Evolve or Die Part 2: Teamwork and Collaboration Across Departments

In a previous post, I explained how today’s prospects are more educated and savvy than ever before. Which means sales professionals have to be better prepared to have more meaningful conversations that will help lead to a sale.

Today, I’d like to share how teamwork and collaboration can also help sales reps survive and thrive in the changing landscape.

Evolve Relationships with Other Departments

In many organizations, there is sometimes tension between sales and other departments (usually marketing).  Sales reps are the “rainmakers” while everyone else is just doing busy work.  Sales reps will actually call other departments the “SPD” – Sales Prevention Department.

The new sales landscape requires sales people to be more collaborative with colleagues in other departments. In my previous job, we had 800 sales reps out in the field. The B2B marketing team was responsible for enabling the sales force. We knew that we would only be successful if our sales reps were successful—and we couldn’t do that without their help.

As a result, we formed a sales advisory board to help the marketing team better support the field. This advisory board came in once a quarter and we had three-day work sessions on messaging, collateral, presentations and much more.  In the end, we produced all-new sales materials that were designed “for the field, by the field”.  These sales materials were widely adopted throughout the sales force and helped improve the relationship between sales and marketing.  Rather than the “Sales Prevention Department”, they started calling marketing the “Sales Productivity Department”.

Are you interested in more tips on how to evolve to remain successful? Check back next week to find out why sales must change the way they sell.

For more information on how sales is changing, download our free eBook: The Evolution of Sales: The Survival Guide.