Sales, Marketing Link Broken at Most Companies

Survey Finds Over 90% of Firms Need Better Coordination Between Sales and Marketing

 February 7, 2005—The vast majority of companies could increase revenue and boost profits if their sales and marketing efforts were better coordinated, according to an informal survey of sales and marketing professionals. 

To address this critical issue, sales consultancy The Waterhouse Group and marketing communications firm McSweeney & Antman have developed a proprietary Sales and Marketing Integration (SMI) service to assist companies in coordinating these functions.

 “Sales and marketing should work together hand in glove, but the reality at most companies is that they do not, resulting in inefficient and ineffective go-to-market efforts—and lost sales and profits,” Dennis McSweeney said. 

According to the survey, conducted by The Waterhouse Group and McSweeney & Antman, 80% of sales and marketing professionals said that the two functions were not integrated in their organization. And over 90% said their company could both increase sales and reduce costs and inefficiencies if sales and marketing worked better together.  

Reasons cited most often by survey respondents for the breakdown between marketing and sales were that the marketing and sales people didn’t fully understand or appreciate the role of each other’s department (75%), that no formal financial incentives existed to improve integration of marketing and sales (65%), and that the marketing and sales departments didn’t communicate enough (60%). 

“In most cases, the breakdown between sales and marketing occurs because the two functions have different perspectives and don’t communicate enough. The Waterhouse Group and McSweeney & Antman bring together consultants who live in each world and who understand how to integrate both functions to help companies grow revenue and boost profits,” Steve Waterhouse said. 

Combining in-depth knowledge of marketing, marketing communications and sales with a commitment to integrated communications, the SMI service provides companies with expert, third-party assessment of where the breakdowns between sales and marketing are occurring, what the impact is, why the breakdowns are occurring, and what needs to be done to overcome them.

About the Waterhouse Group

The Waterhouse Group www.waterhousegroup.com, which is headquartered in Orange Park, FL, helps companies increase sales and maximize profits by providing customized consulting, training and coaching services. Founded in 1994, it has worked with thousands of sales professionals worldwide, including many in the United States, Germany, Australia, England, Scotland, Ireland, Mexico, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, UEA and Canada.

About McSweeney & Antman

Chicago-based McSweeney & Antman www.mcsweeneyantman.com is a corporate branding and strategic communications consultancy. The firm specializes in companies with complex product and service offerings and sophisticated target audiences. M&A takes a strategic approach to the challenges these organizations face, helping them use powerful corporate brands and compelling marketing communications initiatives to achieve their business goals 

# # #

 For information, contact

Steve Waterhouse is Principal and Founder of Waterhouse Group (www.waterhousegroup.com), a sales consulting and training company that helps companies dramatically increase their sales. He can be reached at 1-800-57-LEARN or info@waterhousegroup.com.
 

Re-Print Permission

This article may be reprinted in it's entirety if the following conditions are met:

• The complete tag with the author's name and contact information is included immediately after the article.
• A copy of the printed article is mailed to the author at 1467 Walnut Creek Drive, Orange Park, FL 32003 within 30 days of publication.
• The article is presented in a positive light as part of an appropriate business related publication.