What does the rise of fusion teams mean for marketing and sales?

In the late 2010s, the analyst firm Gartner started observing interesting phenomena among large enterprises that had organically created "multidisciplinary digital business teams that blend technology and other types of domain expertise" or, as they called them, "fusion teams." These teams are often designed to deliver products rather than projects. The analyst firm's own data show that "at least 84% of companies and 59% of government entities have set up fusion teams.”

And this isn't all; Gartner also reports that a whopping 43% of these teams already report outside corporate IT so they can be closer to the point of value delivery.

"Multidisciplinary digital business teams — or "fusion teams" — are critical to success in digital transformation. Progressive CIOs foster rather than fight the rise of the distributed digital delivery model and maximise value by focusing on the human aspects of managing digital business risk."

Gartner, "Fusion Teams: A New Model for Digital Delivery"

So, what exactly are fusion teams?

These are multidisciplinary teams organised to digitalise business capabilities by providing technology solutions to deliver business and customer outcomes.

The rise of "fusion teams" clearly indicates that the boundaries between IT and the rest of the business are blurring very quickly. Fusion teams also don't have a traditional reporting structure; instead, members may report to either dedicated IT functions or business areas outside of IT. Fusion teams often start as agile project or scrum teams and gradually adopt product management discipline to oversee a capability end-to-end, from strategy to delivery and continuous enhancements."

Research by the analyst firm also shows that distributed projects run simultaneously, involve employees from a wider range of teams within the organisation, and progress 2.5 times faster than centralised schemes.

What does the rise of fusion teams mean for marketing and sales?

Fusion teams are deliberately assembled to bring together a diverse range of perspectives, skills, and knowledge domains. Unlike other parts of the enterprise, fusion teams are not organised by their responsibilities within a specific business function. Selling to them requires a well-crafted, nuanced approach that aligns with their collaborative, cross-functional decision-making process.

Unlike traditional organisations, where purchasing decisions may be siloed in IT, procurement, or a single business unit, fusion teams involve multiple stakeholders across the business. Vendors must adapt their marketing and sales strategies to resonate with this dynamic structure.

To be successful, marketing teams must understand the fusion team's composition and decision-making process. Since they integrate members from various departments, a single point of contact isn't enough anymore. Vendors need to appeal to different groups, including developers, IT, and business teams. Vendors also need to identify:

• Who influences the decision? (e.g., marketing, IT, data security)

• Who approves the purchase? (e.g., finance, procurement, senior executives)

• Who will be the end users? (e.g., sales and marketing teams)

Marketers can no longer rely on having a single champion for their products; instead, they need to target and develop relationships with multiple, and often very different, target audiences.

Marketing materials, whether they are blogs, social media, white papers, podcasts, etc., must be tailored to their specific audiences. However, a crucial mistake many teams make is not speaking their target audience's language. Instead, marketing must understand its audience and align the solutions with the buyers' objectives.

Today, companies prioritise business outcomes over technical specifications. They prioritise solutions that improve agility, data-driven decision-making, and customer experience.

That's why marketing needs to showcase business impact instead of pushing a generic pitch. Demonstrate the results your buyers had achieved after implementation and how your solutions will provide a return to their investments in real business terms.

Storytelling and case studies tailored to specific industries are also a must. Data-driven insights, benchmarks, reports, or success metrics allow fusion teams to justify the investment in your technologies to the people who write the cheques. However, always keep in mind that fusion teams include both technical and non-technical members, meaning your content must address varied concerns.

Tactics

Engaging and interactive product demos - These demos must clearly highlight the benefits from multiple viewpoints. This will allow potential customers to see the value you bring from their unique perspectives.

Account-based marketing (ABM) - These campaigns feature tailored messaging designed to resonate with the specific needs and pain points of various personas within target organisations. This approach ensures that each communication feels personalised and relevant.

Consultative sales approach - Many companies, even today, rush to make a sale without taking the time to build relationships with their future clients. Buying a multi-million dollar solution means that vendor and buyer build long-term partnerships rather than one-off transactions. To be successful, vendors should aim to establish themselves as trusted advisors, guiding clients through their decision-making processes and providing valuable insights and support along the way.

Educate, don't just sell - By providing thought leadership on topics relevant to your buyers, you transform yourself from a vendor to a knowledgeable and trusted partner.

Tiered solutions - today, companies are risk agnostic, no executive wants to lose their position when an important project goes wrong just because they have made the wrong decision. That's why you need to start small and expand your footprint within your buyers gradually.

Selling to enterprises with fusion teams requires a holistic, personalised, and consultative approach. Vendors must understand the cross-functional nature of decision-making, tailor messaging for diverse stakeholders, and emphasise business impact, agility, and long-term collaboration.

By positioning your company as a strategic partner rather than just a vendor, you can build lasting relationships with fusion teams and drive long-term success.