Many sales and marketing teams still define success based on their internal funnel.
But here’s the problem:
The funnel isn’t how buyers actually buy.
Buyers don’t progress in clean, predictable stages.
They loop, they stall, they skip steps.
And most teams aren’t set up to recognize that—let alone respond to it.
What we call “alignment” today is often just synchronized execution around internal processes.
To build a unified revenue engine, teams must shift from aligning around the funnel to aligning around the buyer’s journey.
Why Internal Alignment Isn’t Enough
It’s not that alignment isn’t happening.
It’s that it’s often happening in the wrong direction.
Marketing tracks leads.
Sales tracks deals.
Operations tracks pipeline stages.
Each team is aligned—to itself.
But no one is actually aligned to the buyer’s experience across the journey.
That’s the disconnect.
And it’s where growth quietly stalls.
3 Signs You’re Aligned to the Funnel—Not the Buyer
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The buyer disappears after the demo
The team keeps following a stage-based sequence, while the buyer’s priorities have shifted. -
Marketing content doesn’t reflect live deal conversations
Top-funnel messaging is disconnected from what sales hears every day. -
Opportunities stall in the same stage with no response plan
There’s no shared mechanism to escalate or adapt based on buyer behavior.
These are escalation signals—buyer cues that something’s off.
But most teams are too focused on pipeline status to catch them.
What Buyer-Centered Success Actually Looks Like
Success isn’t about internal alignment.
It’s about designing go-to-market execution around how buyers move—not how teams report.
That means:
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Defining journey stages based on buyer behavior, not internal ops
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Tracking metrics like dwell time, stage velocity, and friction points
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Coordinating outreach based on where the buyer is, not where the CRM says they are
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Building SLAs and feedback loops around progression, not just handoffs
The most aligned teams aren’t coordinated—they’re buyer-responsive.
What Revenue Leaders Should Take From This
If you’re a CRO or CMO, your org doesn’t need more alignment meetings.
It needs a common operating view of the buyer.
Without that, no amount of shared dashboards or weekly standups will move the needle.
When you align to the buyer—not just to each other—you reduce friction, shorten cycles, and build a revenue engine that actually scales.
If this resonated, you’re not alone.
Join a growing community of revenue leaders rethinking how sales and marketing work together to drive sustainable growth.
Until next week,
Jeff
RevEngine™ | Built for Revenue Leaders Driving Alignment and Growth—Together
