The One Team Method: how sales and marketing collaboration can boost big business
by Peter Strohkorb

ISBN: 9781 507834 701 Published: Australia, February 2015
Reviewed by: Julie Garland McLellan*

This book starts with depressing case studies of a problem most directors are painfully aware of: silos between departments that should collaborate. It provides a useful summary of symptoms which will assist in formulating questions at board level and developing KPIs for monitoring improvement strategies. Ultimately the book proposes management and technology interventions to fix the problem.

The most valuable knowledge contribution is the section on trends that are reshaping the sales world. I have read technical papers on e-commerce driven evolution of the ‘buyer’s journey’ but never one as clear as this. Refreshingly clear and jargon free – I wish more books were like this.

The book is comprehensively researched and backed by numerous references in the text. These could be less intrusively handled as footnotes but provide ample additional sources of insight. The book is written in first person and contains a wealth of the author’s personal experiences. It is also an unashamed pitch for his consulting services although it contains sufficient value that a moderately intelligent person will be able to glean from the pages and put into practice.

This book aims to:

  1. Show that solvable collaborative issues are impeding business growth
  2. Prove that organizations thus impeded are falling significantly behind in the race to keep up with the ever-accelerating Buyer’s Journey
  3. Provide the reader with the adaptive collaborative tool kit that they need to prevent their organizations from falling behind their more agile competitors.
It meets and exceeds those goals.

Helpful chapter ‘takeaways’ are provided. The final chapter cautions against analysis paralysis, deferment, procrastination and deliberation – the prescription for which is leadership!

Tables, charts and a few cartoons enliven the text which is fast paced and well written. The book can be read quickly if one is not distracted by the constant references to other interesting information. Accompanied by ‘Dr Google’ it is a formidable information stockpile.

For a manager there is much to recommend in the pragmatic documentation of the costs of poor collaboration. For the director there is clear information on how traditional structures are disrupted by digital processes in tangible business processes; this book will help those of us who are not digital natives to sense the trends and position our organisations to benefit. For both, with the application of a little effort, this book will provide some implementable ideas for building sustainable revenue.

Available at Amazon.com


* Julie Garland McLellan is a professional non-executive director, board and governance consultant and mentor. She is the author of   "Dilemmas, Dilemmas: Practical Case Studies for Company Directors",   Dilemmas, Dilemmas II: More Practical Case Studies for Company Directors (Volume 2),   "The Director's Dilemma",   "Presenting to Boards",   "All Above Board: Great Governance for the Government Sector" and numerous articles on corporate strategy and governance.