From Conflict to Conversion: How Marketing & Sales Alignment Drives Growth

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It’s perhaps the most classic tension within B2B companies: the relationship between marketing and sales. Marketing complains that leads aren’t followed up or are followed up too slowly. Sales complains that the leads they receive are low quality. The result is a ‘us vs. them’ atmosphere, finger-pointing and—more importantly—a process full of gaps where costly opportunities leak away. 

In manufacturing—often with long sales cycles and complex products—poor alignment is disastrous. It leads to an inefficient sales process, a frustrated team and an inconsistent customer experience. 

The good news is that this can be solved. Real alignment isn’t about team-building outings, but about hard, concrete agreements to be successful together. It’s a business process, not a feeling. In this blog we provide a practical step-by-step plan to build the bridge between marketing and sales. 

The core of the problem: different goals, different languages

The friction usually arises because the two departments are measured on different things. Marketing is rewarded for generating a certain volume of leads (MQLs — Marketing Qualified Leads). Sales is rewarded for closing deals and bringing in revenue. 

As long as these goals aren’t connected, the departments will keep working past each other. The solution starts with speaking the same language and working toward a shared goal: predictable revenue growth. 

Building the bridge: the service level agreement (SLA)

The most effective way to formalise alignment is to set up a Service Level Agreement (SLA). This isn’t a complicated legal document, but an internal agreement that captures mutual commitments. An SLA answers two simple questions: 

1. What does marketing deliver to sales? This specifies not only the number of leads, but especially the quality. It forces marketing to look beyond volume. Examples of agreements: 

• Marketing delivers X Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) per month.
• A lead only becomes an SQL if it meets criteria A, B and C (e.g., the right industry, specific role, concrete request). 
• Marketing enriches every lead with information about their online behaviour (e.g., downloaded content and visited web pages).  

2. What does sales do with what marketing hands over? This places the responsibility for fast, thorough follow-up with sales. Examples of agreements: 

• Every SQL is contacted personally within 24 hours. 
• Every SQL receives at least 5 contact attempts (e.g., 3 calls, 2 emails) over a two-week period. 
• Sales records the outcome of every contact attempt in the CRM system to create a closed feedback loop. 

The weekly ‘smarketing’ meeting 

An SLA is the foundation, but the machine needs oiling. A short, weekly meeting between the marketing and sales leads is crucial. This isn’t a meandering meeting; it’s a practical session with a fixed agenda: 

• Review SQLs: discuss last week’s leads. Why was one great and another disappointing? 
• Feedback on follow-up: did sales follow up all leads on time? What got in the way? 
• Looking ahead: which campaigns are coming up? How can sales prepare? 

This meeting ensures continuous adjustment and creates mutual understanding. Marketing learns what a good lead looks like in practice, and sales better understands where leads come from. 

How marketing & sales alignment drives growth 

Marketing and sales alignment isn’t a ‘soft’ topic. It’s a hard-edged business process that—if well designed—directly leads to higher conversion, a shorter sales cycle and more predictable revenue. It transforms two separate departments into one commercial team with a shared mission. 

Do you want to professionalise collaboration between your marketing and sales teams? We’re happy to help set up an effective SLA and configure the processes in your CRM.  

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