Navigating the Path to Sales and Marketing Alignment
Achieving effective alignment between sales and marketing is a critical objective for B2B organisations seeking sustained growth. In a recent roundtable discussion hosted by Joaquin Dominguez Lucchini, Head of Marketing at Adzact, industry leaders shared their insights into overcoming the hurdles of this alignment. The conversation revealed that collaboration, agility, and data-driven strategies are vital to success, particularly in today’s rapidly changing business landscape.
Hosts
Joaquin Dominguez was joined by marketing experts to discuss the topic.
Guests
Chloe Banholzer, Partner Marketing Manager
Richard Pfister, Economic Development Communication, Lightcast
Ejiro Odogun, Planning, Performance and Operations Manager, Dell Technologies
Understanding the Challenges
The session opened with an exploration of the difficulties organisations face in aligning sales and marketing efforts. Richard Pfister underscored the impact of corporate complexity, particularly within companies undergoing rapid expansion or mergers. A consistent challenge is maintaining a unified message across various departments, which can become fragmented when teams work in silos.
Chloe Banholzer echoed these concerns, emphasising the importance of shared KPIs that bridge marketing and sales priorities. A disconnect often arises when marketing focuses on metrics like impressions and clicks, while sales prioritises revenue-generating leads. Without alignment, tensions can build as both teams perceive success differently.
Ejiro Odogun brought attention to the cultural dimension of alignment, noting that many organisations maintain a “parallel operation” where marketing and sales work towards separate objectives. He highlighted that alignment is influenced not just by collaboration but by incentives and organisational culture.
"It's critical to ensure that marketing KPIs align with sales objectives. You might have impressive metrics like clicks and impressions, but if they're not driving sales-qualified leads, tension builds. Marketing feels successful, while sales sees no tangible results." – Chloe Banholzer
Data Quality and Process Integration
The role of data emerged as a central theme in ensuring alignment. Both Chloe and Ejiro pointed to the issue of data integrity as a critical factor in building trust between teams. Sales often relies on marketing-generated data for outreach, and inaccurate information can derail lead nurturing efforts. Ejiro emphasised the importance of a central repository or "source of truth" that both teams can rely upon to avoid discrepancies during meetings and decision-making.
Integrated dashboards, powered by tools like Power BI and Tableau, were highlighted as key enablers for collaboration. These dashboards consolidate performance metrics, providing transparency across both sales and marketing activities. However, as Ejiro noted, tools alone are insufficient without a culture of data literacy and regular training to ensure that both teams understand and leverage the insights effectively.
Richard noted that KPIs are evolving rapidly, reflecting the dynamic nature of sales and marketing operations. Establishing clear metrics that are adaptable to different campaign types can help both teams stay aligned, particularly as organisations adopt new AI and data-driven tools.
"Having a central source of truth is essential. Misaligned data between sales and marketing can waste valuable time in meetings, debating whose data is accurate. When both teams trust a unified data source, collaboration and decision-making become much smoother." – Ejiro Odogun
The Evolution of Marketing’s Role
Marketing has undergone a significant transformation over the past decade. As Ejiro reflected, marketing has shifted from being a purely creative support function to a strategic partner with commercial responsibilities. Today’s marketers are expected to drive measurable outcomes, including pipeline development and revenue growth, through data-driven strategies.
Chloe highlighted a pivotal shift in one of her previous organisations: clearly defining the handover point between marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) and sales-qualified leads (SQLs). Establishing stricter criteria for lead qualification reduced frustrations on the sales side and created a more cohesive lead management process.
Richard added that the proliferation of AI tools and automation has dramatically changed lead generation processes. Where marketers once relied on manual databases, they now have access to sophisticated tools like ZoomInfo and Apollo, enabling faster prospecting and engagement.
"KPIs are evolving rapidly as businesses grow and their operations become more complex. It's crucial to establish clear, adaptable metrics that can accommodate different types of campaigns. This ensures that sales and marketing remain aligned, even as new challenges and opportunities arise." – Richard Pfister
Advice for Organisations Facing Alignment Challenges
To maintain alignment, the panel emphasised several key strategies:
Joint Business Planning:
Ejiro suggested internal joint planning sessions between sales and marketing to align on goals, KPIs, and resource allocation. By agreeing on shared metrics and defining how leads are managed, organisations can reduce misunderstandings and foster co-ownership of outcomes.
Regular Communication Touchpoints:
Chloe stressed the importance of regular meetings where both teams review data, discuss campaign results, and plan next steps. These sessions provide opportunities to address concerns, improve transparency, and ensure continuous collaboration.
Rules of Engagement:
Ejiro recommended establishing clear rules around how and when leads are passed to sales. This includes defining service-level agreements (SLAs) for lead follow-up to prevent opportunities from being missed due to delays or miscommunication.
Conclusion
The discussion highlighted that successful alignment between sales and marketing requires more than just tools—it demands a cultural shift towards collaboration, trust, and shared accountability. By investing in data integration, defining clear processes, and fostering open communication, organisations can overcome alignment challenges and unlock greater growth potential.
As companies continue to adapt in today’s competitive market, the insights shared in this episode serve as a valuable guide for businesses striving to strengthen their sales and marketing partnerships.
Join the Precision Punks Community
Access to the slack community of serious B2B advertisers
Chatham House rules ‘Adzact confidential’ events with peers
Private in-person events in London and New York
Exclusive data & learning resources to build your career
