Sales & Marketing Alignment from Coursera

Welcome to Course 4 – Sales & Marketing Alignment.

This course focus on what is considered by most academics and practitioners as the biggest challenge that sales professionals have to face.

As we discussed in Course 1 – Effective Sales, strategy, and sales must be integrated to support a high potential for value creation through the sales functions. We also mentioned that strategy and sales integration can be supported by marketing functions.

The discussions then went through sales strategy supported by intelligence analysis (Course 2), sales models and frameworks to support sales planning (Course 3).

By the consequence, at this point of this specialization, you are in a good position to go further in the sales planning and management functions. And this is the moment to tackle one of the biggest challenges that most sales professionals must address with diligence – Sales & Marketing Alignment.

The primary learning outcome of this course is to prepare you to apply concepts to support this alignment, with prescriptions and recommendations that contribute to improving the alignment. The improvement in the knowledge, competencies, and skills regarding sales & marketing alignment will contribute to increasing the potential for value creation from a strategic sales planning approach.

What's inside

Syllabus

MODULE 1 - Marketing Principles for Strategic Planning

This module is aimed to deepen the discussion regarding marketing and strategy concepts. And these concepts play a critical role in the sales planning and management functions. A company's managers can perform this role smoothly; another company's managers may have limitations in this process. In the latter case, marketing and sales functions will be misaligned, which reduces the company's value creation potential through the sales. Therefore, this module initiates Course 4 with focus on the marketing foundations that relate to sales. The module's primary learning outcomes are - Improved understanding of the foundations of marketing and how they interact with sales; identify the interactions between marketing related variables and the sales functions; and improved knowledge and skills to support marketing planning through the sales team contributions in product development, pricing, place, and promotions.

Module 2 - Sales & Marketing Harmonization

Welcome to Sales & Marketing Harmonization module. The learning outcomes of this module are - Deeper awareness and understanding of the typical conflicts between marketing and sales; depicting the roots of the conflicts to support more accurate analyses to address them, and integrating the recommendations and prescriptions applicable to mitigate the conflicts' effects or to prevent them from occurring. In this module, you'll go further on the conceptual basis to improve the potential of value creation through the sales functions, by strengthening the cohesion of marketing and sales functions.

Module 3 - A Checklist On Sales & Marketing Integration

Welcome to A Checklist on Sales & Marketing Alignment Module. This module's learning outcomes are - Deepen the knowledge of sales & marketing alignment and business success, identifying the level of alignment and what are the gaps to be filled, and analyzing what to do to and implementing the actions to align sales and marketing. By the end of the module, you'll be able to do a critical analysis of the major issues between sales and marketing, identify the roots of the problems, and design alternative approaches to implement to mitigate the consequences and strengthen sales and marketing alignment.

Module 4 - Strategic Sales Management In Action – the journey goes on

Welcome to Applying Sales & Marketing Alignment Module. In this module, you'll develop a final assignment on the topics regarding sales & marketing alignment. And you'll do it on a real-life business case. The instructions for the final assignment bring the business case; the questions prompts to develop the analyses and the peer-review rubrics that you'll apply to evaluate another Learner's assignment. The primary learning outcome of this module is the design of actions and recommendations that support the alignment of sales & marketing.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Prepares learners for advanced sales management functions

Facilitates marketing planning with sales team contributions

Provides strategies to mitigate marketing and sales conflicts

Requires learners to have a strong foundation in marketing and strategy

Focuses on the alignment of sales and marketing, a critical challenge for sales professionals

Course is taught by Cesar Rodrigues, who has expertise in sales and marketing

Reviews summary

Effective sales & marketing alignment

Learners say Sales & Marketing Alignment is an exceptional course that provides engaging assignments. Students remark that the course is highly informative with great instructors. The readings are current to the industry and the course content well received.

Course topics are up-to-date.

"Such a nice experience to use in your daily job in marketing and sales!"

"All readings shared during this course are updated in comparison to the current working environment."

Instructors are excellent.

"Mr Cesar is a great Teacher."

"Professor Cesar Rodrigues teaches this course magnificently"

"I am glad to complete the module through this online university and it has given me further motivation to take up additional course which will enhance my skills"

Coursework is engaging.

"it's awesome course!!!!"

"The pricing read was so interesting! Thanks!"

"The peer assignment which will help you in knowing different perspectives from candidates across the world. "

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Sales & Marketing Alignment with these activities:

Marketing Fundamentals Review

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Refreshing your knowledge of marketing fundamentals will help you understand the role of marketing in sales and marketing alignment.

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Review the 4 Ps of marketing (product, price, place, promotion).
Review the different types of marketing channels.

Statistics Review

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Refreshing your statistics skills will help you analyze data about marketing and sales performance and make better decisions about alignment.

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Review the basics of statistics, including concepts such as mean, median, mode, and standard deviation.

Principles of Marketing

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Reading this book will give you a strong foundation in marketing principles, which will provide a strong base for understanding the alignment between sales and marketing.

View Marketing Management, Global Edition on Amazon

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Read the book and take notes on the key concepts.
Summarize the book and create a mind map of the key concepts.

Five other activities

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Sales and Marketing Alignment Discussion

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Engaging in discussions with your peers will challenge your understanding of sales and marketing alignment and provide alternative perspectives.

Browse courses on Marketing

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Prepare discussion points on the topic of sales and marketing alignment.
Join a discussion group and actively participate in the discussions.

Marketing Case Studies

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Perform exercises by applying principles to case studies, which will help you apply marketing concepts in practical scenarios present in the real world.

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Identify a relevant marketing case study.
Analyze the case study and identify the marketing principles used.
Discuss the effectiveness of the marketing strategies used.

Sales and Marketing Infographic

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Creating an infographic will help you synthesize and present information about sales and marketing alignment in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand format.

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Gather data on the topic of sales and marketing alignment.
Design an infographic that presents the data in a clear and concise way.

Marketing Plan Analysis

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By critically evaluating marketing plans, you will gain valuable insights into how marketing strategies are developed, which will greatly improve your understanding of how sales and marketing can be aligned.

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Select a marketing plan from a company.
Analyze the marketing plan and identify the strategies used.
Write a report that evaluates the effectiveness of the marketing plan.

Sales and Marketing Alignment Project

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Carrying out a project on sales and marketing alignment will give you hands-on experience in addressing challenges and developing strategies to improve alignment.

Browse courses on Sales and Marketing

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Identify a real-world case related to sales and marketing alignment.
Develop a plan to improve the sales and marketing alignment.
Implement the plan and track the results.
Create a report that analyzes the results and provides insights.

Career center

Learners who complete Sales & Marketing Alignment will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Marketing Manager

A Marketing Manager is responsible for developing and executing marketing campaigns to promote a company's products or services. This course may be useful in helping you develop the skills necessary to be successful in this role, such as how to conduct market research, develop marketing strategies, and manage marketing budgets.

See salaries and explore the career path for Marketing Manager

Sales Manager

A Sales Manager is responsible for leading and motivating a team of sales representatives to achieve sales goals. This course may be useful in helping you develop the skills necessary to be successful in this role, such as how to create and implement sales strategies, manage customer relationships, and build a strong sales team.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sales Manager

Marketing Analyst

A Marketing Analyst is responsible for analyzing marketing data to understand consumer behavior and market trends. This course may be useful in helping you develop the skills necessary to be successful in this role, such as how to collect and analyze data, interpret data, and make recommendations based on data.

See salaries and explore the career path for Marketing Analyst

Product Manager

A Product Manager is responsible for managing the development and launch of new products or services. This course may be useful in helping you develop the skills necessary to be successful in this role, such as how to conduct market research, develop product roadmaps, and manage product launches.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Manager

Business Development Manager

A Business Development Manager is responsible for identifying and developing new business opportunities for a company. This course may be useful in helping you develop the skills necessary to be successful in this role, such as how to network with potential clients, develop sales proposals, and close deals.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Development Manager

Market Researcher

A Market Researcher is responsible for conducting research to understand consumer behavior and market trends. This course may be useful in helping you develop the skills necessary to be successful in this role, such as how to design and conduct surveys, analyze data, and write research reports.

See salaries and explore the career path for Market Researcher

Public relations manager

A Public Relations Manager is responsible for managing a company's public relations and communications. This course may be useful in helping you develop the skills necessary to be successful in this role, such as how to build relationships with the media, develop public relations campaigns, and manage public relations crises.

See salaries and explore the career path for Public relations manager

Account Manager

An Account Manager is responsible for managing relationships with existing customers to ensure their satisfaction and drive sales. This course may be useful in helping you develop the skills necessary to be successful in this role, such as how to build customer relationships, manage customer accounts, and resolve customer issues.

See salaries and explore the career path for Account Manager

Sales Engineer

A Sales Engineer is responsible for providing technical support to sales teams and customers. This course may be useful in helping you develop the skills necessary to be successful in this role, such as how to understand technical products and services, communicate with technical audiences, and develop sales proposals.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sales Engineer

Social Media Manager

A Social Media Manager is responsible for managing a company's social media presence. This course may be useful in helping you develop the skills necessary to be successful in this role, such as how to develop social media strategies, create social media content, and measure social media effectiveness.

See salaries and explore the career path for Social Media Manager

Digital Marketing Manager

A Digital Marketing Manager is responsible for planning and executing digital marketing campaigns. This course may be useful in helping you develop the skills necessary to be successful in this role, such as how to develop digital marketing strategies, create digital marketing campaigns, and measure digital marketing effectiveness.

See salaries and explore the career path for Digital Marketing Manager

Brand Manager

A Brand Manager is responsible for developing and managing a company's brand. This course may be useful in helping you develop the skills necessary to be successful in this role, such as how to conduct brand research, develop brand strategies, and manage brand campaigns.

See salaries and explore the career path for Brand Manager

Advertising Manager

An Advertising Manager is responsible for planning and executing advertising campaigns. This course may be useful in helping you develop the skills necessary to be successful in this role, such as how to develop advertising strategies, create advertising campaigns, and measure advertising effectiveness.

See salaries and explore the career path for Advertising Manager

Email Marketing Manager

An Email Marketing Manager is responsible for planning and executing email marketing campaigns. This course may be useful in helping you develop the skills necessary to be successful in this role, such as how to develop email marketing strategies, create email marketing campaigns, and measure email marketing effectiveness.

See salaries and explore the career path for Email Marketing Manager

Sales Analyst

A Sales Analyst is responsible for analyzing sales data to understand sales trends and identify opportunities for improvement. This course may be useful in helping you develop the skills necessary to be successful in this role, such as how to collect and analyze data, interpret data, and make recommendations based on data.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sales Analyst