The Number One Thing Marketers Do That Drives Sales Teams Absolutely Crazy

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Introduction

# Kelly Hopping, CMO of Demandbase and co-author of "Yes, It's Your Fault: From Blame to Gain," cuts straight to the heart of marketing and sales misalignment with a simple truth: sales teams don't care about leads. As host of the Next Gen CMO podcast and former Chief Marketing Officer at Gartner Digital Markets, Hopping brings deep expertise in B2B go-to-market strategies and the critical importance of moving beyond vanity metrics to drive real business growth.#n#n1

Why Sales Teams Roll Their Eyes at Lead Metrics

# The disco ect between marketing and sales often starts with a fundamental misunderstanding about what constitutes success. When marketers proudly present lead numbers, sales teams hear empty promises. "They don't care about leads," Hopping states bluntly. "They want qualified pipeline that actually has the right time, the right buyer, the right message, the right need state, the right use case." This gap in perspective creates friction that undermines revenue growth and team collaboration.#n#n1

The Lead Quality Problem

# Sales teams view raw lead counts as meaningless because they understand a harsh reality: leads can come from anywhere, and most aren't worth pursuing. Without proper qualification, budget verification, and buying intent signals, leads represent potential work without potential revenue. Marketing teams celebrating website visitors and form fills miss the point entirely - sales needs prospects who are ready to engage in meaningful buying conversations, not just names in a database.#n#n1

Moving from Vanity Metrics to Revenue Impact

# The solution requires marketing teams to shift their focus from top-of-fu el metrics to pipeline contribution. Instead of celebrating three million website impressions or thousands of new leads, marketing must demonstrate how their efforts translate into qualified opportunities that sales can actually close. This means implementing robust lead scoring, account-based strategies, and qualification processes that filter out tire-kickers from serious buyers.#n#n1

Building Trust Through Pipeline Contribution

# Marketing teams often fall into the trap of asking sales to "just trust us" that leads will eventually mature into opportunities. This approach breeds resentment and reinforces the divide between teams. Instead, marketing must prove their value by delivering prospects who match ideal customer profiles, demonstrate clear buying signals, and have the budget and authority to make purchasing decisions. Only then will sales teams stop rolling their eyes at lead reports and start viewing marketing as a true revenue partner.#n#n1

Creating Sustainable Alignment

# The path forward requires both teams to align around shared revenue goals rather than departmental metrics. Marketing must embrace accountability for pipeline quality, not just quantity. This means investing in technologies and processes that identify buying intent, score leads effectively, and nurture prospects until they're genuinely sales-ready. Sales teams, in turn, need to provide clear feedback on what constitutes a qualified opportunity and work collaboratively with marketing to refine targeting and messaging.#n#n1

Conclusion

# Kelly Hopping's insights reveal that the biggest source of sales and marketing friction isn't about effort or intention - it's about misaligned success metrics. When marketing celebrates leads while sales demands pipeline, both teams lose. The solution lies in marketing teams evolving beyond vanity metrics to embrace their role as revenue drivers. By focusing on delivering qualified pipeline rather than raw leads, marketing can transform from a cost center into a growth engine that sales teams genuinely value and trust.#n#n1