Misalignment between sales and marketing costs businesses billions annually. But when these teams work together, companies can grow 24% faster and generate 208% more revenue. Here are 10 clear signs your teams might need better alignment:
- Mixed Messages: Sales and marketing present conflicting narratives to customers, leading to confusion and lost trust.
- Different Goals: Sales focuses on immediate revenue, while marketing prioritizes long-term brand building.
- Broken Lead Processes: Leads are mishandled or delayed, resulting in missed opportunities.
- Disconnected Customer Data: Siloed systems lead to incomplete or inaccurate customer insights.
- Target Customer Disputes: Teams can’t agree on who the ideal customer is.
- Unused Content: 80% of marketing content goes unused by sales.
- Confused Responsibilities: Overlapping or unclear roles cause inefficiencies and duplicated work.
- Poor Communication: Lack of regular collaboration leads to missed insights and wasted effort.
- Lead Quality Disputes: Sales and marketing disagree on what defines a "qualified lead."
- Unconnected Tools: Disjointed systems slow down processes and create data silos.
Quick Fixes:
- Define shared goals and metrics.
- Align messaging and customer profiles.
- Use integrated tools for seamless collaboration.
- Schedule regular meetings for feedback and strategy updates.
Addressing these issues can transform your business, boosting win rates by 38% and improving customer retention by 36%.
Sales and Marketing Alignment: Creating Content Both Teams …
1. Mixed Messages in Marketing and Sales
When marketing and sales teams present conflicting narratives to customers, it creates confusion, damages trust, and ultimately hurts revenue. ADP‘s Added Value Services division experienced this issue firsthand. Senior Director Brian McGuire explained:
"Too many organizations start out with Marketing telling a story, but Sales tells it from a completely different perspective. Then, when there’s implementation, yet another story is told." [6]
This disconnect not only muddles internal operations but also weakens customer confidence. For example, if marketing promotes "cloud-first security" while sales focuses on "legacy on-premise systems", customers are left questioning what the product actually delivers.
Here’s how these mixed messages often play out:
| Marketing Message | Sales Message | Impact on Customer |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud-first security solutions | Legacy on-premise systems | Confusion about the actual product |
| Enterprise-wide implementation | Department-level solutions | Uncertainty about service scope |
| Immediate ROI | Long-term value proposition | Misaligned expectations |
When messaging is aligned, the results speak for themselves. Companies with synchronized sales and marketing teams close 38% more deals and generate 208% more revenue [3].
At ADP, McGuire tackled this issue by bringing all stakeholders together, identifying customer pain points, crafting consistent messaging, and testing it with select clients. He stressed:
"Sales managers should work with their marketing leaders to help them understand the challenges they’re having in the field in terms of conversation and where that conversation is breaking down, not simply saying, ‘Hey, we need a new product slick.’" [6]
The ADP example shows how a unified approach can address these challenges effectively – a topic we’ll dive deeper into in the sections ahead. Mixed messages aren’t just a symptom; they’re a signal that immediate action is needed.
2. Different Goals Between Teams
When sales and marketing aim for different targets, success can grind to a halt. Marketing often focuses on building long-term brand value, while sales prioritizes immediate revenue. This mismatch can damage performance.
Take the example of a Fortune 250 company: Marketing set product prices to boost market share, but sales, incentivized by profit margins, unintentionally undermined the effort. The result? A failed product line [8].
Here’s how alignment – or lack of it – impacts revenue:
| Alignment Status | Annual Revenue Impact |
|---|---|
| Strong Sales-Marketing Alignment | +20% growth |
| Poor Sales-Marketing Alignment | –4% decline |
| Sales Win Rate Improvement with Alignment | +38% higher |
These numbers make it clear: Misaligned goals don’t just hurt revenue – they erode customer trust.
"When sales and marketing aren’t aligned, the entire business feels the strain – from lost leads to confused messaging and decreased revenue." [5]
The issue often stems from conflicting metrics. Marketing teams tend to focus on brand awareness and lead generation, while sales zeroes in on closing deals and hitting revenue targets.
"If your marketing team is solely focused on an MQL metric, it’s a huge barrier to alignment between departments." [7]
A Forrester study found that 43% of CEOs believe misalignment between sales and marketing has led to lost sales opportunities [7]. Shockingly, only 45% of companies have a unified definition of what qualifies as a sales-ready lead [9].
To bridge this gap, teams can take the following steps:
- Joint Strategy Sessions: Schedule quarterly meetings to set shared goals.
- Shared KPIs: Define metrics that both teams find meaningful.
- Customer Journey Mapping: Develop a shared understanding of how leads move from awareness to conversion.
- Regular Cross-Team Reviews: Include marketing in sales meetings to maintain alignment.
When sales and marketing fail to align their goals, the fallout hits both customer experience and revenue hard. Next, we’ll explore how these misaligned goals can lead to process failures, like broken lead transfers.
3. Broken Lead Transfer Process
When the lead transfer process between sales and marketing breaks down, it can significantly hurt your revenue. An ineffective process directly impacts conversion rates and profitability [3]. Ensuring leads move smoothly from marketing to sales is critical for success.
| Response Time | Impact on Qualification |
|---|---|
| Within 5 minutes | 21x more likely to qualify |
| After 30 minutes | Qualification rate drops sharply |
| Any delay | 78% of buyers choose the first responder [3] |
Here are three common issues that arise when sales and marketing are out of sync:
- Premature Handoffs: Leads passed from marketing to sales before they’re qualified waste time and resources, frustrating both teams [3].
- Delayed Response: Unaddressed leads often result in lost opportunities. As Taina Palombo-Price, Global Product Marketing Leader at LinkedIn, explains:
"It’s all about the right types of leads at the right time, and at the right velocity" [11].
- Insufficient Lead Data: Without complete and accurate information, sales teams struggle to follow up effectively [3].
The impact of alignment is undeniable. Companies with well-coordinated sales and marketing teams generate 208% more revenue from marketing efforts, yet 96% of revenue professionals admit alignment is a challenge [3].
"The work that marketing does sets up the sales organization to do the part of the job that is theirs. You can’t do one without the other."
- Taina Palombo-Price, Global Product Marketing Leader at LinkedIn [11]
How to Fix the Problem
To repair a broken lead transfer process, focus on these areas:
- Define Clear Criteria: Agree on specific standards for Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) and Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) to avoid confusion [10].
- Use Smart Routing: Set up precise lead assignment rules. According to 76% of sales professionals, prompt lead assignment improves conversion rates [10].
- Communicate Regularly: Schedule consistent meetings between Business Development Representatives and marketing to evaluate lead quality [11].
For example, La Growth Machine improved their form completion rate from 54% to 72% by adding a LinkedIn interaction to their lead nurturing process – showing how small adjustments can make a big difference [12].
Next, we’ll explore how fragmented customer information exacerbates these challenges.
4. Disconnected Customer Information
Siloed customer data can seriously hurt both revenue and growth. A recent study shows that 87% of marketing teams and 80% of sales teams rely on multiple software tools to manage customer information, leading to fragmented insights[13].
This lack of connected data comes with real business costs:
| Data Challenge | Business Impact |
|---|---|
| Fragmented Systems | 29% of B2B organizations struggle with scattered customer data[13] |
| Inaccurate Records | 34% of organizations report issues with inaccurate prospect data[13] |
| Manual Data Transfer | 32% of companies still transfer data manually between tools[13] |
| Revenue Impact | 38% lower sales win rates due to data issues[14] |
The consequences of fragmented data are clear. Take Spotify, for example. Using Mailchimp, they found their disconnected email database led to a bounce rate of 12.3%. After adopting Mailchimp‘s Email Verification API in March 2023, their bounce rate dropped to just 2.1%, resulting in an additional $2.3 million in revenue.
"Misalignment leads to lost opportunities, duplicate effort, and customer frustration." – Kylee Lessard, Product Marketing @ LinkedIn[1]
There’s also a strong link between aligned teams and hitting revenue goals. In 2021, 70% of companies that exceeded their revenue targets rated their sales and marketing alignment as excellent. By contrast, only 9% of those who missed their targets gave themselves high marks in this area[13].
How to Address Disconnected Data
To close the gap between teams and streamline customer information:
- Create a Single Source of Truth
Use a unified platform that provides real-time customer data access[14]. - Establish Data Standards
Implement clear guidelines for data entry and maintenance to keep records accurate and consistent[14]. - Conduct Regular Data Reviews
Schedule meetings between sales and marketing teams to check data quality and resolve inconsistencies[4].
Disconnected data can also reduce customer retention by up to 18%[14]. Fixing these issues is as important as improving lead transfers when it comes to driving long-term growth.
5. Disagreement on Target Customers
When sales and marketing teams can’t agree on who their target customers are, it creates major roadblocks. Only 24% of organizations share a clear definition of their target audience, and LinkedIn research shows just a 23% overlap between sales and marketing target groups [15]. This lack of alignment, much like fragmented customer data, makes it harder to create a unified strategy.
Here’s where the differences often show up:
| Misalignment Aspect | Marketing Focus | Sales Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Audience Scope | Broad market segments | Specific accounts |
| Geographic Focus | Regional/global reach | Local territories |
| Timeline | Long-term engagement | Short-term wins |
| Lead Criteria | Marketing qualified leads (MQLs) | Sales qualified leads (SQLs) |
The consequences are significant. According to InsideView’s 2018 survey, the biggest challenge to aligning sales and marketing is sharing accurate data about target accounts [15]. Companies that align their teams effectively report 38% higher sales win rates compared to those that don’t [5].
"A TAM analysis based on your ideal customer segment helps identify all viable targets, not just those already in your CRM system." – Tracy Eiler, Chief Marketing Officer of InsideView [15]
Bridging the Target Customer Gap
Collaborate on Buyer Personas
Sales and marketing teams need to work together to build detailed buyer personas. These should include insights into customer behaviors, preferences, and pain points gathered from both teams’ experiences [15]. Review and update these personas every six months to keep them relevant.
Agree on Lead Definitions
Establish clear, shared definitions for Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) and Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) that both teams can align with [5].
Hold Regular Cross-Team Reviews
Set up monthly meetings between sales and marketing leaders to:
- Review how target accounts are performing
- Update ideal customer profiles
- Share new market insights
- Adjust targeting strategies as needed
When sales and marketing focus on different audiences, it leads to wasted resources, missed opportunities, and inconsistent messaging [15].
Signs of misalignment include:
- Marketing content rarely being used by sales
- Leads frequently being rejected
- Conflicting descriptions of the ideal customer
- Differing priorities for account targeting
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6. Unused or Mismatched Content
Unused marketing content often points to a disconnect between teams. Research shows that 80% of marketing content never gets used, which can lead to wasted resources and inefficiencies [16].
Sales teams, on the other hand, spend about 25% of their time searching for or creating content [17]. This is time they could spend engaging with prospects or closing deals. When marketing and sales work together effectively, businesses see 19% faster revenue growth and close deals 67% more efficiently [18].
| Content Issue | Marketing Impact | Sales Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | Too much content to manage | Hard to find relevant materials |
| Customization | Generic materials | Limited ability to tailor for clients |
| Relevance | Broad, unfocused messaging | Misses specific customer needs |
| Timing | Long-term planning focus | Can’t address immediate needs |
Why Content Goes Unused
Several reasons contribute to marketing content being underutilized:
- Lack of Connection to Customer Needs
Marketing teams often create content without consulting sales about real-world customer challenges. This results in materials that fail to address specific pain points or questions raised during sales conversations. - Disorganized Content Systems
When content isn’t stored or labeled in a way that aligns with sales stages or use cases, it becomes difficult for sales teams to locate the right materials when they need them. - Limited Customization
Generic, one-size-fits-all content doesn’t work for every client. Sales teams need materials that can be adapted to fit different buyer personas and unique situations.
Signs of Content Misalignment
Here are some red flags that indicate issues with content alignment:
- Sales teams frequently create their own materials instead of using marketing-provided content.
- Marketing content doesn’t align with the buyer’s journey stages.
- Sales teams rarely use marketing materials during conversations with prospects.
- Sales teams repeatedly request new types of content from marketing.
- Marketing materials fail to address common customer objections.
This misalignment has a direct impact. In fact, 87% of B2B buyers say content plays a major role in their purchasing decisions [18]. When sales teams can’t effectively use marketing resources, it hurts revenue and efficiency.
To solve this, companies should take a structured approach to content creation and management. This includes integrating sales feedback into content planning, organizing materials to align with the sales process, and ensuring content addresses customer pain points at every stage of the buying journey.
Next, we’ll examine how unclear team responsibilities can further complicate these challenges.
7. Confused Team Responsibilities
When sales and marketing teams don’t have clearly defined roles, efficiency drops, and performance suffers. Research highlights role confusion as a major source of conflict between these departments [19]. This often leads to duplicated efforts or critical tasks being ignored.
Common Signs of Role Confusion
| Area | Marketing Focus | Sales Focus | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead Generation | Tracks volume metrics | Focuses on quality metrics | Misaligned priorities |
| Content Creation | Produces broad materials | Crafts custom pitches | Duplicated efforts |
| Customer Communication | Relies on general messaging | Emphasizes personalized outreach | Mixed messaging |
| Performance Tracking | Prioritizes brand awareness KPIs | Tracks revenue-based KPIs | Conflicting goals |
Taina Palombo-Price, LinkedIn’s Global Product Marketing Leader, puts it simply:
"You’re still one team, even if you’re under two leaders, because you’re marching towards the same goal – or you should be." [20]
How This Affects Business Operations
- Wasted Resources and Missed Tasks: Without clear role definitions, teams often repeat work while important responsibilities are overlooked.
- Communication Gaps: Critical information gets stuck within individual teams instead of being shared.
To tackle these problems, companies need structured processes for defining roles and encouraging collaboration. This could include regular cross-department meetings, shared platforms for documentation, and unified metrics that align both teams [4].
"It’s a funnel. It’s not actually two teams – it’s one team in a business that’s trying to sell a product or service. And those lines of demarcation, I think, are actually what start to make it really challenging to view how early day brand work impacts close rates for salespeople." [20]
Clarifying responsibilities lays the groundwork for addressing other team challenges, like communication issues, which we’ll cover next.
8. Poor Team Communication
When sales and marketing teams don’t communicate effectively, it can hurt your bottom line. Studies reveal that companies with disconnected teams can lose up to 10% of their yearly revenue due to communication issues [21].
Impact on Business Performance
Poor communication has measurable effects on key business areas:
| Impact Area | Effect of Poor Communication | Potential Improvement with Alignment |
|---|---|---|
| Deal Closure | Lower win rates | 67% higher success in closing deals [22] |
| Content Value | Marketing efforts go to waste | 209% better content utilization [22] |
| Sales Efficiency | Up to 40% of time wasted on content creation or searching | 108% smoother operations [22] |
| Revenue Growth | Revenue losses exceeding 10% | 20% revenue growth [21] |
Warning Signs of Communication Breakdown
- Siloed Information Flow: Sales reps often spend up to 40% of their time searching for or creating content, which highlights a serious lack of coordination [22].
- Mismatched Expectations: Disputes over lead quality arise when marketing and sales don’t align on criteria. This often stems from poor feedback loops and ineffective communication channels [5].
"Misaligned organizations suffer from poor communication, flawed processes, and weak and inconsistent follow up."
– Demand Gen Reports [21]
Practical Solutions
- Regular Cross-Team Meetings: Schedule structured meetings where both teams discuss challenges and share insights. As Deepti Mittal notes, "Miscommunication is one of the primary reasons for sales-marketing misalignment" [5].
- Technology Integration: Use shared tools like Slack, Teams, or integrated CRMs to ensure both teams have access to the same information. Real-time dashboards and shared document systems can also help.
- Knowledge Sharing Protocols: Develop systems for sharing crucial information. Marketing can provide campaign calendars and strategies, while sales shares customer feedback and market trends. Both teams should collaborate on performance metrics.
Companies that prioritize strong communication practices report up to a 40% boost in deal closures and a 50% reduction in account churn [22]. Next, Section 9 explores how disagreements over lead quality can further disrupt team alignment.
9. Different Views on Lead Quality
Disagreements about lead quality can slow down revenue growth. Research shows that only 7% of salespeople view marketing-generated leads as "very high quality." Meanwhile, 23% of sales teams actively request "better quality leads" from their marketing counterparts [23][24].
The Quality Gap Problem
Sales and marketing often clash over what defines a quality lead. Here’s how their perspectives differ:
| Area of Misalignment | Marketing’s Perspective | Sales’ Perspective |
|---|---|---|
| Lead Scoring | Focuses on engagement metrics like clicks and downloads | Prioritizes buying signals and budget authority |
| Lead Timing | Treats all marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) as equally valuable | Emphasizes leads ready to buy now |
| Customer Intent | Tracks website visits and content downloads | Looks for direct purchase interest |
| Contact Level | Any contact from a target company | Prefers decision-makers with purchasing power |
Impact on Business Operations
Accenture Interactive reports that 82% of demand marketing efforts miss the mark, failing to align with the customer journey [24]. This misalignment causes several issues:
- Wasted Resources
Marketing teams spend time qualifying leads that sales teams later disregard. - Lost Productivity
Sales teams, doubting marketing’s lead quality, often find their own leads – wasting time and lowering morale. - Collaboration Breakdown
When sales frequently dismiss "qualified" leads, trust between departments erodes, affecting teamwork.
Practical Solutions
To close the gap, sales and marketing teams need to collaborate on defining what makes a lead truly valuable. Here are some actionable steps:
- Joint Definition Sessions: Work together to create clear, agreed-upon criteria for identifying genuine buyer intent [23].
- Progressive Profiling: Use progressive profiling to gather more detailed lead information as prospects move through the buyer journey [23].
- Continuous Feedback Loop: Sales teams should regularly share insights about customer behavior and preferences, helping marketing fine-tune lead qualification processes [25].
10. Unconnected Sales and Marketing Tools
Disconnected tools can make teamwork harder. Studies show that 87% of marketing teams and 80% of sales teams rely on multiple software solutions to manage leads and customer data [13].
The Data Fragmentation Problem
When systems don’t talk to each other, critical data gets scattered. This is a challenge for 29% of B2B companies [13]. Here’s how it affects different areas:
| Area | Problem | Business Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Lead Management | Delayed follow-ups | Lead qualification rates drop 21x after a 5-minute delay [3] |
| Response Time | Slow engagement with prospects | Lower conversion rates |
| Revenue Performance | Inefficient processes | 61% less likely to meet revenue goals [13] |
| Lead Generation | Poor nurturing efforts | 33% higher costs for lead generation [3] |
Manual Processes Are Holding You Back
Shockingly, one-third of B2B companies still rely on manual data transfers. This causes mistakes, slows response times, loses important customer details, and wastes time on admin tasks [13].
These inefficiencies don’t just mess with workflows – they also hurt revenue.
How It Affects Revenue
Companies using integrated tools with aligned sales and marketing teams perform better and are more likely to hit revenue goals than those with disconnected systems [13].
Signs Your Tools Aren’t Working Together
If you notice these issues, it may be time to consider integrating your sales and marketing tools:
- Multiple systems tracking the same leads
- Repeatedly entering the same data across platforms
- Conflicting metrics in reports
- Slow lead assignment processes
- Limited insight into customer interactions with marketing
Spotting these problems is the first step toward creating a connected system that supports better collaboration and results for your sales and marketing teams.
Conclusion
Misalignment between sales and marketing can seriously hurt business performance. But when these teams work together effectively, the results can be game-changing:
| Key Performance Indicator | Improvement with Alignment |
|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 208% higher marketing returns [26] |
| Deal Closure Rate | 38% higher win rates [2] |
| Customer Retention | 36% increase [2] |
| Profit Growth | 27% faster over 3 years [2] |
These numbers highlight how alignment can transform business outcomes. For instance, SuperOffice Benelux saw a 34% boost in new business revenue by using customer feedback to shape their messaging and operations.
"Misalignment leads to lost opportunities, duplicate effort, and customer frustration" [1]
To address alignment challenges, consider these steps:
- Build a unified customer journey and clear personas
- Set shared KPIs and use closed-loop reporting
- Centralize sales and marketing data for better insights
- Schedule regular cross-team meetings and encourage collaboration
Taking these actions can turn disconnection into measurable growth. Aligned teams consistently perform better, with 84% of professionals meeting their sales quotas [26].
LuckBoosters specializes in bridging these gaps. Their data-driven audits and tailored strategies assess your processes, tools, and team dynamics to deliver actionable solutions that improve alignment and drive revenue growth.
Achieving alignment isn’t a one-time fix – it’s an ongoing effort. With the right plan and support, your organization can join the ranks of companies thriving through better sales and marketing collaboration.