There is often a natural rivalry between marketing and sales, says Ashgrove Marketing’s Terry van Rhyn, but they are really two sides of the same coin.

Some time ago, when I was working in the US, I left my natural habitat of advertising agencies and stepped over to the “dark side” to join a corporation. Working in what was essentially a manufacturing and sales organisation, I was the lonely Head of Marketing.

This was a world where everyone from CEO, CFO, COO and CTO believed they could also easily fulfil the CMO role: everyone had an opinion on the positioning of a product or brand and how it should be marketed. More often than not, the lines between sales and marketing functions got blurred.

The fact is marketing and sales are squabbling siblings. Marketers are usually seen as the sprinklers of fairy dust who brainstorm with scented markers, mood boards, and a Spotify playlist called “Brand Vibes Only”, while the sales team are out there on the front line, coffee in hand, trying to close deals and hit monthly targets.

But the truth is that this so-called rivalry is as outdated as Telex machines and ‘synergy’ workshops.

Marketing and sales are not competing functions. They are co-dependent and the yin to the other’s yang. More Morecambe and Wise than Montague and Capulet.

Most meetings I have with clients are about how to increase business. You can dress it up all you want, but that is the bottom line for any company. For example, a website and a social media campaign are typically seen as marketing tools – they build awareness, tell your story, showcase your value, and attract interest. But their true power is only realised when they’re aligned with sales goals.

A great website shouldn’t just look pretty – it should guide visitors toward action such as signing up, enquiring or, even better, buying. Likewise, social media isn’t just for inspirational quotes and team photos; it’s a tool to warm up leads, drive engagement, and create opportunities for sales to step in and close the deal.

While marketing may build and manage the platforms, sales should be feeding back on what’s working, what’s converting, and what the customers/clients care about. When the two functions collaborate, your digital presence becomes more than a shop window, it becomes an engine for leads.

Marketing is the strategist, a storyteller, and the seducer. Its role is to shape the brand, define the narrative, identify the audience or tribe, and create purpose and desire. It’s the one that makes people want what you’ve got, even if they don’t yet know they need it.

Sales is the closer, the persuader and the therapist with a quota. It takes the leads, the brand promise, and the shiny brochures – and turns interest into income. It listens, negotiates, reassures, and follows up (often with alarming persistence).

If marketing builds the runway, sales is the pilot flying the plane. Both are essential. One without the other is like trying to make a gin and tonic without either gin or tonic.

In my opinion marketing is, and always has been, a sales support function.

But saying that does not mean it’s a downgrade: it’s a reality check. Marketing exists to enable growth, to drive leads and to grease the wheels of business development so sales and business development can do what it does best – convert.

As I have said many times, branding isn’t just a logo or a catchy tagline. It’s the accumulated emotional equity you build in the hearts and minds of your audience. And that positioning – how your brand is perceived – massively influences the success of your sales team.

Brand positioning sets the stage. It gives sales the permission to ask for the price they want, with the confidence that the value is already understood. If this is done right, your brand builds trust before a salesperson even picks up the phone. Done poorly, and they’ll spend the first 15 minutes of every meeting explaining why your company or brand exists.

The magic happens when there is goal alignment between these two functions. Not just at the annual strategy workshop, but daily. When marketing listens to the feedback from the field (the objections, the pain points, the “we love you, but…” moments) and refines the message accordingly.

Likewise, when sales or business development people take the time to understand the thinking behind the latest campaign instead of moaning “No one reads brochures anymore,” you start to see real results. The way I see it is that sales bring the stories from the trenches so marketing can shape smarter campaigns. Let both remember – they’re on the same side.

Because in the end, whether you’re painting the dream or signing the deal, it’s all about making the business grow. And if you’re not supporting that, then what are you doing?

(NB Back in the US, it was only towards the end of my time when a new CEO stepped in that all functions in the organisation found the energy and inclination to work together towards a common goal.  I was fortunate as the Head of Marketing to have worked very closely with the Heads of Sales and Manufacturing so we could turn a steadily declining sales trend into a positive trend.)