3 Ways to Get Sales & Marketing to Stick Around
Marketing and sales is the life engine of most B2B and B2C companies. This increased reliance on marketing and sales working together – to coordinate and design effective revenue generation plans together – is both strategic and tactical. But given the cost of turnover at an estimated 150% of an employee's total compensation package, and the average sales and marketing tenure of less than 2 years, why do companies continue to fall short with the most important element of their company?
I don't claim to have all of the answers, but I can offer three ways to help:
1. Make your company more cult-like. No, I'm not joking. When marketing and salespeople feel that their company has purpose, and that they're part of it, they begin operating from an intrinsic standpoint. They will contribute more to the company's overall success, both externally and internally.
Purpose drives employee engagement, which is intuitive -- people feel great about working for a company that is making a difference in the world. My view is that brands that are not driven by purpose will have a tougher time acquiring talent, especially as globalization and the influx of younger workers shape the composition of our employee base.
—Erin Mulligan Nelson, June 2010 AdAge article
2. Realize that sales and marketing are melding. When you need marketing at a meeting, invite sales. When you need sales at a meeting, invite marketing. The two work together. If you encourage the two groups to work more closely it will help the bottom line, and esprit de corps.
3. Encourage an open organization. Companies that operate with more open principles can benefit. Marketing and salespeople will gleen the benefits of an open organization. Want to know if your organization is truly open? Take a look at this Openness Audit from Charlene Li's new book Open Leadership:
