To succeed in today’s markets, close engagement should become the mainstay of the relationship between sales and marketing operations. ICT suppliers surveyed highlight their struggle to secure effective collaboration between these two sides of the same coin. Leaders want both disciplines to drive towards a common goal, but more often than not old habits force the growth engine to chug out of kilter and produce the same old outputs that don’t work anymore.

ICT leaders must map out a new route to market. Sales and marketing strategies should be focussed on delivering outcomes instead of outputs, and also align with the perspectives of buyers.

Larato’s research confirms that visibility across the sales and marketing functions is an essential success factor. This is particularly true for the many leaders who rate lead generation as a crucial competence.

This #HelpMe guide presents a compelling case for developing sales and marketing strategies that run seamlessly in parallel and are aligned to a shared vision for revenue generation, turning conventional silos into relics of a bygone era.

Chapters in this guide:

1. How are your sales people marketing, and, how are your marketing people selling
   by Adrian Bridgewater
2. Focus sales and marketing on outcomes, not outputs
   by Ian Hunter
3. If you’re not aligned to the buyers’ perspectives, you are wasting your time
   by Adrian Bridgewater
4. #HelpMe action plan
   by Dr. Lucy Green

Extract from “I want to understand what is and isn’t working across my sales and marketing” #HelpMe

How are your sales people marketing, and, how are your marketing people selling?

We all know the story of the truly motivated post room worker who one day makes it to the top of the tree as company CEO.

The lesson for all of us here is that you don’t need to be defined by your own current skill set. Multi-layered businesses that operate on multi-platform channels across international markets on multiple time zones require business mavericks who are not afraid to cross boundaries.

Contemporary business demands this new workflow approach from the start even where openness to staff interoperability does not initially exist. You make
your own opportunities – the post room guy did.

In football analogy terms, we’re not asking every goalkeeper to become an attacking striker; but we are asking all players in the team to wear a decent pair of running shoes and have the ability to get up and go.

In more practical tangible terms, we are asking your sales people to start marketing and your marketing staff to start selling. These two disciples are close bedfellows and sales is a justifiable element of the so-called “marketing mix” anyway, so this shouldn’t be a big ask.