On any given day, the sales and product teams play by different rules. Little attention is paid to their separation, which seems only natural.
There go the tech people—new features, roadmaps, etc.
The smooth talkers sit on the other side of the room, perhaps even on a different floor.
Despite their inherent differences and business functions, these two teams have one major thing in common: they both live and die by numbers, whether it’s leads versus lag or dollars versus downloads.
Sales, meet product. Product, meet sales. Before we look at how these two teams can work together, let’s look at how they function independently of each other.
The Sales Team: Beyond Closing Deals
Results, results, results. More so than any other team, the sales team is results-oriented.
Unlike other teams, if certain goals aren’t met, it directly impacts their bank accounts and livelihoods. That means they depend more on a good product than the product team.
Modern sales teams have moved away from closing more deals to closing the right deals. The commercial conversation in 2016 was honest and helpful. That’s why the sales team needs to know exactly what’s happening in the product. Sales must be aligned with the product lifecycle to set accurate expectations for their prospects.
Effective sales team management is crucial to achieving this alignment between sales and the product lifecycle. A well-managed sales team is more equipped to adapt to the market's evolving demands and the specific needs of its prospects. This is where the right tools and strategies come into play. A comprehensive guide on managing a sales team using Close CRM can be found here.
The Product Team: More Than Features
The product team is always in the hot seat. They are at the intersection (and sometimes in the crossfire) of tech, marketing, and business.
The best product managers comprehensively understand each of these areas and allow for open communication between them all. Ultimately, their job is to apply the appropriate filters and separate vanity from value, delivering a stronger and more sustainable product.
The product team has all the data they need. Sure, this data is indicative of which features are being used, but it comes with restrictions and limitations and doesn’t always paint the full picture.
Yes, analytics will show if and when a certain feature is used. What analytics data doesn’t show is the intention behind using it or the expectations of that feature. Some users might even be using a feature for a completely different reason than it was initially built for.
In the worst-case scenario, this might guide product development down the wrong path and waste resources, time, and money. In the best-case scenario, a better product will be built.
How Listening to User Feedback Led to a Unicorn
Take Instagram, for example. What eventually became the world’s most popular photo-sharing app started as something completely different. In its early days, the founders built a check-in service called Burbn.
In one pivotal meeting, Kevin Systrom and his team switched focus from check-ins to photo sharing. Having paid close attention to user feedback, they threw out one year’s worth of work and put all their efforts into the part of the product the users were committed to—photos. Eight weeks later, Instagram was born.
How much is paying attention to user feedback worth? In Instagram’s case, 1 billion dollars.
Working Together: Go from Confrontation to Collaboration
Understanding what should be built and when is the core responsibility of the product team. However, answering the question, “Who is this product being built for?” is a company-wide responsibility that each company member can contribute to.
This is where sales come in. Salespeople receive countless rejections from prospects daily, and they are at the forefront of feedback.
Sales can use qualitative data from live chats, product demos, calls, and in-person meetings to provide the product with an important perspective. The product might have raw data, but sales have raw feedback straight from prospects.
Sales: Always Question, Never Overpromise
Your conversations with prospects should strike a healthy balance between what the product looks like today and what the vision is for the future.
Taking the visionary aspect too far will put unnecessary pressure on the product team. It might also reflect poorly on the sales team, as those promised features might not be implemented after all.
What should you do instead?
Ask questions. Figure out the real need behind the feature request and whether it's a dealbreaker or can be solved with a workaround.
Product: Break the Bubble, Get out of Your Comfort Zone
It’s convenient for product teams to stay in their comfort zones. It might be fear of failure, but it might be a lack of insight.
With sales directly sharing customer feedback with the product team, you can ensure that you keep moving, always striving to serve your market better and faster. Sales teams bring customer-generated ideas, and product teams validate those ideas.
Think Market, Not Customer
A salesperson might have the same conversation with a dozen prospects within a week. They’re all asking for the same feature, and without this feature, the deal is off the table. Anyone can understand the rep's frustration, especially if they hear the same objection repeatedly.
This is when many salespeople run over to the product and say, “We need this feature NOW.” Helpful? Not at all.
When salespeople request certain product features, the manager should explain, “No, we’re not going to build this feature, and I’m gonna tell you why.” Saying “no” is part of building a well-defined product.
If there’s friction between product and sales teams, there’s a simple solution to get them both on the same page. Forget about features, funnels, and follow-ups.
Instead, look at the big picture: the overall business objectives. At the end of the day, that is what everyone should be working toward, regardless of opinions, beliefs, or team shirts.
Your Office Could be a Gold Mine Full of Insight
Look around you. No matter what kind of product you’re building, chances are “real users” are in the same office.
In the early days of Close, we sat right next to our target audience: our salespeople. At an early-stage startup, it’s easy to start working on the wrong problems. At Close, we had the opportunity to code our product while our core users were using it.
Our sales team used Close to manage the entire sales process from start to finish. This allowed us to quickly identify pain points and tackle issues through our in-house feedback loop.
Having daily access to our core users provided us with incredible insights. It helped us simplify workflows and evaluate the product much faster than if we hadn’t shared the same space.
As our very own Phil Freo pointed out, “Startups often build software based on a limited understanding of problems, or in the best cases based on their own past experiences, but they remain disconnected from real users during most of the development process.”
Harness the feedback, and stay connected to your users.
The Feedback Funnel: All it Takes is One Email
Most people sigh when they hear the word “process.” The word has a bad reputation and is often associated with bottlenecks, frustrations, and delays.
However, a process doesn’t have to mean spreadsheets, database entries, and multiple sign-offs. It can simply be a conversation. Replace “process” with “communication,” and instantly, we’re on friendlier terms.
Here’s what you can do:
- Start the conversation: How do the teams normally function? How do they normally communicate? What does each team’s routine look like? Figure out how to integrate sales-to-product feedback into the existing team culture in a way that doesn't disrupt the current workflow. In plain English: Get to know each other.
- Establish rules: You’ve opened the lines of communication. Now, it’s time to make sure those lines stay uncluttered. Setting boundaries will allow for more effective communication. A good first rule is to establish and stick to common terminology that everyone should use to make sure everyone is communicating clearly.
- Keep it simple but consistent: Make sure it happens, whether it’s a weekly or monthly email, daily huddle, or meeting. No excuses.
- Trial and error: Depending on the size of the teams and the existing structure, it will take some time to figure out the new dynamic. Be flexible. Be patient.
It’s all about involving the right people in the right way at the right time. And guess what? If nothing else, one email is all it takes.
Sales and Product, Better Together
Every team within a company has a unique function. Despite this, they’re all dependent on each other. Collaboratively, they can work toward long-term business goals and achieve better results. This is old news.
How they can do this is the tricky bit. While each company has its setup, a few ground rules will pave the way toward success. Let’s recap:
- Establish a process that works for both teams
- Set clear boundaries
- Stay mindful—you both have the same end-game
- Keep educating each other as products and strategies change and evolve
Remember, what works right now is not going to work forever. As the product goes through its lifecycle, the relationship between the sales and product teams must develop and evolve with the business.
There’s always more to learn, and new and better ways of working together will emerge. As long as both teams support each other and understand and respect each other’s purpose, you will achieve better results and numbers together.
