Commercial Integrator May 2022 - 12

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AV BRAINS & BRAWN
Sales and Marketing:
Tell Me Something I Don't Know
Have sales and marketing functions become muddy, or have we entered a new phase where the
two specialties can collaborate to serve customers? By Alan C. Brawn
TRADITIONALLY, sales and marketing each
have had distinct roles. But, in practice,
these roles have unavoidably overlapped
at one (or more) levels over the years.
While many companies have tried to keep
these two areas totally separate - that is,
as they say, " never the twain shall meet " -
the line of demarcation between sales and
marketing has become more ill-defined
(and more confusing) than ever.
The increasing blur between sales and
marketing boils down to whose responsibility
it is to " carry the load " with regard
to communication. Historically, marketing
has been directly tied to advertising and
promotion; by contrast, the sales function
has been tied to informing - that is, educating
- buyers in more detail than marketing
does, and thus closing the sale. We
now enter the world of IoT and the world
in which information is available anytime,
anywhere, on any device. This has further
complicated the issue. What this shows
us is that marketing and sales cannot
(and should not) be relegated to totally
separate camps. This begs the questions
of how they might collaborate at a higher
level and what the new roles are.
Fundamental Changes
As noted, the internet has fundamentally
changed not only the way people buy but
also how they get their information. Customers
self-educate by way of the content
they find on the internet - for example,
on a company website or on social media.
They are increasingly informed, savvy
and discerning. Today, roughly 70% of a
buying decision is made before a buyer
even talks to a salesperson. Research also
shows that there are more people involved
in the buying decisions than ever before.
This, too, can be traced back to the easy
availability of information on the internet,
as well as seamless sharing and collaboration
among colleagues. Suffice it to say
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Commercial Integrator MAY 2022
The line of demarcation between sales and marketing has become more ill-defined
and confusing than ever. Perhaps a new time has come...a time when both specialties
can collaborate to secure business and drive revenue.
that the processes of marketing, selling
and buying have changed.
Think of how things used to be in the
commercial AV business. A person looking
to buy a product (a big-ticket item, in particular)
would see one or more advertisements,
typically in a trade publication or
at a trade event. Then, that person would
contact a salesperson to meet with them
and help them learn about the product.
In the process, the buyer would collect
some printed marketing/sales/technical
materials as points of reference for internal
discussions and take time to think it over.
The process of marketing, selling and
buying was very time consuming. But it
was very effective for the day.
By contrast, today, buyers hop onto the
internet. They do an online search and
see numerous links to vendors who have
products that fit their search parameters
and appear to fit their project. They read a
plethora of readily available online materials
and tend to think they know what they
need to know about products, where to
buy them and how they should be priced.
They also tend to do all this before a
salesperson ever becomes involved. Keep
in mind the concept that they think they
know. But do they really? Consider that a
tease for later!
Marketing's Purview is Growing
It's safe to say that marketing is taking on
an ever-increasing portion of the sales
process. Increasingly, marketers provide
information to customers that, previously,
sales provided. Customers have come to
expect readily available online resources
with written content, videos, website
copy, social media and an email component.
Marketing, when properly implemented,
educates prospects so they can
conveniently move through the buying
process without relying on salespeople
in the way they once did. In fact, some
statistics suggest buyers don't want to talk
to sales representatives at all. So, where
does that leave the sales team?
Traditionally, marketing " teed up the
ball " and piqued potential customers'
interest; then, a salesperson took it
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Commercial Integrator May 2022

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