Latest from the Intellegentia Blog

3 key challenges to implementing CRM: defining sales processes

Implementing a CRM for the first time or changing from a legacy CRM to a new solution provider throws up significant challenges.  Defining your "to be" Sales Process is one of these which will require time and effort before you come close to configuring software. 

Topics: Sales & Marketing Alignment Sales Enablement Sales Processes

6 Key Benefits of Sales & Marketing Alignment for Technology Companies

The relationship between Sales and Marketing is sometimes a shaky one. Marketing captures the leads and nurtures them before handing them to Sales to close the deal, but all too frequently there is a lack of communication and a mistrust between the two departments which can create a rift.

Marketing will complain that Sales are squandering the valuable leads that they've provided by not following up on them.  
 
Sales complain that Marketing are not sending them enough leads or sending them leads are not sales ready.


Creating a solid, long lasting partnership between Sales and Marketing should be an essential goal for any business in order to maximise the return on investment from their inbound marketing efforts, but it's particularly important for B2B technology companies.

 

 

Most B2B technology sales involve multiple stakeholders, influencers and decision makers. Working as a team, sales and marketing can create direct and indirect approaches to target all the relevant people in their target accounts.

Here are five key benefits of sales & marketing alignment for the technology industry:

Topics: Sales & Marketing Alignment Industry Focus - Technology

Are Strategic Account Sales and Inbound Marketing the Dream Team?

Selling into strategic accounts has always required a high degree of planning, a rigorous opportunity assessment process and the best (and most expensive) sales reps who can articulate your company’s strategy, vision and distinctiveness whilst distinguishing your products and services in the mind of the customer.

In many ways strategic marketing support has taken a back seat to the process of identifying the influencers and decision-makers, anticipating each stage of the buying process, analysing the competition and tuning into the buyer’s political issues. If the sales processes and planning are not executed correctly then firms whose market consists of only a handful of high profile companies will fail to achieve their objectives, waste vital opportunities and burn a lot of cash. Marketing can sometimes be viewed as a bit-player, playing second fiddle to the sales machine.

Why is it important for marketing and sales to be aligned?

Topics: Sales & Marketing Alignment Sales Enablement Inbound Marketing

Does HubSpot work for B2B?

Some B2B sales teams doubt the ability of marketing to help with their “spear fishing approach” to new business sales.  Instead, they see marketing as the operator of a wide net that catches lots of sprats, albeit hopefully, alongside the prize fish they are actually looking for.

Topics: Account Based Marketing Digital Marketing Content Marketing Sales & Marketing Alignment Inbound Marketing Industry Focus - Financial Services B2B Lead Generation Industry Focus - Technology HubSpot

5 Signs That Your Sales & Marketing Alignment Could Be Better

I presume you got to this page because you want to know more about sales & marketing alignment.  Perhaps you’re interested in a quick audit – some gem to prove your suspicion that your team simply could do better?

That’s OK, most business people feel the same.  We take up the mantle of sales and marketing jobs because we want to make things better – whether you’re on the sales side focused on more and bigger sales, or on the marketing side wanting to make a bigger impact and drive more leads.

Oops, I said it….

I mentioned “two sides” – the sales side and the marketing side.  Well, that’s how it is in most companies, and that’s what needs fixing. MarketingProfs stated that “Companies that have sales & marketing alignment have 36% higher customer retention and 38% higher sales win rates.”  And we’d all like that, wouldn’t we?

Topics: Sales & Marketing Alignment