If you’re tired of watching marketing and sales teams talk past each other, you’re not alone. “Go to market messaging” sounds simple until you see three different decks with three different taglines floating around. This guide is for anyone who’s sick of crossed wires and wants a no-nonsense way to get everyone saying the same thing—using Pitch, the presentation tool built for actual collaboration.
Below, you’ll find a step-by-step guide to wrangling your messaging process, keeping things honest about what works (and what’s just for show). Whether you’re in marketing, sales, or stuck somewhere in between, you’ll get practical ways to use Pitch to bring clarity to your next launch or campaign.
Why bother with alignment, anyway?
Let’s be blunt: misaligned messaging wastes everyone’s time. Marketing hypes one thing, sales pitches something else, and prospects get confused. The result? Lost deals, finger-pointing, and a lot of “I thought you said…” emails.
Getting marketing and sales on the same page isn’t about singing kumbaya; it’s about making sure everyone knows what you’re selling and why it matters. Pitch can actually help—if you use it right.
Step 1: Get Clear on What Needs Aligning
Before you fire up Pitch, figure out what’s actually out of sync. Don’t just assume everyone’s confused—get the facts.
- Gather existing messaging: Collect the latest sales decks, website copy, email templates, and any docs marketing or sales uses.
- Spot the gaps: Are there different taglines? Is the value prop shifting depending on who’s talking? Write down the inconsistencies.
- Get real input: Ask both teams what’s working and what’s not. Don’t just ask managers—get frontline reps and marketers involved.
Pro tip: If you’re already dreading “alignment meetings,” that’s a sign things are messier than you thought. A shared doc with everyone’s pain points is a good start.
Step 2: Set Up a Single, Shared Pitch Workspace
Pitch isn’t magic, but it is a decent place to get everyone looking at the same thing. Here’s how to set it up to avoid the usual chaos:
- Create a dedicated workspace: Don’t mix your GTM messaging decks with old Q4 reports. Give your project a clear name: “2024 Messaging Alignment,” for example.
- Invite everyone who matters: Not just VPs—include someone from every team who’ll actually use this messaging.
- Set permissions carefully: You want feedback, not a free-for-all edit fest. Let key stakeholders edit, and everyone else comment.
What to ignore: Fancy templates or “inspirational” slide backgrounds. Focus on substance over style for now. You can pretty it up later.
Step 3: Build a Draft Deck That Everyone Can Actually Use
Now, use Pitch to build out a first draft of your core messaging. Don’t aim for perfection—just get the bones down.
- Start with a simple structure:
- Who are we talking to?
- What problem do we solve?
- What’s our core message (in plain English)?
- Proof points or differentiators
- Example customer stories (if you have any)
- Pull in existing materials: Don’t reinvent the wheel. Drop in slides or snippets from your earlier research that still hold up.
- Flag open questions: Not sure about a claim or stat? Mark it in Pitch with a comment. This keeps the debate focused.
Pro tip: Be ruthless about jargon. If a slide sounds like it belongs in a TED talk, rewrite it so your grandma would understand.
Step 4: Make Feedback Fast, Not Painful
Here’s where most alignment efforts go off the rails: endless feedback loops. Use Pitch’s commenting and reactions to speed things up.
- Set clear deadlines: “Leave your comments by Friday”—and mean it.
- Encourage directness: Ask for honest, specific feedback. “This sounds vague” or “Nobody says ‘robust solutions’ in real life” is more useful than “Looks good to me.”
- Centralize discussions: Keep all feedback inside Pitch. No side threads in Slack or buried email chains.
What doesn’t work: Trying to get consensus on every word. You’ll never launch anything. Instead, focus on “Is this clear and true?” not “Does everyone love every slide?”
Step 5: Finalize and Lock Down the Messaging
Once you’ve worked through the main debates, it’s time to stop tinkering and ship something everyone can actually use.
- Clean up the deck: Remove placeholder slides, fix typos, and make sure the story flows.
- Lock key slides: In Pitch, you can restrict editing on finalized slides so nobody “improves” them at the last minute.
- Add real world examples: If you have a customer quote or a short case study, bake it in. These are gold for both sales and marketing.
Pro tip: Create a one-pager or summary slide for quick reference. Sales reps will actually use it, especially if it doesn’t take ten clicks to find.
Step 6: Share, Train, and Actually Use It
If you stop now, you’ve just built another deck nobody reads. Make sure the work actually gets used:
- Share the deck widely: Send a direct link to everyone who needs it, and pin it wherever your teams hang out (Slack, Notion, Salesforce, etc.).
- Walk through it live: Hold a short, hands-on session to explain the key points. Let people ask real questions (“What if a customer says X?”).
- Update other materials: Swap out old messaging in email templates, website copy, or demo scripts so everything matches.
What to ignore: Overly formal “training sessions” that nobody wants to attend. Keep it practical and short.
Step 7: Keep It Alive (But Don’t Overthink It)
Messaging isn’t a one-and-done thing. Markets shift, products change, and you’ll need to adjust. But don’t let it turn into a never-ending project.
- Assign an owner: One person should be in charge of updates—otherwise, everyone assumes someone else will do it.
- Set review checkpoints: Once a quarter is usually enough. If something big changes (like a new product launch), revisit sooner.
- Collect feedback: Ask sales and marketing what’s landing with customers and what isn’t. Update the deck as needed—but only when necessary.
What doesn’t work: Constant tweaks. If you’re updating the deck every week, you’re probably chasing your tail. Simpler is better.
Quick Recap: What Actually Works
- Use Pitch as a single source of truth, not just another place to stash slides.
- Focus on clarity, not consensus or design perfection.
- Make feedback direct and time-boxed.
- Share the final messaging widely—and make it easy to find.
- Keep updates infrequent and intentional.
Getting marketing and sales aligned isn’t rocket science, but it does take discipline. Use Pitch to keep things clear, simple, and honest. Don’t overcomplicate it. Start small, roll it out, and fix what doesn’t work. Everyone’s busy—so make this the last “alignment” project you actually need.