Marketing and sales: optimization of a neglected relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to establish the importance of good coordination between marketing and sales. It aims to examine the research conducted to date, the area of marketing and sales integration and provide guidance to help integrate these functional areas better in industrial marketing firms. The paper seeks to develop a research agenda to continue this research. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 21 interviews were collected through the use of qualitative research techniques and intensive interviews. The interactions between marketing and sales were modeled for during the marketing management process and the sales management process. Research limitations/implications – More extensive sample surveys need to be conducted. Exploratory findings should be tested and possible situational differences identified. Practical implications – Several required actions were identified for management. These fall into three categories: organizational design; communication; and human resources management. The primary suggestions are to make sure: product management functions effectively as a coordination mechanism; there is central coordination; the organizational structure is customer‐centric; communication is timely and of high quality; and everyone in sales and marketing has an appreciation of the other role. Originality/value – The research provides one of the earliest efforts to examine this important area from an empirical perspective and provide guidance to marketing and sales managers.