One of the things that never makes sense to me is hearing how companies are either sales organizations or marketing ones. They’re brothers from the same mother, as far as I’m concerned. And pitting these twins against each other is really more damaging than you realize.
I think the reason people want to separate sales and marketing is that with a sales-focused culture, you can sell to anyone. It’s more about volume and deals. In a marketing-focused company, you’re saying that it’s OK to not sell to everyone.
Well, it’s actually good if you don’t sell to everyone.
Our Market Share Manifesto tells you why you can’t sell to everyone. Instead, find the radical buyer. And then you should market AND sell to them.
Marketing and sales can be brought together to reach the radical buyer in a more effective way than if you force them apart. You can build a cycle of influence:
- Marketing gives direction for the market to follow
- Sales supports the direction and collects market information
- That research informs how marketing makes its next move
Yes, you have to make choices. By targeting a radical customer, you’re excluding all the other possible buyers out there. But you shouldn’t be excluding sales for marketing, or vice versa.
Keep it all in the family. Sure, sales might smell a little funny and marketing has been leaving the empty milk jug in the fridge, but these two are what make your company unique. Bring them together so you can dominate the market.
Want to hear more? Join Bret Starr today at 1 p.m. Central time for our Market Share Manifesto webinar. Click here to register.
About Kevin Mangum
Partner and Account Services director at The Starr Conspiracy, the premier full-service marketing and advertising agency dedicated to enterprise software.
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