Whether marketing and sales respect expectations

Have you ever seen the movie "The Weatherman" with Nicholas Cage?  It was not intended to be a sales movie, but it follows life lessons that can relate to being a salesperson or marketer.  Cage plays a Chicago weatherman that is successful, yet constantly deals with problems outside of his work profession.  He's so immersed in his work that he becomes estranged from his daughter and father, who is dying of cancer.  He then takes an archery class and it becomes his therapy to cope with stress.

We've all had a "weather" moment.  In marketing, we make predictions on trends and we try to anticipate what the results will look like.  When the results aren't what people expect, we face criticism and credibility trust issues. Much like a meteorologist who's wrong,  there's various relationships that need to weather the storm.

Sales vs. Marketing

Scenario: Sales is upset with you.  You provide them "crappy" leads and the wrong collateral that won't get them the deal.  There's a strain between these departments and part of it is the perception each department has on the other.  You're ability to research leads that are warm help reduce the amount of "cold" they receive.  It's not the Sales departments job to understand the various challenges you face, they just want leads and collateral now.  Sales has an argument in that they are revenue generating and keep the lights on for your business.  You need them and they need you.

Advice to Sales: Be patient with marketing.  Don't be a fair weather fan.  They consistently have the attention of several departments and clients.  They are listening but tend to get caught up in campaigns and a deliverable that must be measured.  They may not face the monthly quotas you have but they have the pressure of consistently being consistent with brand messaging and ensuring campaigns are run without major hiccups. When you have a minute, talk with one of them to understand what goes on in their world.  At my company now, we have a scrum meeting where salespeople are able to talk with marketing on what they need to succeed.  

Advice to Marketing:  Remove the stigma you have of sales professionals.  They are not all jocks and reckless.  All the secondary research you analyze can pale in comparison to what your salespeople can say about specific customer targets.  Leverage the sales departments ability to talk to prospects and figure out what challenges you are not privy to know.  Communicating with your company's sales team will help in audience persona, inbound lead nurturing campaigns, and also cohesiveness.  

"Being a weatherperson"

Sometimes when it rains, it pours.  Sometimes, it's a dry spell.  Leads come and go.  It's a rinse and repeat process.  Sales and marketing need each other to weather the storm.  Campaigns are learning experiences and both sides should become better after every single one.  Let's not be fair weather fans.