One of the most common challenges in B2B marketing is the disconnect between marketing and sales teams. Marketing focuses on generating leads, while sales aims to close deals—but without alignment, leads get lost, resources are wasted, and revenue growth stalls.

At the same time, modern buyers no longer follow a linear path. They research independently, consult multiple stakeholders, and engage with content across many touchpoints. To succeed, companies must align marketing and sales around a shared understanding of the buyer’s journey.

This article explores how to achieve that alignment and map strategies to each stage of the journey.

Why Alignment Matters

Marketing and sales alignment isn’t just a “nice to have”—it directly impacts revenue. According to research:

• Companies with strong alignment achieve 36% higher customer retention.

• Aligned teams generate 38% more sales wins.

• Misalignment, on the other hand, costs businesses billions each year in wasted spend and lost opportunities.

Alignment creates a seamless buyer experience, ensuring prospects move smoothly from awareness to purchase.

Step 1: Define the Buyer’s Journey

Before marketing and sales can align, they need a shared map of the buyer’s journey.

Common Stages:

1. Awareness – The buyer realizes they have a problem or need.

   • Example: “Our invoicing process takes too long and causes errors.”

   • Content: educational blogs, eBooks, industry reports.

2. Consideration – The buyer researches potential solutions.

   • Example: “Should we invest in invoicing software or outsource?”

   • Content: case studies, webinars, solution comparisons.

3. Decision – The buyer evaluates vendors and makes a purchase.

   • Example: “Which software offers the best ROI and integrates with our ERP?”

   • Content: demos, ROI calculators, testimonials.

By mapping content and engagement tactics to these stages, marketing and sales speak the same language.

Step 2: Agree on Lead Definitions

Misalignment often stems from unclear lead definitions. Sales complains that marketing sends “bad leads,” while marketing insists sales isn’t following up.

Best Practice:

• MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead): Based on engagement (e.g., downloaded an eBook, attended a webinar).

• SQL (Sales Qualified Lead): Meets specific criteria (e.g., company size, budget, role).

• SAL (Sales Accepted Lead): Sales acknowledges and commits to follow up.

Document these definitions, so both teams know when a lead is ready to move from marketing to sales.

Step 3: Share Data and Insights

Alignment requires transparency. If marketing and sales work in silos, opportunities fall through the cracks.

• CRM Integration: Use a centralized system like Salesforce or HubSpot.

• Closed-Loop Reporting: Marketing sees which leads convert; sales sees where leads originated.

• Regular Feedback Loops: Sales shares objections and questions; marketing adapts content accordingly.

Example: If sales frequently hears “Does this integrate with SAP?”, marketing can create a dedicated integration guide.

Step 4: Collaborate on Content

Content shouldn’t just be a marketing initiative—sales needs to be involved.

• Sales Enablement Assets: Case studies, one-pagers, objection-handling guides.

• Co-Creation: Involve sales in brainstorming topics—they know what prospects ask most.

• Dynamic Content: Use automation to tailor assets to industry, role, or stage.

When sales has the right content at their fingertips, they can nurture leads more effectively.

Step 5: Implement SLA Agreements

A Service Level Agreement (SLA) between marketing and sales sets expectations.

Typical SLA includes:

• Marketing’s commitment: e.g., “Deliver 500 MQLs per quarter that meet X criteria.”

• Sales’ commitment: e.g., “Follow up with every SQL within 48 hours.”

This accountability prevents finger-pointing and ensures consistent follow-up.

Step 6: Use Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

For high-value accounts, ABM strengthens alignment.

• Marketing creates tailored campaigns for target accounts.

• Sales provides account insights and outreach.

• Both teams measure success based on account engagement and pipeline impact, not just lead volume.

ABM turns marketing and sales into true partners pursuing shared targets.

Step 7: Continuous Training and Communication

Alignment isn’t a one-time project—it requires ongoing effort.

• Weekly Meetings: Review lead quality, pipeline status, campaign updates.

• Joint Training: Train marketing on sales techniques and sales on marketing tools.

• Shared KPIs: Both teams should be measured on revenue impact, not just vanity metrics.

This cultural shift fosters collaboration instead of competition.

Example: Alignment in Action

A B2B software company struggled with wasted leads:

• Marketing generated thousands of webinar leads.

• Sales followed up randomly, with little success.

Solution:

• They created shared definitions of MQL and SQL.

• Implemented HubSpot-Salesforce integration for transparency.

• Launched biweekly alignment calls.

• Built new sales enablement content based on objections.

Results:

• 32% increase in SQL-to-opportunity conversion.

• $8M in new pipeline in 12 months.

• Improved trust between teams.

Final Thoughts

Aligning marketing with sales around the buyer’s journey is one of the most powerful levers for B2B growth. It requires:

• Shared definitions of leads.

• Transparent data sharing.

• Co-created content.

• SLAs and accountability.

• Ongoing communication and trust.

When marketing and sales align, prospects experience a seamless journey from problem discovery to purchase decision—and the business enjoys stronger pipeline and revenue growth.