Companies with misaligned sales and marketing teams experience expenses of $1 trillion annually, according to a Harvard Business Review resource. On the contrary, companies with a priority mindset toward sales-marketing alignment exceed customer acquisition goals. They experience a 3x increase in their chances to meet and go beyond their targets for new customer acquisition.
Bridging the gap between sales and marketing drives multiple key benefits, including elevating the standards of buyer experiences and closing more deals. But what does it mean to have your sales and marketing teams in alignment and why is this alignment important? Get to know in this article.
Sales and marketing teams are organizational departments that interact with customers the most. An alignment between them translates into increased collaboration and cooperation between the teams. A healthy alignment creates a conducive environment where these teams are on the same page regarding departmental developments, goals, and strategies.
Though disparate entities, this alignment motivates them to work as a cohesive unit, supporting each other where and when needed. Such alignment drives meaningful results, including improved marketing and sales efficiencies, and increased revenue.
When there is misalignment between these key buyer-facing departments, the consequences affect both of them. A misalignment disturbs inter-departmental communications and engenders mistrust, leading to poor collaboration and progress. The significance of sales-marketing misalignment is huge as such disturbances can cost the company valuable sales opportunities and revenue.
87% of people in leadership roles in marketing and sales say team-alignment facilitates critical business growth. Customer experience becomes better when there is an alignment between sales and marketing on messages and initiatives, according to 90% of domain professionals. (Source: LinkedIn-commissioned Forrester report)
Here are some more benefits to prove the case for sales-marketing alignment:
With sales and marketing speaking the same language, it is the buyers that become the biggest beneficiaries. They get to experience a seamless journey throughout the purchase process. Discrepancies such as the need to have to repeat oneself to different people along the purchase process despite prior communications, no longer exist.
There is enhanced and meaningful personalization at every touch point, which makes every interaction valuable and memorable for buyers. As a result, there is incremental trust in every interaction building up to a crescendo of a successful deal closure.
With sales and marketing speaking the same language, it is the buyers that become the biggest beneficiaries. They get to experience a seamless journey throughout the purchase process. Discrepancies such as the need to have to repeat oneself to different people along the purchase process despite prior communications, no longer exist.
There is enhanced and meaningful personalization at every touch point, which makes every interaction valuable and memorable for buyers. As a result, there is incremental trust in every interaction building up to a crescendo of a successful deal closure.
77% of B2B buyers view their latest purchase process as “difficult” or “complex” (Source: Via Finances Online). Given this buyer sentiment, the deliverance of an enhanced buyer experience where buyers feel valued, lifts your entire sales process to a new high. Your buyers feel secure with your brand and are more likely to be your lifetime customers.
When there is alignment between sales and marketing, the uninterrupted flow of information empowers process efficiencies on both sides. Each team gets strategic intelligence from the other, which supercharges sales and marketing campaigns. Audiences receive tailored content and communications that meet their needs with the highest precision. Happy prospects sail through the sales funnel, increasing conversions, which in turn increases closure rates.
Longer deal cycles are a key challenge for sales teams. B2B purchases involve five or more decision makers. In addition, long drawn-out processes are the major reason for deals breaking on the way to closures, according to 28% of sales professionals globally. Given these statistics, sales-marketing alignment becomes even more significant as it contributes to a shortened sales cycle.
With steady and timely collaboration between the teams, processes become more targeted and accurate. As a result, prospect identification and engagement are sharper, which brings stronger leads into the sales funnel.
With right sales insights available through coordination at a deeper level, teams succeed in building trust in prospects, which moves them faster through the funnel. This swiftness in taking the next best actions, on the part of prospects, translates into faster deal closures.
When sales and marketing work in tandem, efficiency and productivity improve. This collaborative environment engenders a positive team spirit where every individual respects and trusts the other, and works willingly for a common purpose. With both teams working toward a relatable vision, a renewed sense of purpose is realized, leading to greater confidence and improved outcomes.
While sales-marketing alignment has astounding benefits, the path is still challenging to tread. Disparate team goals that often come close to making sales and marketing competitors within the same organization rather than collaborators, are a major challenge.
Breaking down silos and unifying these teams with a unified objective are primary steps to fostering an attitude of alignment. A strong tech infrastructure, including marketing automation, is key to freeing up teams for value-building activities such as nurturing prospects and closing deals.
Sales-marketing alignment is the biggest business performance opportunity, say 85% of leaders in the sales-marketing sector. With 9 of 10 professionals in sales and marketing saying that there is no alignment between their teams regarding process, content, and culture, alignment remains a wasted opportunity.
Maintaining sales-marketing alignment during demand generation is a big challenge for businesses. Partnership with FinalFunnel can bridge this gap and keep both teams aligned. FinalFunnel ensures this alignment with its demand generation strategies based purely on concrete data. With data backing up every action, interaction and connection, there is an organic communication of trust, which keeps your teams cohesive in action.