B2B sales says the leads weren’t good enough, and B2B marketing says the leads were good, but the salespeople couldn’t close them. Does this ring a bell? B2B marketing vs. B2B sales is a classic battle in most workplaces. Let’s talk about why it’s stupid and how to change the whole mindset. As a bonus, we’ll add 4 specific tips for everyday business practice .
It’s high time to bury the hatchet. B2B sales and marketing should work together , because by their very nature, they can’t exist without each other. When you get bogged down in the line database relationship between marketing and sales, you suddenly find yourself on a playground where everyone is crying and cursing at each other. And yet some have sandboxes and others shovels. You see where we’re headed, right? The potential for cooperation is high, but where there’s no will…
The digital age requires collaboration
We live and work in a digital age. Clients google the answers to their problems on the Internet, compare reviews on online forums, follow their favorite brands on social networks and are happy to save time and buy anything online. In many industries, a physical paper catalog is an unnecessary burden for both the salesperson and the customer. Anyone who pulls out a flyer at a business meeting today and starts with everything they came to offer is out of the game. That’s not how cricket is played today.
The key is to understand the target segment , identify its weaknesses, come up with the optimal solution to the problem at the right time, and correctly highlight the advantage that sets you apart from the competition. That’s the magic. It sounds simple, right? But it’s not. Especially with the current relationship between marketing and sales. What about it?
B2B marketing vs. B2B sales: Why are they needed?
It is important to realize that marketers are those who swim like fish in water in the online world and can correctly define the target segment . They can find out who the target how to fix error_not_allowed_on_system customers are, divide them into segments and define how large the segments are, find out which communication channel they prefer, what their KPIs are, what their tone of speech is and what, on the contrary, will offend them.
And vice versa. Salespeople are an invaluable source of knowledge and inspiration for marketing . They are the ones who collect customer stories like Erben fairy tales into a Slavic reading book. They are the ones who know the product perfectly, know which features will save the client time and money and which patents set it apart from everyone else on the market.
B2B marketing This means that these two worlds are essential. Ideally, business to consumer reviews whenever planning is approached (budgets, revenues, marketing strategies, etc.), representatives of both areas – marketing and sales – should sit in a meeting with the company’s management, and their words should have equal weight.
Marketing and B2B Sales are at odds: Why is that bad?
The worst situation that can occur in a company is when both of these spheres work independently. Salespeople come up with a business plan and “let marketing adapt” . Or vice versa – marketers sit by themselves and don’t think to talk to salespeople because they think they have nothing to tell them. Customers notice differences in the way the brand is presented or inconsistent reactions from both teams. This confuses them and weakens the brand’s image and credibility.