Aligning And Communicating Effectively With Sales

Question 1

Why does misalignment happen between Sales and CS?

Answer 1

1) Sales is more of a transactional relationship
2) Juxtaposition of personalities (Hunters vs. Farmers)
3) Contrasting priorities (adding new customers vs. growing existing)
4) Change in engagement cadence (Sales process to steady state)

Question 2

How to recognize the symptoms of misalignment?

Answer 2

1) Signing bad-fit customers
2) Poor setting of product and service expectations
3) Lack of willingness to solve problems collaboratively
4) Them vs. Us-mentality

Question 3

What’s the impact of misalignment for the customer?

Answer 3

1) Delays time to value
2) Creates a jarring customer experience
3) Changes relationship dynamic
4) Opens the door to buyer remorse

Question 4

What’s the impact of misalignment for the company?

Answer 4

1) Creates an internal friction between teams, leaders and leads to conflicts
2) Consumes unnecessary resources for handling issues that could be avoided
3) Leads to lower customer and employee satisfaction due to conflicts
4) Increased churn and decreased margins

Question 5

What are the common root causes for misalignment between Sales and CS?

Answer 5

1) Fragmented journey planning
2) Misaligned incentives
3) Lack of clear handover process
4) No common understanding of good vs. bad fits
5) Lack of empathy for each other’s roles

Question 6

Name top 5 tips for how to improve alignment

Answer 6

1) Get your incentives right (give both parties a stake in customers success)
2) Carve out time to communicate (get sales and CS to meet and talk)
3) Take time to define clear processes (playbooks, SLAs and expectations)
4) Commit to a two education (take time to educate)
5) Practice joined-up thinking (work through the customer journey together)