{"id":3433,"date":"2012-11-07T14:17:17","date_gmt":"2012-11-07T19:17:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.exomarketing.biz\/\/?p=3433"},"modified":"2021-11-11T13:28:57","modified_gmt":"2021-11-11T18:28:57","slug":"sales-and-marketing-the-importance-of-integration-in-b2b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exob2b.com\/en\/sales-and-marketing-the-importance-of-integration-in-b2b\/","title":{"rendered":"Sales and marketing: the importance of integration in B2B"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve often noticed the diverging opinions and objectives between marketing and sales. The contestant from the right-hand corner, the marketing department, is looking to work more on its brand image while the contestant in the left-hand corner, the sales department, is mostly looking to maintain their client accounts and increase sales.<\/p>\n

My marketing experience<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a member of the marketing team, I\u2019ve often seen long lists of potential clients rejected with a wave of the hand by the sales team because they supposedly weren\u2019t worth the effort. More often than not, there was very little follow-up, as if the fruits of my efforts were a waste of time, and this, despite my goodwill and the sometimes urgent need for the company to look for new clients.<\/p>\n

The same goes for inbound leads: 70 % of leads generated by inbound marketing do not receive follow-up from sales.1<\/sup> Does this mean that even potential clients served on a silver platter are not attractive enough for some sales teams?<\/p>\n

In addition, I noticed that sales tools (for example, product spec sheets developed by the marketing department) weren\u2019t used (or only seldom!) in the sales process, despite the fact that they were developed upon request from, and with the help of, the sales department.<\/p>\n

The importance of integrating these two departments is quite obvious. Not doing so could be very costly. Moreover, this was the subject of a presentation made by Lynda St-Arneault, President of Exo, on October 26, 2012, at one of the conferences  held by the APCM. (If you missed it, don\u2019t worry! Her presentation will be given again on November 16thas part of an event organized by Rencontres Linked Qu\u00e9bec<\/a>. Please note that the conference will be held in French only.)<\/p>\n

From cooperation to integration<\/strong><\/p>\n

Integration of sales and marketing depends on consistent interaction between both departments; marketing should contribute to the development of sales and vice versa.<\/p>\n

This should all be driven by client information. An efficient way to do so is to develop a CRM (customer relationship management tool) or an SCRM (a CRM that incorporates social media).<\/p>\n

Advantages for your company<\/strong>:<\/p>\n