It’s hard to believe the Paris Olympics are already a distant memory. Team USA brought home an astounding 126 medals–gold, silver, and bronze! The incredible showcase of athleticism and teamwork is something we could all learn from, especially when there’s an estimated $1 trillion lost annually due to poor sales and marketing coordination, according to LinkedIn’s The Art of Winning.
Where am I going with this? Well, grab your oars, and let’s row on!
Like many organizations, oars get crossed, jumbled, and broken (you get the picture!), leading to ineffective marketing efforts and less-than-desirable sales results. So, what can you do to start rowing in unison?
Teamwork and Coordination
Financial performance is directly affected by the coordination between the sales and marketing teams. Take a look at your sales and marketing teams. Roles need to be clearly defined and expectations set. Once that’s done, assess the experience, knowledge, and skill level of the talent.
Clear Goals and Objectives
A rowing team has a clear destination (the finish line!). Do your sales and marketing teams know their clear destination? Organizations that are transparent about their goals and objectives help set the finish line for their employees. Transparency also encourages team collaboration, which means there are likely more conversations around working toward the goals and objectives together. More often than not, the marketing team and sales teams are operating in silos.
Rhythm and Pacing
Analytics such as low conversion rates and inefficient lead generation can result from mismatched rhythm. Marketing content could also be inappropriate for the sales team’s initiatives. Try setting up a recurring meeting between your sales and marketing team so each team has a communication forum.
Leadership and Direction
Leadership and direction are crucial for aligning the sales and marketing teams. Setting a clear vision for the company and ensuring sales and marketing goals are aligned is the responsibility of the leaders in the organization. t’s also necessary for leaders to ensure resources are in place. This could be financial, talent, and technology. Leaders must steer the boat by calling strategy and tactics, motivating the rowers, and ensuring the crew stays in their lane.
Overcoming Challenges
Everyone faces challenges in life. For rowers, it’s currents and waves, and for the sales and marketing teams, it’s market changes and competitive pressures. How they overcome these challenges is crucial. Effective communication and teamwork are vital for how teams overcome challenges.
Let’s dive deeper (I promise that was the last rowing analogy!) if you’re concerned about your organization’s sales and marketing alignment.