Sales & Marketing Alignment: Why Your Revenue Depends on It

The Peanut Butter & Apples of Business

Ever tried peanut butter by the spoonful? Pretty satisfying. Same with a crisp apple. But together? That’s a winning combo.

Sales and marketing are similar. Each can function independently, but when they work together, they power the business forward.

And let’s be clear, the job of sales and marketing is the same: drive revenue. If revenue’s not moving, it’s not a sales problem or a marketing problem. It’s a revenue team problem. That includes everyone.

Marketing’s Real Job: Give Sales Something They’ll Actually Work

Let’s be honest, marketing peeps: ever wonder why sales ignore half the leads you send their way? It’s not because they’re lazy. It’s because they don’t think the leads will convert.

Salespeople are pattern matchers. If a lead doesn’t look like someone they’ve closed before, whether the contact has the wrong title, wrong company size, or wrong buying signals, they’re moving on. That’s not cynicism, that’s survival.

Which means your job isn’t to generate leads. It’s to generate leads that look and feel like buyers. Leads that your sales team believes in. Because if they don’t believe, they won’t follow up. And no follow-up means no close.

You don’t need more leads. You need better ones. The kind sales will actually touch.

Sales’ Role: Feed Marketing the Info They Need

Sales, your job isn’t just to close deals. It’s to close the right deals—and then tell marketing exactly what made them “right.”

You’re the one talking to prospects. You know what objections they throw out. What lines make them perk up. What titles and industries are biting.

That insight? It’s gold for marketing.

So if you want better leads, stop blaming marketing and start educating them. Tell them what’s working, what’s not, and what kind of person actually buys.

And don’t be lazy—”these leads suck” isn’t helpful. Be specific. Help them help you.

Getting Aligned: It’s Not Rocket Science

You’re not trying to land a rocket on a barge. You’re just trying to get two teams to work together. Here’s how:

• Define what counts as a lead: Not every form fill is a win. Agree on what “qualified” really means.
• Talk. Regularly: Weekly or biweekly meetings are a must. Keep them tight, focused, and honest.
• Nail the hand-off: Be clear about when a lead moves from marketing to sales. No assumptions.
• Celebrate together: Wins are team wins. Act like it.

Bottom line: talk to each other. Sales and marketing aren’t competing departments. You’re a single unit with a shared number—revenue.

The Outcome of Alignment

When teams are misaligned, the lead volume might be high—but conversion tanks and deals take forever to close.

When aligned? Fewer leads, but the right ones. Which means faster closes. More revenue. Less finger-pointing.

If you’re not aligned, you’re leaking money. As a revenue-generating organization, your job isn’t to lose money, it’s to make money.