We currently have our sales and marketing functions combined under a single Sales and Marketing Director seat on our Accountability Chart. Our lead generation is stalling, and our director spends ninety percent of his time closing deals rather than building marketing campaigns. Should we split this seat, and how do we do it?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You must split this seat immediately. While sales and marketing are closely aligned, they require completely different mindsets and conative approaches. Sales is about hunting, closing, and short-term revenue generation. Marketing is about positioning, lead generation, and long-term brand building.

When they are combined into one seat, the urgent demands of closing sales will almost always crowd out the strategic needs of marketing. On your Accountability Chart, create two distinct seats: Sales Director and Marketing Director.

For the marketing seat, you need someone who is high in Fact-Finder and Follow Thru to analyze data, build consistent campaigns, and manage tools. For the sales seat, you need a high Quick Start who excels at building relationships and closing.

Evaluate your current director. If he is great at closing, keep him in the Sales Director seat and hire a dedicated resource for the Marketing Director seat. This structural separation will instantly bring focus and accountability to both critical functions.

By separating these seats, you can set clear, independent measurables for each, such as lead volume for marketing and conversion rate for sales. This ensures both ends of your revenue pipeline are getting the focus they deserve.