Fixing the relationship between sales & marketing - with Bill Macaitis
Aug 13, 2021
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Bill Macaitis, former CMO of Slack, Zendesk, and Salesforce, shares insights on the fractured relationship between sales and marketing. He discusses why these teams often clash and the importance of shared accountability. Bill highlights the need for innovative branding in the B2B sector and the role of sales in Product-Led Growth environments. He also examines emerging trends in SaaS, showcasing promising startups like BetterUp that are revolutionizing mental health coaching. It's a deep dive into aligning teams for greater success.
Collaboration between sales and marketing can be improved by redefining metrics and establishing shared goals to foster teamwork.
Reorganizing teams under a unified leadership structure enhances customer experience by breaking down silos and promoting a customer-first mindset.
Deep dives
The Power of Counter Protests in Sales Strategy
An interesting sales strategy was executed when a public speaking engagement for Mark was unexpectedly canceled by Oracle. Instead of losing the opportunity, a counter-protest effort was hastily organized, demonstrating adaptability and creativity in sales tactics. The team arranged a protest event across the street to garner media attention and a packed audience, utilizing this as a platform to promote their agenda. This quick reaction not only preserved the brand's narrative but also spurred significant press coverage, showcasing how innovative responses can turn challenges into opportunities.
The Broken Dynamics Between Sales and Marketing
Sales and marketing teams often struggle with a lack of collaboration, which can lead to inefficiencies and misunderstandings. This dysfunction is attributed to outdated metrics that assign separate responsibilities to each team, fostering a culture of finger-pointing instead of teamwork. For example, sales is only held accountable for revenue while marketing focuses solely on lead generation, resulting in a disjointed approach to revenue generation. To mend this divide, it's essential to redefine the metrics that guide both teams and establish shared goals that encourage collaboration.
Creating a Customer-Centric Culture at Slack
At Slack, the organizational structure was reimagined to unite sales, marketing, success, and support under one leader, fostering a more cohesive customer experience. This approach emphasized that the brand experience encompasses every touchpoint, encouraging collaboration between teams to enhance customer satisfaction. Implementing shared metrics helped align interests across departments, leading to innovative strategies that improved the overall customer experience. Ultimately, this structural change aimed to break down silos and instill a customer-first mindset throughout the organization.
Differentiating in the B2B Space
Transitioning from B2C to B2B revealed stark contrasts in branding and user experience, highlighting the necessity for differentiation in a crowded market. Many B2B products often lack personality, appearing bland and similar, making it crucial to inject unique branding elements to stand out. The importance of aligning product experience with customer expectations became evident, as creating engaging and delightful interactions can significantly enhance brand loyalty. By focusing on these aspects, businesses can cultivate memorable brands that resonate with their audience in the competitive SaaS landscape.
In this episode, Bill Macaitis, former CMO of Slack, Zendesk and Salesforce, talks about the broken relationship between sales and marketing and what his experience running marketing teams of some of the leading software companies of the century has taught him.
- Why do most sales and marketing teams not work well together? - What metrics should you have in place for a function team? - PLG strategy at Slack
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