Marketing with Mike Volpe

Great post. Marketers cannot underestimate the importance of trust with sales -- I tell my people to make sure they are viewed as a resource that really understands the challenges sales faces when trying to make their numbers and not a "cheerleader" who just provides them tools to enable them. Once they view you as a "cheerleader", you will have difficulty re-gaining credibility. 
 
Along the lines of "hold sales accountable" I also tell marketers to challenge sales (just like we tell sales to challenge their customer). As you point out, salespeople don't like taking no for an answer -- but it doesn't mean they are always right. Way too often marketing defers to sales. If sales says the leads are bad, they must be bad, because we all know it can't be due to poor sales execution. Challenge sales on their approach when you know you have enabled them properly and the friction you create will likely lead to even better results.

Here's my take... 
 
Sales is marketing's customer. If I make widgets, I have to make the kind of widgets that my customer wants and in the quantity that they want and when they want them. Marketing generates leads, reputation, buzz, etc. and they generate them so that sales can do their job. So, marketing has to get good at determining what sales truly wants and it's not more, better leads. They have to determine how many and what "better" means.

You have touched a good point in this wonderful article“ Market your Marketing”. So why not do it in a natural way ? Build Relationship with your Sales. Relations with them could be developed better than what you may have with most Customers as you work for the same Goal. Engaging Sales and looking them as partners to achieve the Goal would help reduce any blame game. Sales and Marketing could be more effective working as a team, working in harmony specially during bad times with relationships build on facts and mutual trust. Information is best shared when you trust the other person. Looking to hear your response.

Thanks for sharing Mike, good stuff as always and I totally agree. I am always telling my team, and partners in sales that it cannot be US vs THEM. WE are in this together-I only care about hitting the end number not who's leads got us there. My job is to make sales' life easier, and if we are not making their job easier then I need to adjust our approach. If the marketing leads convert at a lower rate, or lower velocity, or with a lower ASP, then our effort is inefficient in the true economic definition of the term.  
 
But with that agreement comes responsibility. Sales needs to provide timely feedback, they need to work everything and follow the reporting process so I can track the efficacy of my team's efforts and adjust as needed.  
 
And that also means I challenge them when I hear "these leads suck" and the numbers don't back that up. I show them the math, and make sure I have it right. And in true partnership however, if they really do suck, we own up to that too. Its only by being mutually accountable can the relationship really work.  
 
To be true partners though also means building good relationships. We have an open sales floor... the members of my marketing team that run the demand gen activity and interact with sales the most sit on that floor. I usually personally sit there on Fridays as well. And I am always willing to take a sales call, or make a sales call. By showing that we are living their world, and understand the challenges they face, they see that me and my team is working toward a shared purpose.  
 
Of course, it doesn't always work, but we at least have a framework for a discussion when it goes wrong.  
 
-Aaron  
@ajdun