Align Sales and Marketing Teams for GTM Success

Welcome to this week's edition of The Build Up, where I share fresh ideas and strategies for B2B executives and marketing leaders. My goal is to provide you with actionable insights to stay ahead in the ever-evolving business landscape. - Tobias

Inside this edition:

• Creating alignment is critical

• CMO team building blueprint

• Creating internal AI models

• Thanksgiving posts were rampant

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BEST OF THE WEEK

• What McKinsey learned while creating its generative AI platform (McKinsey & Company)

• The CMO’s blueprint for building a world-class marketing team (Think with Google)

• Beyond Small Business Saturday (McKinsey & Company)

• 11 essential SEO elements you should be tracking (MarTech)

• Rising Subscription Prices: Trends and Tactics for Managing Price Increases (Marketing Profs)

• B2B Demand Gen Marketers Question Their Tech Stacks Optimization (Marketing Charts)

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THE DEEP DIVE

Align Sales and Marketing for Best Results

Ever feel like your sales and marketing teams are speaking different languages? You're not alone.

Misalignment between these two critical teams can create bottlenecks in your Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy. It leads to missed opportunities, wasted resources, and slowed growth.

Today, let's dive into why aligning sales and marketing is essential for GTM success—and how to make it happen.

Why Alignment Matters

When sales and marketing work together, magic happens.

Your brand speaks with one voice. This builds trust and credibility.

Marketing understands what sales needs. Sales gets leads that are more likely to convert.

There's a better feedback loop. Sales shares real-time customer insights. Marketing adjusts strategies accordingly.

Aligned teams contribute to a smoother customer journey. This boosts conversions and increases revenue.

Common Issues

Different goals create confusion. Marketing focuses on awareness and leads. Sales focuses on closing deals. Without shared objectives, efforts diverge.

Poor communication leads to misunderstandings. If teams don't interact regularly, gaps form.

Siloed data prevents seamless sharing. Separate tools and platforms hinder collaboration.

Sometimes sales and marketing teams are pitted against one another, intentionally or unintentionally (fighting for larger departmental budgets). But that schism only hurts the bottom line.

Creating Alignment

The chief marketing officer and chief sales officer (or equivalent) should become besties.

Set shared goals. Establish common objectives that both teams work toward. This could be revenue targets or customer acquisition numbers.

Foster regular communication. Hold joint meetings. Encourage open dialogue. Share updates on campaigns, feedback from prospects, and market trends.

Define the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). Collaborate to create a clear picture of your target customer. Ensure both teams focus on attracting and serving the same audience.

Agree on lead definitions. What makes a lead "sales-ready"? Define stages of the buyer's journey and criteria for lead handoff.

Implement integrated tools. Use a shared CRM or integrated platforms. This ensures everyone has access to the same data.

Develop joint content. Create sales enablement materials together. This ensures marketing content supports sales conversations.

Establish feedback loops. Sales provides feedback on lead quality and customer responses. Marketing uses this to refine strategies.

Benefits Will Follow

Increased efficiency. No more duplicate efforts.

Better customer experience. Consistent messaging at every touchpoint.

Higher conversion rates. Leads are nurtured more effectively.

Improved morale. Teams feel more connected and invested in shared success.

The Bottom Line

Aligning sales and marketing isn't a one-time task. It's an ongoing process that requires commitment from both sides.

But the payoff is worth it.

When these teams work together, your GTM strategy becomes more powerful and effective.

Don't let misalignment hold your startup back.

LOOKING FOR MORE?

• Feedback or questions—reach out directly at tobias@thebuildup.net.

• Need help with your marketing strategy? Register for a 90-minute strategy call with me.

• Looking for a fractional CMO? Visit The Chief Marketer to learn more about my fCMO services.