It is about time that marketing managers stop relying on their gut feeling. At least according to...
The first talk at the final Manchester HUG of the year saw Richard Mann, Co-Founder of sales forecasting software QuarterOne, explain why it’s vital to build bridges from sales and marketing. Alongside showing off his superior LEGO skills, Richard explained to the audience that it’s not about building bridges between sales and marketing (as HubSpot already does that), but from sales and marketing to the rest of the organisation.
Check out the video above to see Richard’s full talk or download the slides to read through as well. But here's a quick run-through of what went down in Richard's talk.
Why bridges?
Richard explained that bridges can turn your team into superheroes. Every business wants to go from the Fantastic Four to The Avengers. Although the journey to get there can be a nightmare. But bridges can close that gap and get everyone in the whole organisation on the same page.
So why bridges in the first place? Richard highlighted it comes down to team play, alignment improves teams and that change takes time.
- Team play matters: Building bridges can result in your team being more than the sum of its parts and can also provide a competitive edge.
- Alignment improves teams: Bridges help you find a shared purpose as well as measure and achieve progress to become a better business.
- Change takes time: It takes time and effort to make a difference. Bridges ensure you’re all heading for the same place at the same time.
But to get to that team of superheroes that will save the day, you need to know the steps to get there. Here are the six steps to build bridges in your business which Richard highlighted in his talk.
6 steps to build bridges
1. Break down walls
It’s easy for teams and departments to work in silos. Physical or not, the walls are there. Start by getting people to talk to each other. It can be as simple as finding one metric that the full team works towards.
2. Be a hero for the finance team
With his background, Richard’s talk revolved primarily around finance but the sentiment is the same. Sales and marketing teams are sitting on a goldmine and you can give this information to finance. This allows them to get better at budgeting, seeing where the business is going, getting more out of the team and more.
3. It’s all relative
Looking at metrics and how they change is key. Try to understand where they were, where they are now and where they’re going. Analysing how things are changing makes it easier to build bridges and use the same language between departments.
4. Know your speed
Think about how many leads come in, how much they’re worth, how many you close and how long it takes to close them. Breaking down the speed allows you to see how fast you’re moving as a business which can help bring together different departments.
5. And how fast you can change
This is less about how fast your sales and marketing team move but how quickly you can change direction. You should align around certain ideas and then think about how to shorten timescales and work together to make things move faster.
6. Get closer to the purse strings
Richard’s final step revolves around having people come together to the budgeting process. He explained that by working with the finance team, you can come up with a business case on things you want to invest in.
What else?
The final part of Richard’s talk focused on how to build bridges with technology and people. By watching the video above, you’ll hear how QuarterOne is a sales forecasting software that can help build bridges throughout your entire business.
It’s also worth checking out the talk to hear more about Richard’s thoughts on building bridges with people, especially to get everyone on the same page. He’s also shared a few handy tips you might want to utilise in future meetings.
If you want to read his slides in more depth, then you can do that by downloading the slides at the top of this blog.
Attend the next Manchester HUG for more talks like this
Richard is the latest in a long line of experts that have delivered a talk at the Manchester HUG. It’s the perfect chance to get out of the office, learn something new and create meaningful relationships by networking with marketers like yourself.
To attend the next event in 2020, make sure to register your interest below.
