As a marketing professional with 10 years of experience in the world of sales, my experience in these departments has given me a privileged view of the challenging but essential dynamics between Marketing vs. Sales . The divergence between the two has been a constant, and understanding these differences has been key to my professional growth.
Marketing and its focus on attracting potential customers
From my perspective, marketing is the cornerstone of attracting new prospects, planting the seeds of interest and generating a steady stream of opportunities. The job of the marketing team lies not only in creating awareness about our product or service, but also in awakening the need for it in a broad spectrum of audiences.
However, we recognize that this india telegram data recruitment process can be broad and diverse, leading to the generation of leads, contacts or potential clients that do not always translate into concrete sales opportunities. This is where the main frictions with the Sales department arise.
Sales: Beyond Closing Operations
The Sales team, on the other hand, is focused on closing deals and developing proposals. Their focus is not limited to the quantity of leads, but rather the quality of opportunities that turn into real customers. They constantly seek full lead qualification, identifying crucial elements such as budget, authority, need, and timeline (BANT) of the customer.
This differentiation of approaches often creates conflicts between departments, where the Sales team feels the pressure to convert leads into customers, facing the reality that not all leads generated by Marketing are suitable for closing deals.The dispute between Marketing and Sales over what constitutes a “real opportunity” is a recurring theme. While the Marketing team is focused on generating massive leads (the more my message reaches, the better), the Sales team seeks more precise and detailed qualification to prioritize time and efforts on those who are most likely to become customers.
The discrepancy between the two departments is exacerbated when considering the incentive systems (the famous bonuses)…
The Marketing team receives recognition for opportunities created, while the Sales team is incentivized for opportunities closed. This discrepancy can create tensions and imbalances in the company's overall strategy.
LDR, SDR, BDR: The Bridge and Solution between Marketing and Sales
My experience has shown that a promising solution to this dispute lies in the implementation of roles such as LDR (Lead Development Representative) , SDR (Sales Development Representative) , or BDR (Business Development Representative) . These professionals work at the intersection between both departments, dedicated to qualifying and managing first meetings, which are often difficult to obtain.
These hybrid roles strive to bring qualification and value to early interactions with prospects, bridging the gap between Marketing and Sales and improving the quality of opportunities presented to the Sales team.