When it comes to dealer success (or failure) from a sales and marketing perspective, sometimes the sales force is given too much credit for the ability to close on deals, and marketing’s contributions are not always as valued as perhaps they should be. The one thing these types of scenarios have in common? They don’t flourish as much as they could, or should. And that’s too bad, for them at least.
If you’re reading this, then it’s probably not the case. Every wildly successful dealer takes great pains to ensure sales and marketing operate in sync. Yes, sales returns to the office with that tremendous takedown strapped to the hood of the car. But marketing sets up the tree stand and sends sales into the wild properly armed.
Since we’re on sporting analogies, marketing is the quarterback and sales is the wideout. Imagine a QB just spraying the field with throws without huddling with the receiver corps. Or the WR ignoring the diagramed play and instead running whatever route they choose. That will get your signal-caller sacked every time.
Enough pointing out the obvious. We capped this month’s State of the Industry report on capturing net-new business by asking our dealer panel how its sales and marketing teams collaborate to ensure consistent messaging and targeting for new logos. Further, we wanted to know what feedback loops exist between the departments to refine their approach based on real-world interactions.
Quantum Leap
Weekly alignment efforts between sales and marketing have driven success for Kelly Office Solutions of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Kevin Hoverman, regional vice president, notes that company marketing guru Claudia Coleman has done a solid job when it comes to events and community outreach. Plus, the dealer’s HubSpot integration, with the aid of organizations such as Quantum, has been beneficial as well in ensuring the company is “rowing in the right direction” while being judicious in how and where money is invested.
“I think it matters more now than ever before to be spending every dollar in the right place,” he noted. “We’ve done a good job of getting the organization in alignment around that. Our managers work directly if they’ve got a specific marketplace campaign that they want to run, whether it’s through HubSpot or whatever it may be. Our marketing group, led by Claudia, make sure we have the stuff that we need to have fun prospecting and cold calling, and ensuring we’re putting on great events.”
The marketing team at Gordon Flesch Company constantly huddles directly with the sales unit to guarantee consistency of message. Patrick Flesch, president and CEO, notes marketing churns out monthly campaigns geared toward net-new accounts by educating prospects on GFC’s products and services, then tutors reps on the new material that they can present to their target accounts.
“Both teams also work closely on account-based marketing (ABM) campaigns targeting net-new accounts with specific messaging based on vertical and region,” Flesch said. “We have reporting set up that we can track our progress at any time and sales continuously provides feedback to marketing to make any adjustments needed based off real-world interactions with prospects.”
Data Points
Dealers such as Systel Business Equipment count on their sales and marketing units operating in lock step. According to Michelle Shepard, vice president of sales for the Fayetteville, North Carolina-based dealer, marketing develops campaigns that stress points of differentiation, and it’s up to the account reps to capture real-time feedback from the field to communicate what resonates with prospects and what misses the mark.
“We have weekly meetings, shared reporting and constant dialogue to ensure messaging is consistent, relevant and aligned with customer needs,” she said. “This back-and-forth keeps both teams moving toward the same goal of converting meaningful new partnerships.”
At DOCUmation, marketing teams with both sales leadership and subject-matter experts to gather feedback from the field, as markets and industries respond differently. Marketing then assembles content to facilitate success—sales enablement kits, client success stories, solution-use cases and industry-specific testimonials—according to Hunter Woolfolk, CEO of the San Antonio-based dealership.
“We also have industry-focused blogs and digital assets that help reps open doors with credibility,” Woolfolk added. “It ensures reps always have the right materials to support and strengthen their conversations.”
In the Loop
There are those who believe that how a customer journey begins will largely determine how it ends. You can count Erik Carlsen, chief sales officer for Impact Networking, among that group. Marketing seeds territories with high-impact branding for the Lake Forest, Illinois-based dealer while sales run ABM campaigns tailored to each ideal client profile. Carlsen points out that collaboration is structured and consistent.
“Bi-weekly check-ins to review messaging fit, monthly ABM results reviews to track market resonance, and joint field events to build community presence and brand warmth are a few of our designed touch points,” he said. “Regional sales leaders own the feedback loop, ensuring that corporate marketing hears the real voice of the customer from each market we serve.”
