The marketing department and the sales department have two distinct functions complementary skills in a company. The upstream work of the marketing department is one of the catalysts for sales. With this in mind, the Smarketing is becoming more and more established in digital marketing. So, what is Smarketing and how to apply it?
What is Smarketing?
Smarketing comes from the combination of the English words Sales and Marketing. It is the result of the alignment of these two key departments of the company. The idea is to coordinate the actions of the two services in order to improve commercial performance and incidentally turnover . In this logic, they share the same optics and pursue the same goal. How do they do it? Before answering this question, let's go back to the missions of the marketing and the sales department.
- Marketing missions
It is a service responsible for designing, communicating, and delivering offers for a company's customers. He studies the market and the target audience , then creates a suitable offer . Marketing can be defined by the art of creating an offer based on consumer needs.
- Salesperson's missions
A salesperson is responsible for developing sales while respecting a company's commercial policy. He meets the prospect and verifies his real expectations on the ground. It is essential because it constitutes the direct link of the company with the customer. Its main mission is sales. But he provides administrative support in taking orders and finalizing the sale.
The marketing team and the sales team are two halves of one team. They coordinate their work by communicating and coordinating their actions . Concretely, after developing a common target, the marketing team creates a list of qualified leads and the salespeople are responsible for transforming these leads into customers by finalizing the sale.
This process is especially suitable for inbound marketing . Knowing that nearly 85% of consumers buy online according to FEVAD (E-commerce Federation of Distance Sales). This change in behavior highlights the need for a management strategy such as Smarketing.
Smarketing has proven its effectiveness . A study carried out by the Aberdeen group showed that companies which adopted this process increased their turnover by 20% . Indeed, Smarketing makes it possible to improve the handling of prospects, and to perfect the sales process thanks to each person's expertise.
READ ALSO: Smarketing: 5 mistakes that put your marketing and sales teams out of sync
How to apply Smarketing?
In the majority of cases, the two services present a certain rivalry. They blame each other or take ownership of successes. To achieve effective alignment for your marketing and sales teams, set up a well-organized organization :
Defining a quantitative and qualitative objective, which follows the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Temporary) is vital. An interdependent goal that makes collaboration essential . For example, the number of qualified leads necessary for a lead conversion rate to be achieved.
It is a task which calls more than ever on the complementarity of the two services. By combining their expertise, the marketing and sales department obtain a clearer “buyer persona”. Indeed, the salesperson's field experiences bring precision to the marketer's theoretical data. During this dialogue a common language can be established: MQL (Marketing Qualified Leads, prospect to maintain for marketers), SQL (Sales Qualified Lead, prospect to contact for salespeople), at what stage does an MQL become a SQL?
- Set up an SLA
The SLA or Service Level Agreement is a contract that involves two services, in our case the sales and marketing services. It defines the conditions of service between the two parties as part of the Smarketing approach. A contract which stipulates a concrete objective and a re-evaluation period; a contract which defines the role and obligations of each person as well as the lead management protocol.
- Communicate actively
To achieve active and productive communication, do not hesitate to exchange information throughout the process. The organization of working sessions strengthens dialogue:
The design of common content that is intelligible and engaging, thanks to the added value brought to the content. This is achieved by combining the marketer's experience and the salesperson's knowledge of the field. The relevance of this content is important because 77% of Internet users obtain information on sites and forums before deciding on a purchase (according to OpinionWay in 2017).
Regular meetings are therefore strongly recommended. Whether formal or not, they are useful for taking stock of the figures, the evolution of the work but also new ideas. These exchanges also make it possible to see the adequacy of the actions undertaken.
Feedback provides better work coordination and better activity analysis. Feedback allows corrective measures to be taken. This has a positive impact on overall productivity.
- Check regularly
Predefining indicators to measure the performance of each service allows you to see if the strategy you have adopted is working. Quantifying also allows us to see the progress made. The monthly objectives defined in the SLA can be checked with this method, and at the same time readjusted.
To develop the digital strategy of your company, align the commercial strategy with the marketing strategy. Get started with Smarketing, a technique on the verge of becoming essential. To do this, put in place a well-structured organizational system. The most difficult thing is to arrange and then launch the dynamic. But once done, everything comes together naturally.
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