Syncing Sales and Marketing by Breaking the Silos

Subscribe & Listen

Shownotes

In this episode, Joshua Hoffman discusses strategies to align sales and marketing teams for better business outcomes. He emphasizes focusing on partnership and shared metrics, using data throughout the sales process, involving marketing in forecasting and pipeline discussions, and creating a culture of cross-team collaboration. Hoffman also highlights the importance of leveraging customer success teams for stronger partnerships.

Best Moments

01:30

Joshua discusses the importance of partnership between sales and marketing
03:30

Explanation of finding common language and metrics across teams
06:00

Description of how collaboration and empathy improve sales/marketing alignment
11:30

Discussion on using data and analytics throughout the entire sales process
15:50

Anecdote about successful collaboration leading to a major renewal
18:30

Advice on integrating marketing into forecast meetings and overall business culture

About the guest

Josh is currently a partner at CH Consulting after spending the last three decades in global leadership roles at Dell, Avaya, Palo Alto Networks, Datto, and Netrix Global. CH Consulting is a team of experts with relevant expertise in Sales, Marketing, Transformation, Strategy, Growth, Operational Excellence, Legal, and more.

Connect with Joshua Hoffman

Key takeaways

Focus on the partnership between sales and marketing, not finger-pointing
Establish shared metrics and common language across teams
Use data and analytics throughout the entire sales process
Involve marketing in forecasting meetings and pipeline discussions
Create a culture of collaboration and mutual support
Leverage customer success teams to build stronger partnerships
Break down silos to drive better business outcomes

Quotes

“This is supposed to be a partnership. When sales and marketing get at odds, which happens in a lot of organizations, there has to be a way to bring people back to square.” -Joshua Hoffman

Highlights from this episode

What are some common challenges companies face when trying to align sales and marketing?

According to Joshua Hoffman, some common challenges companies face when aligning sales and marketing include:

Getting too focused on who does what and who’s to blame, rather than on shared outcomes
Disagreements over attribution and how to measure success
Using different language and metrics between teams
Lack of empathy and understanding between sales and marketing roles
Treating lead handoffs as a one-time event rather than an ongoing collaboration
Not having a shared vision or set of goals to work towards together

Overcoming these challenges requires shifting to a partnership mindset, establishing a common language and metrics, and focusing on co-creating and co-delivering results as a team.

How can companies start to align metrics and move away from the attribution fight?

Companies can start to align metrics and move away from attribution fights by:

Finding a common language that aligns with their CRM system
Establishing key metrics that both teams deliver together and co-create
Focusing on different funnels and how to measure them
Looking for opportunities to improve conversion rates at each stage
Having collaborative discussions about how to improve metrics, rather than blaming each other
Creating shared processes where both teams brainstorm ideas to drive better results
Ensuring both sales and marketing understand each other’s processes through experiential learning

The key is to shift from finger-pointing to collaborative problem-solving focused on shared outcomes and improvement opportunities.

What role should data and behavioral insights play in improving the sales and marketing process?

According to Joshua Hoffman, data and behavioral insights should play a continuous and evolving role in improving the sales and marketing process:

Data should be used throughout the entire sales cycle, not just at the beginning
AI and analytics tools can provide constantly updated information about customers
Both sales and marketing teams should stay current on new data coming in
Insights can be used to prepare customers better for sales conversations
Data can help identify opportunities to improve conversion rates at different funnel stages
Analytics can drive more targeted and effective communications with prospects
Behavioral insights can help teams understand and address the entire customer journey

The key is using data collaboratively to drive better outcomes at every stage, rather than just for initial lead scoring or prioritization.

How is the focus on accounts and buying groups helping sales and marketing better align?

The focus on accounts and buying groups is helping sales and marketing align better in several ways:

Creating a more connected environment for dialogue between teams
Enabling better collaboration opportunities around shared metrics and accountability
Leading to the development of better, more holistic metrics beyond just leads
Allowing for more sophisticated predictive analytics across the entire pipeline
Encouraging teams that weren’t previously connected to work more closely together
Increasing the effectiveness of well-connected teams by providing a more comprehensive view of accounts
Reducing finger-pointing by emphasizing shared responsibility for account success

Overall, this account-focused approach is fostering a more unified, data-driven strategy that benefits both sales and marketing teams.

What advice do you have for better-connecting sales and marketing teams?

Joshua Hoffman offers several pieces of advice for better-connecting sales and marketing teams:

Create a partnership mindset and shared accountability for outcomes
Involve marketing in forecast meetings to align on pipeline and goals
Encourage cross-functional collaboration on customer engagements
Develop a customer-centric approach where both teams work together to solve customer problems
Integrate customer success teams into the sales and marketing process
Foster a culture of mutual support and shared success
Use data and insights collaboratively throughout the entire sales cycle
Encourage teams to understand each other’s roles through experiential learning
Focus on co-creating and co-delivering results rather than working in silos