Changing the Marketing and Sales Mind-set

Much as marketing departments need to change and adapt the approach to demand generation, the necessary changes do not stop there. Among others, sales departments also need to adapt to the changes in the B2B ecosystem. Given the incredible shifts that have occurred in the B2B landscape in the past several years, this change needed at the sales level has never been more urgent than it is today. When I began my career in marketing, my role was primarily focused on “sales enablement,” which at that time meant ensuring that the sales teams had what they needed to perform their jobs effectively. This included the delivering templates, data sheets, white papers, and supporting field events. Today marketing’s role is much different and more strategic; yet, I continue to see organizations where the sales teams fail to understand how the B2B buying landscape has changed and how they need to work collaboratively with the marketing teams in order to have more success in connecting with more sophisticated buyers. Many sales teams want to continue with outdated approaches and ineffective methodologies; while sufficient 10 to 15 years ago, these methodologies no longer work today.