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Almost daily I’m asked, “Should Sales be responsible for lead nurturing?” To these ears, that’s a silly question. After all, the motivations of Sales and Marketing are very different – and Sales is ill equipped to do lead nurturing.
Definition: Lead nurturing is the process of sharing valuable information (value to the recipient) so that, over time you earn trust to become the preferred provider when she becomes ready to buy.
In the Spring of 2009, I presented at the CMO Club Thought Leadership Summit in New York City. One of the CMOs attending, Mitch, turned to me and said, “The difference between sales and marketing is quite simple – Marketing looks for Mr. Right but Sales looks for Mr. Right Now.” Ever since, I’ve thought that to be a very compelling statement that sums up perfectly why Sales should not do lead nurturing.
Because they carry quotas, Sales is motivated to close deals as quickly as possible. So they are looking for deals ideal for a quick close – deals especially with clear pain and budget. On the other hand, Marketing is looking for buyers in profile, so they can be gently nurturing and scored and over time, they can become qualified buyers – securing budget to address their pain.
Let’s dig deeper on the differences between these groups. Undoubtedly you’ve heard about the ongoing struggle between Sales and Marketing. The root cause of this challenge is the differences in motivation between the two groups.
The quota-carrying group, Sales, is motivated to move as fast as humanly possible – hence they look for “right now” buyers.
The non-quota carrying group, Marketing, tends to show considerably more patience – looking for “in-profile” buyers who can be gently nurtured and turned into buyers.
We see this in so-called leads given to Sales by Marketing. With Sales short-term focus, they tend to find a very large percentage not ready to buy. This is why Sales often says Marketing’s leads are “crap.” Of course Marketing thinks the deals are in-profile and Sales would not recognize a good deal if it hit him in the face. Marketing think “If only these lazy sales guys would follow up on the good leads we’re giving them.”
Sales is from Venus and Marketing is from Mars. They don’t even speak the same language.
Since Marketing and Sales are not on the same page, it’s more important than ever to get them on the same page and help them to understand each other. Here are three things you can do today to fix these problems once and for all:
Train on the other’s roles
In order to address the differences between Marketing and Sales, do some training. Teach Sales about Marketing and teach Marketing about Sales. The better they understand each other, the better they will deal with it.
Develop an agreed Statement of Understanding
Create a service level agreement. Ask Sales this question “What would you need in order to be absolutely sure you will follow up on a lead?” Document what additional information marketing can provide and what Sales will do with the leads. Have both groups sign off on it.
I hope you found these insights on the differences between Sales and Marketing helpful. Love to read your commitents and greatly appreciate those who share on social media too.
Jeff Ogden, the Fearless Competitor, is an award-winning marketing and sales expert at the sales lead generation company Find New Customers. Creator and Host of the popular and syndicated show, Marketing Made Simple TV, he interviews the best and brightest business leaders. Find Jeff at @fearlesscomp on Twitter, visit Marketing Made Simple TV on Facebook or connect with him onLinkedIn.
Check out this post on the blend between sales and marketing for more on this topic. Then, get this free ebook to learn how to sell like a winner every time.
