Corporate meeting room showing division between a marketing and sales team. Using AI in sales and marketing alignment initiatives can be transformative.

AI in Sales and Marketing Alignment: Kicking The Old School Tactics to the Curb (That Never Worked Anyway) and Changing The Game For Modern Times

Let’s be real. You and I both know the “secrets” to achieving sales and marketing alignment. They’ve been out there for the taking since time immemorial. 

Are you still in the dark? Searching for the answers? Okay. Here ya go:

  • Start Talking. Begin by getting the marketing and sales chiefs in a room to hammer out some mutually beneficial strategies and define what winning looks like. 

  • Ensure Teams Are Communicating. Make sure sales and marketing teams meet regularly so sales can keep marketing in the loop with real talk from the front lines — i.e., what prospects and customers are actually saying. Turn these into brainstorming sessions where voices from both sides are heard, and quality and informed marketing efforts can then be devised.

  • Focus On Your Data. Does marketing have a blog that’s blowing up with views and engagement? That’s sales gold. Share it with sales so they can fold it into prospecting conversations and demos. It’s a no-brainer because it’s hard evidence that your audience is eating it up. 

If you have never considered these solutions, I’m happy I might have been able to help you consider how to fix some of the issues you are facing. 

But as B2B sales and marketing alignment has been a core focus of my work and interest for years now, I can confidently say those “solutions” are table stakes. They are not groundbreaking strategies. They are simple recommendations that suggest two groups with a common goal should make the effort to speak to one another.

Notice I said “should” make the effort speak to one another. Because in my experience, they do not. 

Wait, Sales and Marketing Groups Don’t Speak With One Another?

Correct. More often than not, the basic yet game-changing recommendation to simply communicate 一which by the way, has the potential to drive revenue through the roof  一 goes ignored. And it happens everywhere 一 big firms, small startups, it doesn’t matter. Why does this occur? I have my thoughts and, where applicable, some stats to back them up.

  • Lack of Communication. From top to bottom, absolutely no one is talking to one another. Harvard Business Review points to research that says 90 percent of sales and marketing professionals report misalignment when it comes to strategy, process, culture, and content. Umm…strategy, process, culture, and content basically encompass the entire job of each department. Plus, the research shows that the problem is widely recognized, so why isn’t it being addressed? Because no one is talking to one another.

  • Lack of Buy-In From Leaders Capable of Selling It To Their Teams. Sales and marketing alignment just doesn’t happen if leaders on both sides don’t buy in. Even when Gartner research shows half of sales and marketing leaders recognize failure to align negatively impacts lead generation, they still can’t or won’t make time for it. 

  • Straight-Up Politics. How this manifests in different organizations varies, but how it can impact the success of goals and initiatives doesn’t really require further explanation. 

  • Differing Compensation Structures. Simply stated, leaders on both sides of the coin are paid and/or bonused for reaching different goals and milestones. So why would they focus on anything but what gets them paid, even if it’s to the detriment of a common goal? 

Old School’s Out: The Potential of Artificial Intelligence in Sales and Marketing Alignment

The roadblocks mentioned above are why we need something new. As a fan of new ideas, and as it relates to today’s topic, I’m interested not in implementing what’s old, evident and prone to failure because that equates to “playing the game” when I’m interested in changing it. 

That said, I know what I can potentially influence and what I cannot. I don’t have an idea or solution that will single-handedly overhaul how individuals choose (or choose not to) communicate or how they sell ideas or navigate politics. That’s a mountain of deep-rooted habits and “but we’ve always done it this way” attitudes I cannot move. 

But we’ve always done it this way!

And that leads us to everyone’s favorite topic 一 AI. I want to talk about artificial intelligence in sales and marketing alignment and how to use it to change the game. 

AI is not just a shiny new toy, nor does it require a company-wide, tech stack rip n’ replace. Instead, think of it as a conduit to getting great things done faster. Who doesn’t want that?

Here we go.

AI in Sales and Marketing Alignment: Clarifying Lead Qualification

The chasm often seen today between sales and marketing when it comes to qualified leads sometimes seems as wide as the Grand Canyon. The disconnect is wild considering both sales and marketing groups are aiming for the same goal 一 revenue 一 but their approaches might as well have been created on different planets. 

You know the story. Sales is focused on hitting numbers and closing deals, while marketing focuses on casting a broader net that includes content, SEO, website UI/UX, CRO, off-line activities, executive thought leadership and more. Both sides end up looking at the same north star through different telescopes. 

In the parlance of industry, we’re talking about understanding the distinction between MQLs and SQLs. Something both sides need to come together and create a shared understanding of, but as we’ve already discussed, no one is talking to one another

The solution? AI-powered sales and marketing alignment. With AI ironing out the wrinkles, the result is more than just good vibes. It leads to a clear definition of what is and isn’t an MQL or SQL, which in turn can spike leads turning into sales. 

Here’s How It’s Done:

  • Gather Your Data: Pull customer interaction details from your CRM, analyze website performance and take note of social media engagement from your active platforms.

  • Tap AI – ChatGPT: Harness OpenAI’s crown jewel to find common attributes that position both sales and marketing for wins like rock solid Identification of the funnel status of prospect, development of a dynamic lead scoring system based on content engagement, and the immediate identification of cross-sell and up-sell opportunities. 

  • Why This Rocks: Data doesn’t have an agenda, and shared goals mean everyone’s invested. AI brings direct insights, sparing teams from juggling multiple tools and scattered data and being told to “figure it out.” It also spares the egos of those who have a vested interest in only using their guts to make critical decisions. It’s objective data, Joe. Let’s just give it a try, okay? 

  • Why This is Different: Without AI, you’re stuck in a loop of misaligned objectives and missed opportunities because, again, *sigh* no one is talking to one another. 

  • Possible Pitfalls: Humans do have to oversee this process 一 it’s not just “set and forget.” Resistance to new tech and new ways of doing things can also derail the process.

  • The Hidden Bonus: When AI gets sales and marketing teams to collaborate, they start to bond and create a more unified, focused and effective relationship.

Balancing Short-Term Hustle with Long-Term Vision Using AI

Within the sales and marketing tango, sales teams are all about the immediate hustle – hitting short-term targets and closing deals, which are crucial for business survival. It’s a full-throttle race for wins. On the flip side, marketing tends to play a longer game. 

Why the different beats? It’s the nature of the work. Sales involves direct and often one-on-one interactions with prospects to close deals. Marketing, however, thinks and acts with a broader perspective 一 creating materials and strategies that reach a targeted audience and nurture them through a funnel over time. 

How do we get them to harmonize? Well, that’s where AI steps in, offering a more appealing tune for both to jam out to. 

Here’s How It’s Done:

  • Gather Your Data: That diverse goldmine of insights found in your CRM tools, website analytics and social media engagement.

  • Tap AI – IBM Watson, Tableau, ChatGPT: These AI tools can analyze customer behavior, predict trends and identify high-potential leads. This means sales get immediate and actionable insights, and marketing gains a deeper understanding of long-term customer trends and preferences. For sales this means optimized sales pitches, improved management of territories and hard “ready to buy” signals based on data. For marketing this means enhanced customer segmentation, content optimization recommendations and customer journey insights.

  • Why This Rocks: It’s a win-win served up by AI’s unbiased insights that paint a picture that respects both the sprint and the marathon.

  • Why This is Different: We’re making next-level decisions that blend both the immediate and what’s on the horizon in sales and marketing. 

  • Possible Pitfalls: Same old, same old. If a fear of data or trying new things persists, the magic of AI is stalled. 

  • The Hidden BonusWhen AI dissolves the pesky old sales and marketing alignment barriers, it opens the door for innovative thinking and creativity that can go beyond what AI offers.

AI in Sales and Marketing Alignment: Maximizing Customer Feedback Like Never Before

Remember those golden customer insights sales takes in on the front lines day in and day out? The pain points, the praises and recommendations for improvement? Well, because no one is talking to one another, it stays in the sales silo. It’s just as much the fault of the marketing team, who fails to ask for that info. It’s a full-on communication breakdown. 

And this feedback, remember, is not just random comments. It’s the voice of the market giving direct feedback on your product or service. 

But per usual, both groups suffer the consequences as those insights that could shift a marketing campaign or refine a sales pitch end up dying on the vine

How to fix this? Well, that’s where AI comes in. 

Here’s How It’s Done:

  • Gather Your Data: Emails tracked in your CRM, notes provided on prospect profiles by salespeople, online reviews and social media chatter, calls and emails with customer support and customer success. 

  • Tap AI: Salesforce Einstein, Lexalytics, IBM Watson, ChatGPT. With their powers combined, these applications act like…Captain Planet. Actually, they probably act more like like a Rosetta Stone for translating insights into action. This includes elements that benefit sales and marketing equally including online sentiment analysis, development of personalization strategies and developing a culture of data-driven decision-making.

  • Why This Rocks: Using AI for this use case is an objective reality check. It means sales and marketing activities are fully rooted in the customer experience you strive to deliver.

  • Why This is Different: Forget quarterly results reports. This method brings the latest customer feedback straight to both sales and marketing strategy meetings for discussion and implementation.

  • Possible Pitfalls: All the insights this method provides are only of value if they are actually paid attention to. 

  • The Hidden BonusUsing AI to make the most of customer feedback draws a hard line between companies that value customer feedback and companies that assume they know what’s best without listening to the very people to whom they are selling. 

Using Artificial Intelligence In Sales and Marketing Means Rethinking How You Use Data

Using data to align sales and marketing isn’t a new idea, but let’s be honest – it has never really taken off as it should have. Remember when I talked about leveraging the popularity of a blog topic in sales strategies? More often than not, recommendations like that get buried in inboxes never to be seen again.

But AI changes the game. Using data is no longer about spot-checking systems for quick, low-hanging fruit opportunities that go nowhere due to lack of communication. 

AI isn’t just tossing out insights; it’s delivering the kind of sharp, contextually rich information that sales and marketing can really get behind.

We need to break free from old ruts. AI offers sales and marketing a path forward, stripping away guesswork, egos and fear.

And change is tough, I get it. But it’s time to embrace it because AI is here to help us achieve shared goals faster and more efficiently.

Generative AI in Marketing conceptualized visually

Generative AI in Marketing Isn’t Just About “Free” Blog Posts 一 It’s Time To Consider Its Impact On The Customer Experience.

“Marketing is a one-way street. Public relations, however, is a two-way street that allows communication back and forth with audiences.”

This quote echoes a message that bounced around the walls of the PR agencies I worked at early in my career. The sentiment is accurate, but its spread fell short, likely because its arbiters were PR practitioners (LOL). But all these years later, as a result of discussions on generative AI, the idea has experienced a resurgence, particularly in the marketing sphere.

These days, conversations on generative AI in marketing typically revolve around marketers coping by calling themselves “prompt engineers” and CEOs exploring ways to gut content creation budgets. 

But lurking underneath these developments is that message those old PR sages relayed to me all those years ago. The best way to engage prospects and create customers is via two-way conversation. A give and take — a dialogue instead of a monologue. 

Because for too long, organizations have been standing on a ledge shouting in one direction. And if that’s been a struggle until now, imagine the near-future nightmare ahead of us: shouting one-way messages into that same void 一 now expanded to infinity in size 一 due to the ever-growing, endless amount of garbage produced by generative AI. 

Cue the music.

As It Turns Out, Those Old PR Sages Were Right All Along 

Let’s get one thing straight. One-way conversations aren’t evil. They serve an essential purpose. They are your brand story, messaging and value proposition 一 all of which, in turn, drive your content efforts, advertising and social media output. 

Perhaps most important, they form the foundation of your SEO strategy, which is crucial for being discovered by search engines. 

So yes, while these one-way conversations are vital, it’s often presumed that once found via search, potential customers will have everything they need to make an informed purchasing decision. 

And that’s bad news for many organizations because we’re fast approaching a critical point where providing customers with the information they need, instead of the information we think they need, will be more dire than ever. 

This urgency exists because humans are changing how we ask the machines questions and businesses are simply unprepared for the shift. 

The Problem with Modern Search in the Age of Generative AI

No longer are the questions of Who, What, Where, and When the primary focus of user queries. 

For instance, an individual will typically search for products (Who), services (What), restaurant locations (Where) or operating hours (When). A request is made and information gets sent back via a one-way street. 

Searches like this are performed daily by decision-makers with purchasing power researching B2B products and services. 

But generative AI has changed the search game by introducing answers to deeper questions that tackle Why and How. Hence, generative AI is changing how we talk to the machines. 

Why and How questions require a two-way conversation, often with several back-and-forths before a user is satisfied with the response. Even with Generative Search Results (GSR) currently in use by “Big Search,” there is a ceiling on the level of information and satisfaction that it delivers.

So you’re a B2B organization. What does this all mean? 

Think of it this way. Who, What, Where and When queries are made by top-of-the-funnel prospects. Why and How questions, however, are posed by middle and bottom-of-the-funnel prospects — individuals who are serious about purchasing and need answers to deeper questions.

“Okay. But you’re a B2B organization. WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?!”

– You, probably

“Big Search” will always answer the simple questions. They’ve been doing it for years via enhanced descriptions, rich snippets, knowledge graph panels and everything else schema markup enables.

But in-depth answers to real-world business challenges will always be in demand. And it’s up to organizations to deliver those answers via a modern customer search experience that acknowledges search engines will always provide better answers to simple questions and highlights the importance of a smooth transition to your website where through content, demos, interactive tools and other resources, you can demonstrate the depth of your expertise and the promise of your product or service. 

Wait a second. Doesn’t that sound exactly like SEO as we’ve always known it? 

YES. 

It just requires some upgrades and a shift in mindset around what generative AI in marketing and search can mean for your organization.      

The Way You’ve Been Viewing Generative AI Is Wrong

To truly use generative AI in a way that helps you achieve strategic goals, you need to throw out the idea that tools like ChatGPT are nifty gifts to the executive gods that save money by writing free blogs and resource articles. 

If anything, modern content needs to be more in-depth, more specialized and requires more expertise. This Is how to win in modern B2B SEO. This is how prospects determine who to trust. This is how you lead them to your website. 

And once they are there, you must facilitate a two-way street search experience that delivers answers to their specific Why and How questions. Any other move shows the world you are satisfied with doubling down on a dying search and discovery model and aligning with customer preferences isn’t what you care about. 

In order to rise to this occasion, organizations must adopt generative AI as a means to add intelligent search to your website. 

To power such an application, they must tap into the robust data strategy they’ve developed, refined and perfected over the past quarter century to enhance user engagement and ultimately drive conversions. 

Yes! It’s all about the data strategy.

How Your Data Strategy Powers Intelligent Search On Your Website

Okay, Let’s assume you’re part of one of the roughly 1/3 of companies (as evidenced here, here and here) that actually have a data strategy or deliver on one. Good news — you’re on track to not be buried by generative AI. 

If you do not currently have one, while not great, there’s still time. Some resources so you can start can be found here and here

Developing your data strategy might sound daunting, but the only lift required of you and your team is gathering and organizing data that likely already exists. The hard part of this process — providing structure, making sense of the data, and delivering insights that positively impact your bottom line — can often be managed by generative AI. Don’t believe me? Just ask Amazon

Yup. I made this.

How To Think About and Maintain A Modern Two-Way Search Experience

It’s important to remember the basics of search engine optimization and how search works to understand how to best use generative AI in marketing efforts, especially when it comes to building a two-way search experience. 

Focus on Keyword Intent.

Understand the intent behind the inquiries you receive. Remember, the benefits of generative AI here stem mainly from intent keywords that capture How and Why inquiries from users. 

  • Example: The query “Why I need XYZ product for my business” can likely be addressed by the data points stacked neatly in your warehouse. However, the query, “How can XYZ product help me meet sales goals by Q4?” That inquiry should be handed over to a biz dev or sales rep immediately. 

  • Key Takeaway: It’s vital to understand when a chatbot or a human should answer a query as it could mean the difference between a quick bounce and a customer conversion. 

The Riches Are In The Niches.

An old SEO adage. This means long-tail keyword queries with commercial intent will show up far less than short-tail informational keyword searches, but long-tail keyword queries with commercial intent are much more likely to convert to customers. Ensure your generative AI responses embrace this. 

  • Example: Suppose you run a startup specializing in SaaS-based project management tools. Many queries for “project management software” will likely come in. But you need to be ready for queries such as “project management tool comparison guide” or “cost of project software for remote teams” because the users behind such queries are much further down the funnel and more likely to convert.

  • Key Takeaway: Beyond just recognizing the value in long-tail keywords, a plan for actively nurturing conversion paths is essential. These paths must be strategically mapped out with specific understanding of search intent. 

Generative AI Requires Continuous Learning.

Iteration and optimization are necessary to build out intelligent search for your prospects and customers. Generative AI applications are not static and require learning through interaction. To ensure performance, embrace this continuous learning process and aid the application by helping it adapt to the new insights it gathers and your customers’ evolving needs.

  • Example: By embracing a continuous learning and improvement mindset, an AI application has enough time to compile customer interactions and gather feedback to determine that users are most often interested in learning about the unique product features found in your SaaS project management tool. As a result, the application can adjust and become adept at delivering concise answers and helpful information that improve the customer experience and lead to more closed deals. 

  • Key Takeaway: We all want results in the form of more leads and more closed deals to be delivered yesterday. It takes patience and vigilance to achieve desired results.

Remember that the full-circle search experience starts with a one-way dialogue via search engines and ends with a chat experience on your website that uses internal data to answer the  Why and How questions that close deals. 

By adopting this strategy, businesses can align their generative AI efforts with user intent, creating a richer and more engaging customer experience. 

It will also eliminate the hundreds of hours of company-wide meetings dedicated to discussing where to place a menu icon on a homepage, since customers won’t need to manually search for anything anymore. 

Can you even imagine? That might be the biggest victory of all.

Imposter Syndrome seems to impact the smartest and most accomplished people I know. Discover the secrets to overcoming feelings of professional inadequacy.

Are You Tired of Feeling Like a Fraud? Here Are the Secrets to Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Do you enjoy feeling like a failure? Yeah, I didn’t think so. But here’s the thing 一 you’re not alone. This phenomenon has been studied extensively. It’s called imposter syndrome. I’ll let Harvard Business Review take it from here: 

Imposter syndrome can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success. ‘Imposters’ suffer from chronic self-doubt and a sense of intellectual fraudulence that override any feelings of success or external proof of their competence. They seem unable to internalize their accomplishments, however successful they are in their field. High achieving, highly successful people often suffer, so imposter syndrome doesn’t equate with low self-esteem or a lack of self-confidence.

Feelings of inadequacy seem to impact the smartest and most accomplished people I know. In some cases, it has even made these individuals question if they should change careers. They simply cannot shake a nagging feeling that they will eventually be “discovered” as frauds.

I recently attended a workshop on the topic hosted by Micha Goebig. Take a look at the following statements from her presentation. Have you ever had these thoughts? 

  • “I just got lucky.”
  • “I’m good at being in the right place at the right time.”
  • “They will soon see that I’m a fraud.”
  • “They made a mistake hiring me.”
  • “They have low standards.”
  • “It is because they like me.”
  • “I have had a lot of help and have connections.”

“Okay, maybe I’ve had some of those thoughts,” you say. “But you don’t know me!” Yeah, about that. Have a look at the infographic below. I bet you will find yourself.  

Imposter Syndrome seems to impact the smartest and most accomplished people I know. Discover the secrets to overcoming feelings of professional inadequacy.
Information sourced from Micha Goebig of Go Big Coaching and Fast Company.

Here is What You Can Do About It

Are you finished freaking out? Good. Because not all hope is lost! According to Goebig, there are several steps you can take to overcome feelings brought on by imposter syndrome. 

Break the Silence
Sometimes it only takes one conversation with someone you trust. Talk to someone about how you feel. You will likely discover the same person you confide in is experiencing the same emotions. 

Separate Feelings From Facts
Take a hard look at your accomplishments. Ignore how you might “feel” about them. Instead, look at them with pure objectivity. Through this lens, you will likely see a pattern. It was you who earned that degree. You who secured that job. You who closed that deal or finished that project. Start believing the facts right in front of you!

Recognize Your Expertise and Abilities
Ask people you trust what they think of you. Yes, this will require courage! Those closest to you will care enough to tell the truth. Ask them how they view your skills and abilities. Now, take that feedback and create a resume or LinkedIn profile for the person they described. The final step in this process? Realize that profile is of you! 

Develop a New Response To Failure
There are two responses one can have to failure. You can either let it hold you back or turn it into a learning experience and an opportunity to improve. Consider those you know who seem to bounce back from almost anything. Take their cues and integrate them into your routine. Finally, realize that failure rarely results in the catastrophic results the mind tends to conjure.

Reward Yourself
Don’t ignore your accomplishments! Enjoy a meal at your favorite restaurant. Purchase that item of clothing you’ve been eyeing. Take that vacation. The key here is to acknowledge that the activity is a reward for your achievements. Otherwise, you risk feeling guilty about your indulgences and or might put them off altogether. 

How do you deal with imposter syndrome?