Why it should be Marketing and Sales, Not Sales and Marketing

Have you ever met a Vice President of Marketing & Sales? In the history of my professional life, I have met many Sales & Marketing officers, but not one Marketing & Sales officer. Some people have been either Sales Directors or Marketing Directors.

Whenever they’re matched together under one roof, Sales comes first. Why is that? It doesn’t make sense, even if you take the safe way out and use the alphabet as your guide.

Yet I have never encountered a company that put marketing before sales. Marketing should make the introduction and strike up a conversation. In a recent meeting with a prospective client, he said it perfectly. We need marketing to “soften the beaches for sales.”

I’ve also met marketing people who think their job isn’t sales. The most important sale that a marketer can ever make is the internal marketing. If your team is not aware and on-board with your marketing and how it will help increase sales, you will not win.

Everything counts. Every potential touchpoint for the brand has to be consistent in tone, message and delivery to achieve goals. Your customers are searching for authenticity. If everyone on your team is not on board with your marketing, your customers will sense it.

Just like with people, when brands are inconsistent, they are suspect. Do you trust candidates that flip-flop?

Get your marketing straight and your sales will follow.

Marketing and sales or sales and marketing? Please let me know at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks