that provide valuable consulting/ advice rather than salespeople that can and should offer quotes/pricing.!

How effectively are you using content, nurturing, information capture and sharing to build a genuine level of trust before assigning MQL status to a lead?!


Explore and Listen!I have a detailed knowledge of the MQL’s!• Situation, challenges and preferences !• Their understanding of our value proposition!• Likely volume!• Decision making process!• Stakeholders!• History/ current solution and pricing!• Primary reason for being in the market!!The online/ inside sales needs analysis process has provoked issues that shift focus from price to our value proposition.!!Information is captured/ shared in a way that’s easy assimilate and use as part of the sales process.!


Explore and Listen!I have a detailed knowledge of the MQL’s!• Situation, challenges and preferences !• Their understanding of our value proposition!• Likely volume!• Decision making process!• Stakeholders!• History/ current solution and pricing!• Primary reason for being in the market!!The online/ inside sales needs analysis process has provoked issues that shift focus from price to our value proposition.!!Information is captured/ shared in a way that’s easy assimilate and use as part of the sales process.!

How effectively are you using content and nurturing strategy to create concerns that create the perception your solution/ product is more valuable than other options?!


Gain Permission!Lead scoring matches both the characteristics that make a lead more valuable AND the commitments that sales would seek before offering detailed solutions and pricing.!!Every MQL becomes an SAL - the inside sales process creates a high probability /confidence in sales team they are SQL’s. !!MQL’s have expressed a genuine interest in changing providers/ buying based on our value proposition.!


Offer Solutions!Solutions discussed with inside sales match recommendations that would be made by more experienced salespeople.!!Information and samples sent to leads matches their specific needs/ usage.!!Discussions with inside sales highlight the value our products can deliver beyond price and creates a preference prior to engaging with a salesperson.!


Ask for Outcomes!A significant number of trial closes have been successfully executed through lead nurturing/ inside sale.!!Leads are ready to buy and want to engage the salesperson around confirmation that the desired solution is appropriate, commercial terms and logistic elements of implementation.!


Handle Objections!Content/ lead nurturing/ inside sales conversations with the MQL significantly reduce the likelihood of objections though partial/ complete needs analysis, education, provocation of issues to reduce price focus and creation of preference.!!Inside sales is able to effectively handle objections throughout the education/ engagement process.!


Next Steps!Engagement with sales is seen as a natural next step in a buying process that has already been started through content, lead nurturing and inside sales engagement.!!Lead knowledge and relationship are transferred as part of the handover process.!!Handover of MQL to SAL and contact from sales is as close to immediate as possible.!



Always ask!How can we leverage marketing automation, lead nurturing, CRM, to achieve sales?!

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Online sales and !customer service training!