Coordinating activities and information between marketing and sales operations can be a difficult task.  Company structures that separate the marketing role from the sales function make the job even more difficult.

Because there is so much great history and thinking in so many things Italian (the Bracco itself is an Italian hunting dog) sometimes it makes sense to organizing the marketing function with a simple yet elegant model called Italiani Alti (The Tall Italians).

The Tall Italians model looks beyond individual departments, and focuses on the tasks and the areas of responsibility that must be accomplished.

While it highlights five areas of responsibility, it is not essential that five people be on the Tall Italians team.  One person can have responsibility for more than one role.  What is essential is that every area is covered.

The Tall Italians breaks the marketing function down into five disciplines.

• Galileo - Emerging Opportunities
• Leonardo - Marketing Strategies
• Michelangelo - Collateral Development
• Dante - External Communications
• Caesar - Sales Team Leader

Each role is described in more detail below.

If your marketing and sales teams need a tune-up, you may want to give the Tall Italians a try  Ilike it because it works, it’s fun, and because Italians make great red wine. Have fun with it.

Galileo (the astronomer)

• Core Role: Keeps an eye out for emerging opportunities
• Scans publications (newspapers, trade publications, web) for potential opportunities & keeps the team updated, attends seminars, identifies networking opportunities.

Leonardo (the thinker)

• Core Role: Intelligence strategy formulation
• For Key Targets: develops in-depth analysis and formulates strategies and tactics to acquire new accounts.
• Compiles and drafts marketing plans and materials for presentation to prospective (and existing) clients and customers. Ensures the key messages, features and benefits that the company wants to communicate are included in all presentation and sales materials.

Michelangelo (the artist)

• Core Role: Creative/Collateral Development
• Sculpt vibrant presentations and marketing pieces that highlight the company’s products and capabilities to potential clients.  Constantly updates materials as necessary.

Dante (the poet)

• Core Role: External Communications
• Responsible for external communications and event organization.
• Also responsible for internal communications consisting of team updates, successes, changes - to be conducted on a weekly & ad hoc basis.

Caesar (conquering the unsaved)

• Core Role: Sales Team Leader - Coordinates team activities
• Responsible for organizing initial direct contact between the company and prospective clients.
• Oversees, tracks & follows up on all contact activities.

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Tags: brand tools, business development