CRMGuru.com
September 26, 2005
by Alisa Gilhooley, VP of Marketing, The SAVO Group

Excerpts:
“I once worked in an industry where brochures were king. Glossy and resplendent with symbolic photos and copious text, these printed pieces ruled our marketing universe. My company created collateral about each of hundreds of products and services, features and functionalities….

[But] because the product fact-driven pieces didn’t reflect the solutions-oriented discussions being conducted with customers, they almost never played a role in moving a deal along. Collateral would be handed over at the end of a sales call as an afterthought….Or worse, supply might not even make it beyond reps’ car trunks. And ultimately…if salespeople really needed something helpful, they’d create it themselves….

Until organizations realize that traditional, disconnected functional roles…don’t work in today’s customer-centric business environment, they will continue to impede business growth…. Here are some clear-cut steps toward Valhalla:

Sales: Bring marketing into the fold on your organization’s chosen sales methodology.
Marketing: Evolve your customer communication framework to be opportunity-oriented.
Marketing and Sales: Relinquish your attachment to a specific format or medium.
Marketing: Open the door to controlled customization.
Sales and Marketing: Establish a continuous feedback, analysis and refinement loop.