The Evolving Landscape of Sales and Marketing, and the Need for Technological Adaptation

This audio was created using Microsoft Azure Speech Services

It’s 1995. Bob, the sales rep, walks into a client’s office, briefcase in hand, ready with his go-to pitch. His approach? Talk fast, close faster, and throw in a lunch meeting for good measure. Selling is all about charm and sealing the deal on the spot, with a follow-up fax to finalize things. Now it’s 2024. Sarah, the sales representative, takes a more personalized approach. Instead of pushing a pitch, she is focused on asking questions, understanding her client’s needs, and using her CRM to provide personalized solutions. With her AI assistant offering insights and suggested next steps, Sarah is closing deals from her laptop while Bob is still trying to get his fax machine to work.

Linda in marketing is throwing glossy brochures in the mail, hoping her catchy slogan and a few print ads drive customers through the door. She hands off a stack of potential leads to Bob in sales, who cold-calls people who can barely remember the ad. Marketing and sales work side by side but in discord, each guessing what the other wants and needs. Today, marketing gives Sarah a list of leads in sales with detailed data on the prospect, engagement history and preferences. With these insights, Sarah connects the dots with personalized pitches that resonate and closes deals that practically walk themselves through the door.

What’s the point? Traditionally, sales and marketing have often been kept in separate lanes. But with expectations on the rise from the customer’s end, collaboration between both teams will become imperative to find symmetry in every interaction for seamless and cohesive experiences.

Aligning sales and marketing efforts for personalization

Sales and marketing typically intervene at different stages during the customer journey. Implementing an integrated sales and marketing strategy increases the value that both teams bring and can also lead to more sales opportunities.

Ideally, if an individual attends an event, answers a survey and opts in for follow-up communications, the marketing team engages with the customer by delivering relevant personalized content through targeted marketing campaigns based on customer profiling and digital behaviors. (Industry, business type, product of interest etc.) This information is then fed into the CRM system as a Lead. When the prospect is handed over to sales for qualification to convert the prospect into customer, the sales team has access to a 360^o view of digital behaviors, including product pages visited, brochures downloaded and email content they engaged with—all in a manner compliant with privacy regulations.

This level of insight allows sales representatives to have more personalized interactions. The goal here is two-fold: to break down organizational silos for real-time data sharing, and to place responsibility for achieving growth targets on both teams and ensure that neither success nor failure falls solely on one team. 

To support this approach, Schneider Electric made the decision to develop an integrated MarTech stack by adopting a Customer Data Platform for digital behavior stitching and Salesforce Marketing Cloud for omni channel engagement orchestration with multi-channel activation. This guarantees seamless engagement journeys in one platform with integration into our CRM system. This holistic approach largely simplifies processes for both sales and marketing teams while effectively delivering personalized content.

Streamlining tools for efficiency

Reducing the number of tools and platforms that sales and marketing professionals must navigate is key. Ideally you should have a maximum of 3 entry points, with your CRM solution serving as the backbone of your operations. Tools like Outlook, Teams and AI assisted tools should be integrated without compromising an easy and streamlined experience.

When selecting technology, the focus should shift away from the reputation of the provider or demo promises towards functionality and product fit within existing workflows. Instead of investing in multiple tools that may have overlapping capabilities, consider a tailored approach by persona. You will find that you may have 2 or 3 personas that have slight differences in the experience and therefore need specific tools for their activity. For example, to support sales representatives preparing for a meeting with a customer, an ideal solution could include customer data compilation and verification, as well as an AI-powered conversational partner to provide suggestions for a personalized pitch and presentation. After delivering a pitch, they would need a tool that provides insights on customer engagement in terms of time spent on each slide—enabling sales to adjust future outreach based on data-driven feedback.

One of our strategic initiatives has been the integration of Microsoft Copilot for Sales into our CRM workflows. Copilot for sales brings AI capabilities directly in the workflow of salespeople by providing seamless access to customer insights, email summaries, and impactful email replies. Copilot is allowing the sales teams to devote more time for deeper engagement with customers rather than mundane administrative tasks.

Adaptation is key to sustainable growth

The evolving landscape of sales and marketing necessitates a strategic alignment of efforts between these two critical teams. As customer expectations continue to rise, the traditional approach of operating in silos is no longer viable. By embracing integrated strategies and leveraging technology, organizations can create a seamless flow of information that enhances collaboration, drives personalized engagement, and maximizes the value each team brings to the customer journey. The implementation of tools such as CRM systems and AI-driven solutions, like Microsoft Copilot, empowers sales and marketing professionals to work more efficiently, fostering deeper connections with customers. Ultimately, this holistic approach not only streamlines operations but also positions companies for sustained growth and success in a competitive marketplace.