A European study published this morning shows that these two functions fear not achieving their objectives, because of inflation, but also because of their difficulty in working together.
Julien Leblanc, Head of Southern Europe at Highspot
“Sales people are demotivated, companies will lose control” With such an introduction, Highspot can only attract attention. The Sakes Enablement platform, created ten years ago by three former Microsoft staff, delivers this morning the results of a study devoted to the concerns of executives with very high-level responsibilities in marketing and sales in Europe. 750 professionals (C-Level, senior executives, executives) were interviewed in July, in companies with more than 250 employees, in Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
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We learn that:
- In France, 62% of professionals surveyed believe that the current geopolitical, economic and financial context, unstable and generating inflation, will have a major impact on their ability to achieve their objectives over the next 12 months. This figure rises to 65% when only sales managers are questioned.
- In a changing environment, where meetings and face-to-face meetings are less common, the all-digital and the perpetual upgrading of product knowledge and tools also appear as sensitive issues. Thus, 45% of French respondents say they are not comfortable with the idea of working in an increasingly digital sales environment.
56% think that training should be continuous, and not one-off as is still mostly the case. Half of them (50%) also cite the ability to recruit and onboard their team members quickly as a major challenge in both of their professions.
- Finally, 73% of executives surveyed in France (nearly three-quarters!) advocate systematic cooperation between the Marketing and Sales functions, to work and produce better together.
However, this alignment of the sales force and the Marketing team is far from being a reality. “We have known for a long time, we have seen on the ground, that these two functions have trouble getting along. But our study quantifies the problem, says Julien Leblanc, Head of Southern Europe at Highspot. For 37% of respondents, the lack of coordination and communication between Marketing and Sales is a real obstacle to their success. »
To align Marketing and Sales, Highspot bets on data. The company provides a performance management tool, fed simultaneously by the two functions. It is possible to model the sales cycle there and to precisely measure what Marketing content is used (or not!), effective (or not!), what actions are taken (or neglected…) by salespeople… Each of the both parties can see their reflection there, but also read the work of the other. A potentially destabilizing or unpleasant tool? “I don’t think so,” concludes Julien Leblanc. In reality, being able to put figures, facts, on our practices, has a reassuring side. This allows everyone to move forward. Increasing the pressure is useless, it is necessary to fluidify the exchanges. »
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