Marketing and Sales alignment is important, no matter what industry you’re in. After decades of separation between Marketing and Sales, it’s a very difficult process to nail down.
But buyers’ habits are changing. Nowadays, marketing is responsible a huge portion of the buyer’s journey — much more than in the past. As a result, marketers need to be more focused in their efforts to attract and educate potential buyers on products and services, while simultaneously gathering information about buyers to pass along to the sales team.
One important piece of information that should be exchanged between the two camps is what a sales opportunity wants to talk about during the first sales call.
As it turns out, though, buyers and sellers are rarely on the same page heading into the first call, according to new HubSpot research.
Almost two-thirds (58 percent) of buyers reported wanting to discuss price, while only 23 percent of salespeople answered the same. Salespeople reported wanting to spend more time on qualifying topics like the company’s overall goals (61 percent), the timeline for purchase (42 percent), and why the company needs to buy (63 percent). The percentage of buyers who wanted to discuss these topics was drastically lower — 32 percent, 24 percent, and 37 percent, respectively.
Although sales and buyers tend to have different goals for the first sales call, most salespeople understand that the buyers’ journey has changed. According to HubSpot’s research, nearly two-thirds (57 percent) of salespeople believe buyers are less dependent on sales compared to 2-3 years ago, furthering the chances that sales and marketing continue to work towards greater alignment.
