Top 10 Things Marketing Shouldn’t Hear From Sales

by Mark O’Brien

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In most companies that provide products or services to other companies (otherwise known as business to business), sales should be a marketing-fulfillment activity. Marketing should not be a sales-support activity. Marketing researches, prioritizes, and influences markets by creating communication programs and sales tools, with the objectives of (a) reaching the right prospects with the right message, at the right time and (b) precipitating sales.

But marketing and sales may not perceive those ends in the same way. While marketing folks view item a as paramount, sales folks have their compensation tied to item b. That strategic disconnect could yield dubious tactical results if marketing and sales disagree on execution. To hedge against such disconnects, here are the top ten things marketing people should be leery about hearing from sales people:

"Our marketing plan is to sell as much as possible." Right. And skyscrapers are built from the lightning rod down. No objective, no strategy. No strategy, no meaningful tactics. No tactical plan, no program. No program, no sustainable results.
"We don’t have time for research." Right again. And skyscrapers are built without blueprints. No information, no understanding of markets or prospects. No understanding, no effectiveness. No effectiveness, no competitiveness. No competitiveness, no sales. No sales, no business.
"If it works, we'll increase the budget." It, of course, refers to any one tactic, adopted in lieu of a program. (Translation: There is no budget. But knowing we have to fight, let’s tie one hand behind our backs and shackle our feet together.) No single tactic creates presence and position, increases visibility, and attracts prospects. No marketing program exists without a budget. The thinking behind #3 doesn’t reflect a lack of budget. Rather, it reflects a lack of prioritization and commitment.
"What do you mean ‘the message is wrong’? We wrote it!" Most marketing messages are written for the company doing the writing, not for the target audience. Here’s what we do, how long we’ve been doing it, how good we are at it. Prospects? Their businesses? Their problems or needs? Nah.
"But the boss likes it." Great — as long as the boss is your largest source of sales revenue. The boss is not, nor does he reflect, the target audience. Marketing people love these related phrases, as well: “He reads that magazine, so that's where he wants our ad”; and “He thinks direct mail is junk.” Contrary to his marketing style, the boss almost never engages in one-armed boxing.
"But our competitor has a great one." One here is the same as it in #5. This is a great strategy — if your goal is second place. Let your efforts be determined by the leader — whoever you perceive that to be — and you’ll comfortably follow forever. Let your efforts be determined by the needs of your prospects and customers — and your strategic plan to fulfill those needs — and you’ll lead for as long as you’re paying attention.
"Is this the cheapest way to do it?" This question can destroy almost any marketing program. It can only be answered by The Good, Fast, and Cheap Rule.* And it’s shorthand for this longer message: "We don't care what it is, how it looks, or what it will or won’t accomplish. Just make sure it doesn’t require our conviction or a commitment of resources. The cost of the program is more important than its success.” That’s the wrong message if you intend to succeed.
"Yeah, but our job is to get it out the door." The implication here is that strategic direction — and the quality of the marketing program — are less important than the appearance of activity. It’s the direct corollary of the Loaves And The Fishes Rule of Scheduling: “There’s never time to do it right; but there’s always time to do it over.”
"We have to make our numbers!" Whether it comes at the end of the month, the quarter, or the year, the Big Panic won’t positively influence sales results. If the marketing program has been created and executed appropriately, there won’t be any panic.
"How long do we have to do this?" After pinching pennies (see #7), abandoning a program prematurely is the most sure way to ensure its failure. After writing for yourself (see #4), abandoning a message is the most sure way to confuse — if not lose — your target audience.

While marketing departments and sales departments must cooperate, they do have different jobs. It’s not the job of marketing to research targeted accounts, generate leads, or make sales presentations. It’s not the job of sales to create brand identity or elevate market presence. And marketing is not a remedy to be prescribed when earnings are sickly — then discontinued when sales revenues come back to health. But it does come with a bitter pill.

Successful marketing is complicated. If you do it right, there's no way to simplify the tasks of evaluating markets, understanding customer requirements, identifying and tracking prospects, maintaining a database, creating a continuing series of marketing activities, following up, and evaluating results. If it were easy, everyone would do it; and only the companies willing to undertake and underwrite fully integrated marketing programs do it successfully.

That’s why, when you hear sales people utter any of the Top 10 to business-to-business marketing people, it constitutes clear and present danger, Will Robinson.

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* The Good Fast and Cheap Rule states that, while everyone wants everything good, fast, and cheap, one can only get two out of three: Good and fast, but it won’t be cheap. Good and cheap, but it won’t be fast. Cheap and fast, but it won’t be good.