Sales and marketing joined up is smarketing, I recently discovered.
Thanks to Jenny Haken, who wrote about this on her blog
It’s a fun new name for an idea that is as old as the hills for anyone who works in marketing strategy. In the past we’d have described it as ‘results-based’ ‘results-focussed’ even ‘return on investment model’; all meaning joined up commercial activities.
Whereas I focus on marketing strategy now, my working life has been spent 50% in marketing and 50% in sales. I have the utmost respect for people who are experts in these functions, treat prospects and customers well and are continually looking to improve.
Why join sales and marketing?
Personally, I’ve always thought it was batty to separate these two disciplines – they are totally inter-dependent. I welcome any term which brings these functions closer together.
I’ve also always thought it is counter-productive to operate these functions without them supporting and influencing overall strategy, and without encouraging everyone in the organisation to be aware of their role within the general ‘marketing’ or ‘selling’ of its service or product.
That’s not to be insensitive to the fact that, especially working predominantly with scientists and engineers, many people within an organisation may want very little to do with ‘marketing’ ‘sales’ and all the descriptions in between.
Rejecting ‘aggressive’ sales or untruthful marketing tactics, the focus has to be on building and nurturing connections. Incidentally, Jenny makes a good point that many people ‘lurk’ on digital platforms without engaging, but are gathering information for future decisions. That’s certainly true for many of my clients, and friends and relatives, in the STEM community!
Marketing does well to recognise its role in attracting the right people and supporting the sales process. Sales does well to communicate with marketing about what prospects want in order to be better supported. And both roles do well to focus on overall outcomes to guide their activities.
The more integrated ‘Smarketing’ the better because you need attraction and action to grow a business 😊
If you’d like help with your ‘Smarketing’ …you know what I’m going to say! su@priddeymarketing.co.uk