5 Ways to Build a Stronger Product Marketing + Sales Relationship

In B2B organizations, Product Marketing and Sales teams are critical drivers of growth, yet aligning these two functions can often be a challenge. 

This is why we teamed up with Yi Lin Pei, PMM Advisor and Coach on all things product marketing effectiveness for a brand new resource “The Practice Guide to Enhancing the Product Marketing + Sales Relationship” 

The guide is designed to help product marketers foster better partnerships with Sales, and ultimately, create a stronger foundation for business success.

Here are 5 key takeaways from the guide:

1. Understand the Sales Process (Inside and Out)

One of the biggest disconnects between Product Marketing and Sales is that product marketers often don’t fully grasp the day-to-day challenges of the sales process. PMMs tend to have broader responsibilities—ranging from market research and product launches to messaging—while Sales remains laser-focused on closing deals. Without a deep understanding of how sales teams operate and generate revenue, product marketers might not align their efforts to meet the most critical sales needs.

Solution: PMMs should invest time in learning the sales process at every stage. Shadow sales calls, sit in on meetings, and immerse yourself in sales activities. The better you understand their world, the better you can support them with relevant, actionable content.

2. Prioritize Relationship Building

Effective PMM and Sales collaboration doesn’t happen overnight. Product marketers need to dedicate time to build genuine relationships with sales teams—beyond just delivering collateral or training. This involves scheduling regular touchpoints, proactively seeking feedback, and adjusting strategies to better align with Sales goals.

Solution: Focus on building one-on-one relationships. Set up meetings with sales reps and leaders to understand their pain points and adjust your content or enablement programs based on their real-time feedback. The stronger the relationship, the more effective the collaboration.

3. Clarify Roles and Responsibilities

Misalignment often stems from a lack of clarity around who is responsible for certain enablement activities. For instance, should Product Marketing or Sales Enablement own competitive intelligence training? When responsibilities aren’t clearly defined, it can lead to frustration and hinder effective collaboration.

Solution: Establish clear ownership of roles. Whether you’re a startup or an enterprise, work with Sales leadership to outline the specific responsibilities of PMMs and Sales, particularly when it comes to enablement and customer insights.

4. Tailor Your Collaboration to Your Company’s Stage

The relationship between PMM and Sales varies greatly depending on the maturity of your organization. For instance, at a startup, PMM might be building a relationship from scratch. At a more established company, the collaboration may already be in place, but it could be reactive or under-leveraged.

Solution: Understand where your organization fits and implement the right steps to improve collaboration. Start with quick wins at early stages, then build strategic processes as the relationship matures.

5. Always Measure and Optimize 

Building a successful relationship is an ongoing process, and it’s essential to measure the impact of your PMM efforts on Sales success. Implementing feedback loops and tracking KPIs can help ensure your content and enablement strategies are hitting the mark. 

Solution: Use tools to measure the impact of PMM on Sales outcomes, such as CRM or competitive enablement platforms. This data will give you insights into what’s working, what’s not, and where adjustments need to be made. 

To dive deeper into building a high functioning PMM Sales relationship, download the Practical Guide to Enhancing the Product Marketing + Sales Relationship by Yi Lin Pei, developed in partnership with Crayon.