In the modern B2B world, aligning marketing and sales can be a challenge. Both departments are notorious for working in silos, without any overlap in their day-to-day activities. However, this misalignment can have a devastating impact on business’ bottom lines, while also negatively affecting buyers’ journeys through the sales funnel. Undoubtedly, both functions are stronger together – so, what can be done?

We’ve created a guide to help you understand the true impact of misalignment between marketing and sales, and what you can do to build bridges between both teams.

What’s covered in the guide?

• The importance of sales and marketing alignment
• Cracking the non-linear sales funnel
• Plugging the gap with technology
• Account-based marketing, and how it can help your business
• Becoming truly customer-centric

Our world is changing at a rapid pace. New technology and trends cause regular disruption within the B2B industry, forcing brands to adapt to the demands of modern B2B buyers that crave personalised experiences. The traditional sales funnel of coercing buyers down one path is not as effective as it used to be. Instead, brands should look to adopt a non-linear marketing journey filled with multiple touchpoints.   

For a non-linear marketing strategy to work, companies need to consider how to align their sales and marketing teams. In the old days, marketers would find the leads, while sales representatives focused on closing, and there may have been no communication between the departments.  

One of the quickest ways to unite sales and marketing together is to tell a compelling brand story. Storytelling is effective because it encourages collaboration between both sides. So, how can sales and marketing work together to tell a story that resonates with an audience?  

When it comes to engaging with the modern B2B consumer, brands have their work cut out for them. People are becoming less receptive to traditional marketing tactics and their attention spans are getting shorter. 

To cut through the noise in the B2B sector, companies need to engage with their audiences on an emotional level.  This can be accomplished through storytelling. Stories are the oldest form of entertainment. They have been passed down from generation to generation, acting as a constant throughout the history of the human race. Brands that incorporate storytelling into their marketing strategy can deliver an immersive customer experience.  

Storytelling is an effective B2B marketing tool because it can make a brand more relatable and influence buyer decision-making. We’ve created a storytelling guide to help you connect with B2B buyers that are interested in personalised experiences and reading educational content.

What’s covered in the guide?

• The importance of narrative storytelling
• Non-linear B2B marketing and the multiple touchpoint journey
• Brand purpose and the concept of why
• The 7 plot types
• Using the 10 Cs of storytelling

Embracing new technology is one of the best ways for companies to reach consumers. Voice assistant devices are among the most talked about hardware, with voice search being pegged as the next major trend in the marketing world. People are using virtual assistants like Alexa and Google Home to shop online and to find new experiences, which has created a lot of potential for B2B companies to optimise their services around this new form of search marketing.

As voice search becomes more prevalent, B2B prospects will inevitably start using it to search for relevant information. Considering 50% of all searches are predicted to be done via voice search by 2020, B2B brands need to adapt to new search habits.