Getting sales and marketing to work together
Logistics company Maersk is one of the market leaders in maritime transport. One of the company’s key success factors is the digital transformation of its business. Sales and marketing play an essential role in this process. Their proper integration makes it possible to build comprehensive logistics.
According to Maersk’s Kim Pedersen, the turning point for the company was the pandemic. The impact of COVID-19 forced a rethinking of the implementation of standard operations to make them more efficient. This was particularly true of customer interactions.
Effectively merging marketing and sales in the digital age
It is worth noting that Maersk started implementing digital transformation strategies a few months before the pandemic. However, when it hit, the experts knew they had made the right decision. The company focused not on assets but on customers, of which there were 70,000 at the time. Petersen and his team developed a new approach to customer service and communication. In this way, specialists got to know their customers and their needs better.
Based on this, the company expanded its service offering. The marketers paid particular attention to creating customised logistics solutions that were flexible and scalable. This would allow the customer to respond quickly to market changes and control processes.
By combining sales expertise and marketing efforts, it was possible to:
- implement new digital solutions to improve efficiency;
- make the supply chain more transparent;
- improve customer service;
- provide them with a wide range of tools.
In addition, the new approach has helped establish a productive dialogue between consumers and the company. As a result, Maersk regularly improves its products to best meet customers’ needs.
Another benefit of integrating the two areas is the opportunity to leverage each other’s expertise. For example, practical approaches in B2B sales can yield excellent results when implemented in B2C. In addition, specialists can rethink traditional approaches and improve them based on their colleagues’ knowledge.
Marketers’ view
A number of marketers have a negative attitude toward business line mergers. Their main argument is that creativity cannot flow. However, the Maersk example shows a different result. During the integration of marketing and sales processes, the company launched the campaign “Connecting the World in a New Way”. The campaign delivered excellent results. Both existing customers and new audiences responded well to it. The company has shown that sales and marketing can work together effectively.
The company is not resting on its laurels and is improving its processes. Maersk’s focus is on implementing digital solutions to optimise business challenges.
