Introduction to Sales for Marketers
“Bridge the gap between sales and marketing by understanding the sales process, tools and collaboration strategies.”
This session equips marketers with a clear understanding of the modern sales process, key selling techniques, and how to build more effective, aligned campaigns. Designed for marketers who want to become more commercially aware, this session explains how salespeople operate—and how marketers can become indispensable in helping them succeed.
WHY MARKETERS NEED TO UNDERSTAND SALES
Sales and Marketing – One Pipeline, Two Perspectives
Sales and marketing are two parts of the same commercial system.
When aligned, they increase revenue by up to 34% (LinkedIn State of Sales, 2023).
Yet, many marketers have never seen a discovery call, reviewed a proposal, or worked with a CRM.
The Value of Commercial Awareness in Marketing
Helps marketers:
Set smarter objectives
Design campaigns that align to buying stages
Build credibility with commercial stakeholders
Understanding the sales process enables better ABM, lead nurturing, and ROI reporting.
THE MODERN SALES PROCESS: A STEP-BY-STEP OVERVIEW
The 7-Stage Sales Process
Prospecting – Identify qualified potential buyers
Qualification – Assess fit and readiness to buy
Discovery – Explore needs and build rapport
Proposal – Present solutions tailored to buyer pain points
Negotiation – Resolve objections and reach agreement
Close – Finalise the deal
Post-Sale – Follow-up, upsell, referral generation
Model: Based on Sandler Selling System and SPIN Selling frameworks
Common Sales Methodologies Marketers Should Know
SPIN Selling – Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-payoff
Challenger Sale – Teach, Tailor, Take Control
BANT – Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline
These influence how salespeople qualify leads and interpret MQLs and SQLs
FROM LEAD TO CLOSE: HOW SALES TEAMS THINK
Prospecting – The Search for Qualified Leads
Tools used: LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Cognism, Apollo
Relevance for marketers: Targeted outreach only works when you have clear personas and value propositions
Marketers can support with:
Lead magnet strategy
Conversion-optimised landing pages
Retargeting campaigns
Discovery – Learning Before Selling
Purpose: Understand the customer’s pain, budget, and decision-making process
Sales team builds trust and captures insights
Marketers benefit by using discovery call feedback to:
Improve campaign messaging
Create objection-handling content
Refine targeting criteria
Proposal and Negotiation – Value Over Price
Salespeople structure proposals to demonstrate ROI and de-risk the decision
Marketers support by:
Creating tailored case studies
Supplying statistics and social proof
Producing presentation decks and visual materials
Closing – When Sales Needs Precision and Timing
Timely content and personalised follow-ups can be decisive
Marketing can support with:
Final push nurture flows
Executive-focused content
Quick-reference product materials
ALIGNING SALES AND MARKETING WORKFLOWS
Marketing and Sales Funnel Alignment
TOFU (Top of Funnel): Brand awareness, lead generation
MOFU (Middle of Funnel): Lead nurturing, engagement
BOFU (Bottom of Funnel): Conversion-focused content
Misalignment often occurs when marketing focuses only on TOFU
Use shared metrics (e.g., pipeline value influenced by marketing) to unify objectives
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) – Targeting with Precision
ABM aligns closely with sales priorities by focusing on specific high-value accounts
Involves:
Personalised content
Cross-functional collaboration
Long-term engagement
Tool example: Terminus, 6sense, or HubSpot ABM tools
ABM in Practice
Example: A SaaS brand runs LinkedIn ads and sends direct mail to key decision-makers at 20 priority accounts
Sales team follows up with tailored outreach
Marketing tracks engagement and adapts messaging based on sales feedback
The Role of CRM in Sales and Marketing Collaboration
CRM = single source of truth for lead status, activity history and deal stage
Popular CRMs: Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive
Marketers can use CRM data to:
Track campaign ROI
See what content supports conversion
Segment audiences more accurately
KEY METRICS TO UNDERSTAND AND SUPPORT SALES
Sales Metrics Every Marketer Should Know
Pipeline value
Lead-to-opportunity conversion rate
Average deal size
Win rate
Sales cycle length
Aligning marketing KPIs to these metrics supports commercial goals
What Makes a Lead Sales-Ready?
Defined by:
Fit (persona, sector, size)
Engagement (downloads, pages viewed)
Timing (e.g., behaviour triggers)
Tools like HubSpot Scoring, Marketo, or ActiveCampaign use these to score leads automatically
The Marketing–Sales Handover
Successful handover includes:
CRM notes
Last interaction source
Key pain points and interests
Use sales enablement platforms like Seismic or Highspot to support this process
CAMPAIGN PLANNING WITH SALES IN MIND
Planning Campaigns That Serve the Pipeline
Work backwards from revenue goals
Identify:
Which segments need targeting
What buying stage they’re in
What objections are common
Build content to support specific sales goals
Using Buyer Journey Mapping Collaboratively
Include sales feedback in persona development and buyer journey maps
Create shared versions in tools like Miro, Lucidchart, or Figma
Marketing and sales teams jointly identify content gaps and handover points
Examples of Sales-Enabled Content
One-pagers for economic buyers
Objection-handling videos
ROI calculators
Demo follow-up templates
Email copy libraries
Create assets that save time and reduce friction for sales
Voice of Sales = Voice of the Customer
Sales teams are a live feedback loop from your target market
Use call recordings, CRM notes, and post-call summaries to surface insights
Feed learnings into:
Product messaging
Campaign testing
Persona refinement
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS AND A SALES-READY CULTURE
How to Work Better with Sales Teams
Shadow calls
Attend pipeline review meetings
Ask for honest feedback on content
Build shared dashboards and OKRs
Trust grows when marketers demonstrate value in helping close deals
Breaking Down the Silos
Regular shared planning sessions
Joint retrospectives
Quarterly ABM strategy reviews
Shared Slack or Teams channels
Culture shift begins with aligned goals and mutual respect
SUMMARY AND NEXT STEPS
What Marketers Gain from Understanding Sales
Improved campaign impact
Stronger internal relationships
Greater strategic influence
Increased confidence with commercial language and metrics
Where to Start
Join a sales team call this week
Audit the current handover process between MQL and SQL
Interview a sales rep to learn what content would help
Review CRM reports to understand lead quality patterns
Final Reflections
Sales success is a shared responsibility. The more marketers understand the sales journey, the more impactful and commercially valuable their work becomes.
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