Sales and marketing leaders know that alignment is critical to revenue growth. By now, the evidence is overwhelming.
Statistics such as…
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Sales and marketing teams that were not highly aligned were 2X more likely to experience a 20%+ revenue decline in a given year compared to those that were aligned. (Freshworks CRM)
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Companies with aligned sales and marketing teams achieve 38% higher sales win rates than those without alignment. (Marketing Profs)
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Sales professionals in companies with strong sales-marketing alignment are 103% more likely to be exceeding their goals than those in misaligned organizations. (HubSpot)
…prove that a dysfunctional relationship between sales and marketing has a significant impact on the organization’s ability to achieve its revenue potential.
The problem? Most alignment strategies focus on big-picture fixes while ignoring the small, hidden issues that quietly erode revenue. These alignment killers often go unnoticed until they start costing real money—missed pipeline targets, lost deals, and inefficient spending.
Here are some of the most common hidden alignment killers and how to fix them.
1. Sales and Marketing Speak Different Languages
Sales and marketing may think they are aligned, but if they define key terms differently, misalignment is inevitable.
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What marketing calls a “qualified lead” may not meet sales’ standards.
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Sales may view a “sales-ready” lead as someone ready to buy, while marketing defines it as someone who downloaded a whitepaper.
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“Pipeline” may mean SQLs to marketing but closed-won deals to sales.
These small disconnects lead to miscommunication, wasted effort, and frustration between teams.
Fix it: Standardize definitions for leads, pipeline stages, and success metrics—then document them and reinforce them across teams.
2. Lead Handoffs That Are Too Slow (or Too Fast)
One of the biggest revenue leaks comes from poor lead handoff processes. If marketing takes too long to pass leads to sales, buyers go cold. If sales reaches out too soon, prospects may feel pressured and disengage.
Fix it: Map out the handoff process in detail—when a lead should be passed, what information must be included, and how quickly sales should follow up. Automate as much of this process as possible to remove friction.
3. Marketing Reports on MQLs, Sales Reports on Revenue—And No One Connects the Dots
Marketing often celebrates growing MQL numbers, while sales is frustrated with declining close rates. This disconnect creates a false sense of success (or failure) because teams aren’t looking at the full funnel together.
Fix it: Build shared dashboards that track metrics from lead generation to closed-won deals. If a campaign generates high MQLs but low revenue, both teams should analyze why together—not just hand off the problem.
4. Sales and Marketing Teams Operate in Silos
Even with shared goals, many sales and marketing teams function as separate entities. Marketing creates content without input from sales, and sales works deals without leveraging marketing insights.
Fix it: Increase cross-team collaboration. Have sales share customer objections and insights with marketing to improve messaging. Have marketing train sales on how to use content effectively in conversations. Create opportunities for ongoing knowledge sharing.
5. Technology That Works Against Alignment Instead of Supporting It
Many companies invest in marketing automation and CRM systems, but if the two aren’t integrated correctly, they create more problems than they solve. Sales may not see key engagement data from marketing, and marketing may not know what happens to their leads after handoff.
Fix it: Ensure CRM and marketing automation systems are fully integrated. Sales should be able to see lead activity (emails opened, pages visited, content downloaded) and marketing should have visibility into deal progression.
The Bottom Line
Misalignment isn’t just an internal frustration—it’s a revenue leak. The companies that win aren’t just fixing the big, obvious problems. They’re identifying and eliminating the small, daily friction points that quietly erode their pipeline, deal velocity, and revenue growth.
Look at your sales and marketing teams today—where are these hidden alignment killers costing you money? More importantly, what are you doing to fix them?
