Align Sales & Marketing to Win More B2B Deals, Faster

If your sales results are underperforming, the real issue might not be external. It’s not the market, the budget, or the competition—it’s the lack of alignment within your own team.

Specifically, the disconnect between sales and marketing.

In far too many companies, these two departments operate like distant cousins. Separate goals. Separate meetings. Separate language. The result? Missed opportunities, wasted resources, and a pipeline full of friction.

But when sales and marketing function as one united revenue team, the impact is transformative.

Recent research backs this up:
According to LinkedIn’s State of Sales report, 87% of sales and marketing leaders say collaboration between their teams enables critical business growth, yet only 30% say their teams are fully aligned. That gap represents enormous untapped potential.

So what does alignment actually look like in the real world?

It’s not about team-building exercises or vague declarations of unity. It’s about building clear structures, shared accountability, and consistent feedback loops that drive tangible results.

Here are six practical steps to break down silos and drive smarter, faster sales growth:

1. Reset the Mindset

Alignment starts at the top. Senior leadership must actively champion a shift from “sales vs. marketing” to “one team, one target.”

Establish shared revenue goals, joint KPIs, and even mutual incentives. When both teams win or lose together, everything changes—from the way meetings run to how campaigns are built.

2. Build a Shared Communication Platform

Forget endless email threads and disconnected tools. Use a shared system—whether it’s Slack, Teams, or your CRM—for both departments to collaborate in real-time.

Regularly share insights from client meetings, campaign performance, and frontline objections. These unfiltered inputs are often the most valuable data you’ll gather all quarter.

3. Collaborate on Content

Content should be built with real buyer conversations in mind—not just keyword strategies.

Bring sales into the content creation process early. Their on-the-ground experience can help marketing develop assets that address actual pain points and buying triggers. This increases engagement and shortens sales cycles.

4. Set a Simple SLA

Define a Sales & Marketing Service Level Agreement—not a 20-page legal doc, just a one-page list of what each side commits to doing each month.

For example:

  • Marketing commits to delivering X qualified leads.
  • Sales commits to following up within Y hours.

This builds trust, clarity, and mutual accountability.

5. Track Progress Together

Use closed-loop reporting to connect marketing metrics to sales outcomes. Don’t just look at lead volume—track how those leads move through the funnel.

Tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Zoho can make this easier. The key is visibility and consistency.

And when progress is made, celebrate the wins together.

6. Review, Reflect, Refine

Don’t wait for QBRs to course-correct. Schedule monthly alignment sessions to review what’s working, what’s not, and what needs to change.

Invite cross-functional perspectives—customer service, product, even finance. They often bring insights that unlock new angles on your strategy.

Final Thought: The Real Enemy Is Inaction

Paralysis happens when teams work in isolation. Progress begins when you start talking, listening, and building together.

If you’re ready to create a high-performing, united revenue team, let’s have a conversation. I’ll walk you through a practical framework to align your sales and marketing without adding headcount or extra budget.

👉 Book a 30-minute call here
Or drop me a message at peter@peter.holland.uk

Let’s turn alignment into momentum—and momentum into results.