SMARKETING

“In union there is strength”. This quote by Aesop is not just a lifelong principle but it is a principle that can be used in the business world. Have you heard of the word smarketing before? If not let me start by first defining the term for you before going into detail.

Smarketing???

Smarketing is the process of aligning the sales and marketing process of a business. According to one source smarketing began around the year 2000 as a result of improved web browsing capabilities. The objective is for sales and marketing teams to have a common goal. The goal is to have goals that both the sales and marketing teams can be accountable. It is no secret that marketing and sales have never had a history of working together but the truth of the matter is that both these departments are fighting towards the same goal of increasing revenue of the business. In case you still don’t get what it means I will break it down for you. Sales refers to the short term need to close a sale, get an agreement signed, or ultimately do what needs to be done to sell whatever it is you are selling whereas marketing is a longer term concept than sales and relates to forward looking strategies to understand customer needs, influence customer perceptions, and identify how a company can capitalize on that. While they are often used interchangeably or grouped together they are two different concepts and it is important to understand those differences because once you understand the differences it will be easier to capitalize on the similarities .Marketing can be viewed as the voice of sales in the sense that the processes of sales are made easy because of marketing efforts. Selling to people who actually want to hear from you is more effective.

Why smarketing?

Smarketing may sound a little weird but now that you know what it means it is important to know why it is important for businesses. In many companies the sales and marketing teams do not work together and there is little sharing of information that could improve performance of the business. The way people buy has changed and so has the way companies market their products. In the past sales people used to have control over what information customers get but now customers Google whatever information they want and receive full information in an instant so it is marketing efforts that help sales people get customers .According to one source companies with strong sales and marketing alignment get 20% annual revenue growth.

How?

Smarketing recognizes that sales and marketing are critical partners and this perspective has helped teams to maintain strong ties. There are five approaches that are used to integrate smarketing into the company:

• Speak the same language-sales and marketing have a unified picture of the same goal

• Set up closed loop reporting-using closed loop data you can see which marketing programs deliver the best

• Implement a service land agreement-a two way process between sales and marketing

• Maintain open communication-marketing should look at sales team as another customer base

• Rely on data-monitor progress

Smarketing does not only help the company to increase revenue but can also help to create a culture of honest and transparency in the company. Therefore companies who haven’t thought smarketing should start including this in their plans.

Smarket yourself to success.