Sales and Marketing are sleeping together

I always grapple with the title; 'Sales and Marketing Manager,' don't get me wrong, this isn't me dissing many corporate structures around the world... it's just that I feel like these two things are very different in their look and feel. This does however, come with a big BUT, you see I feel like they are different people BUT (see there it is) they are certainly co-existing... sleeping together if you will.

As a previous Sales and Marketing Group Manager myself, I always saw the importance in having an off-sider that was sales focused, because generating leads I can do, however, tracking the numbers, deciphering targets, conversion rates and to be honest numbers in general... well let's say you may as well talk to me in Turkish (I don't speak Turkish).

On the flip side, I always felt that developing creative concepts, understanding consumer behaviour and how to leverage this behaviour through developing targeted campaigns and ultimately producing leads, was not my sales manager's forte.

So, if sales and marketing are separate things, they certainly CANNOT exist on their own. Marketing is Sales Ying to its Yang, its bread to its butter (I'm a Kiwi, we put butter on everything). Too often I have experienced businesses focusing on purely their marketing or vice versa. This single minded train is headed right for a brick wall.

A While ago I was fortunate to work with a client that had a fabulous product in accommodation, everyone that came to stay loved the hospitality and their return rate was exceptional. They asked me to work with them on improving their market presence, increasing their reach and generate more leads. My first concern was to ensure they would have the suitable closing processes and procedures in place to give the customer the best possible experience. I was assured that they had these processes in place and were capable of handling what was to come.

We set about developing a new website, re branding, rejuvenating their social media presence and creating a content plan inducive to lead generation... What happened next? The leads started pouring in!

However, there was one big problemo... My fears were realized when we discovered their sales processes weren't in fact in place. They could not deal with the influx of leads, to the point that phone calls were ignored and emails not responded to. This was an expensive lesson, and left a sour taste in the potential and existing customers mouths. The business had been on track to return itself to the black after seeing red for far too long, however without the processes as well as resources in place, the marketing activities placed more pressure on an under prepared business.

This my friends, is why it is so important to tend to both parts of your sales and marketing garden, you MUST have both in order to deliver a professional and fluent level of customer service to your potential and existing customers.

They have since learnt their lesson and taken on my advice of having sales procedures, no matter how simple, in place. Because, as they say... Sales and marketing aren't the same person, but they are certainly sleeping together.