Misalignment Across GTM Teams: Causes and Solutions

GTM is essential for:

• Creating a strategic roadmap: a step-by-step guide that ensures all teams are aligned and working towards common objectives.
• Ensuring market alignment: companies can tailor their offerings to meet the market's requirements.
• Optimizing resources: organizations can reduce waste and limit inefficiencies, focusing efforts where they can generate the most impact.
• Building clear messaging: consistent messaging across all channels, ensuring employees communicate the product/service's value proposition.
• Reducing time to market: responding more quickly to market changes or opportunities.

And more.

An effective GTM strategy is a necessity. Full stop.

However, 55% of those surveyed in Gartner's 2023: State of Go-to-Market Strategies said their GTM strategy was only "somewhat effective" at driving revenue and/or achieving business objectives.

How can that be? 

Well, ask yourself this: Is your GTM experiencing one, two, or (gasp!) all three of the following?

Inefficiency? Sprawl? Disjointness?

These are all signs you may be experiencing GTM Bloat, the accumulation of technology, resources, and processes across your GTM.

We've written about some reasons for GTM Bloat — excessive tooling, lack of deal health, and convoluted workflows. But there is one more: Misalignment across teams.

This article will provide insights into what causes this misalignment, its consequences, and how Copy.ai — and our workflows —  can help correct (and even prevent) misalignment issues.

How does misalignment across teams happen?

When you go to the doctor's office, they don't tell you what's wrong or start prescribing medicine immediately.

Instead, they ask questions to better understand (diagnose) what is causing the problem.

The same "diagnose before prescribe" order of operations occurs when discussing misalignment across teams.

So what is the diagnosis? Why are teams often so misaligned?

Some of the key reasons include:

1. Silo departments

Teams are working “in their own world” and not efficiently communicating with other departments. 

Project.co’s Business Communicate Report 2022 found that 65% of people say they often experience difficulty finding the files they need.

2. Lack of clear goals and objectives

Without a unified direction, teams often work toward different — and sometimes conflicting — objectives, wasting resources and reducing overall effectiveness.

3. No single source of truth

Disparate data and analytics systems can lead to misinterpretations and conflicting decisions. Teams don't know where to turn for correct and accurate data without a single source of truth.

4. Poor communication and collaboration

Misunderstandings, confusion, and a lack of (or poor communication) mean wasted time and resources, negatively impacting the bottom line.

5. Conflicting priorities

Without a clear hierarchy of goals and priorities, teams have no idea what to work on first. There is often a lack of "flow" within projects, which leads to poor strategy execution.

‍6. Different software tools

Teams using different — or too many — tools for the same purpose can lead to confusion and inefficiencies, emphasizing the need for consistent tool usage across teams.

7. Overlapping or redundant processes

When processes are unclear or redundant, inefficiencies and confusion within teams rise to the top.

8. Too many priorities

"If everything's a priority, then nothing's a priority." — Frank Sonnenberg, award-winning author and a well-known advocate for moral character, personal values, and personal responsibility.

An excessive list of priorities dilutes focus and effort, leading to disarray and decreased effectiveness.

9. Unclear roles and responsibilities

Role ambiguity causes confusion, can lead to decreased team and individual morale, and often results in tasks falling through the cracks.

‍10. Generational differences

Variations in work preferences and expectations across different generations can lead to misaligned expectations and approaches.

11. Political alignments and office politics

Internal politics can create divisions and hinder cooperative efforts toward common goals.

Addressing these issues requires intentional effort and strong leadership ... and, we'd argue, a platform like Copy.ai.

How Team Misalignment is Hurting Organizations

A blog post recapping LinkedIn’s The Art of Winning guide shared, "In the United States alone, marketing and sales waste an estimated $1 trillion annually due to lack of coordination.”

Two other stats that jumped out from that same article: 

• Only 12% of sales executives believe that Marketing Qualified Leads are important.
• More than three out of four of the connections made by sales have not been influenced by marketing.

Project.co’s Business Communicate Report 2022 uncovered the following:

• 46% of businesses say they’ve lost a customer because of poor communication
• 35% say they’ve lost an employee because of poor internal communication
• 70% say they’ve stopped dealing with a company and moved to a competitor due to a feeling they were disorganised

Houston, we have a problem.

But before we explain how Copy.ai helps, let’s explore a few other ways to “fix” team misalignment.

Solutions to "course correct" misaligned teams

"Organizations that prioritize sales and marketing alignment are nearly 3x more likely to exceed new customer acquisition targets" (Gartner).

That same Gartner article continues, "... sales and marketing must work together to orchestrate customer learning across channels and ensure buyers pause to reflect on their own goals as part of the purchase. To ensure this choreographed learning, organizations need to remove silos and drive sales and marketing alignment by integrating core activities and goals. Organizations that have coalesced around core areas/goals have shown notable commercial outcomes and results, such as increased lead volume, close rates, and revenue."

Nailed it.

But that's not all. In addition to what Gartner suggests, we encourage the following ten strategies and tactics to realign misaligned teams:

1. (Re)establish clear goals and objectives: Leadership should articulate clear, measurable goals and ensure they are communicated so that every team member can apply them to their job requirements.

This means setting departmental and individual goals that "bubble up" to the company's overarching objectives. Regular all-hands meetings, department check-ins, team stand-ups, and one-on-ones can reinforce these objectives and monitor progress.

2. Implement a unified system (see: excessive tooling): Consolidate platforms to ensure consistency in data interpretation (single source of truth). Regular data audits ensure the integrity and alignment of the information across teams.

3. Enhance communication channels: Create structured communication frameworks, such as regular cross-department meetings, updates in shared digital spaces, and open Q&A sessions with leadership.

Implementing tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams will facilitate real-time communication and create channels dedicated to specific projects or topics.

4. Align and prioritize projects: Use strategic planning sessions to evaluate and prioritize projects based on their alignment with the company's goals. Ensure there is a team to oversee project alignment and resource allocation.

5. Standardize tools and processes: Select tools universally adopted across the organization to streamline workflows (more on workflows in the next section) and reduce learning curves.

Don't underestimate the power of training sessions and best practice guides to ensure consistent usage.

6. Clarify roles and responsibilities: Utilize tools like RACI charts (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) to define roles clearly in each project or process.

Regular role clarification sessions ensure team members understand their responsibilities and how their work impacts others on their team and within the organization.

7. Address generational and cultural differences: Implement cross-generational collaboration and cultural sensitivity training programs. Encourage mentorship programs that pair employees from different generations or backgrounds to foster mutual understanding and appreciation of diverse perspectives.

8. Mitigate political dynamics: Establish a transparent decision-making process and promote a culture where merit and data-driven decisions are valued over politics.

Conflict resolution mechanisms and an open-door policy for discussing concerns can address the negative impacts of office politics.

9. Continuous monitoring and feedback: Finally, implement tools and processes for regular performance and alignment tracking — employee engagement surveys, project alignment dashboards, and feedback mechanisms.

Leadership should review these data regularly to identify misalignment issues and take corrective action promptly.

10. Use Copy.ai’s workflows

More on #10 ...

How Copy.ai.'s workflows help realign teams and improve GTM results

It's time to get your teams aligned again .... and eliminate GTM Bloat. 

Copy.ai is here for you.

As the first-ever GTM AI Platform, we provide an integrated experience where team members can collaborate seamlessly. Our AI-powered workflows are designed to enhance communication, ensuring everyone is on the same page. 

Example of Lead Enrichment: Summarizes a person's LinkedIn profile and recommends use cases

This workflow enriches your leads and contacts with key details from their LinkedIn profiles, giving you valuable insights into their background, skills, and interests. This allows you to personalize outreach and build stronger relationships.

And that’s just the start.

Check out more of our targeted GTM workflows here.

Our workflows are more than just productivity enhancers; they're strategic enablers that help realign team efforts, improve communication and collaboration, and drive more effective GTM results.