Marketing and sales need to be digitized.

For some provocative, for others long learned – Rethinking marketing and sales

As with so many topics in digitalization, the interplay between marketing and sales has not escaped change. The clear delineations of the specialized areas of marketing on one side and sales on the other are undergoing a significant transformation that also affects general working methods.

The typical sales representatives in the "old" world

Let’s start with the earlier perspective of sales representatives, primarily in the B2B sector. I keep hearing statements like "We’ve always done it this way!" or "Well, the internet isn’t everything!" or even better, "We are market leaders, potential customers approach us, not we them!". Setting aside the fact that I can hardly escape from market leaders anymore, as it seems to be almost every second company nowadays, these are, of course, very critical statements.

Why is that?

This perspective has manifested over the years and is embedded in the minds of the sales team. It results from many fundamentally human characteristics. Some of them are:

• I want to spend as little time as possible

• Questions and support annoy me

• They need our products anyway

• My time is too valuable to care about new customers

• etc.

One tends to overlook that the wheel of innovation, and especially the customer as well as their expectations, is turning.

Innovations are sought to be achieved by developing the best possible products. That is certainly correct. But what is good? Many years ago in my business studies, our marketing professor explained that the era of engineers who simply create super products (which sell themselves) is over. Marketing means: to lead companies from the market perspective. So, this perspective is certainly not new. It just didn’t have the internet back then.

This brings me to the second aspect. One must understand customer expectations and their needs. Otherwise, one cannot develop suitable products or services. This is where the interplay of marketing and sales begins.

The world of marketing managers

The marketing staff must also adapt. Marketing has long been digitally driven in many areas. COVID-19 has significantly intensified this. Nevertheless, there is still a frequent lack of understanding regarding the challenges posed by this statement. Marketing managers are usually not the creative minds behind campaigns or actions. They should not become creative, but competently brief and steer. Unfortunately, they often see themselves as idea generators and therefore want those ideas to be implemented. This creates a dependency that is not productive and presents a dilemma for agencies.

But back to the digital topic in marketing. Marketing managers often still think in compartmentalized structures. I do not mean classic advertising and digital. I mean Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, XING, Google, CRM, ads, PIM, DAM, eCommerce, push, etc. So all digital topics that are then handed off to various agencies, each of which does their own thing in some way. This creates enormous complexity, reduces stringency, and essentially everyone is fighting for their territory, which is equally unproductive.

Here, too, statements arise that can be briefly sketched out as follows:

• The marketing at our company is great, but they always mess it up in sales

• Digital is completely overrated

• We also have a shop, it runs so-so, we don’t spend much on it

• Marketing has nothing to do with product data, we only do the pictures

• etc.

So what is a solution approach to understand marketing as such and keep in mind the sales objectives of the company, more market share, success, revenue, contribution margin, etc.? Below is an approach intended to help bring the parties to the table and enable a positive future together.

Almost 60% of the decision is already made before a potential customer comes into contact with the company

This figure was already established in a Google study, specifically in the B2B segment back in 2015. It primarily shows one thing: Search, i.e., search engines have revolutionized decision-making pathways. Many potential customers searching for a solution initially look for this on the internet. Even if it is often first about getting an overview, from a marketing perspective, a significant step has already been made.

The first contact = first moment of truth sticks in the mind of the decision-maker, whether one likes it or not.

This defines the "relevant set". Within this framework, customers select providers. It becomes extremely challenging to enter the provider circle later. One can argue whether one finds this development positive. But like many things in digitalization, it cannot be influenced. If consumer behavior shifts because, as illustrated here, technology allows market transparency, regardless of B2C or B2B, then one must react – even better, one recognizes these behavioral changes in advance. Now it gets exciting...

How can I structure marketing and sales to meet this revolution?

If the essential part of the decision is made online, two core tasks must be fulfilled:

1. Relevance

2. Visibility

I must design my products or services so that they are considered relevant by prospects. And I must ensure that they are visible. Precisely when a search query is made that has this focus. But that is only the first step. Knowing analyses which state that 5-7 contacts/views are needed to achieve a click, I must also be able to recognize who clicked and what they clicked on. Additionally, how and whether they have informed themselves further. This usually involves the website, a landing page, or one of the company's pages on B2B portals like XING or currently even more relevant, LinkedIn.

All this data as well as the management of subsequent activities should converge in software that allows creating a "picture" that ideally facilitates analysis, follow-up care, and maintenance based on assigned personas. HubSpot is such a solution that enables these tasks and much more.

We work with HubSpot, implementing marketing automation. But also, the sales automation, which seamlessly intertwines. This brings marketing and sales together and ensures that both groups work from a single source. Incidentally, both parties feel much more appreciated and can recognize the challenges each area faces.

Of course, there are other systems that have similar capabilities. However, since we are discussing a very complex structure, we have decided to focus. One cannot do everything well. Therefore, our choice fell on this provider.

Consultation takes priority; a digital agency must consult and implement

The use of software of this kind is merely a tool. It does not help to introduce HubSpot and then leave the customer alone. The topic is too complex and often not understood in its full dimension.

We recommend first developing an "automation strategy" and also advising on how to take the right and important steps. Often, less is more, so taking small steps while keeping the big picture in mind. People must be able to adjust to changes; they need time and partners to support them.