How effectively your marketing and business development teams work together will make or break your success. If they’re not firing on all cylinders, here’s what you need to do now.
Some things are more powerful when used together: Proposals and budgets. Strategic plans and KPIs. Marketing and sales. Each entity has essential skills they bring to the table.
Yet an “us vs. them” mentality is ubiquitous in many firms, each team comfortably operating in their silos. It may be the status quo, but it’s limiting all your firm could accomplish. Without each team’s collaboration and unique skill sets, frustrations fester and failure seems inevitable.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Instead of settling for business as usual, make the changes that allow your firm to reach its potential by giving both sales (or business development, if you prefer) and marketing equal seats at the table.
BREAKING BARRIERS TO BE ONE UNITED TEAM
Marketing and business development teams have developed stereotypes of each other over the years:
- Marketing needs to be more in touch with the sales process and client needs, and they ask for too much money.
- Business developers slack on lead follow-up, and too frequently stray from the firm’s preferred messaging.
But growth never happened by clinging to stereotypes. To unify your teams, there needs to be space for education in the spirit of mutual understanding and growth.
Marketing knows what works from a marketing perspective, and business development knows what works from a sales perspective. They are experts in their functions for a reason. But keeping certain insights and strategies from another is like sending the team out on the field to play under different playbooks. Everyone’s going to fumble.
Here are five tips for how marketing and business development can work together more effectively.
#1. MAKE SURE BOTH KNOW WHO YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS ARE
If you were to quiz both teams on who your firm’s ideal client is, would you get the same answer? What about sales goals or how many conversations are needed to close a new deal? If you aren’t confident in a positive answer, it’s time to get everyone on the same page. Both teams should be clear on:
#2. SET GOALS AND METRICS TOGETHER
When those elements are cemented, it’s time to establish clear, quantifiable targets. These serve as a North Star for all team members, regardless of their specific roles and responsibilities. To shape upcoming marketing campaigns and business development strategies effectively, ask questions that help define these success metrics:
- If the sales target is $5M in revenue over the next 12 months, how many new clients does this represent?
- Typically, how many conversations are required to close a new client?
- How many leads are needed to generate that volume of conversations?
#3. FOSTER OPEN COMMUNICATION AND REGULAR MEETINGS
Marketing and business development are two sides of the same coin. While they have their differences, their overarching purpose is the same: to bring in new “right fit” clients to the firm. Consistent joint meetings keep both teams up-to-speed with what the other team is working on and what they’re learning. This keeps everyone aligned and working towards the same objectives. And as a bonus, regular face-to-face time (even over Zoom) fosters crucial relationship building, which bridges the gap that typically exists.
#4. COLLABORATE ON CAMPAIGNS AND CONTENT STRATEGIES
Blend business development and marketings’ strengths to create powerful campaigns and content strategies. Business developers have direct contact with clients, giving them valuable insights into client needs, issues, and motivations. At the same time, marketing understands audience trends and preferences. By combining these perspectives, you can:
- Develop thought leadership content on topics that truly resonate with both your individual clients and the broader market.
- Tailor your content to address the specific business problems your ideal clients are experiencing.
- Create marketing campaigns that speak directly to your client’s needs.
#5. SHARE DATA FOR DEEPER INSIGHTS
Marketing and business development teams that work together are made stronger when data and insights are accessible and shared. For example, when sellers collect detailed ideal client data, including win/loss rates and other performance metrics, marketing is able to refine the thought leadership program and publish more impactful content. On the flip side, when marketing shares data like customer journey analytics from the website, business development is able to leverage key buying points and interests when talking with prospective clients. When both teams are informed by the same data, there’s an undeniably powerful feedback loop that drives continuous improvement and measurable results for both teams.
SHIFTING THE MINDSET: FROM ‘I WON’ TO ‘WE WON’
Sales and marketing often compete for credit in bringing new leads in the door and closing deals. It’s human nature. But this mindset needs to shift for both teams to come together. Instead of sales or markting boasting “I brought in this quality lead,”, or “I made this sale” the narrative should be “We [sales and marketing] brought in this quality lead.”, and “We worked together to close this deal.” If this potential client was attracted to your firm through a strategic combination of thought leadership and lead generation, it took both.
IMPLEMENT THE CHANGE FROM THE TOP DOWN
Of course, none of this happens without a culture change. As a leader, it’s up to you to give both marketing and business development a seat at the table so everyone is in on the conversation.
Wondering how to merge your marketing and business development efforts into one cohesive unit? Start with these steps:
- Start with a joint meeting between marketing and business development leaders to agree on a set of shared goals.
- Implement regular cross-team meetings to share insights and align strategies.
- Create a system for business development to easily share client feedback and pain points with marketing.
- Develop shared KPIs that encourage collaboration rather than competition.
- Invest in tools that facilitate data sharing between teams.
When marketing and business development work together, everyone wins. It’s not about one team outshining the other — it’s about the whole firm crushing it. By getting these teams running in the same direction, you’re not just making things operate smoother. You’re setting up your firm to bring in more new, ideal clients whom you are primed to help. That’s what matters, right?
