Moving Beyond Silos to True Alignment
Sales teams often operate in a vacuum, focused intensely on quotas, territories, and compensation plans. While these functional elements are critical, they rarely tell the whole story of how revenue is actually generated. The modern salesperson does not sell in isolation. Success today requires a partnership with marketing that goes far beyond the outdated model where leads are simply thrown over a wall.
This shift toward what is often called “smarketing” — the deep alignment between sales and marketing teams — is now the standard for high-performing organizations. In competitive markets where buyers have endless options, most salespeople need all the help they can get. Marketing needs to help sell, and sales needs to provide support to the marketing function. It is a two-way street that requires clear communication and shared goals.
Many sales leaders start with a melancholy statement: “You know, I wish marketing could help me with…” Avoid this passive approach. Instead, take the initiative to ask for what you need from your marketing counterparts. This proactive stance builds trust and ensures that both teams are working toward the same outcome. When sales and marketing work cohesively, the company is in a much better position to bring in more revenue.
Defining Your Needs Through Data
The first step to asking for help is to figure out exactly what you need to succeed. It is important to understand both your personal and team expectations so that you can quantify your ask. Vague requests like “more leads” or “better content” rarely yield results. Instead, use a reverse funnel analysis to determine precisely what is required to hit and exceed your goals.
For example, if you need $1M of incremental revenue, work backward to calculate how you would reach this goal. Start with the final number and break it down into manageable components. This process helps you identify specific areas where you can ask for targeted support from marketing.
Calculating the Reverse Funnel
To make your request data-driven, consider these specific questions:
- To get to $1M in incremental revenue, how many customers do you need to sell to?
- How many proposals do you need to send to reach that many customers?
- How many opportunities do we need to generate to create that many proposals?
- How many conversations are required to get to that many opportunities?
- How many sales qualified leads (SQLs) and marketing qualified leads (MQLs) are needed to initiate those conversations?
When doing these calculations, factor in timing. You need to know when you require these leads to fit them into your sales process effectively. This level of detail transforms a general complaint into a strategic request that marketing can act upon immediately.
Building Relationships with Marketing Leaders
Once you know what you need, identify the right people to ask. Find an org chart or ask your sales leader to walk through who does what on the marketing team with you. When you identify key contacts, ask for time to meet and discuss plans for the period ahead. This is not just about getting resources; it is about building a relationship.
A few introductory questions can go a long way in establishing rapport. For instance, you might start with, “My name is Dan, from the sales team. I want to understand how sales and marketing might be able to work more effectively together this year.” This opens the door for a collaborative dialogue rather than a transactional exchange.
Questions to Start the Conversation
After the introduction, follow up with questions that show genuine interest in their goals:
- “Can you tell me about your background and what you do?”
- “What are some of the marketing team’s goals for the year?”
- “How can I help your team reach your goals this year?”
- “Tell me about how I can help you look good?”
- “My quota is ‘X’ this year. I would love to discuss how we can work together to hit it.”
- “What can I do to help you?”
An opening conversation shows your intention to work together to succeed. It also gives you insight into how the marketing team is performing — whether they are catching up, in steady-state, or overachieving mode. If your company already has a service-level agreement (SLA) between sales and marketing, use this meeting to discuss if adjustments are needed.
Aligning on Basic Assumptions
Introducing new business processes that involve marketing requires agreement on the basic foundation before implementation. Misalignment on fundamental concepts can derail even the best-intentioned campaigns. Ensure that both teams agree on the following assumptions to maintain consistency and effectiveness.
Key Areas for Alignment
| Concept | Definition and Alignment Goal |
|---|---|
| Ideal Customer Profile | Who is your company selling to and why? Ensure both teams are targeting the same ideal customer profile. |
| Buyer Personas | Generalized fictional depictions of your ideal customer. Ask marketing what personas they are targeting to ensure alignment with sales efforts. |
| Sales Process | Review your sales process and pipeline stages with marketing so they understand the customer experience and how their work fits in. |
| Competitive Advantage | Share information gathered from the latest competitive analysis research to ensure messaging is accurate and compelling. |
| Collateral | Ensure sales has access to new marketing collateral and knows how to retrieve and use these materials effectively. |
| Up-sell/Cross-sell | Map out a strategy for up-selling and cross-selling offerings to current clients and customers together. |
Making Data-Driven Requests
The process of identifying the right data in a timely fashion is becoming a competitive advantage. Providing your marketing team visibility to sales data, and vice versa, helps maintain synergy between the two organizations. This transparency creates a solid foundation for making requests that are grounded in reality rather than perception.
Start with positive points. Share data indicating what is working to move clients to the next step of the sales process. This reinforces successful strategies and encourages marketing to double down on what is effective. Then, show inflection points where the process needs significant improvement. Indicate where sales may need support, such as specific content gaps or lead quality issues. This balanced approach ensures that the conversation is constructive and focused on solutions.
Maintaining Momentum Through Regular Reviews
Setting a cadence to meet on a regular basis helps build a relationship instead of relying on annual reviews or only collaborating when putting out fires. Consistent communication prevents small issues from becoming major roadblocks. Build a template with the most important stats to measure, consider, and review so that you can quickly identify trends and adjust strategies.
Some companies open monthly meetings to everyone in the company to provide visibility and educate everyone on the basic new business development motion. If your company does not use this approach, start with just the sales and marketing teams and adjust your cadence as needed. Regular check-ins ensure that both teams remain aligned on goals and tactics throughout the year.
Celebrating Shared Successes
Make sure you give marketing credit for the support they provide. Whether your marketing team offers lead generation expertise, content development, templates, workflows, or other resources, ensure they feel good about their contributions. Recognition is a powerful motivator that ensures continued success and fosters a positive culture of collaboration.
When marketing and sales organizations work together cohesively, the entire company benefits. Revenue increases, customer experiences improve, and internal friction decreases. By following these steps, you can transform the relationship between sales and marketing from a source of tension into a powerful engine for growth. Consider how you can apply these principles in your next interaction with your marketing team.
