Salespeople criticize marketing managers for "sitting in an ivory tower" and "making unrealistic plans and str
Salespeople criticize marketing managers for "sitting in an ivory tower" and "making unrealistic plans and strategies". On the other hand, marketing managers complain that salespeople have a "myopic view of the customer/business" and "they over-promise" which negatively impacts the business/relationship in the long run. Based on your experience, do you think there is any validity to each of these arguments? Give reasons and examples to support your views.
Answers:
Yes I do think their is validity in those arguements. I was a district manager for a shoe company in NY but lived in TX. I had 15 locations and prior to my district positions I ran many stores. The Market Managers would send sales plans and strategies as a blanket for the company. However, regions are different and within those regions locals and customer patterns would differ as well. Malls that were on fire 10 yrs ago were now failing, due to other malls opening up. The Market managers would want to run the same Promo's or window displays and they were were not what that market needed. My best example was Memphis. Memphis, TN has an older mall in the middle of the city (been there forever) and newer malls opened in the burbs, well, the same inner city marketing was needed to be different for the customer was different. The older mall was now shopped by predominantly black women and their taste differed from the Suburban mother who is shopping for herself or her daughter. The window displays , marketing strategy needs to be examined. My advice, what ever your business, Talk to the low man on the totem pole, Realize the experience is not there, hence the negativity and show them your listening.
As a marketing manager I regularly go on sales calls. I talk to customers on the phone and ask them how we can serve their needs better.
The sales force touches the customer every day and while they may tend to 'over-promise', the smart ones know that is a short-sighted strategy.
Get out in the field with your best sales person. Then go with someone who is struggling. Call some customers.
Sales and marketing is a partnership. Teamwork creates success.
Yes, each argument can be valid.
Salespeople are paid to focus on the short term and do whatever it takes to close a sale. Succeeding in sales generally requires a personality somewhat like a fighter pilot's. Unfortunately, this same personality that enables salespeople to win many competitive battles also makes them insufferable back on the ground at headquarters. They have no patience with marketeers who do not take the risk of working on commission and never bother to talk with customers to get first person feedback.
On the other hand, the salespersons' short term, territorial focus makes them vulnerable to bigger changes in the marketplace battlefield. Marketeers who monitor the big, market-changing issues can save salespeople from getting ambushed by providing timely intelligence and the right sales tools.
BOTH are necessary to win the war. But there is no law that says they have to like each other. I've never worked for a company where these two "tribes" got along spectacularly well. But any company where they do their jobs cooperatively has a real fighting chance.
When you do have the two dpts so separated, there is truth to the statements on both ends. These days competitive firms need to be "mean and lean" so sales and marketing are being mergeg -- marketing managers are being required to also bring in sales (so they understand what it takes and what marketing programs will be most ffective to the bottom line) and sales managers need to be more savvy by preparing the bulk of their own proposals and being more involved in the marketing process.
I have seen this new "merged" approach work well at engineering firms, software companies and PR firms -- some firms have also cut marketing completely and now just have Business Development consultants who develop the marketing materials AND make sales, but this is for more high-end consulting fims for niche services.
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Answers:
Yes I do think their is validity in those arguements. I was a district manager for a shoe company in NY but lived in TX. I had 15 locations and prior to my district positions I ran many stores. The Market Managers would send sales plans and strategies as a blanket for the company. However, regions are different and within those regions locals and customer patterns would differ as well. Malls that were on fire 10 yrs ago were now failing, due to other malls opening up. The Market managers would want to run the same Promo's or window displays and they were were not what that market needed. My best example was Memphis. Memphis, TN has an older mall in the middle of the city (been there forever) and newer malls opened in the burbs, well, the same inner city marketing was needed to be different for the customer was different. The older mall was now shopped by predominantly black women and their taste differed from the Suburban mother who is shopping for herself or her daughter. The window displays , marketing strategy needs to be examined. My advice, what ever your business, Talk to the low man on the totem pole, Realize the experience is not there, hence the negativity and show them your listening.
As a marketing manager I regularly go on sales calls. I talk to customers on the phone and ask them how we can serve their needs better.
The sales force touches the customer every day and while they may tend to 'over-promise', the smart ones know that is a short-sighted strategy.
Get out in the field with your best sales person. Then go with someone who is struggling. Call some customers.
Sales and marketing is a partnership. Teamwork creates success.
Yes, each argument can be valid.
Salespeople are paid to focus on the short term and do whatever it takes to close a sale. Succeeding in sales generally requires a personality somewhat like a fighter pilot's. Unfortunately, this same personality that enables salespeople to win many competitive battles also makes them insufferable back on the ground at headquarters. They have no patience with marketeers who do not take the risk of working on commission and never bother to talk with customers to get first person feedback.
On the other hand, the salespersons' short term, territorial focus makes them vulnerable to bigger changes in the marketplace battlefield. Marketeers who monitor the big, market-changing issues can save salespeople from getting ambushed by providing timely intelligence and the right sales tools.
BOTH are necessary to win the war. But there is no law that says they have to like each other. I've never worked for a company where these two "tribes" got along spectacularly well. But any company where they do their jobs cooperatively has a real fighting chance.
When you do have the two dpts so separated, there is truth to the statements on both ends. These days competitive firms need to be "mean and lean" so sales and marketing are being mergeg -- marketing managers are being required to also bring in sales (so they understand what it takes and what marketing programs will be most ffective to the bottom line) and sales managers need to be more savvy by preparing the bulk of their own proposals and being more involved in the marketing process.
I have seen this new "merged" approach work well at engineering firms, software companies and PR firms -- some firms have also cut marketing completely and now just have Business Development consultants who develop the marketing materials AND make sales, but this is for more high-end consulting fims for niche services.
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