Sales versus Marketing: seven years later, still the same old story…

Last week, I got a call from a marketer. Different company, same story. And he nailed it perfectly: “Hit the nail on the head, seven years later.”

You know what it is? Some things never change. As soon as sales and marketing have to work together, it’s like trying to win two championships at once—but everyone’s playing on their own field. Sales shouts that marketing delivers bad leads; marketing shouts that sales can’t close. And in the meantime, more mud gets slung than opportunities are seized.

But really, it’s quite simple. Marketing has only one job: creating opportunities. No signatures. No deals. Just chances. And once that opportunity is there, it’s sales’ responsibility—especially the sales leader’s—to make something of it. Minimum 13% conversion. No discussion.

Every day!

I see it every day: marketers working hard on an annual plan. They know exactly how many leads they need. They account for seasons, stock levels, model launches, budgets. They run campaigns, measure everything, and make daily adjustments. Not because they enjoy tinkering, but because they understand marketing is serious business. Without quality and quantity, you won’t make it.

And on the sales side? Panic often only sets in around the 25th of the month. Targets aren’t met. A last-minute campaign needs to be thrown together. Or a DM blast is rushed out. Hoping for a miracle in the last few days of the month.

And in the meantime? Dozens of opportunities are gathering dust. Leads that haven’t been followed up. Or worse: leads marked as “not interesting” without any real effort.

Then you hear talk about bad leads. About how marketing “needs to do better.” But no one asks the right questions: how often was the lead actually called? How fast was the response? How seriously was the opportunity pursued?

Let’s be honest: that customer who calls, card in hand, asking where to sign? That customer doesn’t exist. Scoring takes work. Scoring takes hustle. You’re standing at the edge of the box, the opponent breathing down your neck, and you still need to take a sharp shot to win.

Marketers know exactly what their work delivers. They know the cost per lead. They know conversion rates from website leads, importer leads, Marktplaats or AutoTrack. They work with data and act on it. Every lead costs money. Every missed opportunity costs even more…

And if conversions aren’t there? The first step isn’t to point at marketing—it’s to look at the process. Really look. Was there a call? How many? How fast? What script was used? Only once you know that can you talk about lead quality.

I’m writing this after several conversations with marketers who are fed up. Who no longer want to be the scapegoat. Their job is to spark interest. Sales has to convert that interest.

• That’s the deal. Always has been. Still is.
  Seven years later. Still the same old story. And yet… it could be so simple.

Winning together. No more excuses. No more mud. Just grab the opportunities.