About this article

Read time:

4 minutes

Category:

Uncategorized

Marketing and Sales Integration – An Expert’s Advice

Sam Bailey works at Miele as regional sales director for Northern Europe. This role is his latest in a substantial career involving both B2B and B2C sales and marketing, both in-house and agency. You could say Sam has seen the world of B2B from all sides. So, we were keen to interview him to discuss ways in which sales and marketing can be better integrated and what can be achieved as a result.  

Thanks for talking to us Sam; could you first tell us about your B2B career at Miele?

I originally worked in Miele’s consumer marketing team, then after a six-year commercial stint at Dyson, I returned to lead the GB commercial operation. Now, since the business was reorganised to be more customer centric, I’m a regional sales director looking after ten markets across North-West Europe for the HCS (HoReCa, Care and Self Service) customer segment. 

How has it been stepping into a pan-European sales role? 

I officially started in this position on 1st April 2020, just as the pandemic was picking up pace, so I’m currently responsible for regions which I’ve never even visited! Fortunately, Miele has a great employee culture which really helps to build interpersonal relationships within the team. What I love about the role is the opportunity to shape the sales and marketing approach for my sectors and pooling all the different strengths and best practice across the region.  

B2B and B2B Sales and Marketing: Which is more challenging?  

Having seen both sides, I believe that B2B is more challenging, as we must sell to an entire set of decision makers over a long and complex sales cycle, as opposed to selling to individuals with the power to make quick purchase decisions. Consumer is much more black and white, while in B2B there are lots of shades of grey!  B2B requires us to change our approach based on each decision maker, with many people in the business having a say in the purchase. Oh, and despite this complexity, B2B marketing budgets are invariably smaller – so innovation and efficiency are key!  

Want to find out more about Skout but don’t have the time to scroll through the website?

Here’s a two minute video that tells you all you need to know.

Is it possible to have truly integrated marketing and sales?

I think it is possible, but it takes complete commitment from both teams. Having worked on both sides in my career, it regularly relies on the leadership of both departments communicating well and presenting a united front in order to avoid potentially toxic rivalries between the sales and marketing teams.  

Another vital component of successful integration is setting shared objectives and incentives. Not only bonus schemes, but also making sure sales are responsible for helping deliver some marketing goals and vice versa. It’s not easy to achieve but with complete commitment it is absolutely possible. 

There’s a lot of talk these days about marketing qualified vs sales qualified leads. Do you think making these distinctions is helpful? 

It’s not a concept I like; everybody should be working from the same sheet in terms of what a lead actually is. It isn’t healthy if sales need to validate each and every lead passed to them before it is deemed ‘sales qualified.’ A lead is a lead, and of course the level of qualification will change through the B2B marketing and sales journey. However, I think badging leads as marketing owned or sales owned creates more division than clarity. 

How do you work with your B2B marketing equivalent to ensure consistent integration?

Fortunately, we’ve both stood in each other’s shoes, so we understand what it’s like to work in both the sales camp and the marketing camp. We make sure to communicate very clearly on the priorities for marketing and sales: at Miele these include maintaining a strong digital presence and continued sector-based brand investment. It’s all about clear communication and shared goals.  

What do marketers like you think about the division between sales and marketing?

Click here to read the opinions of 100 senior marketing professionals.

Do you think there’s visible improvement in relationships between marketing and sales teams?

15 to 20 years ago, the teams would’ve rarely been interested in learning about the other’s world, and I do believe this has changed. Marketing has become far more commercially minded, in fact being renamed the ‘commercial’ function in some organisations. In our industry, product managers work well with sales in terms of profit margins and budgeting, which is something I didn’t see in years gone by.  

Where do you think the weaknesses are in marketing and sales integration?

There is often a sense that sales takes full ownership of a prospect relationship as soon as they begin interactions. In B2B, where sales cycles are slow and complex, even if sales are taking the lead, ownership of the prospect should be shared with marketing. Marketing can still add huge value in helping to nurture the prospect and keep the sales process moving in the right direction, through campaigns, content marketing and events.  

What one piece of advice would you give to anybody struggling with sales and marketing integration?

It all depends on leadership. You need to look at whether sales and marketing are collaborating effectively with the shared goal of continuous improvement. It will always be tough dealing with teams who just don’t get along with one another, but the sales and marketing leaders need to be 100 percent committed to a transparent relationship.  

Thanks for your time Sam! 

Enjoying our blogs?

We can deliver a monthly round-up straight to your inbox

About this article

Read time:

4 minutes

Category:

Uncategorized

Sangria, sunglasses and self-evaluation

TikTok Advertising: Is It Worth the Investment for B2B Companies? (written by a Gen Z) 

Browse more blog posts

Posted on
byClaire Lamb
A few weeks ago, the entire Skout team visited the beautiful and historic city of Palma, Majorca for our annual kick off event. It’s been a long time in the planning (pre-pandemic to be precise) and the first time we’ve been abroad for a kick off to the new financial year. We’ve always found kick off meetings a great way...
Posted on
byHonor Williamson
TikTok is increasingly being used as a platform for B2B companies to implement their marketing strategy, aiding in brand exposure, lead generation and profile building. But, where does paid TikTok advertising come into play? Is it an effective tool to engage with B2B audiences, or is the ROI just not worth it?  If you’re the least bit social media savvy,...
Posted on
byClaire James
In May I was fortunate to be able to attend the recent UK Construction Week at Excel in London and see the strides forward an industry, that has become recognised as one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions, is making in tackling the thorny issue of achieving Net Zero. In his keynote on day one, Lord Callanan, Under Secretary...
Posted on
byJames Weaver
In the world of B2B marketing, it is essential that you have a solid B2B marketing strategy in place to effectively connect with your target audience.
Posted on
byHonor Williamson
Why was PR your chosen career?  PR is all about storytelling, with so much opportunity for creativity and content creation. Since I’ve always loved writing and always had a big imagination, I thought that PR would be the ideal career to channel my creativity. I’m all about communication, and PR really allows you to foster meaningful relationships. I’m already learning...
Posted on
byJack Doyle
As a smaller business, it can be hard to know where to start when it comes to sustainability. Sure, we all do our best to use the right recycling bin at home, and bring our re-usable coffee cups to work. But with serious pressures now mounting from the government – which pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 –...
Posted on
byLee Simpson
Another week, another round of mass layoffs in the tech sector. With Amazon (AWS) and Meta cutting thousands of jobs, and further layoffs at Salesforce and of course Twitter, it has felt a bit like the tech world has been imploding of late. This is of course concerning for us working in B2B tech PR, but more importantly for the...
Posted on
byJack Doyle
2023 is off to a strong start here at Skout.  Our business has continued to grow with the addition of some exciting new clients. With new clients, has come new hires, who we’ve also been excited to welcome on board the team. And if our recent win for Best Marketing and PR Consultancy at the PR Brilliance Awards is anything...
Posted on
bySkout team
Part time office administrator We’re looking for a bright, self-starting individual who likes job variety and has a mixture of strong organisational skills, basic financial experience and is an excellent communicator. If this is you, you could be just the right person to join our team. We’re a dedicated B2B marketing communications agency. We deliver brilliant PR for clients across...
Posted on
byClaire James
It’s estimated that over 100 billion WhatsApp messages are sent each day. Yet, with many people using the platform to communicate with colleagues, friends, and even clients, it’s easy to imagine how the lines between personal and professional can be blurred. Take the recent leaking of WhatsApp messages from Matt Hancock as an example. Private texts from the former health...

Send us a message

Download The B2B business relationship report

The B2B relationship renaissance – did digital kill it? The importance of relationships throughout the customer buying journey. Please complete the form below and receive a download link via email.