👋 New to the podcast? Click here to start with Episode 1 and learn how the GUIDE Marketing Framework begins. Each episode builds on the last—so it’s worth going back to the beginning if you want the full picture.

What if your sales team doesn’t need more leads—they just need better alignment? In this episode of the Growth-Minded Marketing Podcast, Steve Phipps and Annie Laurie Walters unpack the fourth step of the GUIDE Marketing Framework: Develop & Execute Your Sales Plan.

Whether you're a CEO, sales leader, or marketing manager, this episode gives you practical ways to:

• Align your sales and marketing teams
• Document your sales process (even if it’s just you)
• Use content to accelerate trust and close more deals
• Implement “assignment selling” to improve buyer qualification
• Create true collaboration, not just meetings that check boxes

Steve and Annie Laurie also share how to overcome the tension between sales and marketing, how to use AI to generate content ideas, and why your bottom line depends on internal alignment.

🧭 Take the Free GUIDE Marketing Assessment:
 wayfindmarketing.com

📚 Mentioned in this episode:

• They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan (Version 3.0: Endless Customers)
• Blog: How to Write Marketing Content That Accelerates Sales and Closes More Deals
• Tools: HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, Miro, Loom, ChatGPT
• Wayfind Marketing Learning Center: https://wayfindmarketing.com/learning-center

🎯 Your Action Step This Week:
 Sketch your sales process—from first contact to closed deal. If you already have one, review it with your team. Then, identify and create the content your sales team needs to move leads forward faster.

🔗 Connect with us:

• Steve Phipps on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stevetphipps
• Annie Laurie Walters on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annielauriewalters

⏱️ Episode Timestamps: How to Develop and Execute a Sales Plan That Actually Works

[00:00] Why more leads aren’t the answer—alignment is
[01:00] Recap of the GUIDE Framework and where “D” fits in
[02:00] The sales/marketing disconnect: where revenue goes to die
[03:00] Step 1: Start with regular sales + marketing meetings
[04:30] Why shared goals matter more than finger pointing
[05:30] What alignment looks like even with a one-person team
[06:00] Step 2: Move from coexisting to actual collaboration
[07:30] Building empathy between marketing and sales
[09:00] How CEOs can reframe sales + marketing as one revenue team
[10:30] Visual analogy: Interlaced hands vs. just pressed palms
[11:00] Step 3: Document your sales process (even if it’s rough)
[12:30] What to include in your sales process and why
[13:30] Examples of tools: Miro, ActiveCampaign, CRM pipelines
[14:30] Step 4: Use content to support sales conversations
[15:30] What is assignment selling and how does it work?
[17:00] Real-world examples of content that accelerates sales
[19:00] The 80% Video: A must-have for qualifying leads
[20:00] How CEOs can help sales use content more strategically
[21:00] Step 5: Sales and marketing plan content together
[22:30] Why sales input makes content sharper and more effective
[23:30] Using AI to identify buyer questions from sales calls
[24:30] How to get your sales team on board (even if they resist)
[26:00] What’s at stake if you don’t align your teams
[28:30] Final coaching: Where to start, even if you feel behind
[30:00] Your action step this week + how to get the Guide Playbook
[31:00] Preview of Episode 5: Evaluate and Adjust