Why I created the first Sales and Marketing Alignment Summit

Out of frustration! That's the simple answer. Because I spent almost all my career in Sales and Marketing, I saw first-hand the dysfunctional and sometimes combative environment that existed. And for what? Did these groups not understand that they needed each other for survival? This is why the Sales and Marketing Alignment Summit was born. I decided to do something about it. Instead of just saying that's the way things are, Sales and Marketing will always have this relationship, I decided to try to figure it out. I knew there had to be a better way. I'm a believer that many conflicts can be resolved by having an honest conversation, truly listening, and gaining a deep understanding of the other person/group. I don't think this relationship is any different.

What I found through my journey of discovery was that there was a common theme - misalignment of goals/incentives. I believe that until both sides of the aisle make generating revenue the #1 priority, companies will continue to leave a significant amount of money on the table with customers. This is an opportunity to build a business community of professionals all focused on growth through better alignment.

"The goal of Sales and Marketing Alignment (SMA) is to create "Togetherness" where both functions are completely committed to make generating revenue the #1 priority." --Jeff Davis

So...on Thursday, November 3rd the first-ever Sales and Marketing Alignment Summit will be launched. The SMA Summit's goal is to:

• Establish a connected Community
• Find and curate the best Content for members
• Foster mutually beneficial Collaboration that leads to significant business growth

Take a look at my recent interview on AdvisorTV to learn more about how I am changing the way that Sales and Marketing work together. If you are in Chicago you should join us at The Summit on Thursday, 11/3 @ 6pm!

Yes! I want to attend the Sales and Marketing Alignment Summit.

[Press Release]: The Sales + Marketing Alignment Summit has officially launched

Achieving Sales and Marketing Alignment

I recently had the chance to share my passion for Sales and Marketing Alignment at Ignite Chicago. It was a great opportunity to talk about what I feel is a significant issue in the B2B (business-to-business) world. My talk focused on the key reason that this relationship is sometimes toxic and often combative - misalignment of goals/incentives. I urge sales and marketing leaders to work toward creating "Togetherness". [Tweet "Leaders must create "Togetherness" to achieve Sales and Marketing Alignment"]

I also talked about the 3 key strategies that I feel are necessary for any organization to transform to are more aligned business that is focused on generating revenue:

• Taking a System Approach instead of a Functional one
• Establishing a formal Feedback Loop platform
• Focusing on Shared Goals with the central metric being revenue attainment

Take a look and learn more about why I am so enthusiastic about the possibilities for Sales and Marketing Alignment.

Mission: End the WAR between Sales and Marketing

Ending the WAR between Sales and Marketing can happen! It doesn't have to be as complicated as the search for life in outer space. We can take easier steps to change the culture of the business so that these two functions can be better aligned, which has been proven to be critical to the success of the business.

As a professional that has worked in both Sales and Marketing, I have seen the strengths and weaknesses of both groups. And for this reason, I am passionate about finding solutions to help all Sales and Marketing teams work together better.

Companies with strong sales and marketing alignment achieve 20% annual growth rate. Companies with poor sales and marketing alignment have a 4% revenue decline.  --Aberdeen Group

Why is Sales and Marketing Alignment so important? Because it affects the bottom line. Companies that do it well achieve significant growth, while those that don't...see a significant revenue decline.

[Tweet "Alignment is crucial for success in B2B today"]

Last year I conducted an online survey asking sales/marketing/biz dev professionals from very diverse industries their thoughts on why this "disconnect" exists. I wanted to get some insights into what can be done to change this counter-productive culture and start an honest conversation. Most respondents were in B2B or a combination of both B2B and B2C.

And the survey says>>>

Main Reasons for the "Disconnect"

• Misalignment of goals between Sales and Marketing
• Marketing and Sales don't really have an idea of what the other does on a daily basis
• Management taking a functional approach instead of a system approach to achieve business goals
• No established feedback loop to allow Sales and Marketing to iterate strategies based on customer feedback
• Marketing not understanding the need for Sales to establish and maintain long-term relationships with customers
• Superiority complex of the Marketing team and pride of the Sales team

I think the first steps to finding solutions are determining and recognizing what's broken in the system and then talking about realistic solutions that can be implemented.

So what do YOU think? I encourage anyone that has a perspective on this topic to share your thoughts.  Also check outwww.SMAsummit.comfor the latest on the upcoming event series solely dedicated to making Sales and Marketing Alignment work!

Let's end this WAR together!!!

[Press Release]: The Sales + Marketing Alignment Summit has officially launched

Welcome to the Alignment Blog

I am the founder of The Sales and Marketing Alignment Summit.  I created this blog to share the latest insights on the subject. The summit was created because I saw a need for Sales and Marketing professionals to join collectively to unlock insights on how to work together better and focus on generating revenue. My vision is for this community to become the go-to place for business professionals focused on growth by aligning Sales and Marketing. In today's consumer-driven economy, more and more companies are making Sales and Marketing Alignment a stated goal. However, this goal has proven to be extremely complex and challenging. Sales and Marketing leaders must understand that solutions cannot only be focused on technology but must include a fundamental shift in the way that Sales and Marketing interact with each other to drive revenue growth.

The goal of the SMA Summit is to bring together top sales and marketing professionals to discuss the latest insights on Sales and Marketing Alignment, tactical implementation into the organization, and foster a collaborative business community focused on growth through better alignment.

The Summit and blog will focus on

• Establishing a connected Community
• Finding the best Content for members
• Fostering Collaboration among business professionals focused on growth through better alignment.

Welcome to the blog and community! Stay tuned for the next event…