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As B2B customers become more sophisticated and competition increases, the integration of marketing and sales becomes more critical for meeting and exceeding market demands. And the cost for this integration is only increasing as growth in marketing and sales investment outpaces revenue growth. According to IDC, growth in B2B technology marketing and sales investment is increasing 7% in 2008, yet global IT revenue is increasing at only 5.7%. In addition, IDC estimates that the annual performance cost per B2B sales representative as a result of poor engagement with prospects is $1 million.
The following questions were posed by Marketo to Michael Gerard, research vice president of IDC’s Executive Advisory Group, on behalf of Marketo’s customers.
* Why is it important for marketing and sales to work together across the entire revenue
cycle?
* What does it mean to coordinate marketing and sales across the entire revenue cycle?
* What are the respective strengths of the marketing and sales departments and the
impact of these strengths and their differences?
* What are key areas where marketing and sales need to be successfully aligned?
* What functionality should organizations look for in software designed to facilitate
marketing and sales alignment?
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