Businesses operate best when everyone is able to work together towards the same goal. Yet too often, this is not the case. Frequently, dysfunction between various teams, including sales, marketing, customer service and product development means that each is pulling in a different direction, with the result that processes are duplicated and efforts wasted.

Tackling these issues and getting everyone on board so they can collaborate smoothly is vital to the long-term growth of any business, and it will be up to senior personnel - including marketing specialists - to take the lead on this.

This will be the topic of a discussion session at September's Marketing Leaders Summit in September, where our expert panel will be debating some of the biggest issues in this area. Here's a preview of what they'll be focusing on.

Proving your worth within the business

A key first step in encouraging collaboration will be to ensure all teams are fully aware of what other departments are capable of. To do this, it will be vital for leadership to get together and showcase their worth to other parts of the business.

It is only by building complete understanding of what everyone else does that collaboration can be achieved. A failure to understand this is often where dysfunction stems from as different teams end up with the incorrect belief that other departments don't have the skills or knowledge they could benefit from.

How collaboration leads to higher ROI

A collaborative workforce should be able to take on ideas, skills and experience from across the business and apply it to a single project. By doing this, different people can bring their own perspective and spot potential weaknesses in a strategy or offer ideas on where it can be improved.

In turn, this means better-performing campaigns that are fully-aligned with the goals of the business. For example, by working together, B2B marketing and sales teams can identify what the most effective routes to a conversion are and what strategies can help guide potential buyers down the funnel. Doing this ensures better ROI for campaigns as neither team is wasting time and resources chasing down unlikely leads.

Key strategies to drive collaboration

So how can these goals be achieved in practice? There are a range of strategies that leadership teams should be using to foster collaboration and overcome the dysfunction that holds back many organisations from reaching their full potential. Among these are:

• A clear focus on the company's mission - It takes everyone to understand the company's aims and culture if collaboration is to be successful.
• Sharing and celebrating knowledge - Frequently showcasing achievements across the business builds understanding of capabilities.
• Create the right atmosphere - Having diverse viewpoints and opinions is essential for collaboration, but it's vital everyone feels comfortable putting these forward without judgement.
• Lead by example - If other employees can see marketing chiefs working alongside other departments such as sales and customer experience towards a common goal.

To learn more about these efforts, all these topics and more will be up for discussion at the Marketing Leaders Summit on 5th September 2024 at the Waldorf Hilton Hotel, London. Get your ticket now to make sure you don't miss out.