Dear Dave:

I head up both sales and marketing in my company. I’m trying hard to close this important deal and can probably do it if I lower the price more.  However, my budget is tight. What if I re-allocate some money from my marketing budget to make up for the few points I’ll lose by lowering the price on the sale ?

Signed,

Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Dear VP:

Who is it that said desperate times call for desperate measures? I mean, this isn’t what I have in mind when I preach sales and marketing integration.

But the bottom line is: if the sale is important enough — not just to someone’s commission, but to your company’s viability — you will take whatever measures are necessary to get the deal done.

I guess that includes undermining the role of marketing, pissing off your marketing team, admitting that your sales team struggles to demonstrate the value of your products and services, and steering a new sales strategy as a discounter in your market. Okay, maybe that’s a little harsh. But it’s my sworn duty to defend marketing.

Yet for all I know, it’s marketing’s fault you’re in this position anyway. Maybe one of their nifty lead generation programs brought you this tightwad prospect in the first place.

Will this sale help float your company for the quarter? Gain a foothold in a new market? Establish credibility through a hot new reference account? The benefits have to outweigh the negatives. Only you can decide VP. And by the way, just because both the sales and marketing budgets are under your control, that doesn’t mean you’re re-allocating. You’re stealing. Or at best, borrowing from Peter to pay Paul.

For David Klein Marketing, I’m Dave