The Codependent Nature Between Sales and Marketing
Sales and marketing, where would one be without the other? So many idioms come to mind, a boat without an oar, trying to make bricks without straw, once we have a product or service, without someone to sell it, there would be no need to promote it and vice versa.
Marketing and sales are about as codependent as you can get, but not in the traditional sense of the word, being in a relationship that is controlling or manipulative. More synonymous with the joining of a successful musical couple like Beyonce and Jay-Z, who separately are equally talented, but when together they are amazing.
Push Me - Pull You
If sales and marketing start to pull away from each other, disaster is imminent. One must not believe that they are more important than the other, similar to inbound and outbound marketing, which has a push and pull feel. They are both useful in their own way, but just like the two-headed conjoined beast from Dr. Doolittle, ultimately they are stuck working together.
Opposite of a typical codependent relationship, these two work best when joined as one, working together they are like a nut and bolt, together in strength and effectiveness. Here are some ways that these two can stay combined as a whole:
Come Together
A great Aerosmith song, and even better strategy for these two departments. To keep them on the same page, things like planning should not be laid upon either one singularly, but need to be a task that is performed together. To further join these two at the hip:
- Schedule regular meetings with the two, minimally once a month although weekly is probably best.
- Encourage an open dialogue that brings everything to the table, thoughts, ideas, questions, comments and concerns.
- Put plans together in writing so there is little or no confusion.
Talk to Me
Another great song by a myriad of different musicians, keep communications open, honest and consistent. Especially with the availability of cloud technology, people don’t necessarily need to be in the same place, at the same time, to keep an open dialogue that allows for interaction and the exchange of ideas, for example:- Set up a shared digital space for interaction accessible from almost anywhere by anyone on either team.
- Make it mandatory for this interaction to take place daily, or at the very least, weekly.
- Encourage members to listen, read and understand as well as contribute.
Can’t Find My Way
Phil Collins had a hit ballad struggling to find his way, but this simply cannot be an issue between sales and marketing. Technology will once again save the day and help to disseminate important content, data and information. To ensure these two don’t get lost along the way:
- Publish all relevant sales and marketing data into a single, accessible location.
- Make materials searchable and easy to find.
- Edit the data often to keep it relevant and uncluttered.
- Ensure the information is easily and completely accessible to everyone.
Aligning these two important and valuable strategies into one, is like a beautiful duet. One compliments the other and with the two in complete harmony, their successes will mirror a multi-million dollar record contract and sales will fly off the charts.
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Nick Rojas is a business consultant and writer who lives in Los Angeles and Chicago. He has consulted small and medium-sized enterprises for over twenty years. He has contributed articles to Visual.ly, Entrepreneur, and TechCrunch. You can follow him on Twitter @NickARojas, or you can reach him at NickAndrewRojas@gmail.com.
