There are four distinct phases that an entrepreneur will go through: launch, expand, optimize, and scale. While the time frame for each phase is different for many entrepreneurs, the objective is to get through these phases as quickly as possible to have a scalable business.

Whether you are new to your marketing role or have been leading marketing teams forever, you have probably built an overwhelming list of marketing duties and responsibilities wondering where to start.

I would suggest that you always start with your highest order objective, and for most marketing leaders that objective is to identify and qualify prospects for your company’s solution. Every decision should align with that goal to ensure that your marketing team, the sales team, and the overall company are successful.

You may have noticed there are hundreds of marketing technology products out there. So, how do you differentiate these tools to ensure you are building the most effective marketing technology stack?

To answer this question, you need to take inventory:

One of the best lessons that marketing managers can apply to leading their team comes from all-time great college basketball coach John Wooden.

Coach Wooden, who was the most successful college basketball coach of all-time, famously stressed the importance of being calm under pressure. This put him in a position of strength leading his team, not reacting to opponents.

One of the best tactics for marketing managers to help your company gain a competitive advantage is focusing on how to manage and grow your marketing database.

Why is this? According to a recent research report on how companies are managing data, only 57 percent of surveyed companies say they have the right data skills and resources available to act upon their information. That means you have an opportunity to out-compete nearly half of your competitors by supercharging your database.

When your company is looking to generate more revenue, consider a professional sales development program to generate leads and set up the sales team for success.

What are the benefits of this program? Research from The Marketo Definitive Guide to Leads Qualification and Sales Development lists the following results:

At one point in my professional career, I worked under the VP of Sales who famously told the sales organization: “This is the most important quarter of our lives.” It was famous because he said it every quarter … and he was right!

The leader of any sales department or organization is under immense pressure. That comes with a feeling that every quarter could be their last quarter.

In the unique world of sales and marketing, one of the newer industry roles is a Sales Development Team or Sales Development Representatives (SDRs). Many organizations that are adding a Sales Development Team are debating internally where these individuals should sit within their organization: the Sales or Marketing department?

There are different schools of thought about this newer function in the sales process. At ProSales Connection, we have our way of thinking that might surprise you.

Marketing leaders, you need to understand and care about four important sales metrics. Perhaps you operate under the assumption that once you hand-off the marketing function to the sales team, your job is over; now it’s up to Sales to complete the process of closing a deal.

Sure, you could operate with that mindset and not focus on important sales metrics for marketers. But, that will lead to two different results. One is limiting the revenue potential of your company. The second is limiting your career advancement.

The relationship between the sales and marketing teams can easily be strained in any size company. It just takes one poor follow-up with a qualified lead or the marketing team not understanding what the sales team needs for the relationship to fracture.

Usually the root issue is a lack of shared vision within the company. The marketing team is approaching leads with one objective in mind, while the sales team has a completely different objective when talking to prospects.