A product change that seems universally positive, like increasing partner revenue, can have unforeseen consequences. At Google, the sales team's involvement was crucial for managing partner communications and mitigating risks, proving alignment is needed even for "no-brainer" launches.
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When sales and marketing operate as a single unit, they can champion innovative ideas. The marketing lead can propose a "maverick" idea to sales, who then presents it to leadership as a customer-driven need, reframing the pitch to bypass initial resistance.
To keep growth aligned with product, foster a shared culture where everyone loves the product and customer. This isn't about formal meetings, but a baseline agreement that makes collaboration inherent. When this culture exists, the product team actively seeks marketing's input, creating a unified engine.
A one-size-fits-all approach to internal communication fails. To create shared understanding, tailor updates like release notes to each department's unique goals. Sales cares about revenue features, customer success about bug fixes, and marketing needs to know what's coming next for planning.
To prevent acquisitions from becoming orphaned "CorpDev deals," F5's process requires a senior product manager and a sales leader to co-sponsor every transaction. This ensures operational ownership. The product lead owns roadmap integration, and the sales lead signs up for the revenue target, making the business case tangible.
Go-to-market success isn't just about high-performing marketing, sales, and CS teams. The true differentiator is the 'connective tissue'—shared ICP definitions, terminology, and smooth handoffs. This alignment across functions, where one team's actions directly impact the next, is where most organizations break down.
Before launching any partner activity, define target customers, tactics, and follow-up processes with partners and internal teams. This pre-alignment is the key to achieving and proving ROI, moving beyond just tracking spend after the fact.
Don't assume large, well-resourced companies have solved fundamental GTM challenges. Even at Google, sales and marketing alignment is a persistent people and process issue, not one that can be solved simply by adding budget or headcount. These problems are universal.
The debate between being product-led vs. sales-led is a false dichotomy that creates friction. Instead, frame all functions as fundamentally 'customer-driven.' This reframing encourages product teams to view sales requests not as distractions, but as valuable, direct insights into customer needs.
When pitching a long-term strategic fix, regional leaders prioritized immediate revenue goals. The product team gained traction not by dismissing these concerns, but by acknowledging their validity. This respect builds the trust necessary to balance short-term needs with long-term investment.
Creating products customers love is only half the battle. Product leaders must also demonstrate and clearly communicate the product's business impact. This ability to speak to financial outcomes is crucial for getting project approval and necessary budget.
