cw95

Sales Development Lead

Valued Contributor

Marketing taking Credit.

My company has a tricky scenario as my boss employed his daughter to be the 'Head of Marketing' so sometimes you can't say what you want to say due to the relationship and the favouritism on what would be the outcomes.

However, I noticed today on the 'MQL' spreadsheet for July and June that our marketing person is constantly taking credit for Sales hard work.

This doesn't mean meetings booked etc, what I mean is me and my colleagues find the companies/contacts, work hard, marketing send one email/campaign and that contact opens it so she classes it as an MQL which she then reports to the various boss's and ultimately to the board. This then in turn makes the board etc think marketing are doing really well when realistically, it's really not.

I do have a sense of loyalty towards my company as it's a small start up and I have been here a while, so I don't really want facts and figures to be made up as this will have a domino effect on how everyone works.

Does anyone have any advice on how to approach and address this issue without causing upset?

👑 Sales Strategy

16

31 comment

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BmajoR

Arsonist

3

Account Executive

Is it causing you to get negative attention? As in, you are getting scorned for not producing enough leads or whatever.

If it isn't affecting you negatively, I would just let it role and know that once again, marketing sucks ass and without the hard work of others, they would be out of a job.

cw95

Politicker

2

Sales Development Lead

So, it doesn't negatively effect me directly...but it's more so when we have company meetings and marketing is saying 'Us and sales did this and we got these meetings in' when really it's just sales...which makes it look like we are getting half our meetings from marketing activity which isn't true.

I'm just unsure whether to question those 'leads' in a professional way as to not pin someone down and make them look bad.

BmajoR

Arsonist

5

Account Executive

I would just steer clear of that mess, especially if the head of marketing is your boss's daughter. You will open Pandora's box otherwise.

Take solace in the fact that she'll never be good at her job unless daddy's the boss.

cw95

Politicker

2

Sales Development Lead

Sometimes it takes someone else to tell you those words for them to sink in. Thanks for that!

Ozz

Politicker

0

Account Executive

Yeah, unless she's cute then you should try and date her.

cw95

Politicker

0

Sales Development Lead

tried it, i'll send her your way

Sniper

Valued Contributor

0

Enterprise Account Executive

Thank you

Gyro25

Notorious Answer

3

Account Executive

What @opal said. I would suggest adding tags with your initials on your opps/lead sources if possible. That way she can't take credit for your work. I'm sure on sfdc, you're able to do that.

cw95

Politicker

0

Sales Development Lead

That's also sound advice - we have a drop down box on hubspot for 'Where it came from' and it's clear she puts it as either marketing or 'mixed pool' to add some mystery. I always change it back but I think I will pin a note on the contact/company to say when it was added etc. Cheers!

Gyro25

Notorious Answer

1

Account Executive

Yup, Lead source= Opal, time= XYZ, first call/email = xyz. We have sales loft, so every first touch is publicly viewable.

cw95

Politicker

1

Sales Development Lead

Thanks mate!

CaneWolf

Politicker

1

Call me what you want, just sign the damn contract

Unsubscribe the contacts from marketing campaigns when you upload them as well.

cw95

Politicker

0

Sales Development Lead

Unless I am being stupid, can you do this in Hubspot? I know you can opt them out of emails but I don't think I have seen that option?

CaneWolf

Politicker

1

Call me what you want, just sign the damn contract

I don't know about Hubspot. We use Salesforce to handle that. But opt them out of emails and then handle the emails from your email account.

cw95

Politicker

0

Sales Development Lead

That's true, will be doing that tomorrow! Thanks!

poweredbycaffeine

WR Lieutenant

1

☕️

What's the current rule of engagement or SOP around what qualifies as an SQL vs MQL? The fact is, that might be an MQL based on your current playbook. Any more context for us?

cw95

Politicker

0

Sales Development Lead

So, if I find a contact/company and then send emails/ring etc etc and get them in for a meeting and it's all qualified then great, brilliant, that's my hard work.

However, 70% of the time, I/we find companies and contacts and work on it for marketing to randomly send campaigns - sometimes the same day you've just had a convo with them - as they don't say when they are going to send them out. From this, due to the contact being 'warm' they are going to open the marketing campaign which they then class as an MQL?

We have just hired two new people into my team and they are already asking where the marketing leads are coming from which is rather refreshing to hear, so I get why marketing want to boost their stats but equally, it's not there work that it's coming from.

I could email you to have a meeting and they will then send a pointless email which you will open due to our convo and then it's classed that you are now an MQL. I then follow through and qualify them from my work and marketing say it's purely down to that campaign.

RedLightning

Politicker

1

Mid-Market AE

Sounds infuriating. Have you tried talking to her 1:1?

cw95

Politicker

0

Sales Development Lead

Genuinely have...I always ask 'Can you not send anything to new companies I have added until maybe two weeks'. She agrees and then just does the opposite. It's most frustrating when I call someone and they are interested but lets say haven't got time to have the meeting tomorrow, they then get marketing material and then I see from marketing performance that they've unsubscribed. I get it, I get she has to back herself, but realistically it's very counterproductive.

RedLightning

Politicker

1

Mid-Market AE

You seem really level headed about it. Be more firm, the companies you're adding are sales ready. So sales works them, not marketing

RedLightning

Politicker

1

Mid-Market AE

does she have other exp? Aside from being your bosses daughter, what would she say qualifies her?

cw95

Politicker

0

Sales Development Lead

To be honest with you, and I do understand you haven't a clue about her nor my company which I appreciate...but no, she has a background in stats and analytics but no 'Real' marketing experience.

cw95

Politicker

0

Sales Development Lead

I think I have to take the approach of when she says 'YAY this came through marketing" I have to then go 'Oh really? Ah fair, no, I worked on this but good on you' just to give that bit of...subtle disagreement.

cw95

Politicker

0

Sales Development Lead

You are right though, I should be more firm!

RedLightning

Politicker

1

Mid-Market AE

Yeah, be way more firm. She should lean into her stats background. She should look at who your current customers are, find some kind of statistical profile : ie industry, company size, department headcount, etc.

From there, she should create email campaigns. Unless she does her own list building, you're just going to be double attributing everything. Statistics is a pretty useful background for marketing to have

TheMatador19

Member

1

Head of Sales

You should be able to tag leads as you pull them in. Depending on your CRM, it could be easy. That way, even if categorized as BS MQLs, you'll have the tag that says where they really originated.

GDO

Politicker

1

BDM

Typical marketing behaviour. Collect the clear cases for when the bubble bursts.

Blackwargreymon

Politicker

1

MDR

Unsubscribe the contacts from marketing campaigns when you upload them as well.

Clashingsoulsspell

Politicker

1

ISR

Unsubscribe the contacts from marketing campaigns when you upload them as well.

eman

Politicker

0

Account Executive

Don't sweat it. Close the deal

MR.StretchISR

Politicker

0

ISR

Is it causing you to get negative attention? As in, you are getting scorned for not producing enough leads or whatever.

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