REPORT

On January 22, 2008, 30 sales and marketing executives gathered at Columbia University to convene the first in a series of six global workshops focused on the alignment of sales and marketing as a vehicle to optimize sales effectiveness and, ultimately, drive business growth. Attendees spanned industries as diverse as financial services (represented by American Express and HSBC) to high tech (represented by CA and IBM). Both marketers and sales professionals brought their own experience, insight and predisposed opinion about their sales or marketing colleagues to this exchange – but left with a renewed commitment to forging a deep partnership and integrated alignment between sales and marketing in order to optimize the experience for the customer, exceed the profit expectations of the company, and best serve internal sales and marketing teams.

This eclectic and dedicated group shared their childhood hopes as well as their adult-sized professional goals of business growth, personal success and professional development. The following is a recap of the event, as well as a synthesis of take-ways from the workshop sessions.