SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to an upcoming report commissioned by InsideView, sellers and marketers see significant shifts in how B2B solutions will be marketed and sold in the coming year. When asked which of the following they believe are most likely to happen in the next year, more than 500 sellers and marketers agreed on the top three responses. “Sellers become more consultative and less transactional” topped the list, followed closely by “Companies become laser focused on their ideal customers versus ‘anyone with a pulse’.” The predictions are a sneak peek from an upcoming sales and marketing alignment report that will be released early this quarter.
Sales and marketing teams are notoriously at odds. According to InsideView’s previous alignment report (from early 2017) 26 percent of marketers think salespeople are “a bunch of mavericks,” and 27 percent of sellers think they could do a better job marketing than their marketing counterparts. But despite these differences, both groups surprisingly agreed on the top three predictions for 2018, and were within a few percentage points on the top five.
“Alignment between sales and marketing continues to be a struggle, but sellers and marketers agree more often than they think,” said Tracy Eiler, CMO of InsideView and co-author of the book ‘Aligned to Achieve’ about bringing together sales and marketing. “We all still have a way to go to breach the divide in attitudes and stereotypes, and even communication styles. But the signs are positive in that both groups see the same business pains, and what it’s going to take to achieve success in 2018. For example, sellers and marketers will increasingly leverage AI for a more targeted, more consultative, customer-focused approach.”
The top five predictions from both sales and marketing pros for 2018 are:
“It’s encouraging that sellers and marketers are so aligned on strategic direction,” added Eiler. “While we have a long way to go from the ‘sales mavericks’ and ‘marketing having their head in the clouds’ stereotypes, the first step is aligning our business outlook. Based on the research, sellers and marketers are starting 2018 with a consistent view of the future, putting them directly on the path to alignment success.”
About InsideView
InsideView powers the world’s business conversations, helping more than 20,000 companies redefine their go-to-market strategies from a volume-based to more targeted approach. Its leading Targeting Intelligence platform helps sales and marketing teams quickly identify and qualify the best targets, engage with more relevancy, close more deals, and retain and expand accounts. InsideView is the only company that begins with the industry’s most accurate company and contact data and enhances it with relevant, real-time business insights and authentic connections. InsideView’s headquarters are in San Francisco. For more information, visit InsideView at www.InsideView.com, twitter, or read the InsideView blog.
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