I just completed over seven months of research on the subject of sales and marketing alignment in B2B organizations with my colleague Rick Bradberry, and we uncovered some huge concerns that amount to a precarious future for alignment between these two functions.
Our research found high perceptions of alignment but a low degree of actual alignment. We heard quite a few tales of trust, respect, and coordination, and we heard just as many tales of friction, exclusion, credit-stealing, slandering, name-calling, and undermining.
So What’s The Truth About Sales And Marketing Alignment?
Ultimately, we uncovered three hard truths about alignment that marketing and sales leaders must face as soon as possible to avoid an inevitable derailment in the near future:
- Truth #1: Sales and marketing are not aligned, even though most leaders think that they are. We found that C-suite executives have sky-high perceptions of alignment (for example, Forrester’s Priorities Survey, 2024, found that an astounding 82% of C-level B2B business and technology professionals say that their product, sales, and marketing teams are aligned, with 41% describing those teams as highly aligned). But Forrester’s Q2 2024 Sales And Marketing Alignment Survey found that 65% of sales and marketing professionals believe there is a lack of alignment between the sales and marketing leaders in their organizations. Our research also found a significant lack of communication, teamwork, trust, and other needed qualities for true alignment.
- Truth #2: Traditional sales and marketing alignment is going to be derailed due to mounting pressures. The landscape of B2B marketing and sales is being reshaped by technological advancements, changing buyer behaviors, and evolving business models. Traditional alignment efforts are being challenged by these external forces, threatening to exacerbate existing dysfunctions and introduce new ones.
- Truth #3: The future of sales and marketing alignment is not alignment. Our research unveiled four future paradigms (siloed, assimilated, subservient, and proportionate) that will govern the relationship between marketing and sales functions within B2B organizations. Each of the paradigms have pros and cons. Sales and marketing leaders should consider deliberately choosing among the paradigms, or else they will find themselves losing control over them.
Get The New Report And Start Improving Your Partnership Between Sales And Marketing
If you are a Forrester client, you can read the full report, The Future Of Marketing And Sales Alignment, and schedule a guidance session to discuss your plans to build a customer-obsessed partnership between marketing and sales in your organization.
