When I say three peas in a pod I think about partnerships, synergy, and collaboration. So then why, when I layer in the branding, marketing, and sales, do most people turn to me and say, oh no, there is very little collaboration, teams work in silos, communication breakdown exists, and there seems to be a lack of integration? Here’s a great article I want to share on breaking down the silo mentality. It is positioned as one of the top agenda items for Senior Leader’s today as they enter new roles within organizations.
The synergy between these three business units is extremely important and sometimes not prioritized. The three divisions should be working together in harmony. It starts with the alignment on the brand promise and leveraging the value of that proposition to supply a foundation to the other areas with “fuel” for add value content to have purpose for their work. The brand team defines the vision and brand promise. They educate this vision to Marketing, who in turn articulates this purpose, and executes it across all the appropriate channels, both internally and externally. This is then looped back to sales who own the delivery of this message across the organization, to customers and clients.
When we see a breakdown between these areas of business, regardless of industry, some of the common tracked results include but are not limited to:
1. Decreased employee engagement
2. Increased inefficiencies in cost and time
3. Duplication of work
If one of the loops break or the communication falters, the house will fall.
Here’s a great article from Perception Dynamics on defining the silo mentality and articulating the consequences:
So, what should you be keeping in mind as you look to move towards a more collaborative and integrated partnership with your Brand, Marketing, and Sales teams? Here are some of the goals I recommend you think about:
1. Create and integrate your brand promise ensuring that it has value and purpose both internally and externally
2. Create an omni-channel vision and strategy
3. Drive engagement and revenue through your promise and strategy
There are some great case studies on successfully removing silos. Gillian Tett, award winning Financial Times writer wrote a great blog sharing some of the best in class including, Cleveland Clinic and Facebook. Here is a link to his work:
If you have questions and want to chat more about cross-channel integration or building strength on your teams don’t hesitate to reach out! Until next….
