The relationship between marketing and sales can be fragile. Sales depends on marketing for messaging and leads, but when that messaging doesn’t get results or those leads don’t convert, sales teams take the hit. Not only do sales reps risk missing their quotas, but because each team has its own terminology and language, they may not even be able to communicate what’s wrong to marketing. This can cause frustration, leading to mistrust and resentment.

In addition, marketing teams often find themselves discouraged by the frustrated sales reps’ vague or unhelpful feedback, like “these leads are bad” or “this messaging doesn’t work.” 

But marketing and sales are not doomed to eternal discord. By establishing a common language and fostering a collaborative process, you can build a bridge between marketing and sales. This short brief explains three important ways you can build up that marketing-sales alignment.