Whenever I ask this question at a meeting, I get affirmations from all the marketing types. The sales people shoot back with, “But those leads aren’t any good.”

Can they both be right? Actually, yes. In many cases, the leads that marketing sends are not sales ready or even warmed up. They may be potential customers who dropped by a tradeshow exhibit, sent in a BRC, called an 800 number or clicked something online. They may be somewhat interested in learning more about your product or company, but most likely they will need lots of nurturing before a sale is made.

So, here’s my question:

The good news is that we can all stop the finger pointing and get the sales and marketing departments singing Kumbaya. All that’s needed is a good marketing communications strategy, technology (CRM and marketing automation), implementation of an effective demand gen program, and a willingness by management to get everyone focused on results—both short and long-term.