Sales Strategy Shouldn’t Come from Marketing

Marketing team: “Hey guys, we’re going to be sending out the new slide deck soon, so make sure you update your files.”

Sales team: “Okay, but can we maybe make some tweaks? We’ve noticed that customers don’t really need to have so much info up front.”

Marketing team: “No, just follow the slides. We’ve spent a lot of time and money on them.”

I have worked with so many sales teams over the years to know this is EXTREMELY common. But here’s the thing: should sales strategy really come from people who have never done sales themselves? Probably not.

My son doesn’t love it when I give him advice on his football strategy since I never played football myself, and I would contend that sales strategy, including call scripts, PowerPoint slides, and even customer mailings should be created by sales teams who have been in the trenches. At a bare minimum, sales reps should have some input and be empowered to make decisions on customer strategy. After all, they’re the ones out in the field every day, interacting with the customer. They know them best.

And don’t get me wrong: I have worked with sales reps who have amazing marketing teams who “get” it. But many don’t. It’s time to empower sales teams to help with strategy.

Am I right?