{"id":26931,"date":"2017-05-23T10:01:13","date_gmt":"2017-05-23T14:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/creator\/creator\/?p=26931"},"modified":"2020-02-26T14:31:34","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T19:31:34","slug":"how-to-get-sales-marketing-to-work-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/how-to-get-sales-marketing-to-work-together","title":{"rendered":"How to get sales and marketing working together"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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All companies exist to sell products and services so they can generate revenue. Reaching this goal means that you need a staff of experienced marketers and sales representatives. As an owner or manager, you know that these two groups play crucial roles in the company\u2019s success. When you step into the departments, though, you often find that they operate in such different ways that they barely coordinate with each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The difficulty of getting your sales and marketing departments working together often depends on a company\u2019s current culture. Some businesses don\u2019t have any problems to bring their teams together because they have shared, open spaces that encourage collaboration. Other businesses keep departments so separate that they rarely interact outside of email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you start on your next project, take a close look at how your departments interact. If they seem too separated, then you should take steps to bring them together. By doing so, you empower employees to do their jobs better and feel happier at work. Use the following steps to make sure your sales and marketing departments not only have access to each other but respect and understand the important roles that they play in the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Develop buyer personas to reach common goals<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Marketing professionals create buyer personas based on market research. By interviewing consumers, measuring demographics, and watching what people buy, marketers can construct buyer personas that help them target audiences better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sales professionals also use buyer personas, but they\u2019re not always aware of it. Some of the best salespersons on your staff intuitively know how they should approach different types of consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For marketers, making buyer personas is a science. For sellers, it\u2019s more of an art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both groups have a lot to learn from each other, so bring them together when creating buyer personas for upcoming products or services. You don\u2019t necessarily have to do this for every campaign, but you should get the departments together occasionally so they can share their perspectives. As a result, you\u2019ll get team members who know how to generate accurate buyer personas that help the marketing and sales departments reach common goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create a shared language<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Marketers and salespersons often work on such specific problems that they need to use words that average people don\u2019t know. Since each group of professionals has its own concerns, colleagues don\u2019t always understand each other when talking about projects. Unfortunately, sales and marketing communications can become strained. This language barrier not only stifles conversation but can create some animosity between departments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating a shared language improves the working environment greatly. As a business owner or manager, you may want to start by making a list of common terms. The list that you give sales associates may include words like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n