Why Most Sales & Marketing Teams Fail—and How to Fix It Without Burning the House Down
- Julia Watkins
- Jul 23
- 1 min read
In boardrooms and Zoom calls across the globe, I see the same pattern:
Marketing builds brand awareness-but can’t prove ROI.
Sales pushes deals-but chases the wrong leads.
Leadership demands results-but misaligns incentives.
The result? Miscommunication, missed revenue targets, and finger-pointing.
Here’s the truth: Sales and marketing aren’t broken. They're misaligned.
And the fix? It’s not more tools. It’s not more spend. It’s smarter synchronization.
🧠 Here are 3 high-leverage, low-cost fixes:
Shared Metrics Over Vanity Metrics
Replace MQLs and impressions with joint KPIs like SQL-to-close ratio or revenue per campaign. If both teams don’t win together, they lose together.
Sales-Led Content Creation
Let your sales team inform your content strategy. The questions they hear daily are the SEO gold and thought leadership you’re ignoring.
Weekly 30-Minute Alignment Calls
Not a handoff. A huddle. Discuss pipeline gaps, objections heard, and campaign impact. Speed to insight is speed to market.
You don’t need to overhaul the system. You just need to get your silos talking like a single organism.
Alignment is not a project—it’s a practice.
If you’re tired of sales blaming marketing and marketing calling sales “rogue,” it’s time to rewire the relationship.
What alignment strategy has worked best for you? Let’s elevate the conversation.👇
