Sales need Marketing

Sales and Marketing are being increasingly seen as two alien functions with no common objective. More and more I am hearing that companies ‘don’t do marketing’ or that they are investing in sales rather than marketing when in reality they provide two very different roles in fulfilling the same business goal. Appreciating the value in marketing can be difficult if you have grown through hitting the phones or through personal networking however marketing should offer a strategic focus on the entire business whereas sales is on the front line getting close to clients.

The classical role of marketing is to plan product, market and customer mix, Sales have the first hand information; they are personally exposed to the changing market dynamics and are able to provide the timeliest information back into the marketing to ensure that positioning is apt and the strategy to still appropriate.

In order to achieve the healthiest return for the business the two functions should have a common goal: gaining new customers, growing sales, higher average order values, increased margin, client retention. Naturally the manner in which each addresses these is different however constant communication in pursuit of a united vision will help avoid failure. Having one point of contact into which both functions report further ensures the smooth fulfillment of business and sales objectives. Combine the budgets and have the two complementing each other rather than compete and you will achieve a shorter sales cycle and maintain a low cost of sale.

Marketing is often seen as an unnecessary expense when what you really want to be doing is selling. However it is very important to remember that the Sales need marketing to put everything in place for them to be able to sell. And Marketing needs sales to keep the flow of information from the ‘front line’ back into the business. Together you have an infallible team to fulfill your business strategy.

Elizabeth Sparrow - Blabbermouth