What is the purpose of marketing?

I love this definition of marketing by John Coe, "the job of marketing is to develop a lead generation system that matches the readiness of the buyer with the expectations of the sales person."

At our Indianapolis ad agency, Element Three, you will hear us talk a lot about the importance of sales and marketing integration. I think the definition above speaks clearly to the value of that integration.

As we create successful marketing plans for clients, we have to have an astute understanding of how the customer moves through the buying process. The prospect must feel as if there is a match pace with the sales person they are working with. They cannot feel pulled through the sales funnel.

Additionally, when looking at marketing integration with the sales cycle, we must have a sense for how many leads the sales group can realistically handle. We don't want leads having a poor brand experience because we didn't meet the expectations of the sales person.

How is your organization doing? Are the disciplines of sales and marketing clear about how they should be linked and integrated?