Aligned to Achieve

Chapter 2Get Those Cultural Obstacles out of Your Way

Sales and marketing alignment is a call for radical change, and radical change requires a company culture that is adaptable, resilient, and flexible. It also requires a base level of willingness—willingness to collaborate, to communicate, to be respectful, and to put the shared goals of sales and marketing at the forefront of everything you do.

We like to think of sales and marketing as the tip of the spear. We are the first to engage with the customer, whether it's sales or marketing, and whether it's an inbound or outbound effort. Sales and marketing are the first touch points a customer has with your company. By thinking of united sales and marketing as the tip of the spear, you can begin to imagine how the rest of your company can align behind them. There is nothing more important to your organization than growth. Building a culture that aligns behind your growth drivers is an absolute requirement for success.

Alignment Must Be a CEO-Driven Initiative

InsideView's CEO, Umberto Milletti, stated in the introduction that alignment should be a CEO's number-one operational issue. It is a clear path to increased revenue growth, which is the CEO's job. We're lucky to work as the sales and marketing leaders under such a visionary CEO, and we're not just saying that because we report to him.

We both started at InsideView independently. Andrea was first on board and the company had the typical sales and marketing relationship. ...