Summer Sales & Marketing Series: Part 7

Building a Shared Scorecard

In the last six posts, we explored where sales and marketing in fresh produce often fall out of sync and how to bring them back together. We discussed why these gaps happen, what sales needs from marketing, and how a real feedback loop can strengthen both teams. We also talked about turning trade shows and packaging into shared opportunities, and how brand building can stay strong even when prices are under pressure.

All of this leads to one key question: how can you tell if it’s actually working?

Sales teams know exactly how to measure a good quarter. They look at cases moved, business growth with existing and new customers, and how actual sales compare to the budget. These metrics are clear, and accountability is straightforward.

Marketing’s results can be harder to link to those outcomes. Metrics like impressions, engagement rates, email opens, and brand awareness are real, but they don’t always connect directly to the actual sale of products or services.

That gap in measurement is part of what keeps sales and marketing from fully trusting each other. When two teams’ performances are measured on different things, it is hard to feel like one team.

Creating a shared scorecard doesn’t mean marketing drops its own metrics or sales starts tracking social media followers. It means both teams agree on a few key measures that reflect shared goals and review them together.

Some examples that work well in fresh produce are retail sell-through gains linked to a brand campaign, increased volume during a promotion, and buyer engagement in conversations or meetings when marketing materials are used compared to when they aren’t. These don’t need complex reporting systems.

All it takes is for both teams to agree ahead of time on what they want to achieve together.

Talking about the scorecard also encourages better planning. When sales and marketing know they’ll be measured on shared results, they have a clear reason to coordinate early in the season, set priorities before a trade show, and review together after key customer meetings.

This is the behind-the-scenes work of alignment. It may not be as visible as a big campaign or a busy trade show, but it lasts longer. When both teams focus on the same numbers and ask the same questions, the tension between sales and marketing starts to fade. Not because someone forced them to work together, but because their goals are finally aligned.

What might a shared scorecard look like at your company? Who would you invite to join that conversation first?

That’s the end of our Summer Sales & Marketing Series. Thanks for joining us as we explored what it really takes to bring sales and marketing closer together.