So, here are the definitions of responsibility I use with clients today:

Marketing herds (as in shepherds) contacts to the business. These are entered as suspects in your CRM database.

Sales harvests those contact opportunities by moving them from suspect to prospect to customer through the Differentiating Value and Critical Qualifying Questions process.

When Marketing is herding (advertising, web, special promotions, trade shows, etc.) suspects, it is critical they base their efforts on the Differentiating Value(s) of the promoted products or services. This introduction positions Sales to jump start the Critical Qualifying Question process based on what the suspect has already learned or discovered about your Differentiating Value.

You will know the model is working when sales and marketing managers agree on what each suspect should know – or at least be exposed to – as part of getting into the pipeline database. Differentiating Value is the common denominator for both herding and harvesting efforts and can create a seamless handoff opportunity between Marketing and Sales functions.

I want to thank all our of our clients, associates and friends for their business and support this past year. All of us at CRO Success wish you a happy holiday season and much success in 2010.

See you next year.

The best answer depends on where you are today relative to the 4 core processes that comprise a fully integrated revenue system. If we don’t have that visibility, my answer is always this – Start with defining your Differentiating Value.

This is a cornerstone of the Revenue System because Differentiating Value drives both the Critical Qualifying Questions (CQQ’s) and the 4 Aces bankable forecast processes. As such, you can’t spend too much time sorting out your Differentiating Value positions and communicating those to your sales team through the CQQ’s and 4 Aces forecasting. Give it a try – you can always contact us if you need help.