One of the biggest problems in any company with separate sales and marketing departments is what is sometimes calls sales and marketing alignment. This can be a problem regardless of how large or how small. In other words, how do sales marketing get along, how do they interact, and how can the processes between them be improved?
At LogMyCalls.com, we have analyzed millions of calls and we have some insight into the subject. From the marketing team’s perspective, here are five ways the sales department can really make the marketing department angry.
Discuss commissions too much.
This may not be the most visible problem between marketing and sales, but it is fairly common. Over time it can breed discontent and annoyance in the marketing office.
Marketers typically receive a salary and perhaps an occasional bonus. So, hearing sales reps talk about their commissions is irritating.
If sales talks about commissions too much, eventually marketing feels like the sales team doesn’t really care about the company, instead they just care about their own commissions. Whether this is true or not doesn’t matter. Perception is everything. I have heard many marketers simply say under their breath, “Just do your job.”
Whine too much about lead volume.
Few things irritate the marketing department more than a salesman who constantly complains about not having enough leads. Have you ever heard of cold calling? Do you have a target list? Or, do you just wait to be spoon fed? Stop whining and start selling.
Not following up with leads quickly.
According to sources ranging from MECLabs to InsideSales.com to Speak2Leads.com, following up with leads within the first 5 minutes increases the rate at which you actually connect with the lead, and the rate at which the lead becomes a customer. You are significantly more likely to connect with a lead if you call that lead within 5 minutes of a form fill-out.
After 5 minutes the ratios for each drop exponentially. After 30 minutes, the numbers are even more dramatic.
For example, if you call a lead within 5 minutes of a form fill-out you are 1500% more likely to reach that lead than if you call that lead a week later.
When marketing produces leads that sales doesn't reach out to quickly, it upsets marketing.
Sales argues that not all leads need a phone call. Some simply aren’t “sales ready” enough to warrant a phone call. They’re probably right in some respects. But the data doesn’t lie. Leads that receive a phone call very quickly after a form fill-out are significantly more likely to become customers.
Failing to follow-up with leads at all.
Several weeks ago I spoke to a marketer at a large b2b manufacturing company. This marketer said his department is interested in LogMyCalls because they want to hold sales accountable for the leads they call and the leads they DON'T call. He wants to use outbound call recording to show the sales department that they're not calling as many people as they think they are calling.
Basically he wants LogMyCalls to win an argument with the VP of sales. That's sort of juvenile, but also awesome.
According to research from InsideSales.com around 75% of leads are never contacted. Don't believe me? Look through your CRM and prepare to be stunned. The vast majority of your leads have never been contacted by a sales rep.
Whining that leads aren't “good leads.”
This might be the most common argument between marketing and sales. Whining about lead quality is not going to make marketing happy. Here’s what marketing wants to say when a sales team complains about poor lead quality: “Well why do you think they're not good leads? Yep, because you waited three weeks to call them.”
McKay Allen is the Marketing Content Manager at LogMyCalls, the next generation of intelligent call tracking and marketing automation. He is the principal writer on Blog.LogMyCalls.com
