Focus instead of actionism: How SMEs can stop getting lost in marketing & sales

The problem: actionism instead of alignment

The pattern is widespread: SMEs launch campaigns full of verve, try out new channels, book trade fairs or start social media offensives. In the short term, this has a dynamic impact - but after a few months, disillusionment sets in: budgets are used up, leads fail to materialize and the team is exhausted.

Why is that? Because there is a lack of focus. Activities run in parallel without pursuing a common goal. Marketing and sales work side by side instead of interlocking. The result: a lot of movement, little effect.

The consequences of a lack of prioritization

Without a clear focus, SMEs make the same mistakes over and over again:

• Using all channels at the same time: Social media, PR, events, ads - all at once, but nothing with depth.
• No clear target group basis: activities are aimed at “everyone” - and therefore no one.
• Separate silos: marketing generates leads, sales complains about their quality - there is no consistent impact chain.
• Flying blind when it comes to evaluation: what is measurable (e.g. likes, clicks) is measured instead of what really counts (e.g. contribution to the business objective).

The result: high activity, but no sustainable target achievement.

The solution: clarity about levers, priorities and impact chains

1. priorities based on validated personas

The first step is to really understand the target group - not just in broad segments, but in validated personas.

• What are their needs?
• Which channels can be used to reach them?
• What factors influence their purchase decision?

If this basis is missing, every channel becomes a playground. With validated personas, on the other hand, you can clearly prioritize: LinkedIn ads for decision-makers, trade fairs for B2B contacts, webinars for product demos. Not everything at the same time, but the right thing for the right people.

2. communication & sales as an end-to-end impact chain

Marketing must not stop halfway. An ad, a whitepaper or an event only makes sense if there is a defined connection in the sales process.

Example: social media ad → whitepaper download → sales call → contract conclusion.

Each step builds on the previous one. This is the only way to turn activities into an impact chain that consistently leads to the business goal.

3. think strategy from target group & business goal

Instead of selecting channels based on trends or gut feeling, every activity should be measured against a simple question:

Does it pay towards our business goal for this target group?

• The business objective could be increased sales, new customer acquisition or higher repurchase rates.
• The target group is represented by one or more validated personas.
• Activities are only implemented if they have a measurable link to the business objective.

This creates a system that bundles resources and avoids blind action.

The next step: making focus visible with cosmos™

But theory alone does not change anything. Many SMEs know that they need to focus more - but in everyday life, operational pressure keeps catching up with them. Meetings revolve around current tasks, channels are routinely used and the actual business objective fades into the background.

This is exactly where cosmos™ comes in: The platform translates strategic principles such as “clear target groups”, ‘prioritization’ and “impact chains” into a visual, shared control system.

Instead of recording abstract goals in presentations or Excel sheets, cosmos™ shows directly:

• How each activity pays into the business objective. No activity remains isolated, but becomes visible in its contribution to the result.
• Which steps follow each other seamlessly - and where breaks occur. This makes it clear where leads are lost in the process or resources are wasted.
• Which activities actually have priority. If you can see which channels and touchpoints are effective, you can make targeted decisions about where the team should invest its energy - and where not.
• How marketing and sales really work together. Instead of working side by side, a shared understanding of the sequence of touchpoints and key events that lead to a deal is created.

This transforms strategy from a one-off workshop result into an ongoing process that can be reviewed and adapted at any time. The special feature: Everyone involved - whether marketing, sales or external partners - works with the same logic and the same view of goals, target groups and activities.

The result is tangible: less actionism, fewer frictional losses, more clarity. Instead of a firework display of individual measures, a common direction is created that bundles resources and maximizes impact.

Conclusion: fewer channels, more impact

SMEs don't need more activities, they need more focus. Those who have a valid understanding of their target groups, set clear priorities and combine marketing & sales in consistent impact chains transform actionism into strategy.

cosmos™ provides the right tools for this - so that every touchpoint contributes to the business objective and no energy is wasted.

Start now with clarity instead of campaign fireworks.

Create your free cosmos™ account now.