What Sales Really Thinks of Marketing: New Research May Surprise You

What Does Sales Really Think of Marketing? New Research May Surprise You

Earlier this year, Televerde asked more than 200 B2B sales executives to open up about their relationship with marketing. The What Does Sales Need & Want from Marketing survey was conducted to gain actionable insights on how to improve alignment between the two critical business functions.
Sixty-two percent of respondents held a leadership title (Sales Manager, Sales Director, VP of Sales, or CSO), and 64% worked at companies with revenues above $25M.

Good news for most—but not for everyone.
The survey shows that the gap between sales and marketing is narrowing. Sixty-two percent of respondents feel that sales and marketing are aligned at their companies, with 18% saying that the two departments are very much aligned.

More than 75% of respondents said they get “good” or “excellent” leads from marketing, and more than 90% of respondents felt that marketing understood the products or services their companies were selling.

That doesn’t mean there’s no friction, however. More than a third of respondents said that the two departments weren’t aligned, and 38% of respondents said that the relationship between marketing and sales was “hit or miss.”

How can you improve sales and marketing alignment?
Respondents were asked to identify their top 3 alignment challenges. Out of 10 choices, the four top responses were:

  • Lack of regular communication (37%)
  • Different success metrics (33%)
  • Inadequate lead qualification process (30%)
  • Diverging priorities (27%)

According to the respondents, communication is a key factor in improving the relationship between sales and marketing. Regular meetings, optimally weekly syncs, among all team members—to specifically discuss the state of the sales pipeline and key accounts—were highly recommended.

More consistent delivery of useful marketing tools was also cited as a great way to align the two departments. Respondents indicated that they want “better messaging,” “more industry and influencer events,” and a “better website.”

With more information available across more channels, buyer expectations are at an all-time high. It’s more important than ever for sales and marketing to align on messaging and engagement.

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