A recent survey by CMI and LinkedIn has shown that it can be highly beneficial to ultimate organizational goals and to the customer experience if marketing and sales professionals share each other’s techniques, processes, and output. Web content in the digital world needs to be understood by everyone in the sales chain to enhance conversions.

We all have our bad days at work. You don’t want to be there and your grumpiness hangs over the whole team and seems to bring everyone down by osmosis. You suffer, the whole team suffers. Output for the whole team becomes inefficient because communication of ideas and sharing of work becomes fragmented.

Meanwhile, deep inside, all you want to do is get back some good old banter with your mates, tell them about your new ideas, catch a laugh and maybe even make the tea mid-morning for everyone.

A bit of goodwill, pleasantries, and sharing of skills can have a marvelous effect on how everyone in the team is able to produce. The team feels bonded, communicates better, shares skills better and generally is more likely to hit those daily goals more often.

When teams become exclusive…

This sounds great in a team – but it is so easily can become too “primary team-centric”. In other words, the guys in the team get on so well – they become a little bit territorial. Members from any other team coming in from the outside are invading the pitch. There is an unstated agreement within the team that all other teams just don’t cut the mustard and well… you just don’t want to know about them anyway…

From bad to good to bad again… The fact is, just as good communication and understanding is needed within individual teams themselves, those positive and sharing vibes need to be carried on between teams to powerhouse efficiency and the focused outcomes of the company mission.

And that is especially true in the case of sales and marketing teams. According to recent research by CMI and LinkedIn, results from statistics strongly suggested that if there was better communication and understanding of each other’s team goals, techniques, and procedures, it would necessarily lead to greater company efficiency and conversions.

The web content alignment survey by CMI

The survey explored the idea that aligning marketing (web content production specifically) and sales would have a beneficial effect on efficiency and company outcomes. 1,246 marketers who regularly produced web content around the world, were interviewed. The survey found that only just under half of those interviewed worked for a business where the 2 teams were highly aligned.
Where they were aligned there was a strong content marketing strong marketing strategy.

When asked which one factor would most strengthen content marketing and sales alignment within their organization, the less well-aligned marketers’ top response, by far, was “a company culture that encourages alignment/collaboration.”¹

¹https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2018/05/marketing-sales-alignment-research/

How is marketing different from sales?

Within the process funnel in an organization, marketing and sales are more intrinsically linked than most. Marketing provides a structured plan which will give the customer a long-term view of benefits and creates consistent techniques and approach when dealing with the target audience. The face of this approach is seen in web content. It is web content that does the bulk of the work to get the prospective consumer to the right place and ensure they are informed about their options.

Sales professionals implement these strategies when making direct contact with the consumer. They are at the stage of the funnel where the target market is interested in buying. It is up to their skills and professional techniques to ensure a conversion. Sales professionals treat consumers as real people rather than a point on a graph or a faceless number.

When teams don’t align…

There is a clear interdependence here for both parties, but it may well be quite rare in your own business that these two teams get together and compare notes. Their methods of working call for unique buzz words so even when they do interact it is like they are both talking different languages.

When overall company goals are not being met the knives come out and each blames the other for a less than successful company performance. Marketing will get grumpy and say that sales are not dealing appropriately with the leads they are being sent. Sales, on the other hand, will stubbornly say that they are not being sent valuable and informed prospects through the web content.

Making it work

So how can the modern business streamline sales and web content marketing so they can work better together and produce better results?

• First of all, there has to be a recognition from both teams that they are not in competition with each other. The ultimate goal is the same for each and, as teams, they both have unique and valuable skills that affect the outcome of the process. It needs to be accepted that no individual or specific team is responsible for a conversion. It is a team process which both are involved in.
• The importance of marketing tools such as web content needs to be recognized not only as part of the conversion process but also essential in helping both teams offer a consistent and superior service to their customers. When this happens, sales are likely to increase, brand awareness loyalty to the brand will closely follow.
• The sales professional needs to understand content marketing and the part it plays in the prospect’s journey. This rich knowledge can only enhance overall outcomes.
• A thorough knowledge of web content marketing could be improved through a more interactive collaboration and shared incentives. Only this way will each team learn to speak the language and see the process through their colleague’s eyes. This, in turn, will benefit both camps in the work they are producing.

Digital communications and marketing have become central to how businesses increase leads and engage the target market. The sales professional needs to understand where the prospective buyer has come from and what options they have chosen from in order to offer the client the most powerful and relevant package. The team at MSTech is there for you. By sharing skills and processes between teams we know, we can not only the best – but a package that is customized uniquely to your needs. Take a look at our web content marketing services