As I previously discussed in my previous article, the customer journey includes every interaction a customer has with a company, whether it be through the company’s website, social media, customer service, or in-store. Understanding the customer journey is important because it can help a company identify points of friction or confusion for customers and make changes to improve the overall customer experience.
In this article, let’s explore how a marketing funnel can unite a company together.
Encourages Good Buying Behaviors
Previously we have covered the customer journey from a B2B sales perspective, where it is much more about sales enablement. The most important lesson is that: The steps you take to sell your product, are not the steps your prospects take to buy it.
Successful sellers align their sales cycle with the buying activities to encourage good buying behaviors. In the marketing funnel, this means tailoring their sales and marketing strategies to address customers’ specific needs and preferences at each stage of the funnel. This alignment helps create a smoother and more customer-centric buying journey, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
Successful enterprise account mapping goes beyond organizational hierarchies and involves assessing previous deal communications, profiling key contacts in the target account, and pinpointing the necessary interactions to establish influence. As I previously mentioned, this data is used to create an optimized internal communication strategy, connecting contacts with the specific messages required to progress the deal effectively.
Uncovers Hidden Opportunities
In my previous article on ‘What Is Dark Funnel In Marketing?’, I explained that the dark funnel has a large pool of prospects who are actively researching before they make a purchase. Understanding the dark marketing funnel enables sales and marketing teams to identify and target leads with relevant content and messaging for a unified approach. Hence, sales reps and marketers become more united, smoothly collaborating to achieve shared goals.
However, the dark funnel occurs outside of direct marketing channels. You may not be aware of the specific interactions that potential customers are having with your brand, products, or services. I gave some Dark Funnel Examples that present dark funnel interactions, including organic search, anonymous website visitors, third-party review sites, private social media groups, email and direct messages, and content consumption.
These instances demonstrate how prospective buyers go through research, information gathering, and evaluation phases without directly interacting with a company’s marketing channels or leaving a trace in the digital realm. Recognizing and tackling the “dark funnel” is essential for B2B marketers, as it enables devising strategies that offer valuable content, establish thought leadership, and capture the attention of potential customers during these hidden phases of the buyer’s journey.
Unifying Sales and Marketing Teams
According to Amazon Ads, the marketing funnel is critical in the marketing process, categorizing major shopping milestones, from the awareness stage to consideration, to decision-making, and building loyalty. The marketing funnel outlines the most straightforward customer journey in their path to purchase.
When properly structured and implemented, the marketing funnel can help unite your sales and marketing teams by creating a common understanding of the customer journey and enabling them to work together more effectively.
Here’s how a marketing funnel can guide sales and bring these two teams together:
- Awareness Stage
Marketing generates awareness through various channels like content marketing, social media, and advertising. They create valuable content that educates and entertains potential customers, addressing their pain points and needs.
Sales can monitor the activities of these potential leads and engage with them on social media platforms, sharing relevant content or responding to inquiries when applicable.
Interest Stage
As potential customers show interest, marketing provides more in-depth information, such as ebooks, webinars, or product demonstrations, to nurture leads and help them evaluate their options.
Sales can reach out to leads at this stage to provide more personalized information and answer questions. They can also qualify leads further to determine if they are a good fit for the product or service.
- Consideration Stage
Marketing continues educating leads with content that addresses their pain points and showcases how your product or service can solve their problems.
Sales should have a deeper engagement with these leads, understanding their unique needs and tailoring their sales pitch accordingly. They may also provide product demonstrations or case studies.
- Decision Stage
Through testimonials, reviews, and special offers, marketing can provide compelling reasons to choose your product or service.
Sales can close the deal, negotiate pricing, and address any remaining objections. They should be well-prepared to make the final pitch.
- Post-Purchase Stage
Marketing can continue to engage with customers after the purchase, providing valuable content that keeps them informed and engaged.
Sales can maintain a relationship with the customer, ensuring they are satisfied with their purchase and potentially upselling or cross-selling as appropriate.
What about the key actions that a company can take at this point?
Companies can also implement various strategies to achieve shared business goals. To unite sales and marketing teams, consider the following:
- Regular Communication
Encourage regular meetings and open communication channels between the two teams to share insights, feedback, and information about leads and customers. Structured meetings with well-defined agendas should cover topics like lead generation, campaign performance, and feedback from the sales team.
Information sharing should be reciprocal, with marketing offering insights into lead behavior and sales providing feedback on lead quality and customer interactions. Additionally, the creation and sharing of sales enablement materials, the use of collaborative tools, and leadership support are fundamental for effective cross-team coordination.
- Shared Goals and Metrics
Align both teams with common objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs). This can include shared revenue targets or lead conversion rates. To make this alignment more engaging and competitive, you can introduce a gamification element by setting up a leaderboard where individual team members earn points based on their contributions to these KPIs.
- Lead Scoring and Qualification
Develop a lead scoring system that both sales and marketing agree upon, ensuring that only qualified leads are passed on to the sales team. When the sales team receives leads that meet the agreed-upon scoring criteria, it minimizes friction and confusion during the handoff process.
By focusing on qualified leads, both marketing and sales teams can allocate their resources more efficiently. Marketing can direct its efforts toward lead generation and nurturing, while sales can concentrate on closing deals and optimizing the use of time and resources.
- Technology Integration
Implement marketing automation and customer relationship management (CRM) systems that enable both teams to track and manage leads efficiently. These systems play a pivotal role in optimizing the entire customer journey, from lead generation to customer retention, ultimately driving revenue growth and enhancing customer satisfaction.
- Training and Workshops
Offer joint training and workshops to enhance collaboration and understanding of each other’s roles and improve the overall customer journey. That way, sales and marketing teams can identify opportunities to streamline workflows. This results in more accurate lead qualification and a higher rate of successful lead conversions.
Additionally, diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are essential concepts and principles that address social justice, equality, and fairness issues, particularly in the workplace and broader society. This topic is also critical in B2B companies with a global audience base.
Integrate DEI training components within joint workshops. Educate participants about diversity, equity, and inclusion principles, emphasizing their role in promoting these values throughout the organization. This approach will transcend to providing excellent customer service, treating customers with respect and fairness, and meeting their unique needs.
CONCLUSION
The marketing funnel is a crucial concept in marketing that helps businesses understand and manage the customer journey from initial awareness to conversion and beyond. When used effectively, it can serve as a unifying framework that brings different departments and functions within a company together to achieve common business goals. A well-structured marketing funnel and a united sales and marketing effort can lead to more efficient lead generation, better lead conversion, and, ultimately, increased revenue for your business.
Disclaimer note:
The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ThinkLogic Media Group or any company and their associates.
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