Table of contents
Rivalry between salespeople and marketers
Have you ever considered why we so frequently come across rivalry between sales representatives and marketing specialists? Why do they more often fight like cat and dog than effectively cooperate? This is a challenge which many young managers are facing (not to mention senior managers).
As usual, the problem lies at the source: we do not realise that when we define the strategy of the company (or on the contrary – we don’t define it in a formal way) we fuel the antagonism between sales and marketing.
We artificially designate the boundaries which we should have forgotten about long ago!
Can we still speak today about different perceptions of time by both departments? We often hear the claim that the Sales team concentrates on action here and now, while Marketing invests in the future. Sales departments are supposedly oriented towards relations with specific clients, whereas marketing departments focus on mass analysis. I ask you, however: is this practice or theory? Is it a fact or a generalisation? Can we actually confirm that direct sales which build relations do not influence potential sales in the future, or that real-time marketing campaigns are not directed towards direct and measurable sales goals?
All of these doubts show that the essence of success lies in suitably formulated objectives for the company and its values, as well as the approach of the departments to cooperate intensively and to openly exchange views. Only when we get to know our mutual needs, will we be able to meet the expectations of the most important player on the market, our client. The synergy of sales-marketing activities (or… marketing-sales) helps the success of our business. Let’s concentrate on what connects us, and not what divides us!
In the next article, there will be a portion of my thoughts on the subject of effectiveness in marketing. I will try to answer the question of why do I always think that my glass is half full.
Dagmara Plata Alf
