![]() Founder & President Paradigm Marketing & Design rjdurkan@paradigm-md.com In the age of digital everything, the average consumer’s approach to buying has been completely reimagined. No longer do consumers react favorably to the once tried and true sales models of yesteryear, when sales teams would rely almost exclusively on tactics like phone calls and conferences to facilitate transactions. These days, the sales funnel is tied much more closely to marketing – a technique that aims to build and sustain customer loyalty by creating an inviting and engaging user experience at every touch. When it comes down to it, sales and marketing have a lot in common, perhaps most notably that both directly impact lead generation and revenue. The biggest difference, however, is that marketing is defined as the process of getting people interested in the goods and services being sold, whereas sales refers to all activities that lead up to the direct selling of those products. The most successful businesses, therefore, are the ones that understand the nuances and are open to implementing a strategy that integrates elements from both sides. What does sales and marketing integration look like? Sales and marketing integration starts with collaboration. When sales and marketing teams work together instead of as separate entities, the sales process becomes significantly easier for everyone from start to finish. The marketing team’s job is to ensure that the consumer is already educated in your brand – and has had several positive touches related to the brand – before ever making any sort of contact with a salesperson. This approach has been shown to make the sales process more likely to be successful and more efficient because:
Sales and Marketing Integration: A 3-Step Process At Paradigm, we believe that both sales and marketing should operate with the same two goals in mind: brand building and maximizing ROI. Many companies are at least familiar with ROI – measuring how much has been gained or lost on an investment, relative to the amount of resources invested – because those numbers are a direct indicator of the company’s overall profitability. But brand building – and measuring the success of a brand building campaign – can be much trickier, especially for small businesses. The effort usually pays off, though, because once a strong brand building strategy has been executed, your job as a marketer or salesperson becomes easier over time. We measure brand building by identifying and then measuring Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which can be things like email list growth with quality leads (example: if we grow an email list by 50% but see the open rate decrease significantly, we know those were poor leads); social media mentions, follows and engagement; and website hits, time spent on the site, etc. Once everyone is on the same page and working toward the same brand building and ROI goals, there are three steps to follow for effectively integrating your sales and marketing teams:
Sales and marketing integration is a process that takes time; it’s not going to happen overnight. But once both teams begin working together to drive home your brand and maximize ROI, you’re likely to see significant improvements in your efficiency and effectiveness at closing deals. For more detailed tips on how to integrate your own sales and marketing teams, contact Paradigm Marketing and Design today to schedule a consultation. As sharks go, ours were more admiring than predatory.
Morris Tech Meetup, MCEDC and high-school-student-run Business Bootcamp hosted a pitch competition for aspiring entrepreneurs …. in their teen years. Start-up culture fits perfectly with Morris County’s youth culture – the excitement of presenting a creative idea with the courage to risk failure. The pitch roster was whittled down to ten (10) teams of 2 – 4 students. The Keynote Address Ari Sorken, former CFO of Bai Brands, was both personable and generous with his time. As a keynote speaker, he was informal and revealing about his company’s approach. Bai decided they were aiming for the Conscious Authentic. This was not an existing market segment. Bai invented a market segment along with their brand. Ari Soroken has been able to grow his hair now that he’s a Princeton millionaire. Ari taught that successful companies are bought, not sold. A company should never be for sale. Bai formed a strong culture; one that snubbed its’ nose at the big soda companies. Yet they were still was able to get distribution and to sell the company (to Dr. Pepper) for a record sum. The Competition The competition format allowed 5 min to explain invention, the market size, the problem solved, and market differentiation. Then 5 min for questions and feedback from the judges. All contestants were confident, practiced and prepared. Many entries had an emotional pull. The biggest mistake made was being too technical – a common problem for inventors. The Big Winner Won $1000, the big check and a trophy. Also, consulting services regarding their future in business. Their time with Macrosoft’s executive leadership is a prize to be coveted. Next year, MCECC will aim to get more sponsors so that 2nd and 3rd place winners can go home with a financial prize. |
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Please Note: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce.
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