Sales and marketing misalignment often refers to conflicting team goals and priorities.
The sales team is typically focused on hitting quarterly targets and closing deals, while marketing aims for longer-term goals like building brand awareness and generating qualified leads.
There are a lot of different ways this tension might arise. Issues such as:
🎯 Mismatched Goals and Metrics
🗣️ Poor Communication:
👥 Different Understanding of Target Audience
📉 Leads Quality and Quantity Discrepancy
👉👈 Blame Game
Mean that sales and marketing are fundamentally singing off different choir sheets!
Our colleagues at LinkedIn recently analysed the marketing and sales overlap of over 7000 B2B companies. In other words, we measured the percentage of buyers who are reached by both sales and marketing activities.
In theory, that number should be 100%. Marketing and sales should be targeting the same audiences. Oodles of research shows that buyers are more responsive to sales when properly primed by marketing/advertising.
In practice, that number is 16%. Marketing and sales are talking to entirely different buyers. Instead of one funnel, we have two funnels that barely intersect!
This is an executive-level problem - aligning sales and marketing teams can provide significant benefits for a business. Indeed, studies show that businesses with strong sales and marketing alignment generate 208% more revenue as a result of their marketing efforts, that aligned teams are 67% more effective at closing deals, and that they enjoy a 36% higher customer retention rate!
Therefore resulting in higher revenue and profits, faster growth, better CX, higher win rates, and clearer focus on defined shared goals.
When sales and marketing are not aligned, marketing may generate leads that sales is not equipped to close. This results in missed sales opportunities and revenue left on the table. According to one survey, 57% of marketers say misalignment has led to lost sales.
Marketing budgets are also wasted when messaging and campaigns are not optimised for sales follow-up. For example, marketing may drive low-quality leads that sales can't convert, resulting in wasted ad spend and personnel time. This issue is common, with 81% of sales reps saying leads from marketing need to be qualified.
The tension goes both ways, as marketers generate leads sales cannot close, and sales rails against marketing for providing unqualified leads.
So what is the root cause of this fundamental misalignment which still claims incredible revenue losses to this day?
Arguably, the whole model is incorrect.
In its current form, marketing receives a lead, which is then passed on to a SDR who conducts an outbound call. The baton is passed to sales, who are intent on hitting quota. Typically, these leads are not intent on buying.
Moreover, intermediate metrics like MQLs, SQLs, or meetings booked and comp structures based on these, are fundamentally misaligned to drive business net new revenue at an appropriate ROI.
Investment analytics assumes marketing merely impacts the top of the funnel, and therefore teams are not allowed to run as an allbound integrated revenue team. Not only is this not the case, the opposite is true - when sellers reach out to buyers who have been exposed to marketing within the last 30 days, buyers are much more likely to respond. On average, B2B buyers are 19% more likely to accept a connection request from sales, and 15% more likely to open an InMail message from sales, after seeing marketing content. Moreover, buyers in financial services are 56% more likely to connect with a seller when they see marketing within 30 days. If you remove the 30-day window, that number drops to 50%, suggesting timing is significant.
The truth is, marketing impacts all parts of a customer lifecycle from demand generation to capture into pipeline, conversion, and expansion of accounts for NRR. Marketing investments can be put at all these different stages of the marketing lifecycle.
What is the solution to this misalignment? Rather than have siloed monthly meetings, sales and marketing should be in constant communication. Marketing could be asking questions about how leads are being received, what quality the leads are, what leads are converting, and ask for more insight about pain points, pre-empting CX and delivering marketing materials that speak to the buyer.
The solution to this pervasive issue isn't found in isolated pipeline meetings, or siloed department strategies, but in a radical restructuring of the process. Silos can be broken, data shared, ROI driven metrics put into place.... but not the way many org charts are structured.
A centralised 'hub' model, where data and insights are shared across teams, can help bridge the gap. This approach not only facilitates better communication and alignment, but also allows for a more strategic deployment of marketing resources throughout the customer lifecycle, from demand generation to conversion and account expansion. According to recent research, aligned sales and marketing teams achieve 24% faster growth rates and 27% faster profit growth than non-aligned teams.
An even bigger problem is the total lack of coordination between the top-of-funnel and bottom-of-funnel marketing strategies. The average overlap between them is a shocking 5%!
Moreover, given that 84% of third-party B2B data is inaccurate according to some research, B2B agencies may believe they are generating leads from one part of the funnel, when they are actually capturing demand from another avenue. In this way, many B2B agencies are suffering from survivorship bias - they can’t know what they don’t know which blinds them from the truth of the situation.
This misalignment not only hampers the seamless transition of leads from awareness to conversion, but also leads to significant inefficiencies and lost opportunities. The minimal overlap between these funnel stages is indicative of a broader systemic issue where marketing strategies are not effectively dovetailed with sales execution. This disconnect results in a fragmented approach that fails to leverage the full potential of integrated marketing efforts, ultimately impacting the bottom line.
The glaring misalignment between top-of-funnel and bottom-of-funnel marketing strategies is not just a minor hiccup; it's a significant barrier that hampers the efficacy of sales funnels worldwide. This disconnection results in a disjointed customer journey, where the initial interest sparked by top-of-funnel activities fizzles out before reaching the more conversion-focused bottom funnel. This lack of coordination can be attributed to siloed traditional marketing structures, where different teams operate with little to no interaction, using mismatched data that doesn't accurately represent the customer's progress through the funnel.
This misalignment is further exacerbated by the reliance on inaccurate third-party B2B data, which can lead to misguided strategies that fail to address the actual needs and behaviours of the target audience. The survivorship bias in this data only highlights the successes, leaving companies blind to the underlying issues and the potential leads that slip through the cracks due to these strategic missteps.
The misalignment between sales and marketing, particularly at the top and bottom of the funnel, is a critical issue that demands a strategic overhaul. Companies must strive for a unified approach that fosters continuous communication and data sharing across all levels of the marketing and sales funnel. By doing so, they can ensure a more cohesive strategy that not only captures but also nurtures leads effectively, leading to higher conversion rates and a more robust bottom line.
Now, let's pivot to a solution that embodies the philosophy of seamless integration and strategic alignment: Benji, the AI-driven SaaS product revolutionising the B2B sales process. Benji isn't just a tool; it's a game-changer in how we approach personalised email outreach and lead nurturing. By automating these critical tasks, Benji ensures that no prospect is left behind, and every communication is timely, relevant, and, most importantly, personalised.
Imagine a world where your sales team no longer has to guess the best time to reach out to a prospect or spend hours crafting the perfect subject line. Benji does all this and more by leveraging its capability to scrape trillions of data sources and identify real-world triggers. This not only enhances the efficiency of your outreach efforts but also significantly boosts their effectiveness by ensuring that your messages resonate with the prospects on a personal level.
Benji stands out by advocating for an end to spammy, generic communications, ushering in an era of value-driven interactions that build trust and rapport with prospects. This approach not only aligns perfectly with the modern buyer’s expectations but also aligns your sales and marketing efforts by ensuring that every communication is an extension of your brand’s narrative and value proposition.
In essence, Benji acts not just as a tool but as a partner in your sales process, tirelessly working to refine your outreach strategy and ensure that your team can focus on what they do best—closing deals. With Benji, businesses can finally bridge the gap between sales and marketing, ensuring a unified approach that drives growth, enhances customer retention, and maximises revenue.
So, if you're looking to transform your B2B sales process, reduce the strain on your sales team, and achieve a level of alignment that propels your business forward, it's time to consider Benji. It's not just about automating emails; it's about revolutionising how we connect with and convert prospects in a digital age. Embrace Benji, and watch as your sales and marketing efforts align seamlessly, driving unprecedented growth and success.
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