Align Business Development and Marketing for Success

I’m often surprised by how Marketing and Business Development seem to be at odds with one another.

This siloed approach can hinder collaboration, causing marketing campaigns to miss the mark on supporting business development's needs, creating disjointed efforts that fail to capitalize on shared goals.

You may have heard people say (or perhaps said it yourself) that the Marketing department creates stuff that doesn’t help Business Development/Sales close prospects — or that Business Development doesn’t utilize the great tools Marketing produces, diminishing their potential impact.

In my experience, the individuals who lead Marketing and Business Development are often wired differently. Marketers can be more creative and visual, while business developers may be more strategic and analytical. Because the two areas think differently, getting them to share common goals and approaches requires careful alignment and concerted effort.

Different Mindsets, Aligned Objectives

Often, a business developer has a more aggressive, results-oriented personality when compared to their marketing counterparts. Much of this comes down to metrics’ importance in evaluating the two areas’ performance. Much of this stems from the metrics that define their performance. Marketers may struggle to demonstrate ROI because their efforts often lay the groundwork for long-term brand building and awareness, not being directly tied to the immediate revenue-focused objectives of business development professionals.

It can make a huge difference if the leaders of each business function walk in the shoes of the other. Do marketers join business developers on pursuit calls? Do business developers participate in creative brainstorming sessions led by the Marketing department? By taking these steps, both teams gain valuable insights that drive more effective collaboration and aligned strategies.

For example, if Marketing’s goal is to brand the firm and articulate its value proposition, wouldn’t consulting with business development make sense. This could help the Marketing team learn what prospects value about the firm’s offerings, any misunderstandings they have and the firm’s competitive disadvantages.

Creating marketing tools based on Business Development input will dramatically improve the relevance and usage of such materials.

Conversely, Business Development aims to create relationships with new business leads and convert them to clients. Does Marketing know the win rate and the time required to close new business? Can Marketing refine the lead-generation process to deliver higher-quality leads for quicker decision-making? Understanding these metrics and processes helps ensure that Marketing’s efforts directly contribute to accelerating business development success for the firm.

Facilitating quicker goal achievement for business developers creates a win-win for both functions.

Can We All Get Along?

While it would be great if Marketing and Business Development bonded over lunch or social events outside the office, the bond of trust must start with mutual understanding and respect and shared objectives.

Even if socializing is part of the mix, firm leadership must emphasize the need for the areas to be connected at the hip. Leaders shouldn’t talk about one function at the expense of the other. They need to create goals that require the involvement of both functions to achieve success. And each function must have financial rewards for when common goals are achieved.  

Want to know how to make this partnership click? Get a top leader in your legal or accounting firm to own it. They need to understand the motivations within both Business Development and Marketing teams and know how to unite them towards achieving overarching firm goals. And if the leader/owner doesn’t have the right coaching skills, partner with a professional performance coach who can help draw out the strengths of each team member.

Stronger collaboration between Business Development and Marketing propels firm growth.

Need a Mentor/Coach in Your Corner?

Throughout my career, I’ve spent time working in and consulting with both business development and marketing teams. This dual perspective of mine serves me well today as a business consultant focused on helping law firms and accounting practices win more business.

If you work in Business Development or Marketing and need mentoring or coaching to improve inter-department relations, let’s talk.