Inbound Organization

Chapter 22SMarketing

SMarketing is the process of aligning marketing and sales to work toward a common goal, drive revenue growth, and better serve prospects by enhancing the buyer's journey from first touch to customer decision. SMarketing alignment creates a seamless customer experience that echoes the values of an inbound organization.

Sales tends to focus on the 3% of buyers ready to buy now.¹ Marketing tends to focus on top-of-the-funnel metrics like impressions, visits, and total leads. SMarketing, however, focuses on building a team that addresses the concerns of buyers from the first touch through the life of the relationship.

Aligning sales and marketing teams is not simplistic. Most marketing executives get excited about the opportunity to work with their sales counterparts because it gives them more visibility, more influence, and a direct connection to revenue. It is usually the sales team that needs support and encouragement to move in this direction.

SMarketing is the best way to respond to the changes in buyer behavior defined in the first chapters of this book. Because buyers are spending more time researching online before they engage with a salesperson, lead nurturing becomes a more important component of the entire sales process. Organizations that implement SMarketing have a 20% increase in revenue. Those that don't see an average 4% decline in revenue.²

SMarketing makes it easy for sales because they connect to more qualified opportunities with a deep understanding ...