Sales and Marketing Alignment: Benefits for Businesses

Accountability

Holding each team accountable is an important step in alignment. That's because it helps businesses determine what needs to be fixed when things go wrong. If the marketing team is generating traffic but they aren’t becoming leads, there could be an issue with conversions. If leads are converting but they aren’t getting attention, there may be a problem at the top of the sales funnel.

When each team is held accountable for its own results and both teams are held accountable for overall results, this can reduce finger-pointing between the departments and help everyone strive for the same goals.

Measurement

Proper measurement of marketing and sales is the only way to maintain accountability. Businesses that align sales and marketing can measure the results of specific marketing and sales areas using metrics. They can also align both teams to work toward the end goal of all sales and marketing efforts: obtaining and maintaining customers. Sales and marketing teams can even keep track of these measurements themselves.

When both sales and marketing are measured effectively, both teams can track results that matter. Marketing can keep track of the volume and quality of their leads while sales can keep track of their lead nurturing efforts and sales closings.

Businesses That Don’t Align Their Sales and Marketing Teams

It’s usually obvious when sales and marketing teams aren’t aligned. There may be a good deal of infighting between the two departments. The sales team may not have enough quality leads to nurture. The marketing team may be sitting on a trove of sales qualified leads that are sitting in limbo. The result is always the same, however.

When sales and marketing teams aren’t aligned, a business can’t meet its sales and customer acquisition goals. To get the two departments working toward the same end, a business needs to facilitate better communication. Hold teams accountable for their own results. Most importantly, track the sales and marketing data that will reveal potential problems.

Once the teams are aligned, a business will see better lead generation, more sales, and a smooth flow of customers down the marketing and sales funnel.