The Tragedy of Misaligned Teams in Business
Once upon a time in the heart of Nairobi, or Lagos, or Harare (pick your battlefield), there was a growing business. Ambitious. Passionate. Hungry.
The founder decided, “We need marketing!” So they hired a marketing team. Or at least one person with Canva, a ring light, and strong Wi-Fi.
And boom! The flyers started flying. Instagram came alive. There were giveaways, Google Ads, TikToks with trending sounds, and hashtags that made sense.
People noticed. People clicked. People asked.
But then something strange happened…
Nothing.
No calls. No follow-ups. No conversions.
It was as if the business shouted “Come and see!” and when people came… no one answered the door.
Marketing Did Its Job… But Sales Was Sleeping
Here’s the thing: marketing creates attention. Sales closes it.
But many African businesses expect marketing to do everything create the hype, talk to the leads, send the quotes, do the chasing, and somehow convince a stranger to swipe their card by lunchtime.
That’s not marketing. That’s witchcraft.
What Misalignment Looks Like
- The marketing team runs a Facebook ad… and the business line isn’t working.
- The website collects emails… but nobody checks them.
- The Instagram DMs are full… and sales says, “Oh, we don’t monitor that one.”
- A lead says, “I’m ready to buy,” and someone responds 4 days later with, “Sorry, I was on leave.”
At this point, the leads don’t get converted they get confused.
Sales Needs a System, Not a Miracle
If marketing is planting seeds, then sales is watering them. But if your sales process looks like this:
- Random responses when someone “remembers”
- No CRM or lead tracker
- No follow-up plan
- No urgency, no timelines, no personal touch
Then you’re pouring water into a basket.
How to Fix the Disconnect
Build a Sales System First – Before you boost posts, make sure someone’s ready to follow up, track progress, and close.
Marketing Generates Leads. Sales Converts Them. Don’t mix the roles. Respect both.
Create a Lead Journey – What happens after someone clicks? Who calls them? When? How? With what message?
Communicate Between Teams – Marketing should know what kind of leads sales wants. Sales should know what campaigns are running. They are not enemies they are a tag team.
In business, leads are like rain.
Marketing brings the clouds.
But if sales doesn’t bring the buckets… don’t blame the weather.
You don’t need more likes you need a better way to catch what your marketing is attracting.
Because attention is expensive. And wasting it? Even more costly.
