1. Marketing Generates Demand
2. Sales Development Captures Demand
3. Account Executives Convert Demand
4. Customer Success Retains Demand

For any of this to happen, there must first be a product that solves a problem better than any other solution can. 

Even with that product, it's critical to get these 4 steps right. 

Generating Demand = Conveying the message of a problem and solution

Capturing Demand = Connecting with those who experience the problem

Converting Demand = Turning captured demand into paying customers

Retaining Demand = Delivering value that keeps customers paying monthly

It's easy to blur these lines of responsibility, but results rarely come easy when we do. 

Start with building a great product that solve a big problem, that's where demand is created. 

From there you can generate it with marketing, capture it with sales development, convert it with account executives, and retain it with customer success. 

The whole process becomes significantly easier when we rely on the right people to do the right things.

The argument is often made that sales development generates demand but this is not (or should not) be the case. 

Sales Development should be leveraging the work marketing has already done.

They should be using the messaging and ideally making contact with prospects who have already been marketed to, but even if they're reaching a prospect entirely cold, the messaging comes from marketing and that's what generates demand, while the sales development team is tasked with making contact with those of whom the messaging resonates best. 

These roles overlap a bit, but they are truly different and understanding that difference is what makes certain companies shine significantly over the rest.

Happy Selling,