Sales and marketing have long operated in silos, with sales teams often frustrated by poor lead quality and marketing teams disheartened by a lack of follow-through. And this disconnect isn’t sustainable, given that sales and marketing alignment is critical to consistent revenue and stellar customer experience.
After years of working with marketing teams, I’ve learned what truly drives alignment and what just wastes time. Here, I share the lessons I wish I’d known earlier, including the real causes of misalignment, the impact of fixing it, and the tactics that worked for my team.
Think shared dashboards, feedback loops that mattered, and goals both teams cared about. It’s not theory; it’s what I’d do differently if I could start over. If you’re tired of the disconnect, this is for you.
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Alignment isn’t optional; it doubles sales and marketing performance
Alignment with marketing directly impacts sales performance and pipeline health. Marketing delivers prospects that are better qualified and more sales-ready, leading to higher conversion rates and shorter deal cycles.
This alignment also reduces friction in the sales process, as reps are equipped with content, context, and messaging that align with where the buyer is in their journey. A shared understanding of buyer personas and the customer journey enables sales reps to have more relevant, timely conversations.
Case in point: Sales and marketing teams that report being completely aligned are 2.3 times more likely to surpass their revenue targets. On the flip side, misaligned teams have twice as much risk of missing their revenue targets. When both teams define what a “good lead” looks like, reps can prioritize outreach and follow-up with confidence, driving more efficient and predictable outcomes.
From chaos to clarity: What misaligned teams are missing out on
Before I experienced real sales and marketing alignment, it felt like we spoke entirely different languages. When I started as a pharmaceutical sales rep in a new territory, I walked into a meeting with a doctor who asked about a quarterly promo I didn’t even know existed. Marketing had launched it without looping us in or giving us the approved client list. That disconnect made me look unprepared and hurt trust and momentum right out of the gate.
The situation above was a wake-up call that alignment isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a necessity. Here’s an overview of what sales and marketing teams look like before and after they are aligned:
| Category | On misaligned sales and marketing teams… | Aligned teams… |
|---|---|---|
| Lead quality | Sales complains about “junk leads” from broad campaigns. | Score and filter leads based on a shared ICP and engagement signals. |
| Content usage | Marketing creates content, but sales doesn’t know it exists or finds it irrelevant. | Collaborate on and share tailored enablement content mapped to funnel stages, like case studies and battlecards. |
| Campaign visibility | Sales finds out about new campaigns after prospects do. | Loop each other in on campaign goals, timing, and messaging in advance. |
| Follow-up training | Sales follow-ups are delayed or misaligned with campaign activity. | Time follow-ups to campaign engagement, often within hours of a lead interaction. |
| Feedback loops | There’s no process for sales to report poor lead quality or campaign gaps. | Sync weekly or use shared dashboards to ensure real-time feedback and campaign tuning. |
| Revenue impact | Disconnected metrics lead to finger-pointing. | Share pipeline and revenue goals to foster ownership and mutual accountability. |
| Tech stack integration | CRM, email, and marketing tools operate in silos. | Integrate CRM, email automation, and analytics so that sales sees the full lead journey. |
| Rep confidence | Sales lacks trust in lead sources and messaging. | Are equipped and supported with the right data, content, and timing. |
Common pain points and what high-performing sales teams need from marketing teams
Even though we’re technically working toward the same goals, I’ve seen firsthand how sales and marketing misalignment can drag down performance. In one instance, I failed to close a significant deal when my marketing counterpart “forgot” to include a client in the approved list of marketing campaign participants.
It’s frustrating, especially when you know that with a bit more coordination and shared accountability, things could run so much smoother. Here are the most common pain points that sales teams face and how you can work with marketing to fix them.
Misqualified leads
I can’t count how many times I’ve been handed leads that were nowhere near ready to talk. Some hadn’t even engaged with anything beyond a cold invite to a “business opportunity.” Chasing those leads wastes time I could be spending on real opportunities.
What we need: Clear ICP and smart lead scoring
As a sales territory manager, I couldn’t afford to waste time chasing poorly matched leads. More than just broad customer personas, I needed specifics. For example, if your best customer is a B2B SaaS company with 20 to 50 employees using Stripe and growing 20% year over year, make it known.
Those details should be baked into your ideal customer profile (ICP) and reflected in your lead scoring rules. Tools like HubSpot or Clearbit can help refine this data in real time.
Solution: Sit down with your marketing team and build a lead qualification framework together. Agree on behavioral triggers, fit criteria, and engagement signals. This ensures that only truly sales-ready leads make it to your queue.
ALSO READ: Defining Qualified Leads for Sales and Marketing
Generic content
I used to get slide decks and one-pagers that looked nice but didn’t speak to the pain points I was hearing on client calls. I needed materials that backed me up in real conversations, not just polished fluff.
What we need: Content that sells, not just educates
In the events business, I always had backup materials: packages, case studies, and value props ready to go for any type of client. Sales should be no different. I can’t count how many times a deal hinged on having the right one-pager or a sharp “Why Us vs. Them” slide right when a prospect asked a tough question.
The kind of content that includes pricing explainers, objection handlers, and vertical-specific proof points helps turn interest into commitment.
Solution: I started giving specific feedback. From that point forward, my marketing counterparts checked in before launching new content, and we co-created things like competitive battlecards, objection-handling cheat sheets, and industry-specific case studies that I was able to use in the field.
Misaligned metrics
One of the biggest friction points I’ve faced between sales and marketing was celebrating the wrong wins. I remember sitting in a quarterly business review where marketing was thrilled about hitting a massive marketing-qualified leads (MQL) goal.
Meanwhile, my pipeline was dry. Most of those leads weren’t sales-ready, didn’t match our ICP, and rarely responded to follow-ups. It felt like we were being graded on different report cards.
What we need: Metrics that reflect real buying intent
We need metrics that reflect buying intent and move deals forward. That means fewer surface-level leads and more focus on lead quality, conversion potential, and revenue impact. Shared accountability is key because we can’t close deals if we’re chasing the wrong prospects.
Solution: We set shared KPIs that included lead-to-opportunity conversion, pipeline contribution, and influenced revenue. That way, we were all measured on what moved the business forward.
Lack of real-time campaign visibility
There was a stretch when I’d walk into sales calls unaware that marketing had launched a new campaign the week before. A prospect would mention a limited-time offer, and I’d scramble mid-meeting to find the details.
It made me look unprepared and disconnected from the rest of the business. Without campaign visibility, I couldn’t reinforce the messaging or timing, and it created gaps in trust and continuity.
What we need: Access to campaign activity in real time
We need real-time visibility into what’s launching, who it’s targeting, and how it’s performing. Back then, we didn’t have a CRM system, so we had to reach out to marketing via call, text, or email to inquire about a campaign.
Right now, this information should ideally be available right inside your CRM. That context helps us tailor our outreach, reinforce campaign messages, and follow up with leads when they’re most engaged.
Solution: Talk to marketing about implementing shared dashboards and campaign calendars that sync with our sales tools. This way, reps could see active campaigns, lead sources, and key talking points at a glance. That alignment can help us strike while the iron is hot and improve handoffs between marketing engagement and sales follow-up.
No two-way feedback loop
One of the most frustrating parts of working in sales is when it feels like our insights never make it back to the people creating the campaigns. I remember flagging a recurring objection I kept hearing on calls. This was something marketing could’ve addressed directly in their content.
Instead, it got buried in a Slack thread and never made it into the next campaign. We’re the ones on the frontlines, yet our feedback rarely drives change.
What we need: A real feedback loop that drives change
We need marketing to treat sales feedback like real-time market intelligence. When we hear what messaging is landing (or flopping), that insight should influence campaigns. Regular syncs, shared notes, and follow-up on submitted feedback make a huge difference.
Solution: Set up biweekly feedback sessions where marketing reviews sales call highlights, objection trends, and content performance. It’s not just about us venting; it’s structured and actionable. Plus, it sharpens our messaging and aligns it more closely with what buyers are saying.
Sales and marketing alignment best practices
For sales teams, true alignment with marketing means more than occasional check-ins. It also requires structured collaboration, clear expectations, and shared accountability.
When these practices are implemented with discipline and transparency, sales and marketing teams function as a unified revenue engine, delivering a smoother buyer journey and stronger business outcomes.
Conduct regular joint planning sessions
Regular meetings between sales and marketing are critical for planning campaigns, aligning messaging, and evaluating results. These sessions ensure that the sales team has input on campaign themes, knows what’s launching and when, and can align outreach efforts accordingly.
If marketing doesn’t take the lead in initiating regular joining planning sessions, reach out to them or to your manager to ensure that one is in place.
Define shared metrics and KPIs
Sales team managers should organize a collaborative KPI workshop to review current funnel performance, identify gaps, and agree on outcome-driven metrics. These include revenue contribution, opportunity conversion, and sales velocity.
By aligning early and reviewing progress regularly, both teams stay accountable and focused on what drives growth.
Equip your team with sales enablement tools
Reps need easy access to high-impact assets within their workflows. Tools like CRM-integrated content libraries, dynamic battlecards, and deal-stage playbooks help sales teams deliver relevant content immediately without wasting time searching for resources.
While it’s marketing’s responsibility to equip sales with these high-impact assets, the sales team manager should ensure that sales input guides content creation.
Establish mutual feedback loops
Sales feedback on lead quality, objections encountered, and win-loss insights should be consistently routed back to marketing. In turn, marketing can refine messaging, targeting, and asset creation to better support sales conversations and increase effectiveness.
You can log these details using your CRM system’s structured fields or notes. You can also tag specific campaigns, common objections, and low-quality leads to make it easier for marketing to spot.
Create a Service Level Agreement (SLA)
A formal SLA is widely adopted in B2B organizations, especially those with structured revenue operations. It sets expectations for both sides, minimizes finger-pointing, and helps ensure accountability and follow-through.
Ideally, sales and marketing teams co-create this SLA, but it should be documented by either the Revenue Operations team, sales and marketing leaders, or marketing operations in smaller teams.
The SLA from marketing to sales usually includes the MQL quota, definition of an MQL, details of the lead handoff process, and the timeline for delivering leads after campaigns launch.
On the other hand, the SLA from sales to marketing includes the follow-up time for contacting MQLs, the number of contact attempts before marking the lead as unreachable, the feedback loop, and win/loss data sharing for campaign refinement.
ALSO READ: How to Align Sales and Marketing
Tools that support sales and marketing alignment
To bridge the gap between sales and marketing, teams need the right technology stack that fosters real-time collaboration, data sharing, and performance tracking.
Here are some of my top recommended tools and platforms that are instrumental in building and maintaining sales and marketing alignment.
Campaign collaboration board
Dedicated monday boards or Slack channels help streamline cross-functional planning and execution. As a long-time user of these two platforms, I can confidently recommend them for their ease of use and practical features.
Sales teams can use them to provide input on campaign ideas, get real-time updates on asset availability, and flag leads that need marketing support. These tools reduce silos and ensure both sides are looped in during every stage of campaign development and launch.
CRM with marketing automation
When teams integrate CRM and marketing automation platforms, both can view the full lead journey, from first touch to closed deal. This allows marketing to see which campaigns generate real revenue, while sales can access detailed engagement data to personalize follow-ups.
One of my favorite tools is HubSpot, which has a Marketing Hub that lets reps see email opens, content downloads, and form submissions within their CRM.
Analytics dashboard
Shared dashboards that track metrics like lead source, conversion rates, and deal velocity provide a single source of truth. When both teams operate from the same data, it’s easier to evaluate campaign effectiveness, identify bottlenecks, and adjust strategies quickly.
I recommend analytics dashboards like Google Looker Studio, Tableau, or built-in HubSpot reports that can offer customizable views tailored to sales and marketing goals.
Content management system
A shared content management system (CMS) is critical for sales and marketing alignment, giving reps quick access to the right assets at the right time. These include case studies, battlecards, and pitch decks.
I like how Naro allows marketing teams to organize content by persona, deal stage, or product, and gives sales teams seamless access within their CRM or inbox. It also provides analytics so that marketing can refine assets based on real-world usage.
Real-world example of ‘smarketing’ success
Let’s take a look at how Nasdaq Governance Solutions improved its ‘smarketing’ (sales and marketing) results through alignment. As a B2B provider of corporate governance software and services, the company faced a major challenge with lead quality.
Their marketing efforts were generating a high volume of leads, but many were unqualified or irrelevant, leading to a high disqualification rate and inefficiencies in the sales process. The cost per sales qualified lead (SQL) was also too high, limiting ROI and overall effectiveness.
To address these challenges, Nasdaq aligned its marketing and sales teams through several key strategies (some you might recognize from my list of best practices).
- Shared dashboards: Teams used platforms like Marketo and Salesforce to create unified dashboards, allowing them to monitor lead progression and campaign performance transparently.
- Campaign debriefs: Teams conducted regular reviews of marketing campaigns to assess lead quality and gather feedback from the sales team, facilitating continuous improvement.
- Collaborative playbooks: Teams developed clear criteria for lead qualification, ensuring both had a shared understanding of what constituted a sales-qualified lead.
The alignment efforts led to significant performance improvements.
- 270% increase in SQLs: By refining lead generation strategies, Nasdaq significantly boosted the number of high-quality leads.
- 74% decrease in disqualification rate: Enhanced targeting and filtering reduced the influx of irrelevant or low-quality leads.
- 66% reduction in cost per SQL: Optimized campaigns led to more efficient spending and better ROI.
Through strategic alignment and the implementation of shared tools and practices, Nasdaq achieved a substantial increase in high-quality leads while reducing costs. This collaborative approach between sales and marketing not only improved efficiency but also contributed to significant business growth.
