Keeping sales force and marketing department on same page

By John R. Graham

The rainmakers from the sales department and the gurus from marketing working side by side? Becoming a team? I don't think so! It'll never work.

Not that it hasn't been tried before.

Well, this article is not about organizational development. It's not about bonding around the water cooler. And it clearly isn't advocating the use of mission statements or consultants and mediators to introduce ideas that will revamp or restructure the internal workings of a department or the company.

It is, however, an opportunity to remind both the sales force and the marketing department how closely you are aligned to the bottom line. It is a way to step back and evaluate just how important and integral you both are to the process. The fact of the matter is that you already are on the same page. Here are some reasons to understand why and how to support each other.

The Lone Ranger wasn't alone. Some sales professionals are threatened by marketing plans, programs and activities. They see it as fluff, believing, after all is sold and done, that marketing is unlikely to be a serious factor. Something that is clearly not necessary because, after all, it all comes down to "making the sale."

Taking this one step further, they see sales as all about expertise, personality, listening, and closing skills. It's about relationships and the moment of truth - when all that matters is the salesperson's performance.

Salespeople, like the Lone Ranger, can't do it all on their own. There are a thousand marketing tools for salespeople to implement. There are hundreds of methods and techniques to put branding messages in front of a prospect. The sales force benefits from these activities.

The Lone Ranger had a horse and a partner.

Two departments, two disciplines, one goal.

Whether it's a product or a service, both sales and marketing should share the same focus and goals.

That is, * Influence prospective customers * Get their attention so that they become more interested * Increase their desire for your organization and its products/services * Encourage them to take action.

Sales people and marketing people will go after the prospect using different approaches to communicate. While a sales approach is often one company or individual at a time, a marketing approach can target a dozen or millions of people at a time.

Getting right on the trail of the wrong guy.

You can't have a single focus on how and who to contact. Doing so will result in missed opportunities.

Hot leads, cold calls, and lukewarm results.

Maybe some days are better than others. But a long day of wasted cold calling, endless traveling, and drained energy from confrontational gatekeepers uses up valuable energy. Salespeople should put that energy to better use and meet with the marketing department to devise strategies on developing new prospects. This includes a review of the prospect list, initiation of telemarketing to expand the list, regular mailings, more effective branding of the company, and education of the prospect. All of this will make selling easier.

Step onto the same page and be direct.

The marketing team should plan a year-long schedule that regularly communicates with prospects and time it with the sales team and their plans.

Build a program that includes a variety of mailings, scheduled every 6 to 8 weeks. Fold in telemarketing.

Be direct to the target audience with numerous activities, including a postcard, personalized letter, sell sheet, ad reprint, newsletter, news release clip, and a published article. These will build the brand, tell the company story, promote the product, and educate the customer. Supplement this with web-based communications and share this information in writing and in person with the sales team and other key management.

The goal is to be on the same page. You have numerous challenges, multiple activities and two departments sharing a goal. Make the connection. It's all about communication.

John R. Graham is president of Graham Communications, a marketing services and sales consulting firm in Quincy, Mass., 02170 (617-328-0069; fax 617-471-1504); j_graham@grahamcomm.com).