# How to Align? {% embed url="" %} ### Step 1: Structure **1. Reporting Structure** * Ensure both sales and marketing leaders report to the same individual (not the CEO) such as a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) or Chief Operating Officer (COO) responsible for all revenue. * This unifies decision-making and avoids feuds between department leaders seeking CEO approval. **2. Decision-Making Authority** * Determine who drives decision-making based on your business model: * Sales-led growth motion: Sales team leads decision-making, especially regarding go-to-market or revenue strategy. * Product-led or high-velocity sales environment: Marketing team may have more influence due to revenue driven by marketing efforts. **3. Operations Team Reporting** * Avoid misalignment by ensuring sales and marketing operations teams report to the same individual (CRO or CMO) to prevent conflicting systems and data reporting. ### Step 2: The Right People **1. Interviewing Sales/Marketing Leaders** * Gauge if candidates see themselves as part of a cohesive team by asking about the performance of the opposite department at their previous companies. * Look for a tone of respect and shared responsibility, rather than blame-shifting. ### Step 3: Clearly Defined Go-To-Market Processes **1. Data Definitions and Processes** * Misalignment often arises from differing data definitions and handoff processes. * Ensure both teams have a clear understanding of key terms like "sales qualified lead." * Define routing and handoff procedures for various lead sources. ### Step 4: Incentive Structure **1. Goal Alignment** * Incentives drive behavior, so align incentives with desired outcomes. * Common misalignment occurs when marketing's lead generation goal differs from sales' ideal customer profile. * Consider tying marketing compensation to closed deals or making pipeline generation part of sales goals. * Offer bonuses for driving testimonials or case studies valuable to marketing. ### Step 5: Tools and Technology **1. Transparent Goal Tracking** * Implement visible and transparent goal tracking, preferably within your CRM (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot). * Consider more sophisticated BI or pipeline sales management solutions like Looker, Heap, or Funnel Source for complex needs. * A shared, accurate view of progress fosters collaboration and alignment. **2. Routing and Handoff Optimization** * Use tools like LeanData or Chili Piper to optimize routing and handoffs between sales and marketing, ensuring efficient processes. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.leanscale.team/aligning-sales-marketing/how-to-align.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.