Early in my career, I believed that we could solve any problem for the organization if we just found the exact right branding approach. After all, great branding connected with the prospects’ hopes and desires. If we nurtured that fundamental and powerful connection, then everything else would follow.

I learned that this thinking was good in theory but not always in practice. 

Often, a disconnect would arise between marketing and sales. The problem was that branding was thinking about where the market was going. Sales was trying to close the deal today.

Neither was wrong. But the disconnect led to a lot of turmoil.

Finding the elusive common ground

As a branding and marketing person, it is easy to say this is not our problem. Sales just needs to get on board.

That works about as well as you would imagine.

There is a more productive approach. Turn to your customers and really listen to what they are saying. Understand why they were drawn to you and why they ultimately engaged with you. Two things will happen:

1. You’ll hear what is important to them. Which may surprise the branding folks or the sales folks. Or both.

2. You’ll have concrete proof that can guide your approach that closes sales today and nurtures bigger opportunities in the future.

The case study – an underappreciated hero

A case study is the vehicle that can help you take advantage of all that valuable customer insight.

It’s unique in that it sits somewhere in between sales and branding/marketing. It’s not quite a sales tool like a detailer or sales sheet. And it’s viewed as one of those second (or third) tier tactics by branding and marketing.

But there is something unique about a case study. It is the one tool co-created by sales and marketing. Sales engages the customer to agree to do the case study. Marketing does the interview and creates the final piece. This creates ownership on both sides. That is important because having ownership means there is more of a  chance of it being used. By both sides.

Marketing can reference the case study in any outbound efforts. I see it used a lot as supporting proof that is offered as a download. But a case study also can yield a collection of customer quotes that can be used across the website and more.

Sales can use the case studies as a pre-meeting warmer to set the stage. Or sent after a meeting to reinforce the pitch. And much more.

So, yeah. Sometimes it’s not a branding problem. But rather than shrugging it off as a sales problem, maybe it’s time to bridge the divide by working on something that could help address the challenge. Maybe it’s time to get with your sales colleagues and create something you’ll both feel good about.