Inside the 90™ Episode #29 - Aligning Sales and Marketing: Lessons from Both Sides of the Table

This episode explores the often-misaligned relationship between sales and marketing, breaking down the causes, phases, and solutions for better collaboration. The hosts—one coming from a sales background, the other from marketing—discuss how alignment changes based on a company's growth stage, why it's so hard to measure ROI in marketing, and how tools like EOS’s Proven Process and the VTO can create harmony across teams. Packed with practical stories and strategic insights, this is a guide for founders, agency leaders, and growth-stage teams trying to sync their messaging, leads, and long-term goals.

Key Topics
The definition and interdependence of sales and marketing.
Aligning sales and marketing through EOS tools like the VTO and Proven Process.
Growth stages: seeker → starter → builder → grower → giver.
Marketing as more than just lead gen—brand, awareness, internal alignment.
Experimental vs. systematic sales approaches.
Why tracking ROI takes 18+ months.
Missteps: promoting top reps to sales leaders, splitting the functions too soon.
Importance of empathy, shared vision, and aligned metrics.

Key Chapters
00:00 – Sales couch vs. marketing chair: kicking off the tension.
01:20 – What does sales really need from marketing?
03:00 – When to turn on marketing: before or after product-market fit?
05:45 – Seeker to starter: why selling comes before scaling.
09:00 – The buyer’s journey and why marketing takes time.
13:00 – Using EOS's Proven Process as a unifying framework.
17:00 – Marketing’s role in experimentation and brand consistency.
22:00 – Marketing vs. lead gen: defining and separating the two.
27:00 – Sales reacting without marketing: broken expectations.
30:00 – Collateral control and the shared role of storytelling.
35:00 – Tech stack, CRM, and the 18-month maturity window.
40:00 – Brick-by-brick: aligning growth stages with infrastructure.
44:00 – Common pitfalls: rushing ROI, promoting top reps, wrong expectations.
46:00 – Final take: Smart work takes time. Trust the process.