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How to Align

Step 1: Structure​

Reporting Structure​

  • Both sales and marketing leaders should report to the same individual (not the CEO), such as a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) or Chief Operating Officer (COO) responsible for all revenue.
  • This approach unifies decision-making and prevents departmental disputes over executive approval.

Decision-Making Authority​

  • Determine who drives decisions based on your business model:
    • Sales-led growth motion: Sales team leads decision-making regarding go-to-market or revenue strategy.
    • Product-led or high-velocity sales environment: Marketing team may have more influence due to revenue driven by marketing efforts.

Operations Team Reporting​

  • Prevent misalignment by ensuring sales and marketing operations teams report to the same individual (CRO or CMO) to avoid conflicting systems and data reporting.

Step 2: The Right People​

Interviewing Sales/Marketing Leaders​

  • Assess if candidates view themselves as part of a unified team by asking about the opposite department's performance at previous companies.
  • Look for respectful tone and shared responsibility, not blame-shifting.

Step 3: Clearly Defined Go-To-Market Processes​

Data Definitions and Processes​

  • Misalignment frequently stems from differing data definitions and handoff procedures.
  • Ensure both teams have mutual understanding of key concepts like "sales qualified lead."
  • Define routing and handoff procedures for various lead sources.

Step 4: Incentive Structure​

Goal Alignment​

  • Incentives drive behavior, so align them with desired outcomes.
  • Common misalignment occurs when marketing's lead generation goal differs from sales' ideal customer profile.
  • Consider tying marketing compensation to closed deals or including pipeline generation in sales goals.
  • Offer bonuses for driving testimonials or case studies valuable to marketing.

Step 5: Tools and Technology​

Transparent Goal Tracking​

  • Implement visible and transparent goal tracking within your CRM (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot).
  • Consider more sophisticated BI or pipeline sales management solutions like Looker, Heap, or Funnel Source for complex needs.
  • A shared, accurate view of progress fosters collaboration and alignment.

Routing and Handoff Optimization​

  • Use tools like LeanData or Chili Piper to optimize routing and handoffs between sales and marketing, ensuring efficient processes.