How Elite Sellers Partner with Marketing - Jessica Gilmartin, CRO and former CMO of Calendly

Summary

In this episode, Jessica Gilmartin, CRO of Calendly, discusses the importance of sales and marketing partnering together. She highlights the misalignment of incentives between the two teams and the challenges in lead routing and scoring. Jessica shares the approach Calendly has taken to improve sales-marketing alignment, including increased communication and collaboration. She emphasizes the value of sales reps bringing marketing into meetings and the importance of reevaluating the value of leads. Jessica also discusses challenges with events and the benefits of targeting key accounts. She concludes by highlighting the results of effective sales-marketing partnership. The conversation covers various topics related to sales and marketing collaboration, effective outreach strategies, and the importance of understanding customer needs. The chapters include Sales Team Feedback, Having a Point of View, Being a Valuable Salesperson, Creating Events and Engaging Customers, Adapting Outreach Strategies, Utilizing Technology and Social Media, Reaching the Right Person, Building Internal Champions, Delivering on Promises, Calendly's Team and Opportunities, Sales and Marketing Partnership, Final Thoughts, and Defining an Elite Seller.

Takeaways

• Sales and marketing teams rely on each other and should approach their partnership with empathy and understanding.

• Misalignment of incentives can lead to finger-pointing between sales and marketing teams.

• Effective lead routing and scoring are crucial for improving sales-marketing alignment.

• Sales reps should actively involve marketing in meetings and collaborate on targeting key accounts. Sales and marketing should collaborate closely, with sales providing specific and actionable feedback to marketing.

• Having a point of view about internal processes and needs can help salespeople stand out and improve their partnerships with other teams.

• Being a valuable salesperson involves being proactive, giving good advice, and actively engaging with marketing and other teams.

• Creating events and engaging customers can be an effective way to build relationships and drive revenue.

• Outreach strategies should focus on getting prospects to raise their hands and show interest, rather than relying on cold outreach.

• Utilizing technology and social media, particularly LinkedIn, can be valuable for sales and marketing efforts.

• It is important to reach the right person within an organization, rather than targeting high-level executives who may not have decision-making power.

• Building internal champions who advocate for your product or service is crucial for long-term success.

• Delivering on promises and providing value to customers after the sale is essential for maintaining strong relationships.

• Calendly's team is focused on meeting customer needs and creating a successful sales process.

• Sales and marketing should work together as partners, with regular check-ins and shared goals.

• An elite seller deeply understands their customers' needs and provides tailored solutions throughout the entire sales journey.