By this point in time, wouldn’t you think that the age-old rift between Sales and Marketing would have completely disappeared? I was certainly leaning that way.
But in recent travels, the same old rhetoric used in both camps about people in the other, appears to be alive and kicking. I’m not saying it’s this way in every organization because I have seen some very good alignment out there. But the fact remains that in many companies, there is still an “us” and “them” undertone between these two functions that rely so heavily upon on each. After all, we do typically group them together as “Sales and Marketing” right?
So let’s have a bit of fun now. I have listed actual direct quotes from sales and marketing people about each other and their respective teams. Mind you, I have toned down the language in spots to be polite. I have served in both areas for years and heard many more comments like these in the past. I must reluctantly admit, I may have thought (even said) some of these things long ago depending on which side of the fence I was on at the time (come on, be honest – you probably have too.) It’s even trickier when you manage both functions – then you have no one to blame but yourself when sales take a dip! So here are my all-time personal favorites.
Sales people’s quotes about their Marketing colleagues:
- “What do those guys do all day? If we don’t get some more shirts and giveaways soon, I’m not going to close any deals this quarter.”
- “Why do I waste time following up on leads from Marketing? they’re all garbage anyhow!”
- “I don’t get why I have to go and stand around at these events – what a total waste of time.”
- “Next to Finance, Marketing seems like our biggest sales prevention department.”
- “Almost everything that comes out of Marketing sucks!”
- “I would be making my numbers if the people in Marketing were doing their jobs right.”
Marketers quotes about their Sales colleagues:
- “We work our butts off, but Sales never bothers to follow up on the great leads we create.”
- “We basically do all the work on these deals – I should be making commission on them!”
- “What do Salespeople do all day? It’s a joke, they’re never around the office.”
- “Why should I have to put together sales decks and help with proposals? That’s not my job!”
- “I might as well go into Sales, half the work for twice the pay.”
- “When we’re doing well, it’s because of Sales. When the numbers are down, it’s all our fault.”
I’m sure these quotes are bringing smiles to at least a few faces out there. Let’s be perfectly honest though – to much lesser degrees, there are grains of truth in some of these gripes because not all sales or marketing people are created equally. Sure, there are times when Sales drops the ball on leads and times when Marketing doesn’t qualify properly. However, there are usually reasons or constraints, and hey, mistakes do happen. Like any form of ignorance, when these comments become broad-stroked and reinforced until they form attitudes, the environment can become one of frustration, resentment and even hostility. The simple truth is that without marketing, selling would be even tougher and in some cases, nearly impossible. Without sales, there is no need for Marketing, or many other functions in the company for that matter. This all comes down to the crux of all healthy human interaction – empathy! Come on sales and marketing people – let’s start to understand, appreciate, support and respect one another! Who knows, we could even become friends someday!