From Interest to Income – Aligning Marketing and Sales

Attracting interest in your new product or service is just the first step. To turn that interest into income, your marketing and sales need to work hand in hand.

Too often, businesses treat marketing and sales as separate functions. In reality your customers do not care how you internally categorise their journey towards you.

Why alignment matters

When marketing generates leads that sales cannot convert, frustration builds on both sides. Equally, when sales push into new markets without marketing support, opportunities get missed. Aligning the two ensures:

• Consistent messaging across all touchpoints

• A smoother experience for the client

• Better use of time and resources

Emerging businesses: building sales processes

If you are new to selling, start with mapping your buyer journey. From first awareness through to purchase, ask: what information do they need at each stage?

Marketing should help by providing useful content and collateral (such as case studies, explainer videos, FAQs) so that sales conversations feel natural and supported.

Established businesses: adapting to new markets

In new markets, sales cycles may be longer or involve different stakeholders. It's always useful to question assumptions based on past experience. (Refer back to the ideal client profile in this launch series).

Marketing should help by producing tailored assets (such as brochures, specification sheets, price lists, sector-specific case studies, and webinars) to equip sales teams to navigate conversations with differing ideal clients and influencers.

Example: Digital procurement

Many sectors now rely on digital procurement systems. If your marketing doesn’t prepare buyers with the right compliance documents, certifications, and references, sales teams may struggle to even get through the first stage. Alignment here is critical.

What the research says

According to Forrester’s The State Of Business Buying, 2024, 86% of B2B purchase processes stall somewhere along the way, and 81% of buyers report being unhappy with the provider they ultimately select. That means your marketing-and-sales strategy must support clients not just at the start, but all the way through the decision journey.

Final thought

Marketing and sales alignment is the difference between generating interest and actually winning business. By mapping the buyer journey and equipping your team with the right assets, you set your launch up for success.

Thank you for following this launch series. If you’d like to put these steps into action, download my Launch Guide with handy checklist or book a call.

Photo by Matteo Vistocco on Unsplash