Synergy Solutions, a 10 person consulting firm, faced its greatest challenge. Marketing and sales didn’t talk and Sarah Thompson, the owner, felt the discord threatening to tear apart her company.
The Brewing Storm
Tension had built for months. Sarah’s sales representatives were frustrated. They felt they were sent on wild goose chases, pursuing leads that fizzled out. “These prospects aren’t ready to buy,” complained the reps.
Emma, the marketing professional, was exasperated. She crafted campaigns and generated “quality leads,” insisting “Our sales team doesn’t follow up, respond to questions, or know how to close a deal.”
The Owner’s Dilemma
Sarah felt caught in the crossfire. Her team was divided, and the constant bickering took its toll. Sales were stagnant and team meetings were tense.
Sarah knew that:
- Synergy’s team needed to be on the same page.
- Marketing and sales messaging had to be aligned.
- Prospects needed to be tracked.
Marketing and sales could no longer operate in their own silos.
The Path to Alignment
Sarah acted decisively and reminded her staff of their goal: MORE SALES. Together, she and staff began the review of current prospects.
The team agreed their best clients passed 3 tests over a 30 to 45 day sales cycle prior to becoming clients. These tests were the best way to qualify prospects:
- Does the prospect require service in the next 90 days?
- Has the prospect signed our required confidentiality agreement?
- Has an assessment been submitted by prospect?
The team reviewed prospects weekly based on their sales cycle stage. There were no more silos.
Next Steps
The team recognized it needed help with follow up and tracking prospects. Leads were growing and no one wanted to miss a beat.
The team needed a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to manage prospects and clients, track prospects, and send specialized emails automatically.
The Decision to Implement a CRM
Sarah assumed CRMs were too complex or unnecessary for a small firm like hers. After speaking with colleagues, her opinion changed.
CRMs Tell The Truth With Transparency
At Every Stage Of The Sales Funnel.
The team chose the right CRM and vendor to implement its CRM.
Priorities and Results
The vendor set up the sales funnel based on Synergy’s 3 tests. Prospects and clients were added, and results were measured. Within 30 days, the vendor:
- Triggered prospect outreach and Rep Reminders around each test.
- Initiated a “Client Contact” program reminding Reps to touch clients.
- Created 5 email templates with individual Rep signatures for common outreach.
- Created 3 workflows to automate specific follow up for each test.
The vendor trained the team to operate independently.
Here are the results for the past 2 years:
- New sales have increased 25% per year.
- Existing client sales have increased 30% per year.
- Sales Reps spend more time with their A&B prospects.
- 3 professionals were hired to manage the increased volume.
Synergy is growing because Sarah united her team and found the right CRM and vendor to get everyone on the same page.
What Do Marketing and Sales Say to Each Other
At Your Business?
