Disconnected Funnels
Let the Battle Begin!
Have you ever sat in a meeting that included both sales and marketing teams? Mostly rare at the full-team level, these meetings happen regularly at the executive level. The VP of Sales will share metrics and results with the CEO and other company management, then the Head of Marketing will share in the same way.
What can be missing is coordination – not just talking about the good or bad that happened but how the other teams can help. It is not necessarily wrong, just inefficient. Delivering good news keeps leaders happy and doesn’t rock the boat, and after the meeting each attendee returns to their area to focus on the tasks that make them successful.
While valuable, these often miss key findings and opportunities to work together to accomplish company goals. There are reasons why keeping the teams segregated makes sense:
I’m already good at my job – why would a salesperson take advice from a marketer
My metrics are not your metrics – the marketer doesn’t get paid based on deals closed
Time is limited – looking backward at data that might not be in the best use of time compared to understanding the current CPA or lead conversion rate
If every member of the sales and marketing teams were in a meeting together, things might happen organically that were never dreamed about on an official agenda. A junior salesperson might be talking with a lead that gave a great example of what they are looking for – which could be immediately added to a current marketing campaign. A marketer may see a pattern emerge that allows SDRs to focus on specific sectors or prospects that fit right after the meeting.
However, the opposite may be true when combining teams. I’ve been in meetings where the tension was high and blame spread quickly between teams. “Why are all my leads terrible?” … “We’ve been sending you hundreds of leads all at companies just like our current customers!” … “That last webinar we did didn’t turn into anything!” … “Why can’t you just close more deals?”
There is a better way to hold things together and get the most out of the teams. It is possible to value the feedback from a junior marketer while also brainstorming future content ideas from sales leaders. Insights can come from anywhere at any time, so regularly communication among teams is a key component of a well-functioning GTM strategy.
Breaks in discussions can occur over many things and at many places in the processes. At a personal level, it may not feel important for someone to share information because that’s not his or her job. That person might get paid for closing deals, not to help marketing provide better leads. A top marketer might not care if sales closes any deals (at an individual level) because it doesn’t matter in the metrics they are graded on by his or her manager.
The incentives present in each funnel both promote teamwork and narrow the focus to specific steps in the process. Even within teams, funnels can discourage interactions beyond roles. Is the input of an SDR valued beyond the handoff and conversion of a lead to a prospect? Is the strategy of the content marketer shared to a team member working on an upcoming conference?
What is the cost of disconnected funnels? Intra-team resentment. Lost deals. Ended partnerships. Loss of belief in the future success of the company. Rockstar employees leaving.
Taking a step back, how do you ensure the proper connection between the funnels? What can be done to keep teams happy and grow revenue? The answer is taking a holistic approach to the GTM team: listening to insights, understanding metrics, and constantly improving processes. Don’t treat the end of each stage in each funnel as checking off a task – use it to move forward with new information that will help accomplish the next goal.