Marketing and Sales: Having a marketing and sales meeting model can help managers promote the long-awaited integration between these complementary and fundamental, but often conflicting, areas.
Although very common in companies, lack of alignment and even, often, divergences between sales and marketing can be very harmful to the business. This partnership is strategic in nature for results and, therefore, it is essential to focus on tactical actions to align the work of both teams.
One of the most effective ways to do this is by holding periodic productive meetings with these professionals, who are capable of positioning them as allies around the same objectives – which, in the end, is the purest reality.
However, how do you have meetings that aren’t boring and that actually have the right content to take teams somewhere – preferably walking side by side? The task, in fact, is not simple, but a script with a marketing and sales meeting model will certainly help with this mission.
Why is integration between marketing and sales essential for results?
Marketing and sales need to be on the same page, both to build a company’s brand and to drive sales. It is clear that the efforts of one team directly impact the other – and vice versa – and that bringing them closer together means increasing the number of qualified leads and conversions.
Consequently, on the other hand, if managers fail in this integration, everyone loses:
- efficiency in campaigns;
- lead quality;
- market opportunities.
Therefore, in addition to having the appropriate and integrated tools and technologies, having consistency and quality of periodic interactions between the two teams is essential to change a scenario of distance or even conflict between the two areas.
How to hold a business meeting?
It happens that unproductive meetings waste everyone’s time and only end up further misaligning the two teams. The ideal marketing and sales meeting model should be simple, objective, and, of course, productive.
1. Have defined goals for joint action between the areas
Before talking about the marketing and sales meeting model itself, it is crucial to mention that area leaders must, first of all, define general goals for alignment efforts between the two teams.
To do this, they must create together a type of Service Level Agreement (SLA – Service Level Agreement). It involves establishing a commitment that will ensure that the goals of both parties are aligned.
Furthermore, the agreement is also very useful for aligning expectations regarding the performance of each team as they work towards the common objective – achieving results. Everything is easier if this is already defined beforehand.
2. Opening and presentation of the agenda
That said, we can start talking about the sales marketing meeting model that will help you develop the script. Well, the first tip in this regard is that the meeting should start with a brief informal conversation to relax and integrate the teams on a personal level. This is important so that everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas and collaborating with each other.
After these initial minutes, it is interesting for the leader to quickly present the topics covered in the meeting, with the intention of organizing the conversation as much as possible. Many managers like to send the agenda beforehand, which is great for participants to prepare. But it’s a fact that not everyone will look carefully, so it’s worth going over it before starting.
Also, this is a good time to share news or updates about the business, such as events, opportunities, or vacations.
3. Focus on relevant points for both teams
The agenda of an ideal marketing and sales meeting model should, of course, include topics that are relevant to both teams. Therefore, forget about small specific problems that can be solved at another time.
A marketing and sales agenda should include questions that align both areas with the company’s objectives and successful strategies to achieve them. Furthermore, there must also be time to discuss the views and concerns of each team.
Read Also: How to do Affiliate Marketing and how it works?
4. Hold a data-driven meeting
To jointly and objectively analyze the key points, it is essential to hold a meeting based on real data that is of interest to both areas:
- How many opportunities is marketing generating?
- How many are being converted, and at what value?
- How many leads is sales following up on?
- How many cross-sells are being carried out?
- Which materials are being most effective?
- Which campaigns are performing best?
- Where are the biggest bottlenecks for closing?
Many of these numbers can be easily accessed in the CRM system and help to give an overview of the state of things and update teams. Furthermore, they, encourage participants to reflect on what can be done to improve the situation.
5. Conclude the meeting with a to-do list for each team
After each area presents its opinions, define together what needs to be done and what the priorities of each area are. Both teams must leave the meeting with a list of tasks and the status of these actions must be reviewed at the beginning of the next meeting.
To close the meeting, it may be interesting to bring a message, such as a video or a song on a motivational topic or one that generates reflection.
What to talk about in a marketing meeting?
There are many topics that can be covered in a marketing meeting, however, it is crucial to choose an agenda that is directly linked to the objectives and goals of the area.
See some examples of topics that can be covered:
- Results of marketing indicators and metrics;
- Suggestions and feedback from sellers regarding the opportunities generated;
- Marketing trends;
- Introduction of new tools;
- Competitor practices.
