Have you ever wondered why marketing teams seem disconnected from the immediate sales crunch? As a former CMO at a restaurant tech company, I learned firsthand that this apparent disconnect isn't a bug – it's a feature. While sales teams live in the now, marketing teams must live in the future, and there's a good reason for that.
Picture this: It's the monthly pipeline review meeting. The sales leadership team is sweating over end-of-month numbers, turning to marketing with that familiar plea: "What can you do to help us hit our targets?" My response was always the same, and it usually raised eyebrows: "Nothing. We're done for this month. Let's talk about next quarter instead."
Harsh? Maybe. But it's the reality of how marketing operates. Unless you're running a product-led company where customers buy without human interaction, marketing isn't in the business of closing deals. We're the architects of tomorrow's pipeline, plotting multiple paths for lead generation and market education.
Think of marketing as a farmer planting crops. You can't plant seeds today and expect to harvest tomorrow. Our programs – whether they're paid advertising campaigns, SEO optimization efforts, content marketing, or trade show activations – need time to germinate and grow.
Here's what "living in the future" actually looks like in practice: First, we create programs. This isn't a solo effort; it typically involves multiple team members and outside resources collaborating on everything from email drip sequences to industry research reports. It's like orchestrating a complex symphony where every instrument needs to play its part perfectly.
Then comes the optimization phase. We don't just launch programs at full throttle. Instead, we start "the machine" slowly, like test-driving a new car. We watch how it performs, make adjustments based on real data, and fine-tune until everything runs smoothly. Only then do we start scaling up.
But here's the tricky part: every marketing program has its limits. Think of it like fishing in a pond. At first, you might catch lots of fish easily, but eventually, the returns start diminishing. These scaling limits aren't static either – what works brilliantly this month might fall flat the next. That's why marketing teams need to constantly develop new programs and campaigns on a quarterly basis.
This is precisely why marketing can't help with this month's sales targets. We're already working on programs that will generate leads three, six, or even twelve months down the line. And interestingly, this forward-looking approach often makes marketing better at predicting future sales numbers than the sales team itself. In my experience, our pipeline metrics were consistently more accurate in forecasting revenue.
The next time your sales team is pushing for immediate results from marketing, remember: marketing lives in the future because that's where the real value is created. We're not here to close today's deals – we're here to make sure there are plenty of deals to close tomorrow.
Understanding this fundamental difference between sales and marketing isn't just about managing expectations – it's about appreciating how these two crucial functions complement each other. Sales closes the deals of today, while marketing builds the pipeline of tomorrow. That's why it's called marketing, not sales.
The key to success? Let marketing live in the future while sales conquers the present. After all, someone needs to be thinking about next quarter while you're closing this month's deals.
Need an experienced team to build your strategy and help build your future? Reach out today.
