What happens when marketing and sales don’t talk?
- Salespeople spend time with the wrong prospects.
- The wrong prospects clog the sales funnel.
- Everyone blames everyone else.
Sales decline when marketing and sales don’t talk.
Getting Marketing and Sales on the Same Page
How does one manage marketing and sales professionals who are wired differently? How do you get them to work together? As VP of Marketing and Sales, the challenge is to build an effective sales funnel.
Two critical questions that marketing and sales must agree to are:
- What is the best client for your business?
- Who is in charge of what part of the company’s sales funnel?
Agreement on these two questions is the foundation of getting both on the same page.
Samson, Eagle, Justice, and Trust LLC (SEJT)
Bob Trust is the Managing Partner of SEJT, a NYC law firm with 50 lawyers and 20 administrators. Robert’s direct reports include the marketing and sales managers. Over the past 2 years, Robert saw several disturbing trends:
- New client acquisition was flat.
- Marketing initiatives generated interest but not clients.
- Sales follow-up with lawyers was ad hoc.
SEJT’s CRM tracked each of these trends and the facts were clear. Bob knew his 2 direct reports were trying hard, but results were limited.
SEJT’s Next Steps
Bob convened a team to work with SEJT’s marketing and sales managers to choose the best ways to generate new business.
The team reviewed 5 years of CRM data. “The findings were powerful,” said the team. Within 30 days the team had agreed to:
- Client Definition – Commercial business with sales greater than $1M in construction, government contracting, and healthcare.
- Sales Funnel – Track prospects to learn what is working.
- Focus outreach on its 3 industries driving readers to landing pages.
- Focus on current clients to identify cross-selling opportunities.
The marketing and sales managers agreed to manage the sales funnel together and keep everyone up to date.
Sales Funnel Management
The team divided the funnel into thirds:
- Top – Marketing – Online campaigns, thought leadership articles, and strategic networking
- Middle – Attorneys – Lead nurturing, meaningful consultations, and tailored legal solutions.
- Bottom – Sales – Engagement letter and client relationship building.
“Often in sales, there is a door opener, presenter, and door closer. We need them all,” said Bob.
SEJT’s Results
The team used its CRM to measure SEJT’s results. They had multiple campaigns across 3 industries and invested significant time in building client relationships. What did they learn?
- Industry trade groups rather than Chambers were their primary sources of new business.
- Construction and healthcare clients presented greater cross-selling opportunities than government contractors.
- Email campaigns to each industry drove prospects to compelling landing pages.
- Sales team follow up by the sales manager and the attorney increased conversions.
SEJT shared its results firm-wide every week and the Firm buzzed with excitement.
SEJT’s Success
Robert’s leadership changed the “once-disconnected” marketing, sales, and attorney teams into one seamless team, aligning efforts to drive the Firm’s success. Using its CRM and sales funnel, SEJT built its sales pipeline and solidified its foundation.
What are the Best Ways to Build Your Sales Pipeline?
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