With HubSpot's entry into the CRM field in late 2014, the emphasis for inbound marketing has shifted toward greater alignment between marketing and sales. Companies can unify their business development approach through better forms of shared information and a more aligned mindset throughout the organization. This video blog sets up how Weidert Group coaches companies on use of CRM in aligning marketing and sales, and how HubSpot CRM, in particular, holds a valuable role in helping marketing and sales use more convergent approaches.
CRM as a technology category has been around 25-30 years. With sales and marketing alignment, CRM has become even more critical because it allows everybody who's involved in the business development efforts to know where a prospect stands in real time. So, everybody's got access to the right information.
Today, CRM products are smarter and smarter at being able to pull outside information into the database. So, it's much easier to background and share that background information. Thus, nobody has to go into a discovery phone call with any gaps in their knowledge.
A good use of an effective CRM platform means that everybody involved has good information. They go into a meeting informed; they know history of conversations with a prospect. They've got dimensions of the business; they might other contact points—maybe they've got some contact with key individuals that they can reference. So, it allows much more informed initial conversations for the sales person. With a CRM, a salesperson can start off in a much better place than, historically, what might have been considered a relatively "cold call."
Topics: Marketing Technology, Inbound Sales, Marketing & Sales Alignment
