Obsessed with B2B marketing? You should be a PRO member! Join now at 25% off (or 50% off for teams).

Marketing and sales teams function best when in sync, but too often the two are opposed. If that's how it is at your company, here are six ways to change the unhealthy paradigm.

1. Don't rely on emails

Sales reps are accustomed to in-person communication and phone calls. You need to work with them. Just sending off emails and waiting for your colleagues to get back to you will not bring you success.

If you have a choice between typing out a request or calling or walking over to the person, make the push to call or walk over. Every time. In the long run, doing so will make your work relationships with salespeople stronger.

2. Assume people won't get back to you

If you no longer keep tabs on an item after sending out a request to Sales, relying primarily on your colleague's response to keep a to-do on your radar, chances are you have a lot of tasks left hanging, unfinished.

Give your colleagues deadlines by which you need information they have, but keep yourself accountable in making sure you get that information. Set yourself a reminder to check back if you don't hear from them. Worst case: you jokingly get a reputation as a nag, but people will respect you for your sense of accountability.

Keep it light: Preface subsequent requests with a light apology for the nagging, but... you need the info, after all.

3. Understand that if your subject matter experts are telling you 'I don't have time,' they may not see the value

Yes, their workdays probably are busy, but if they can see the objective and potential ROI that are driving your efforts and requests, they will be much more likely to schedule time to give you their attention and the content you've requested of them.

If there's a friction-filled relationship—with Marketing on one side, pushing, pushing, pushing for content, and Sales on the other, with their hands up—then chances are the experts who can create materials for content marketing might not see the value in what you are asking for.

Consider starting a conversation with the sales team about what you are working toward as a marketing department. You might address inbound marketing efforts—why you need blog posts, case studies, whitepapers, etc., how they all link together, and how they will ultimately help Sales with first contact with a prospect, nurturing the prospect, and turning customers into loyalists.

Also include in that conversation a question to Sales: How can we better serve you? They may not know the answer, exactly, but at the least they won't feel excluded.

4. Get tough skin

Enter your email address to continue reading

How to Develop a Mutually Beneficial Relationship With Sales

Don't worry...it's free!

Already a member? Sign in now.

Sign in with your preferred account, below.

Did you like this article?
Know someone who would enjoy it too? Share with your friends, free of charge, no sign up required! Simply share this link, and they will get instant access…
  • Copy Link

  • Email

  • Twitter

  • Facebook

  • Pinterest

  • Linkedin


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

image of Elise Musumano

Elise Musumano is a marketing specialist at ChoiceStream, a provider of real-time programmatic media buying solutions for brands and advertisers.

LinkedIn: Elise Musumano