Friction between sales and marketing often stems from using separate definitions for a Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) and a Sales Qualified Lead (SQL). The most effective approach is to have one unified definition: a potential customer that sales can realistically close. This focuses both teams on the ultimate goal of revenue generation.

Despite generating 1,000 leads a month (3x previous volume), CloudPay's marketing team saw the sales pipeline's dollar value fall. This forced a radical shift from a volume-based "net fishing" approach to a quality-focused, account-based "spear phishing" strategy.

Metrics like "Marketing Qualified Lead" are meaningless to the customer. Instead, define key performance indicators around the value a customer receives. A good KPI answers the question: "Have we delivered enough value to convince them to keep going to the next stage?"

A CMO was fired despite creating a $50M pipeline because it targeted the wrong customers who wouldn't renew or expand. Marketers can secure their roles and prove business impact by demonstrating how their efforts contribute to NRR, the company's true health metric.

CMO Ben Schechter argues that tracking raw lead count is a dangerous metric. A marketing leader can easily manipulate lead scoring to hit a volume target, flooding sales with low-quality prospects. This erodes sales team trust and causes them to stop following up on all marketing-generated leads.

To shift from reactive 'order takers' to strategic advisors, partner marketers should first document their sales counterparts' specific goals (e.g., net new logos, deal registrations). This 'working backwards' approach aligns all marketing activities to sales objectives, building trust and ensuring marketing serves as a strategic partner, not just an execution arm.

To prove business impact beyond vanity metrics, define success by aligning with key departments *before* the campaign starts. Executives want pipeline, product wants trials, and customer success wants retention. This prevents a disconnect where marketing celebrates impressions while leadership asks about revenue.

Ditch MQLs. For sales-led motions, measure marketing on qualified pipeline (deals converting at >25%). For PLG motions, measure 'activated signups,' where users hit their 'aha moment.' This aligns marketing with quality and revenue, not volume.

To achieve true alignment with sales, product, and finance, marketing leaders should avoid marketing jargon and subjective opinions. Instead, they should ground conversations in objective data about performance, customer experience gaps, or internal capabilities to create a shared, fact-based understanding of challenges.