The Art and Science of Selling
Scott White, Senior Manager Sales and Marketing Operations, Airbus
Scott White, Senior Manager Sales and Marketing Operations, Airbus
Scott White, brings over 30 years of experience across corporate strategy, defense, aerospace, public transport, and government. A chartered engineer and AICD graduate, he currently leads commercial operations and marketing activities, while in recent years contributing to a MILSATCOM campaign and advanced air mobility initiatives, blending technical expertise with strategic vision to advance aerospace innovation.
Understanding the Sales and Marketing Ops FunctionSales and Marketing Operations consists of two main elements: commercial operations and marketing. There is no business without sales, and without sales managers, there are no sales. Given the importance of their role, sales managers must maximize their time engaging with current and prospective customers, turning every lead into an opportunity and maximizing conversion. In other words, feeding the sales funnel
This means they cannot afford to spend time on administrative activities such as contract preparation, governance implementation, data analytics, and similar tasks. While these functions are critical, they are not the responsibility of the sales manager. That is where the commercial operations team plays a vital role. These backoffice activities support the front-office sales team, working closely with them like a support crew for a high-performing sports team.
The second element is marketing, which includes selfhosted and industry-based events. While events are the most visible aspect of marketing, every interaction the company has with the market, whether intentional, unintentional or an omission, communicates something to the industry.
The traditional 7Ps of marketing still apply, from selecting the right event to delivering the right message to the right audience. This requires deep research into market data, product performance, competitive intelligence, and customer needs.
With so much data at our fingertips, it's essential to have the right tools and clean, complete data to make informed decisions. Marketing campaigns can quickly unravel if customer contact details are outdated or if engagement histories are missing.
Addressing Barriers to Digital TransformationIntroducing new technologies, such as a customer relationship management (CRM) tool, is challenging, just like any organizational change. Forming new habits can be difficult.
With so much data at our fingertips, it's essential to have the right tools and clean, complete data to make informed decisions
The primary technology available to sales and marketing teams is a reliable CRM tool. However, when old habits persist, such as using parallel software tools like spreadsheets, confidence in having a single source of truth for customer and market data quickly erodes.
This is not to say spreadsheets have no place; they do, but only in a secondary role. The key question is, do you have one trusted source of truth for your sales and marketing data?
When that single source of truth is accurate and up to date, it builds confidence in decision-making and supports the development of effective strategies. Of course, there is always a risk that such tools become burdensome, where data goes in but nothing meaningful comes out. To avoid this, there must be a clear understanding of what outputs are needed from the technology and how those outputs align with corporate strategies, objectives, and decisions.
The Future of Sales and Marketing with AIThe emergence of AI and automation has sparked significant interest and delivered meaningful efficiencies, yet it also raises important concerns. The ability to rapidly generate images and text can save substantial time. Like other software tools, AI is well-positioned to manage routine aspects of sales and marketing operations, making it a valuable asset.
However, two key issues must be addressed. First, all outputs should be verified for accuracy. When it comes to text, it is equally important to ensure the appropriate tone, nuance, and relevance, particularly in customer communications or content involving technical or legal matters. Second, the role of human interaction and emotional intelligence in marketing should not be underestimated, especially when high-value products or complex, high-stakes decisions are involved.
In the years ahead, it will be fascinating to observe how AI continues to evolve and how we choose to shape its role in business and communication.
Advice for Sales and Marketing Leaders Driving Change in AerospaceDigital transformation in sales and marketing presents an opportunity to harness large volumes of information to generate insights and ideas that would be difficult to achieve otherwise. This can be accomplished through effective use of tools such as CRM systems or AI.
However, digital transformation should not be viewed as the ultimate goal. These technologies should be seen as tools to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of people, not as replacements for them or as burdensome systems that overshadow human value. This is especially important in sales and marketing, where the primary focus is often to maximize meaningful human interaction with customers.
It is also essential to ensure that organizational culture evolves alongside the adoption of new tools. Without cultural alignment, digital transformation may result in multiple sources of truth and fragmented processes, ultimately limiting its effectiveness.
