Integrating Your Sales and Marketing Teams with Michael McMillan
In Episode 13 of the Lion’s Share Marketing Podcast, Michael McMillan discusses the need for businesses to integrate their sales and marketing teams. Mike begins by sharing some of his background and experiences that led him to develop a strategy that has proven successful in integrating two seemingly opposing departments and getting them to work together to generate more revenue.
Michael McMillan is the founder and CEO of Dream CSX, which is a combination of an outsourcing service provider as well as an artificial intelligence house that uses technology to eliminate call center support agents. DreamCSX reduces costs for clients while simultaneously increasing revenues, customer experience, and engagement.
Mike explains that companies often have a hard time getting marketing and sales teams on the same page. He goes on to explain that this is because they perform completely different tasks. While the marketing team works on where the company wants to go next, the sales team works on where the company is currently at. Mike comments that one way to remedy the lack of integration between the teams is by exposing the teams to what the other is doing and helping them understand how dependent they are on one another.
In addition to marketing qualified leads and sales qualified leads, there are also referral leads. Mike shares one of the greatest lessons he ever learned from one of his mentors: “You don’t have to spend money to make money.” Mike explains that this is true for referrals; he has discovered that something as simple as sending handwritten cards to clients can increase referrals at a higher rate than offering discounts ever could.
Join Kyle and Tyler in this conversation with Mike about processes and the strategies to integrate the marketing and sales teams. Listen in to get some helpful tips on how to track progress and KPIs, as well as discover the best way to track progress in different departments while creating a collaborative culture within your company.
Time Stamps
00:00 – Joke | Pirate's Favorite Content
00:46 – Episode Welcome
00:53 – Co-hosts Introduction
02:28 – What’s in the News Today | "Why Facebook and Google Want to Market Your Reputation Online"
10:26 – Featured Guest Introduction | Mike McMillan
10:36 – What is DreamCSX?
11:19 – Mike's Background
14:36 – How to get marketing and sales teams on the same page
17:48 – Sales Qualified Leads VS Marketing Qualified Leads
25:34 – How to Track Results
28:27 – Tips to Install Collaborative Culture
30:21 – How DreamCSX helps clients optimize customer experience
33:17 – Advice for someone running marketing and sales departments
37:10 – What to outsource first, and what to keep in-house
39:12 – Episode Key Takeaway
42:15 – Stay Connected with Mike McMillan
43:14 – Closing Comments
43:49 – Episode Outro
Featured Guests
Michael McMillan - Chief Dreamer, Founder, & CEO of DreamCSX
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michaelcmcmillan
Website: dreamcsx.com
Resources
Chron - "Why Facebook and Google Want to Market Your Reputation Online"
Robert Cialdini Books
Lion’s Share Marketing Podcast
Music
Intro Music – Colony House – Buy “2:20” on iTunes
Outro Music – Skillet – Buy “Lions” on iTunes