Aligning Sales and Marketing

"Building a cohesive sales and marketing strategy requires both departments to be on the same page. Sales should share information from the field, and marketing needs to share information from research efforts or promotions. In some companies, these two functions are in the same department. In others, they may be under different umbrellas. In either case, sales and marketing must have a symbiotic relationship in order to keep existing customers and win new ones."

• Gather critical data. Qualitative and quantitative research is used to identify and define markets, develop strategies, test products or services, float marketing concepts and guide ongoing business development. It identifies what the customer is thinking, is wanting and will use.

• Sift through the facts, figures and trends. Marketing must analyze the research data and connect the results to business decisions. This is used to identify new products or services, effective marketing strategies and efficient action programs and activities.

• Turn analysis into action. Marketing provides the set of recommendations that direct specific actions and programs. A strategy is the basis for integrated plans and varied tactics in support of an identified and approved business objective.

• Implement the plan. This includes creating a tool kit that the sales department can use. They are developed in concert with the rest of the company and generally include all elements in the marketing mix, including print and Web-based collateral, price, promotion and distribution channels.

• Provide first-hand customer insights. Based on their interactions with current and potential customers, field and telesales reps will get insights into the products and services of most interest to the targeted market. Such information should be provided to marketing so it can include it in promotional material.

• Share competitive data. Field and telesales reps often learn before the marketing department about shortcomings and superior aspects of competitor products. Such information should be shared not only with marketing—to ensure promotions touch on the best aspects of the company’s products—but also to research and development to improve a company’s own products.

• Identify prime customers. Sales can help identify demographic and psychographic commonalities among most likely customers. This will help marketing create the most effective and efficient messages, promotions, and media plans.

• Provide immediate feedback from customers. Having direct contact with customers gives field and telesales reps an opportunity to gather anecdotal compliments, complaints, suggestions and ideas. This immediate feedback can be taken into account long before the next round of market research can get under way.

PASS

• Identify and go after your target market. Magna wisely sent an e-mail invitation to more than 3,000 collectors of T-shirt art announcing the availability of T-shirts they were producing. Kendra recognized that the artist's fans would be a logical target market for the artist's work.
   

• Be behaviorally specific in times of challenge. Kendra continually challenged Craig to provide specific information regarding his constant objections, challenges and complaints (and lots of whining). She continued to redirect his rhetoric barrage back at him and requested specific details about his concerns. Effective leaders help redirect complainers by requesting behaviorally specific solutions versus complaints.
   

• Sell the value. Any product that is a limited edition should represent and be marketed as having more value to the consumer. Both teams marketed their T-shirts as "limited editions" and identified the works as "art." This sale was not about T-shirts and both teams demonstrated they understood the value of their product.

FAIL

• Inability to resolve conflict. Craig and Kendra have a relationship pattern of going round and round with each and getting nowhere. Neither shows respect for the other nor do either of them have the skills to hold opposing views and still work together collaboratively. They both tend to blame others (a common "Apprentice" candidate tendency) instead of taking ownership or personal responsibility for their part of the issue. Effective leaders spend maintenance time attending to the way that teams work together.
   

• Setting clear roles and expectations. In the boardroom, neither Alex nor Tana could agree about who was in charge of marketing. From the viewer's perspective, we didn't see Tana clearly assign this role to Alex. It was Tana's responsibility as leader to set clear roles and expectations.
   

• Inaccuracy or misrepresentation in business will kill you. It is astonishing that Alex failed to recall his true win/loss record when challenged by Trump. Given Alex's hunger and desire to win, it seemed hard to believe that he forgot. Possibly his brain drew a blank facing down Trump's gun barrel! Yet, you would think an attorney would have come better prepared to win his case. Surely he knew he would have to defend his record. One thing is for sure; Trump wanted him to accurately own up to his win/loss record and was indignant when Alex presented inaccurate information.
   

• It isn't over till the fat lady sings. Alex should have had this one in the bag but he forgot the most basic of winning strategies -- you must be prepared, willing and able to fight to the very end of the battle, not just almost to the end. Preparation for the case is critical.  Alex should be heading to the next episode but instead he stumbled. Alex lost at the very end on a silly and amateur slip-up -- so close but yet so far!

The Report Card

Net Worth: Effort -- Performance -- Creativity --   D D D	WEEK FOURTEEN BOOK SMARTS Magna STREET SMARTS Net Worth
Magna: Effort -- Performance -- Creativity --   B B B