Sales and Marketing: The Next Hamilton and Jefferson?

Rather than letting their differences boil into an all-out feud that gets both teams off-track, they might take some cues from another famous rivalry – and compromise – that of Alexander Hamilton (sales) and Thomas Jefferson (marketing).

They had markedly distinct roles with Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury and Jefferson as Secretary of State. Where Hamilton was ambitious, pragmatic, assertive, charismatic, and determined – much like a successful sales professional must be – Jefferson was empathetic, philosophical, diplomatic, innovative, and more reserved and reflective – no surprise here, much like a marketing professional must be. Yet because they shared a commitment to the country’s success, they cultivated a mutual respect that allowed them to work together and complement each other for the sake of the new nation.

• Share goals/metrics

Both teams should align on the same goal of revenue generation, but also on KPIs structured to contemplate the entire customer journey. For instance, a shared goal or metric could be Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). By tracking this, both teams can work together to optimize the processes that drive customer acquisition while lowering the cost of acquisition.

• Foster deeper communication

Sales and marketing should use a common CRM to both document and share customer information, AND they should meet frequently to discuss lead quality, campaign effectiveness, and customer feedback. Building trust through open and frequent communication can facilitate more open discussions between the teams.

• Define a clear lead qualification process and handoff points

Both teams must work together to develop a mutual understanding of the marketing/sales funnel and how leads will move between the various stages and teams. Specifically, they should agree on the criteria for both Marketing Qualified Leads and Sales Qualified Leads and when and how the handoff occurs.

• Collaborate on content

Sales is talking to customers every single day. Marketing must develop content with sales input and feedback to ensure it is relevant and useful to prospects. When marketing involves sales in content development, they gain valuable firsthand reporting on how customers are responding.

• Establish two-way feedback loops

The bottom line? ALIGNMENT is key – in goals, metrics, understanding, communication, and processes.

Is it easy? Will that alignment between teams translate into the birth of a new nation or an award-winning Broadway musical? Probably not. But it will result in more collaboration, more revenue, and frankly, be a lot more fun because winning cures virtually everything!