How-to Align Sales + Marketing: An Ops Perspective

One area of weakness for companies is aligning their Sales + Marketing teams. We all know this alignment is crucial for driving business success: when these two functions work together seamlessly, it truly feels like magic. Teams achieve higher conversion rates, a more cohesive brand message, and of course, sales!  

On the flip side, when Sales + Marketing aren’t aligned, it’s a finger pointing blame game. Never fun for anyone in the mix, and business performance is impacted. 

Achieving Sales + Marketing alignment in your org requires holding both teams accountable with a consistent feedback loop. 

• Marketing needs to communicate regularly and effectively to Sales. 
• Sales needs to provide constructive feedback to Marketing.  

If your teams are struggling, start with some operational best practices. Here are 2 key actions to-do weekly, and 1 to practice all the time. 

To-Do Weekly –  Internal Marketing Communications/Newsletter (Slack, Teams, Email)

Creating a weekly internal newsletter targeting the Sales/GTM team keeps everyone informed and engaged. It's a fantastic way to ensure that both teams are aligned and excited about upcoming initiatives.

What to Include:

• Pipeline Results + Lead Metrics: Share the latest numbers to keep everyone updated on performance.
• Upcoming Events/Campaigns: Highlight upcoming events where both teams can collaborate.
• Results for Previous Events/Campaigns: Review what worked well and areas for improvement.
• Resources: Provide links to sales assets and branded templates.
• Social Media Posts: Encourage employees to share to amplify reach.

To-Do Weekly –  Lead Management Meetings

Lead Management meetings are vital for maintaining a strong connection between marketing and sales. Marketing can review the lead funnel and opportunity pipeline, while sales can provide instant feedback on events and new inbound leads. This continuous feedback loop helps both teams stay aligned and accountable for results. Also, if you’re on a remote team, leave your cameras on. 

To-Do All the Time – Celebrate Wins

Celebrate all wins—big and small. Whether it's a closed deal or a successful campaign launch, every achievement contributes to the overall success. Recognizing efforts across the whole team ensures that both teams feel valued. A little recognition goes a long way!

If you keep up with these 3 “To-Do’s”, within a month you should see some improvement.  At the very least you’ll be able to identify that the lack of alignment isn’t due to inconsistent communication. – That’s when you move on to Performance Metrics.