On Wednesday, May 15, I’ve been invited to participate in a panel discussion and speak at  CMSExpo, an annual conference devoted to all things content. I am an avid Joomla user  (the tool I use for my website), so I’ve been collaborating with a number of web developers and marketing consultants both to develop new business and to support them as clients. One such colleague is Avery Cohen, principal at Metrist Partners. Metrist and I are partnering to create new thought leadership around integrating sales and marketing content to produce revenue. Here is Avery’s recent article, also posted on the CMSexpo blog site, describing this new thought leadership. Many Thanks to Avery for allowing me to post his article here.

The Integrated Bottom Line: Sales and Marketing for Maximum ROI

It’s a typical day at the office: The Sales Team says that Marketing isn’t producing good, qualified leads. The Director of Marketing is trying to keep up with a changing technical environment and production demands for content.

The Marketing Team is working on advertising, online articles, email and print newsletters, social media along with brochures, trade shows, and presentations. Search rankings are falling, and the cost of customer acquisition is rising.

Marketers are asked to deliver more high-quality leads, at a lower cost per lead, without acknowledging that there is an integrated bottom line. Increasing costs of new customers can be an indicator that we aren’t getting the right messaging to the right people at the right time…

Often, there are disconnects between:

1. What the sales team is saying (and learning) in the field,
2. The problems and real needs faced by our customers and prospects,
3. The messaging our marketers are pushing out through our content marketing initiatives,
4. The response we are getting from our online community,
5. The results we are getting from our marketing campaigns.

It’s time to get Sales and Marketing to collaborate on content. Marketing can support the sales team by providing topical content on a monthly basis. This gives the sales team a relevant perspective to share with prospects and their client network.

Marketers report that their biggest concern is that they can’t create enough content. One of the best sources of content is our Sales team. They are out in the field hearing about the problems faced by customers. They may (or may not) be aware of what kinds of introductions lead to initial meetings, and what’s different between the first meeting and the second meeting.

As technical levels of B2B sales increase, customers are doing more research online. Prospects may get through as much as 70% of the sales process before they meet with a vendor. More people are getting involved in the decision process, too, and they may have different perspectives on the problem and the solution being considered. Accordingly, marketing communications are more critical than ever to support B2B sales success.

One of the factors leading to better collaboration between Sales and Marketing is the introduction of an integrated bottom line. Where managers and teams are accountable not just to a marketing funnel and a sales funnel, but where monthly content initiatives – and result metrics – are shared between Sales and Marketing. This approach generates accountability between teams.

They must work together to gain not only more “high quality” leads, but more second meetings and faster close cycles.

Our panel at CMS Expo, “Content Marketing and Sales for Maximum ROI“, will discuss new developments in CMS technology, Marketing Management, and Sales Best Practices that lead to better collaboration and higher revenue by creating an integrated bottom line. Everyone in the organization contributes, and our customers win.

About the Author:

Avery Cohen helps marketers use interactive media to gain actionable insights into customer needs to rethink their brand experience, optimize sites and troubleshoot drops in traffic or conversion rates on web sites. Avery founded Metrist Partners in 2001, providing an analytics resource for its clients, providing weekly, monthly or quarterly analyst assessments of Internet marketing activities and results, creating a culture of continual improvement and transforming marketing from an expense to an integrated part of the revenue stream with clear and measurable return on investment

Author: Terry Walsh

Terry Walsh is a Trusted Executive Advisor known for his work helping clients create and execute revenue growth strategies, organize and build sales teams, and implement CRM systems. He focuses on helping sales leaders achieve their potential in building and managing effective sales teams. Author of “99 Questions to Achieving Your Sales Goals” (Amazon), which outlines a road map for success in both individual sales and managing sales teams, implemented in dozens of clients. Terry's 25+ years’ experience and a proven track record help organizations build high-performing, well-managed sales teams that drive maximum revenue and create enduring customer relationships to exceed revenue, operational and strategic goals. Terry is currently a Partner with Funnel Metrics, LLC, a leading professional services firm that offers a unique suite of sales enablement and performance management solutions designed to help businesses improve revenue growth and predictability.a Previously, Terry worked as an executive sales leader for major companies including Culligan International, Cendant Corporation, Whitman-Hart/marchFIRST, Digital Equipment Corporation, and others. He has supported dozens of clients as a consultant, trainer and project leader to enable effective sales organizations. View all posts by Terry Walsh