Relations between sales and marketing teams often teeter on the edge of animosity. The sales force thinks marketing develops ideas in the absence of hard facts while marketers are convinced the sales team doesn’t use the material it develops as effectively as possible. How can you breach the gap?

Use these five steps and create useful materials sales teams will love:

1. Go on sales calls --Marketers may think they know what challenges the sales reps face every day -- but seeing those challenges first-hand can make a huge difference in knowing the needs of the sales team. Go on a call and learn first-hand what obstacles the sales rep confronts. Take notes: What information does the prospect request that the rep doesn't have? What problem is the prospect trying to solve and can your product or service actually solve it? Where does the sale stall out?

2. Don't rely solely on brochures --
When you're selling business services or complicated products, a standard brochure just doesn't cut it. Sure, a brochure might work for an initial contact, but when a prospect has finally gotten down to requesting particulars about the product, you'll need various kinds of materials with varying degrees of detail.

3. Define your prospect's problem and offer to solve it --The first step in the sales cycle is for a prospect to recognize that he has a problem. Give him stats that show the problem -- then show how you can solve it. For example: "Late delivery of rental machinery equipment costs the construction industry $XXX per year. We deliver your equipment on time or you pay nothing."

4. Create collateral that soothes the prospect--Before a prospect makes a decision, they need to be reassured that it's the right one. For this step, your sales rep will find that case studies and testimonials have the most impact.

5. Teach sales how to use the material--Marketers who create terrific materials, put it together in a folder, hand it off to the sales reps, and expect them to know what to do with it are missing out on a key step in the process, and it's likely that much of the good material will go to waste. Instead, educate the sales team on how each marketing piece helps nail down a sale. Have the sales team walk marketers through the sales process, so the marketers can explain where each marketing piece fits in.