When sales and marketing start working as one team

How do you get sales and marketing to genuinely pull in the same direction?

For Axel Johnson International’s business area Transport Solutions, this question became especially relevant when several companies went through mergers. New organisations had to be formed, people had to find new ways of working, and sales and marketing teams needed to start collaborating even more closely.

At that point, Erik Eklöv, CEO of Transport Solutions, reached out to us at Lime. We carried out a preliminary analysis to understand the current situation and identify needs and opportunities, and based on that we put together a concept for a Smarketing Academy. The goal was to strengthen collaboration between sales and marketing, raise skills, and above all create a shared way of working that could be applied directly in the business.

The result was a five-month program in which around 20 participants from six companies within the group jointly developed concrete smarketing strategies for their businesses.

5 months

In-person kickoff, digital sessions once or twice a month, and a concluding full-day in-person session.

~20 participants

Colleagues from both sales and marketing who worked side by side throughout the program.

6 companies

Each participating company within the group built its own smarketing strategy over the course of the program.

The Challenge: When the organisation changes, ways of working need to keep up

“Sales and marketing have traditionally had different roles, perspectives and ways of working. At the same time, the boundaries between the functions have become increasingly fluid. Marketing has become more data-driven and plays an ever-larger role in sales, while the sales organisation needs to work in a more advisory way and use customer insights, content and digital tools in new ways,” says Agnes Jarfjord, Management Consultant at Lime and specialist in change management.

For Transport Solutions, the need became even clearer in connection with several mergers in Sweden and Finland. When organisations merge, it’s not just people and structures that need to be integrated – ways of working, goals and priorities also need to find a shared direction.

This is where the Smarketing Academy came in.

“I wanted the companies to come away with greater integration between sales and marketing. Not two separate departments working apart, but one team working closely together,” says Erik Eklöv.

For Abileer, one of the companies within the group, the initiative came at a particularly good time.

“For us, the course came at a really good time, right after a merger and in a phase where we’re working to bring the organisation together around a shared direction. It gave us a good framework for bringing sales and marketing closer together, and above all for more clearly connecting our activities with the business,” says Johanna Bylund, Sales Manager at Abileer.

A group of professionals engaged in a CRM strategy workshop. The team collaborates around a table with laptops, discussing customer relationship solutions for sectors like real estate or utilities.

Professional business consultant smiling in office attire.

Erik Eklöv

CEO Transport Solutions,
Axel Johnson International

“What I appreciate is that it’s pragmatic and simple. These are concrete tools and ways of working that participants can apply right away. It’s not fluffy – it’s hands-on.”

The Solution: From training to a concrete smarketing strategy

Lime designed the program so that it wasn’t just about theory, but about participants being able to apply the knowledge directly in their own businesses.

The academy started with an in-person kickoff and then continued with digital sessions once or twice a month. Between sessions, participants continued working on their own companies’ challenges and gradually built a concrete smarketing strategy.

During the program, participants worked on, among other things:

How to build a strong smarketing culture
Smarketing strategy and goal-setting
ICP and personas
Customer journeys
Content strategy
Shared goals and KPIs
Data-driven marketing

The common thread throughout the program was creating a clearer connection between sales, marketing and the business.

A professional CRM software training session in progress with consultants reviewing data on a shared large-screen display during a corporate consultation meeting.

For Johanna, the shared framework became one of the biggest gains.

“A major value was that we gained shared tools and a shared language around how we prioritise customers, segments, messaging and activities. It has helped us move from many good initiatives to a more unified and structured way of working.”

This is also an important part of Lime’s approach to smarketing: to create structure around collaboration, rather than seeing sales and marketing as two separate functions that need to coordinate their activities.

Professional woman smiling confidently, showcasing expertise in CRM solutions for various industries.

Johanna Bylund

Sales Manager
Abileer

“We gained shared tools and a shared language around how we prioritise customers, segments, messaging and activities.”

Two consultants discussing CRM solutions in a comfortable office setting, surrounded by modern decor and refreshments.

Hands-on from day one

A central part of the program was that participants shouldn’t just learn new models and concepts. They should use them in practice in their own businesses.

Over the course of the program, each company built its own smarketing strategy step by step. At the concluding in-person day, the companies presented their strategies to each other.

In this way, the academy became both a skills initiative and concrete strategy work.

The format over time has also been important.

“The combination of an in-person kickoff, digital sessions along the way and an in-person wrap-up works really well. That way you get the best of both worlds, while participants have time to apply the knowledge between sessions,” says Erik Eklöv.

From course to way of working

For Johanna, the value isn’t just about what participants learned during the academy, but about how the knowledge can be used going forward.

“For me, the course was also a confirmation of how important it is that sales and marketing don’t work in parallel, but together, with the same shared vision, the same customer insights and clearer follow-up. That’s something we’re taking with us as we continue building Abileer.”

This is also the long-term ambition behind the initiative: that smarketing shouldn’t be a project on the side of the business, but become part of how the companies plan, prioritise and follow up their commercial work.

Looking ahead

The next step is to follow up on how the new smarketing strategies are being implemented and what effect the work has on the business. For Transport Solutions, this isn’t the end point, but the start of a more structured way of working between sales and marketing.

Although it’s too early to measure the long-term business results, the vision is clear: stronger collaboration, better customer focus, and more data-driven, structured commercial work.

A team of professionals holding certificates in a modern office environment, showcasing successful CRM implementation across various industries including consultancy and real-estate.

Erik Eklöv

CEO Transport Solutions,
Axel Johnson International

“In a world that’s changing quickly, it’s important to keep giving people who work in sales and marketing new tools. A commitment to smarketing is a really good initiative.”

Is it your turn?

Curious about what a Smarketing Academy could look like for you, and how you could get sales and marketing working as one team?

Talk to us about smarketing

About Axel Johnson International

Transport Solutions is part of Axel Johnson International and brings together companies that offer solutions in load securing, vehicle components and accessories. The group operates in nine countries and grows through both acquisitions and the development of existing companies, creating an organisation where collaboration and shared ways of working are becoming increasingly important.