What do the best performing marketing teams have in common?

As we build out that team and put them into our Robotic Marketer company, we are continually re-evaluating what that mix looks like. Given that we definitely are a martech company, we know that people can no longer be just marketers but they also need to be technology experts.

Part of why I accepted an invitation to go to Adobe Summit as an Insider was for this very reason. Being in the room with 16,000 people all with different skills across the martech spectrum, is the ultimate platform to learn, grow and explore possibilities.

Adobe is a thought leader, an innovator and a company that wasn't afraid to reinvent themselves. A bit like a gigantic marketing department really. 

Right now, more so than ever before, marketing department and teams need to take a long hard look in the mirror, and that includes us. We not only need to ensure that we completely understand the vision of a company, sales and marketing goals, culture dynamics and financials, but also how our customer is changing, adapting, and wanting to be communicated with.

To reach the upper echelon of marketing success, one must draw upon all resources available including people in other teams that can help identify ways in which to better perform.

Everyone has someone to report to, even the founder of a business. If you don't have the acumen and know-how to report with confidence, then re-evaluation is required.

Research tells us that the best performing marketing teams do have things in common. They are traits and skills that form a combination to work seamlessly supporting sales initiatives and sales team, driving leads into the inbox's of inside sales, sales executives and sales managers hands.

The commonalities include:

Operational excellence: Marketing departments and teams that build structure and clarity around their purpose is instrumental in creating a powerful, results-driven marketing team. Providing every individual person with the right skills, development program, technologies and performance requirements, helps them work seamlessly in the team and contribute effectively.

Goals setting and ability to drive revenue: Marketing teams can not just be creative, or do 'their jobs'. They have to have goals set out for them and directly influence the revenue of the company. They have to have targets to reach and repercussions if they are not able to achieve the desired outcomes. Their job is to tie marketing spend to revenue outcome across channels. This takes discipline, efficiencies and the fostering of a culture of excellence. 

Digital transformation: Companies too focused on revenue without the investment in digital transformance will not survive. Old-school marketing is a dying breed and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. How we sold products and services before, is not how they will be sold in the future. Investing in powerful technology, ensuring that data drives marketing outcomes and ROI is essential. The ability to track marketing campaigns and determine exact return on investment gives clarity to the effectiveness of campaigns. 

Customer-centric organizations pivot faster than those looking in: In every conversation I have had with prospective clients in the past month, their focus has been on their own companies. How do we re-educate the client to put their customers first and foremost. By putting themselves in their customers shoes, they will be able to better understand the psychology of the client and what makes them buy your product over someone else's. The market changes rapidly, and competition is getting stronger, so using channels such as Zendesk or Jive to directly get feedback from you customer can be game-changing. 

Growth mindset: We always try and understand the psychological profile of each member of our team and evaluate what profiles work best together to produce higher results. It is important to try new things, but if you have a team with the mindset that by trying new things, even if it fails, will help them get closer to being successful, your team will take you places that you have never been before. A growth mindset where everyone has the same vision and the same set of values, driving their performance and that of their colleagues, can ensure that you not only reach your business goals, you exceed them. Everyone wants to be on a winning team and no-one really wants to feel the desperation that comes with a sinking ship. To keep this mindset in place is a challenge. It is something that companies need to invest in more. Having motivators and champions within your organization or bringing them in from the outside can ensure that this is not just a phase, but instrumental to your culture.