I think that sales and marketing are different sides of the same coin. They are intertwined as closely as two separate disciplines can be.
However, I sometimes think marketing and engineering are different currency altogether. But it doesn’t have to be that way. And for a successful industrial company, it shouldn’t be that way.
For the purpose of this conversation substitute engineering for developers, or basically, anyone that designs the product or services your company sells.
To illustrate that point, here is an actual conversation that I had with an engineer.
Engineering: “Hey check out our new product!”
Marketing: “Ok cool. So why did we make it?”
Engineering: “Because it is great. Look it does this!”
Marketing:“OK, and what problem does it solve?”
Engineering:“It does X.”
Marketing: “Why would a customer pick it over our competitions?”
Engineering:“I don’t know. Isn’t that your job?”
There is a disconnect there.
Engineers think about how they can make a product that works great. Whereas customers just want a product that solves their problem.
I know that sales and marketing can have a tough time talking to R&D and engineering, but that conversation needs to happen.
And it is marketing’s job more so than engineering to bridge that gap.
Why? Because marketing has the most to prove. In some companies marketing is ancillary. (Don’t laugh sales guy, I have heard “These products sell themselves” a lot regarding industrial enterprises.)
I firmly believe that for the best returns, marketing and engineering need to work together.
How can you make that happen?
Shared Mission: Engineering and marketing need to know that they are on the same team. Making a two-way SLA (Service Level Agreement) might help. This way both marketing and engineering are held accountable.
This can only happen with oversight from leadership. Both parties have to see the value of working with the other.
Money: Create bonuses for marketing and engineering tied (at least partially) to the SLA. Let everyone see that overall success is what drives awards.
Involve each other: It is easy to get in your little silo. However if at the beginning of the process marketing helps engineering with customer needs, then throughout the process the line of communication is more than likely kept open.
Your industrial marketing doesn’t start with the product launch. It starts with the needs of the customers. Marketing campaigns shouldn’t happen without input from engineering.
Marketing needs to be receptive to engineering’s understanding of the product. Engineering needs to be receptive to marketing’s understanding of customer needs. If industrial companies can get this to happen, engineering and marketing can be a match made in heaven.
Want to learn more about marketing strategy for industrial companies? Download our Industrial Marketing Strategy here.