11 Dec 2024
5-minute read
Green Truffle believes that commercial success can only be achieved when sales and marketing are pulling in the same direction, however it’s all too easy for misalignments to create tension between the two. People who have successfully bridged the gap are not that common, but we know that learning to understand both sales and marketing can help bring them together and deliver greater results.
Dodo-Leonie Husmann is a Director of Global Key Account Management in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. Before transitioning into her first sales role in early 2024, she served as Head of Marketing for a global pharmaceutical supplier, leading the marketing and communication strategy for carving out a business unit into a standalone brand, which culminated in its successful listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Dodo has a Masters in Strategic Marketing as well as an MBA from Frankfurt School of Finance and Management; we caught up with her to hear about her experience of crossing the sales and marketing divide.
Hi Dodo, welcome to Green Truffle!
Thank you for having me, it’s really nice to have the opportunity to step back for a moment and reflect on my career and what I’ve learned so far.
So tell us, what initially attracted you to a career in marketing?
During my bachelor’s degree I explored various fields including supply chain, finance, operations, sales, and marketing. Marketing stood out to me because it combines creative and strategic thinking - an area where many struggle, but I found my passion.
Which areas of marketing have brought you the most joy and success?
I started out at Ferrero in brand management, where I learned a lot about the importance of understanding your consumer and how important market research is to launch a successful product. After that, I took a leap of faith and transitioned to B2B marketing, where I stayed for six years. B2B marketing is far more complex than many realise, with long sales cycles and management often less familiar with marketing, so advocating for resources and a seat at the table can be challenging. However, once you prove your value as a marketing team, you gain significant autonomy to make a real impact.
So what was the biggest impact you made as a marketer?
In my last role as Head of Marketing, I was able to turn around the perception of the marketing function in front of top management, taking us from being seen as a support function to leading the corporate agenda within a year. It was really incredible to have the CEO on your side as a marketer. My absolute highlight was helping to bring a newly carved-out business unit to the Frankfurt stock exchange, which was the biggest IPO in 2023.
How did you manage to influence senior colleagues to get their buy-in for marketing?
Marketing is all about knowing your audience, and these skills apply just as much internally as externally. I found that getting my CEO on board meant I needed to be able to speak their language, which was less about brand value, content and channels and much more about numbers, statistics, and impact. Another topic close to my heart is personal branding. As the head of marketing, you need to position yourself as a leader and stand for something, and I think LinkedIn is a great channel to promote yourself and your agenda.
Given your success as a marketer, why did you decide to move into sales?
From the very start of my marketing career I made it a priority to include sales in marketing conversations. At the time, I didn’t fully realise how crucial their input is for converting leads into customers. Now that I’m in sales, I see even more clearly that gaining sales buy-in is one of the most important responsibilities of a marketing leader. It’s essential for bridging the gap between strategy and execution.
What was the biggest learning curve for you in making the switch?
When I transitioned into sales, it took less than four months for me to realise that I never truly understood our customers when I was in marketing. I was shocked by the gaps in my knowledge and made a promise to myself: if I ever return to marketing, I’ll ensure that every marketer on my team gains first-hand experience in sales.
Which areas of sales do you think are the hardest to master?
In sales we often emphasise customer centricity, yet many sales professionals struggle to define what it truly means. This lack of clarity often permeates the organisation, leading to a default mindset of being product-led rather than genuinely customer-focused.
So how has your marketing background helped you to be more customer-focused in a sales role?
I’m leveraging my marketing background by focusing on creating compelling communications to my customers that resonate with them and have a clear call-to-action in mind. I know how to create content that converts, and in sales you have to convert, convert, convert!
What advice would you give to marketers who want to build better working relationships with sales?
Involving sales isn’t enough – you need to become sales. You have to experience wearing the sales hat, and if that means committing to a three-month job rotation, it’s absolutely worth it. I promise, you’ll never regret the insights and growth it brings.
So does it also follow that sales people would also benefit from spending time in a marketing role?
It’s interesting to me that I don’t feel the same way about advising salespeople to “become marketers” for three months. Honestly, many salespeople aren’t suited for marketing and the high level of creativity it demands. Instead, my advice to salespeople is this: be patient with marketing, and clearly communicate what you need and why. Don’t just throw something over the fence and expect results – marketing won’t know what to do with it. If you want meaningful support from marketing, start by being open with them and explaining what you’re trying to achieve.
If you were to give one top tip for getting sales and marketing to be more aligned, what would it be?
Sales teams should always invite marketing to their meetings, and kick off each one by brainstorming a comprehensive list of the challenges their customers are currently facing – whether it’s lead times, quality issues, declining sales, or anything else. Share these insights openly. Then, let marketing transform these problems into propositions and content that help solve them, creating value for both the sales team and their customers.
You can follow Dodo on LinkedIn here.