The marketing and sales departments have two distinct functions complementary skills within a company. The upstream work of the marketing department is one of the catalysts for sales. With this in mind, the Smarketing is becoming increasingly important in digital marketing. So, what is Smarketing and how can it be applied?
What is Smarketing?
Smarketing comes from combining the English words Sales and Marketing. It results from aligning these two key departments within a company. The idea is to coordinate the actions of both departments to improve sales performance and, consequently, revenue . In this approach, they share the same perspectives and pursue the same goal. How do they do this? Before answering this question, let's review the roles of the marketing and sales departments.
- Marketing missions
This department is responsible for designing, communicating, and delivering offers to a company's clients. It studies the market and the target audience , then creates a tailored offer . Marketing can be defined as the art of creating an offer based on consumer needs.
- Salesperson's duties
A salesperson is responsible for developing sales while adhering to a company's sales policy. They meet with potential clients and verify their actual needs in the field. They are essential because they form the direct link between the company and the customer. Their primary mission is sales. However, they also provide administrative support during order processing and sales completion.
The marketing and sales teams are two halves of a single team. They work together by communicating and coordinating their actions . Specifically, after defining a common target audience, the marketing team compiles a list of qualified leads, and the sales team is responsible for converting these leads into customers by closing the sale.
This process is particularly well-suited to inbound marketing . Given that nearly 85% of consumers shop online, according to FEVAD (the French Federation of E-commerce and Distance Selling), this shift in consumer behavior underscores the need for a management strategy such as Smarketing.
Smarketing has proven its effectiveness . A study conducted by the Aberdeen Group demonstrated that companies adopting this approach increased their revenue by 20% . Indeed, Smarketing improves the handling of prospects and refines the sales process by leveraging everyone's expertise.
READ ALSO: Smarketing: 5 mistakes that desynchronize your marketing and sales teams
How to apply Smarketing?
The two departments often exhibit a degree of rivalry. They blame each other or take credit for successes. To achieve effective alignment between your marketing and sales teams, implement a well-structured organization :
Defining a quantitative and qualitative objective, following the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound), is vital. This interdependent objective makes collaboration essential . For example, the number of qualified leads achieve a target lead conversion rate
This task, more than ever, calls for the complementary skills of the two departments. By combining their expertise, the marketing and sales departments obtain a clearer buyer persona. Indeed, the salesperson's field experience adds precision to the marketer's theoretical data. During this dialogue, a common language can be established: MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead , a prospect to nurture for marketers), SQL (Sales Qualified Lead, a prospect to contact for salespeople). At what stage does an MQL become an SQL?
- Implement an SLA
A SLA) is a contract between two departments, in this case, the sales and marketing departments. It defines the service conditions between the two parties within the framework of the Smarketing approach. The contract stipulates a concrete objective and a reassessment deadline; it defines the role and obligations of each party, as well as the lead management protocol .
- Communicate actively
To achieve active and productive communication, don't hesitate to exchange information throughout the process. Organizing working sessions strengthens the dialogue.
The creation of shared, understandable, and engaging content is achieved through the added value it brings. This is accomplished by combining the marketer's experience with the salesperson's on-the-ground knowledge. The relevance of this content is crucial because 77% of internet users consult websites and forums before making a purchase decision (according to OpinionWay in 2017).
Regular meetings are therefore strongly recommended. Whether formal or informal, they are useful for reviewing data, progress, and new ideas. These discussions also allow for assessing the effectiveness of the actions undertaken.
Feedback leads to better work coordination and improved activity analysis. It allows for corrective measures to be implemented, which has a positive impact on overall productivity.
- Check regularly
Predefining indicators to measure the performance of each service allows you to see if your adopted strategy is working. Quantifying results makes it possible to track progress. The monthly objectives defined in the SLA can be verified using this method and adjusted accordingly.
To develop digital strategy , align your sales strategy with your marketing strategy. Embark on Smarketing, a technique poised to become essential. To do this, implement a well-structured organizational system. The most challenging part is setting up and then launching the initiative. But once that's done, everything falls into place naturally.
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