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Jan 21, 2025 Sarah Goodall

The cost of marketing and sales misalignment (and how to fix it!)

Listen to this blog: The cost of marketing and sales misalignment (and how to fix it!)
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One of the biggest challenges I see in B2B businesses today is the gap between marketing and sales teams. When these teams aren't aligned, it can lead to missed opportunities and frustration.

According to LinkedIn’s Deep Sales: B2B Sales Playbook to Boost Revenue in 2024, sellers who focus on building strong relationships and using data-driven insights (a deep sales approach) are nearly twice as likely to exceed their targets. This highlights the potential for significant gains when marketing and sales teams work in sync.

When working with marketing and sales teams, especially in tech-driven B2B environments, the recurring issue is getting demand generation and business development teams aligned on the same priorities.

B2B social selling, when done right, is more than just making connections. It’s about creating meaningful interactions that move leads through the pipeline and into real opportunities.

For example, I’ve worked with a client where demand generation was generating leads that business development representatives (BDRs) struggled to act on, while account executives (AEs) were focused elsewhere. The result? Missed opportunities, wasted effort, and frustration on both sides. 

However, there is a better way forward. In this blog, I’ll explain how to unite these teams and turn these challenges into successes.

Aligning marketing and sales - it’s a priority problem

The crux of the problem often comes down to focus. Marketing teams, equipped with tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator, often cast a wide net to generate leads, while sales teams require laser-sharp prioritisation to identify the accounts with the highest potential.

This disconnect results in wasted time on low-value leads and missed opportunities to engage with high-value ones. According to LinkedIn, high alignment between sales and marketing teams can increase marketing-generated revenue by 208%.

B2B social selling plays a crucial role in bridging this gap. When marketing, BDRs, and AEs work together using platforms like LinkedIn Sales Navigator, they can zoom in on high-priority accounts, creating a more targeted and effective outreach strategy. Both teams need to agree on what constitutes a high-priority account.

Tracking both leading and lagging indicators is essential:

  • Leading indicators, such as social engagement, profile views, and connection requests show early signs of interest.
  • Lagging indicators, like meetings booked and deals closed, reflect actual outcomes.

Balancing these metrics helps marketing and sales track progress, improve alignment, and adjust efforts where necessary.

Building a B2B demand centre for social selling success

A well-structured demand centre is essential. It’s not just about having the right tools; it’s about ensuring alignment between marketing, sales, and business development teams.

Prioritisation is key. BDRs need to identify connections most likely to convert, while AEs focus on turning those connections into pipeline opportunities. Without clear focus and alignment, efforts can become diluted, leading to poor results.

A demand centre also builds collaboration by creating a feedback loop. Marketing learns what high-quality leads look like, while sales provide insights on which leads convert into revenue. 

When teams collaborate effectively, selling efforts become more streamlined, and the pipeline sees a measurable boost.


From connections to conversions and tracking what matters

Success isn’t just about building connections, it’s about converting those connections into real opportunities. Measuring progress requires a balanced approach to metrics.

Leading indicators, such as new connections, engagement on posts, and InMail responses, reveal early activity levels. Meanwhile, lagging indicators, such as meetings booked, proposals sent, and deals closed, confirm whether those efforts are translating into tangible results.

Forbes reports that 78% of social sellers outsell peers who don’t use social media, reinforcing the importance of tracking and measuring both types of metrics to ensure long-term success.

Focusing on meaningful conversions rather than superficial metrics ensures that social selling delivers real business outcomes. Regularly reviewing progress helps teams stay aligned and refine their strategies.

Why prioritisation matters in B2B social selling

As I’ve already mentioned, at the core of successful B2B social selling lies prioritisation. Simply having a list of target accounts is not enough, teams need to understand which accounts to prioritise and why.

According to Hubspot’s 2024 State of Sales Report, when it comes to what salespeople need most from their marketing teams, higher quality leads (43%) are most needed.

When marketing and sales teams agree on what makes a high-priority account, they can concentrate their efforts more effectively, leading to better outcomes for everyone involved.

To succeed, teams need to track both leading and lagging indicators. This ensures that marketing can deliver more qualified leads, while sales can focus on high-potential accounts, ultimately driving better results.

It’s about building a culture of collaboration between marketing and sales for B2B social selling success. Teams should view themselves as partners working towards common goals.

Regular communication, feedback loops, and joint strategy sessions can help strengthen this partnership. For example, marketing can share insights from LinkedIn Sales Navigator, while sales provide feedback on lead quality and conversion rates.

This collaborative approach ensures that both sides can adjust strategies based on real-time insights, leading to improved results over time. 

Technology as the enabler of B2B social selling

Technology plays a vital role in enabling successful B2B social selling. Tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator, 6sense, and CRM platforms provide critical insights that help teams identify and engage with the right accounts.

However, technology alone isn’t enough. The key lies in how teams use these tools together, leveraging shared data and insights to drive a unified strategy.
 
LinkedIn Sales Navigator, for instance, enables sales teams to track engagement and identify decision-makers at target accounts. Platforms like 6sense provide deeper insights into buyer intent, helping teams understand when a prospect is ready to engage.

Tribal Impact Buyer Intent Sales Navigator

Used correctly, these tools can create a powerful engine for sales success.

Making B2B social selling a long-term strategy for BDRs, AEs, and Marketing Teams

B2B social selling isn’t just a short-term tactic; it’s a long-term strategy. The relationships you build today will pay off in the future, as your network expands and your brand becomes a trusted partner in your industry.

It only works if your BDR and AE teams are aligned, prioritising the right accounts, and working hand-in-hand, focusing on shared goals. For BDRs, this means identifying and engaging with prospects early in the buying cycle, while AEs can nurture those relationships into valuable opportunities.

Start by defining success, tracking the right metrics, and using the right tools to enable better collaboration. 

When your teams are on the same page, social selling can be a game-changer, helping you drive better results and build long-term relationships that lead to sustainable business growth.

Discover how Tribal Impact can help align your business teams for successful social selling. Find out more.  


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About Tribal Impact

Tribal Impact is a B2B social selling and employee branding consultancy.

We're a team of social media strategists, trainers, coaches, content creators and data analysts who are passionate about helping our B2B customers develop and scale their social selling and employee advocacy programs.

Learn more about us here.

Published by Sarah Goodall January 21, 2025
Sarah Goodall