Here's how you can effectively manage conflicts between product marketing and sales teams.

Conflict between Product Marketing and Sales is a common occurrence. Best path to resolution is to talk to both sides and understand each side's issue. It usually is a difference between what Sales believes is best for the customer and Product Marketing trying to balance the pressure they receive from the company to achieve certain criteria while balancing the needs of the Customer. If both sides can agree on what is best for the customer, then the company's goals will follow. Not always the case but creating a stellar experience for the customer usually results in goal attainment for the organization!

I find that refocusing on what's right for the customer supported by data and customer feedback helps mitigate conflicts. It’s not about who is right, but what is right for the organization and the customer.

Very effective relationship between marketing and the role of a sales manager is really one of the most obvious keys to success. As long as sales are provided with the correct tools there are no excuses for failure. Tools provide the means to a way. It's now up to sales to utilize and be creative. Tools are just one stepping stone in a successful sales world.

I recommend fostering open communication channels and aligning on shared goals. Arrange cross-functional meetings to understand each team's perspectives, challenges, and metrics. Identify areas of friction and work together to resolve them. Develop a unified messaging framework that resonates with customers, informed by insights from both teams. Empower sales with comprehensive product knowledge through training and marketing collateral. Celebrate wins jointly, reinforcing that you're all on the same team. With mutual understanding and a customer-centric approach, conflicts can be minimized and synergies can be maximized for driving business growth.

We've all been there: sales throws shade at marketing for bad leads, and marketing blames sales for not closing deals. It's like a never-ending game of finger-pointing! But here's how we can break this cycle. - When everyone knows their job (marketing empowers sales, sales provide customer insights), now there's more focus on the customer. - Communication is Key! Regular meetings where both teams share goals and challenges. Using tools for better collaboration and a transparent process. - Building a "we" mentality through shared wins both sales and marketing.

One of the most effective ways I've found to build a bridge between sales and product marketing is to have a recurring meeting for these teams to get together, talk, and collaborate. These meetings are the perfect venue for sales to share insights from the field that can help product marketing refine the company's position/messaging and determine how best to support the sales team from an enablement perspective. It's also the perfect venue for product marketing to brief sales on upcoming launches, campaigns, and collateral to ensure sales is best positioned to take advantage of these initiatives and assets. Finally, it's the perfect venue for these teams to align on how best to work together and to iron out any rough edges.

Nice answer. Somewhat unrelated, but where does "the truth" fit in. I'd say there's just each person's truth based on their perception. With that view point, empathy should come more rapidly.

Time to share my favorite quote! "There are three truths: your truth, their truth, and the truth". A fundamental issue is that we operate on different perspectives. PMM operate at the 1:100,000 level, looking at broader patterns and challenges from a more holistic, long-term view. Sales, meanwhile, are all about winning the next deal, a 1:1 level. This means sales are affected by recency bias, but opens PMMs up to accusations not being supportive for every deal. But we need to meet in the middle. That's why an open dialogue to uncover the perspective of both sides is important. Both sides have assumptions that can be proved or disproved. To move forward, ask: what evidence do you need (from customers and data) to get on the same page?

Often, conflicts arise from misaligned goals. Establish common metrics that require collaboration to achieve, such as customer lifetime value or retention rates, instead of traditional metrics like leads generated or closed sales. This alignment ensures that both teams work towards unified objectives that benefit the overall business. Organize short, cross-functional "sprints" where team members from both marketing and sales work together on small, specific projects (like a campaign for an underperforming product). This method promotes a deeper understanding of each other’s work and encourages cooperation in achieving short-term goals.

Creating 'joined-up' goals is very important, ideally it all flows down from the organisational goals and should be part of annual planning exercise. But even when business goals are not fully defined, sales and marketing (+product marketing) should run their own planning cycle, set objectives and then come together to join them up. We have used 'OKRs' that include separate sales and marketing goals but they are joined-up and flow back to key business objectives. Setting goals in isolation would benefit neither sales nor marketing, will only create silos!

This is very key. When both teams share a common goal it helps to drive partnership and collaboration. It also fosters open communication channels between the departments.

Sales vs. marketing tug-of-war? Imagine a world where both teams work together seamlessly & crushing goals as one. It's achievable with a shift in mindset from "us vs. them" to a powerful "we." Shared goals! Think of it like this: both teams work towards the same thing, like happy customers or say market domination. This creates a "we're in this together" vibe. The sales team bring customer insights, the marketing team crafts winning messages, and everyone celebrates victories together. Also, tools like OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) can be powerful. While sales and marketing have separate goals, they connect to the bigger picture.

Organize joint sessions where both teams can listen to customer feedback calls or accompany field sales reps. Experiencing firsthand the customer’s perspective and pain points can align both teams around the common purpose of solving customer problems and improving the product experience. Facilitate regular, informal discussions where team members share their recent wins and woes. This setting not only provides a platform for celebrating successes and learning from setbacks together but also humanizes team members to each other, strengthening inter-team bonds.

In my career till now, I've seen my fair share of marketing-sales clashes. Different goals, communication gaps... But here's the thing: these teams are stronger together! Surely, open communication and active listening build bridges, not walls. Everyone benefits when marketing and sales work towards the same objectives and celebrate each other's wins. Get both teams on the same page with clear company objectives. And always remember "Teamwork Makes the Dream Work".

Look for a win-win outcome where both product marketing and sales teams feel heard and valued. Encourage open communication, active listening, and empathy to foster understanding between the parties involved. Focus on collaboration and compromise rather than on winning or losing.

From Silos to Synergy! Sales and Marketing are like two islands. Each thrives independently, but struggles to connect. Continuous learning acts as the bridge, fostering collaboration and growth. Here's how continuous learning can help: - Regular training on each other's areas of expertise helps both teams foresee potential areas of conflict. This allows for open communication and proactive solutions before issues escalate. - Cross-training workshops equip product marketing with a deeper understanding of the sales process, and sales teams gain valuable insights into product messaging. This shared knowledge promotes a sense of "speaking the same language" and reduces unnecessary friction.

Encourage regular meetings and cross-functional brainstorming sessions to facilitate understanding and mutual respect for each other's perspectives and challenges. Implement a structured feedback mechanism to address any issues promptly and transparently, ensuring that concerns are addressed constructively. Additionally, create opportunities for joint training and skill development to enhance empathy and understanding between the teams. Ultimately, fostering a culture of teamwork and collaboration can help bridge the gap and resolve conflicts more effectively, leading to better alignment and performance across both departments.

To be truly effective as a product marketer, you need to purposefully design your messaging (ex. email marketing campaigns, customer testimonials, appointment-setting scripts, and selling tools such as ROI calculators) to advance each step in the complex sales cycle. To do this, you must understand these steps; being an excellent business writer, alone, is not enough. If you don’t have prior solution selling experience, ask the sales manager if you can 1) selectively participate in sales calls, to passively observe the selling process, and 2) ask the top salespeople to describe each of these steps and how your messaging and tools can advance them. In return, get the sales manager to agree to push the salespeople to use your selling tools.