Sales thinks the leads they get aren’t good enough. Marketing thinks the leads they produce are good enough.
This is the eternal sales v. marketing argument.
The Solution
Determine beforehand what a ‘good’ lead is. Marketing and sales should agree what qualifies a lead to be sales ready. There needs to be broad-based agreement on exactly what this means and what it looks like.
If the agreement is in place, there won’t be any room for disagreement. Marketing won’t send leads over that aren’t any good. Sales won’t complain.
2) Lead Volume
There aren’t enough leads!
The Solution
Understanding.
Marketing needs to put themselves in the position of the sales team. Imagine having to cold call when there aren’t enough leads. Imagine having to slog through old leads just to find someone that is interested because there simply aren’t enough new leads. Imagine the frustration you would feel and how angry and bitter you would become toward marketing.
On the other hand, sales needs to understand the position in which marketing finds themselves. Maybe their budget is limited. Maybe the long term SEO tactics aren’t working yet and take time.
Typically an argument about lead volume can be resolved by simply having a meeting where everyone talks openly about the situation. Once sales realizes how limited the marketing budget is and marketing realizes how frustrated sales can be, the arguments will dissipate.
3) Responsiveness to Leads
Marketing believes that every lead should be called or followed-up with in some way immediately. Sales believes that marketing should only send leads that are ready to buy. They’re not going to waste time on leads that aren’t. And they’re certainly not going to follow up with everyone.
This is an age-old marketing v. sales argument. How responsive should sales be to leads? When a lead comes in to your CRM, what should happen?
These are questions for another blog, but suffice it to say that there needs to be vast agreement on these issues
The Solution
Discuss together what the preferred level of responsiveness is. Come to an agreement.
4) Team Players
The most toxic of all the arguments discussed in this article is this one. Marketing believes that some on the sales team are not motivated by the greater company good, but rather by commissions and commissions only.
Sales believes that a focus on commissions is, by its very nature, a focus on the company. After all, the commissions don’t come without sales and sales improve the company.
The Solution
Get over it. Sales people are paid based on commissions. Marketing people are generally paid a salary. Deal with it.
Communication Cures All
The common thread throughout this article is that communication can fix every sales v. marketing argument. Talk with each other about these issues and they will disappear.
