5 Best Practices to Achieve B2B Sales and Marketing Alignment in 2026

Introduction

In B2B organizations, sales and marketing misalignment isn’t just a frustrating internal issue – it’s a growth killer. Sales blames marketing for “poor leads,” marketing blames sales for “dropping the ball,” and meanwhile revenue suffers. In fact, only about 8% of companies have fully aligned sales and marketing teams today (1). The other 92% are leaving money on the table. No wonder nearly 96% of sales and marketing professionals admit they struggle to align strategies and KPIs (3).

For sales marketing leaders, the mandate is clear: bridging the sales-marketing gap is critical heading into 2026. The payoff is huge – aligned teams close 38% more deals and can generate up to 208% more revenue from marketing efforts (3). Misalignment, on the other hand, wastes resources and can cost businesses roughly £790 billion (≈$1 trillion) a year in lost productivity and squandered marketing spend (1).

How can you avoid these pitfalls and foster true marketing and sales alignment? In this blog, we’ll share five best practices to unify your B2B sales and marketing teams in 2026. We’ll also provide a checklist to know if your teams are truly in sync, and answer frequently asked questions about aligning sales and marketing. Whether you’re a seasoned VP or a growth-focused founder, these tips will offer strategic insight (with data-backed examples) to help you break down silos and accelerate revenue – together.

What Is Sales and Marketing Alignment?

Sales and marketing alignment (sometimes nicknamed “smarketing”) is the process of synchronizing the goals, strategies, and communication of a company’s sales and marketing teams so they function as a unified whole. In practical terms, it means both teams share common targets (like revenue), collaborate on plans/campaigns, and support each other with feedback and resources. When sales and marketing are aligned, marketing’s activities directly empower the outbound sales team (through lead generation, content, insights) and sales’ frontline learnings feedback into marketing strategy. The two departments operate with a shared mindset and system, rather than in silos. Aligned organizations often have formal processes for joint planning and data sharing, and they present a consistent message to the customer throughout their journey (2). The end goal is to create a seamless experience for prospects and drive better business outcomes by having everyone “on the same page.”

Why do sales and marketing teams often become misaligned?

Misalignment typically stems from siloed goals, poor communication, and different definitions of success. Marketing may focus on generating MQLs, while sales prioritizes closing deals, leading to conflicting priorities. Disconnected tools, unclear lead handoff processes, and a lack of shared accountability also contribute. Without intentional collaboration, teams drift apart, creating friction and inefficiency.

Why Sales and Marketing Alignment Matters in 2026 (The High Stakes and Big Benefits)

Effective sales and marketing alignment means both teams operate as one cohesive revenue engine – with shared goals, coordinated strategies, and constant communication. In 2026’s competitive B2B landscape, this unity isn’t a “nice-to-have”; it’s a strategic necessity. Let’s quickly recap why aligning marketing and sales is so important:

• Accelerated Growth: Companies with tightly aligned sales and marketing functions grow 19–20% faster on average, whereas poorly aligned organizations can actually see revenue decline year-over-year (1). Aligned teams not only generate more pipeline; they convert more of it into revenue.
  
• Higher Win Rates: When marketing and sales act in unison, win rates climb dramatically. One study found alignment leads to a 38% higher sales win rate (1). More deals are closed because prospects are engaged with consistent messaging and nurtured properly at each stage.
  
• Marketing ROI and Efficiency: Unified teams absolutely maximize marketing ROI. Aligned organizations report 208% higher marketing revenue than those with poor alignment (1). They also waste far fewer leads – in misaligned teams, up to 79% of marketing leads never convert (often due to lack of follow-up or nurturing) (1).
  
• Customer Experience & Retention: Today’s B2B buyers demand a seamless, frictionless journey from first touch to close. They prefer to educate themselves with marketing content and expect a smooth handoff to sales when the time comes (4). Alignment ensures prospects get a consistent, high-quality experience without mixed messages or dropped communications. This pays off in trust and loyalty – organizations with strong sales-marketing alignment enjoy 36% higher customer retention on average (1).
  
• Lower Costs & Less Waste: Misalignment creates costly inefficiencies. It’s estimated that 60-70% of B2B content goes unused by sales, and about 75% of leads do not convert to sales (9). That’s wasted effort and budget. By aligning teams, you eliminate duplicate work, focus resources on what actually drives revenue, and cut out the “dead air” where leads fall through the cracks.
  

In short, bridging the gap between sales and marketing isn’t just about kumbaya teamwork – it directly impacts your bottom line. The remainder of this article will dive into how to achieve that alignment in practical terms. We’ll cover five best practices that top B2B companies are using to unify their sales and marketing teams heading into 2026, plus how to evaluate if your teams are truly aligned.

Figure: Impact of alignment on revenue growth. Companies with tightly aligned sales and marketing teams achieve significantly higher growth rates – averaging around 20% annual revenue increase – whereas those with poor alignment often see revenues stagnate or decline (≈–4%) (1). The difference illustrates how critical “smarketing” alignment is for driving sustainable growth in B2B organizations.

1. Establish Unified Goals, KPIs, and Definitions

Alignment starts with everyone rowing in the same direction. The first best practice is to align sales and marketing around shared goals and metrics. Too often, marketing is chasing MQL quotas or website traffic while sales cares only about deals closed. This siloed goal structure breeds conflict. Instead, create common goals that both teams commit to – typically revenue targets, pipeline value, or win rates that tie marketing’s success to sales outcomes.

For example, rather than a marketing team goal of “1000 leads” (regardless of quality) and a sales goal of “$5M new revenue,” set a shared pipeline target or a joint revenue contribution goal. Define key performance indicators (KPIs) that actually overlap, such as pipeline growth, opportunity-to-deal conversion rate, and customer acquisition cost. In fact, 85% of businesses believe having the same goals and marketing and sales KPIs is a powerful alignment enabler (1). When both teams win or lose together based on the same scoreboard, collaboration naturally improves.

Equally important is agreeing on common definitions – especially for lead stages and qualifications. Misaligned definitions of a “Marketing Qualified Lead” (MQL) versus a “Sales Qualified Lead” (SQL) are a classic friction point. One best practice is to hold a joint workshop to explicitly define what constitutes a quality lead, when a lead should transition to sales, and what expectations come with that handoff. By developing shared definitions of MQL, SQL, opportunity stages, and other funnel terms, you eliminate confusion and ensure everyone speaks the same language (6) (4). This might be documented in a formal sales-marketing Service Level Agreement (SLA) that outlines, for instance, how quickly sales will follow up on an MQL and what information marketing must provide beforehand. Clarity here prevents the classic “these leads are junk” vs. “you never call our leads” blame game.

Finally, align on high-level business outcomes. Make sure marketing initiatives directly support sales objectives and business goals, not vanity metrics. If the company’s strategic goal is, say, breaking into a new market segment or increasing enterprise-level deals, both sales and marketing should plan collaboratively for that. Marketing campaigns, content, and SDR outreach cadences should be coordinated around those shared objectives. This includes external partners too. If you’re working with an agency for demand generation, ensure your business goals are clearly communicated and their marketing strategies map to those goals. For instance, if your goal is 100 enterprise demo appointments per quarter, an aligned agency should be reporting on how their campaigns contributed to that pipeline, not just superficial metrics. Aligning business goals with an agency’s marketing strategies means treating them as an extension of your team – sharing your targets and holding them accountable to the same KPIs and quality standards as your in-house teams.

By unifying goals, KPIs, and terminology from the outset, you create a solid foundation for marketing and sales to truly work as one team. The benefits of sales and marketing alignment become immediately tangible when both sides are accountable for the same outcomes: higher quality leads, more efficient funnel progression, and ultimately revenue growth (that everyone celebrates together).

Data Tip: Some companies even tie compensation or bonus structures to shared goals. For example, marketers might have a portion of bonus based on pipeline or revenue, and sales reps on things like lead follow-up time or lead quality feedback. While you must structure this carefully, it reinforces the message that marketing and sales rise and fall together. When both teams live and die by revenue, alignment stops being optional.

2. Use Shared Tools and Data to Eliminate Silos

Technology can either divide your teams or unite them. To enable alignment, sales and marketing must share a single source of truth and leverage integrated tools rather than operating in disconnected systems. One best practice is to use one unified platform (or tightly integrated toolset) for managing prospects across the entire customer journey. This doesn’t necessarily mean literally one piece of software, but it does mean all your systems should talk to each other and present cohesive data.

At a minimum, your CRM and marketing automation platforms need to be synced. Both teams should have visibility into lead and account data in real time. For instance, if marketing uses a platform like HubSpot or Marketo and sales lives in Salesforce, invest time in integration so that lead scores, campaign touch points, and pipeline stages are transparent to everyone. Better yet, consider using sales and marketing alignment tools that serve both functions – many modern CRMs combine marketing automation, email tracking, and sales engagement in one tool, reducing friction in data handoffs. The goal is that when a marketer looks at a lead or account, and a sales rep looks at the same lead/account, they see the exact same information and status. This shared data environment prevents the “disparate data” problem where each team operates on different reports or versions of truth (2).

Another key is implementing shared dashboards and analytics. Create dashboards that report on metrics both teams care about (pipeline by source, lead conversion rates, revenue by campaign, etc.) and make them accessible to all. Marketing shouldn’t be the only one tracking top-of-funnel stats, and sales shouldn’t be the only one tracking quota attainment – there should be a unified revenue dashboard reviewed in joint meetings (more on meetings later). In practice, this might mean a live pipeline dashboard showing MQLs generated and their progression to SQLs and deals. Transparency through common tools builds trust. As one example, setting up a shared Salesforce (or CRM) dashboard that other departments can view helps everyone understand how marketing and sales activities are moving the needle (5).

Beyond data, think about tools that facilitate collaboration and project management between sales and marketing. If marketing is creating a new sales deck or case study, they could use a project tool (Trello, Asana, etc.) where sales team members can contribute requirements or feedback. If sales has requests for content or support, logging them in a shared system ensures marketing can prioritize and track them. And for day-to-day communication, using a common channel (like a Slack or Microsoft Teams channel dedicated to sales-marketing collaboration) keeps everyone in the loop. In fact, companies actively breaking down silos often introduce team collaboration tools and shared communication channels so that quick questions, wins, or issues are visible across departments (5).

By unifying your technology stack – or at least tightly integrating it – you reduce one of the biggest alignment killers: siloed information. When marketing and sales operate from one integrated toolset, you avoid scenarios where, say, marketing can’t tell which leads sales followed up or sales isn’t aware of a prospect’s prior interactions with marketing content. Instead, both sides leverage valuable insights from the same CRM and analytics, and can coordinate actions accordingly (2).

Example: If a prospect downloads an eBook (captured in the marketing automation system) and then that prospect is later engaged by a sales rep, an aligned tech stack means the rep already knows about the eBook interaction and can tailor their conversation. Conversely, if a sales rep learns new info about a prospect (say, a pain point or key stakeholder) and logs it in the CRM, marketing can immediately use that intel to adjust targeting or content for that account. This kind of data feedback loop only happens when tools are shared and data flows both ways.

Key Takeaway: Don’t let technology be an excuse for misalignment. If your teams complain “we can’t see what they’re doing,” it’s a signal to unify systems. A shared Single Source of Truth (SSOT) for customer data is fundamental – invest in the integrations or platforms that make it possible (6). In 2026, with AI and advanced analytics, having both teams feed into one data ecosystem also opens the door to better predictive insights (e.g. AI-driven lead scoring that both marketing and sales trust). The bottom line: align your tools, and you’ll align your teams.

3. Encourage Cross-Functional Training and “Shadowing”

One of the most powerful ways to unify sales and marketing is to have each team step into the other’s world. In practice, this means encouraging cross-functional training, shadowing, and regular interaction in each other’s activities. It’s far harder for teams to be misaligned when they truly understand what the other does day-to-day.

A best practice here is to get marketers on sales calls and sales reps involved in marketing sessions. For example, have your marketing team members listen in on sales calls or demos periodically (with prospect permission when needed). When marketers “shadow” sales calls, they gain firsthand insight into customers’ questions, objections, and needs (5). This often sparks ideas for better content and campaigns, and it builds empathy – marketing sees the pressure sales faces and the realities of moving deals along. Nick Bennett, a marketing leader, famously noted that adding a marketer to sales calls helped create better sales content and removed some of the disconnect between teams (5). It demystifies the sales process for marketing (“oh, that’s why X type of lead doesn’t close – maybe we should adjust our targeting or messaging”).

Conversely, invite sales team members to participate in marketing meetings – such as content brainstorming sessions, outbound campaign planning, or persona development workshops. Sales reps have a wealth of frontline customer knowledge that can greatly inform marketing strategy. When a sales rep sits in on a campaign planning meeting, they can provide input like “our buyers keep asking about integration features – we should highlight that in our messaging” or “Q3 is slow for deals in finance industry, maybe marketing can help drum up demand earlier.” This kind of input ensures marketing campaigns are grounded in reality. In fact, aligning on Ideal Customer Profiles and personas is far more effective as a joint exercise – sales can validate (or correct) the target criteria with real examples (4).

Tactical ideas to implement cross-training:

• Sales <> Marketing Buddy System: Pair each marketer with a salesperson for mutual shadowing. They can periodically check in, share what they’re working on, and attend each other’s key meetings or calls. This one-on-one connection humanizes the “other side” and fosters continuous knowledge sharing.
  
• Joint Team Offsites or Workshops: Host an alignment workshop (perhaps quarterly or annually) where both teams come together to review what’s working, what’s not, and to swap stories. As an example, a one-day offsite could include sales presenting “top 5 objections we hear” and marketing presenting “top 5 campaign insights,” followed by brainstorming solutions together. Getting everyone in the same room (physical or virtual) for an honest discussion can break down barriers (2).
  
• Role Rotation or Guest Roles: Some companies have new sales hires spend a day with marketing and vice versa, or allow a marketing person to “guest” as an SDR for a week fielding some inbound inquiries. Similarly, a salesperson might guest-write a blog post or email with marketing guidance. These exercises build appreciation for each other’s skills and challenges.
  
• Shared Training Sessions: Invite marketing to sales training sessions (like when learning a new sales methodology) and invite sales to marketing training (like when rolling out a new brand message or tool). Shared learning experiences ensure both teams hear the same message and can ask questions together.
  

The underlying goal of cross-functional involvement is breaking down the “us vs. them” mentality. When sales and marketing regularly collaborate and even swap hats, it creates mutual respect. Marketing learns to appreciate the pressure of quota and the nuance required in a live sales conversation. Sales gains respect for the craft of marketing – creating content, running campaigns, and juggling data analysis – and sees how quality leads are generated. Both sides then work more collaboratively because they understand each other’s workflows and expertise.

A direct outcome of this practice is better communication and less finger-pointing. Instead of “Marketing doesn’t get what we need” or “Sales is lazy with our leads,” you hear more “We might be targeting the wrong persona – let’s adjust” or “Perhaps we need to provide a better case study for that stage.” It becomes a shared problem-solving approach, which is the essence of alignment.

Finally, cross-training drives customer-centricity. When marketers hear real customer voices, and sellers see how prospects engage with marketing content, both can align around delivering value to the buyer. It stops being about departmental metrics and more about the customer’s journey. And when that happens, magic ensues: marketing generates leads that sales genuinely finds viable, and sales methods reinforce rather than contradict marketing’s messages. The entire revenue engine starts to run more smoothly.

4. Collaborate on Content and Campaigns

In many B2B companies, marketing produces a lot of content and campaigns, and then hopes sales will use them effectively. Sales, meanwhile, often feels content or messaging doesn’t address what prospects really care about. Bridging this gap is a best practice that can significantly enhance sales-marketing alignment: make content creation and campaign planning a collaborative effort between the teams.

Start with joint planning of campaigns. Rather than marketing deciding themes and sales just “executing” on the leads later, involve sales leadership early when devising campaign strategy. For example, if marketing plans a big webinar or an email sequence targeting a certain industry, run the idea by some sales reps who know that industry. They can provide insight on the pain points that resonate or the common objections from those buyers, allowing marketing to craft more relevant messaging. Likewise, sales might have ideas for campaigns based on conversations they’re having (“we should do a case study for healthcare sector, I get that request a lot”). Incorporating those ideas closes the loop. Aligned sales and marketing strategies mean that from the outset, both teams agree on who you’re targeting, what value proposition you’ll deliver, and how you’ll follow up.

When it comes to content, treat your sales team like an extension of your content marketing team – and vice versa. Sales should contribute topics and needs for content; marketing should enable sales on how to use content. A concrete practice is setting up a regular content review meeting with sales reps or at least key sales leaders. In this meeting, marketing can preview upcoming content (blog topics, white papers, case studies, email sequences) and get feedback: Will this help you sell? Is anything missing? Conversely, sales can request specific collateral (“I need a one-pager comparing us to Competitor X” or “prospects keep asking for ROI data – can we get a case study on that?”). By co-creating sales enablement content, you ensure it hits the mark (4). In fact, one study found that failure to align causes 60–70% of content to go unused (1) – typically because it doesn’t fit what sales needs or sales simply can’t find it. Collaboration and clear communication about content can dramatically reduce that waste.

Here are a few actionable ways to collaborate on content and campaigns:

• Content Brainstorms with Sales: When planning a new content piece (like an ebook or webinar), invite a few sales reps to a short brainstorm. You might be surprised – salespeople can offer great stories from the field, common questions they hear, and anecdotes that make content far more compelling. This also makes sales more likely to use and promote the final product, since they had a hand in shaping it.
  
• Sales Content Wishlist: Maintain a shared document or tracker where sales can suggest content they need (e.g. updated slide deck, a case study in a new vertical, an FAQ cheat sheet for a product). Marketing can then prioritize this list during content planning. As those pieces are created, marketing can tag the salespeople who requested them for early feedback or pilot use.
  
• Review and Feedback Loop: Once content is in use, marketing should follow up with sales for feedback. Did the new brochure help? Are prospects responding to the latest email template? What improvements can be made? This loop ensures continuous improvement. For example, if a sales deck isn’t being used, marketing finds out why (perhaps it’s too long or missing a crucial comparison) and can refine it. In aligned teams, sales actively shares what sales collateral works or falls flat, and marketing iterates accordingly (4).
  
• Share Successes Publicly: When a piece of content or a campaign significantly contributes to a win, celebrate it in front of both teams. E.g., “Sales just closed a huge deal and they mentioned the prospect really loved the ROI calculator our marketing team built.” This kind of recognition reinforces the value of collaboration and encourages more of it.
  

Additionally, consider implementing a modern sales enablement tool or platform to serve as a bridge. Many organizations invest in sales enablement software (like Highspot, Seismic, or Showpad) – these act as content hubs where marketing uploads collateral and sales can easily find and use it. The best of these tools also provide analytics (so marketing can see which content is being used and effective) and even guided selling features (so sales knows when to use each piece). In a sense, it’s sales and marketing alignment using one tool – a dedicated platform for content and training that both teams share (2). While adopting an enablement tool is not a cure-all, it’s a catalyst: it forces you to organize content collaboratively and keeps everyone on the same page about messaging.

Pro Tip: Embrace an account-based marketing (ABM) approach where appropriate. ABM inherently unifies sales and marketing, since both focus on the same targeted accounts with coordinated outreach strategies. For instance, marketing runs personalized ads or emails to a set of high-value accounts while sales simultaneously does personalized outbound prospecting into those accounts. They share intel and plan touches together. If you’re looking to enhance marketing-sales alignment, piloting an ABM campaign is a great practical exercise – it will quickly surface the need for shared goals, joint content, and constant communication (everything we’ve covered!). ABM has been growing, with 67% of brands using it and seeing success (7), precisely because it forces alignment on specific account goals.

In summary, aligning marketing and sales efforts on content and campaigns ensures a consistent story is told to the buyer and that both teams are contributing at every stage of the funnel. Marketing gets to see how their content performs in the wild and sales feels empowered with better materials – a win-win that results in more effective campaigns and quicker sales cycles. Instead of marketing generating leads that sales deems “not educated enough” or sales creating one-off decks off-message, you get a unified approach where every campaign and piece of content is another brick paving the road to closed deals.

5. Communicate Regularly and Foster a Feedback Culture

Alignment isn’t a set-and-forget deal – it requires ongoing communication and a culture that promotes honest feedback and continuous improvement. Even with common goals, the best tools, and great content, your sales and marketing teams need to talk to each other consistently to stay in sync. The final best practice is to establish a regular communication cadence and create a safe environment for constructive dialogue between sales and marketing.

First, schedule regular sales-marketing meetings. This could be a weekly 15-minute stand-up or a bi-weekly deeper sync, plus a larger monthly strategy meeting. The key is consistency. In these meetings, review progress on shared goals (pipeline updates, lead quality feedback, campaign results), surface any issues, and make joint decisions. For example, a weekly meeting might quickly cover: “How are this week’s MQL numbers and are SDRs finding them quality? Any notable wins or losses and what did we learn? What campaigns are coming up and what does sales need to be ready?” These aren’t meant to be long or full of reporting theater – they’re about maintaining alignment and course-correcting quickly. Without regular touchpoints, things “fall through the cracks” and efforts become misaligned (5). A quick huddle can prevent that by catching misunderstandings early.

Beyond group meetings, encourage 1:1 communication channels. For instance, the marketing director and sales director might have a standing weekly one-on-one to discuss high-level alignment issues. Even at the rep-to-rep level, marketers and outbound SDRs could informally chat about specific account approaches. The more relationships and open lines of communication you foster, the less likely silos will re-form. In fact, respondents on alignment often mention frequent check-ins as a top recommendation (1). Don’t rely on org charts to dictate communication – create cross-team pods or liaisons if needed (e.g., an “ABM pod” with both a marketer and a salesperson assigned to coordinate on a list of accounts).

Crucially, make communication a two-way street for feedback. Marketing should actively solicit feedback from sales (and vice versa) in a structured way. This could be as simple as a shared Slack channel where sales can drop quick feedback on lead quality or where marketing shares a new piece of content and asks for thoughts. Or it could be more formal, like a monthly survey or an internal scorecard: sales might rate the leads or content from marketing, and marketing might rate sales’ follow-up efforts. The point is to create a feedback loop so each side can improve. As an example, if sales consistently says “we’re getting a lot of leads from X campaign but none are converting past discovery calls,” that’s golden feedback for marketing to refine targeting or messaging. Conversely, if marketing sees that certain reps never follow up their MQL alerts, that’s something to address with sales management.

Of course, feedback only helps if the culture allows honesty without blame. This is where leadership must step in to cultivate a “be curious, not judgmental” atmosphere (6). When issues arise, frame them as joint problems to solve, not ammunition for one team against the other. For instance, if marketing-qualified leads aren’t converting, instead of sales accusing marketing of low quality or marketing accusing sales of slacking, bring both teams together to analyze: Is the lead definition off? Do we need better nurturing? Should sales approach these leads differently? Embrace a bit of healthy tension and debate in these discussions – research shows that some friction (when respectful) can spark improvements rather than everyone staying complacent (2). Encourage “courageous conversations” where team members can challenge assumptions (“Sales: we feel these webinar leads aren’t ready to buy, here’s why… Marketing: we hear you, maybe we can implement a lead scoring threshold or provide more mid-funnel content to warm them up.”). By welcoming constructive criticism, you ensure that teams don’t just take the easy route of avoiding conflict – they hash out differences and arrive at better alignment decisions (2).

To support open communication, centralize your communication channels. Important updates – like a new campaign launch, a change in lead qualification criteria, or a new sales playbook – should be broadcast where all relevant parties will see it (e.g., a shared email newsletter or Slack channel). This avoids the “I didn’t know you guys were doing that” syndrome. One best practice is having a shared calendar or planner of major marketing and sales activities (product launches, big email campaigns, industry events, etc.) so everyone has visibility. Additionally, consider holding joint retrospectives after major initiatives (e.g., post-mortem after a big conference or end-of-quarter review) with both teams, extracting lessons learned together.

Finally, don’t forget to celebrate joint wins as a form of communication. When sales and marketing collaborate on something and it yields success, communicate that story loud and clear. It reinforces alignment behavior. For example: marketing ran an email nurture, SDRs and BDRs followed up on those who clicked, and it produced 10 opportunities – share that narrative in the next all-hands meeting or internal newsletter. It communicates the value of alignment to the whole company and motivates everyone to keep working together.

In essence, continuous communication is the glue that holds all other alignment efforts together. You can have the best strategy on paper, but without frequent and open dialogue, misalignment will creep back in. By making communication habitual and creating a culture where sales and marketing freely exchange ideas and feedback, you ensure that alignment isn’t a one-time project in 2026 – it becomes a durable part of your company’s DNA.

What Are Practical Steps to Fix Misalignment Between Sales And Marketing?

Effectively aligning B2B sales and marketing teams comes down to a few key steps: shared planning, constant communication, and mutual accountability. 

First, establish common goals and definitions – get both teams to agree on what success looks like (often revenue or pipeline targets) and define terms like MQL/SQL together. 

Next, implement a formal Service Level Agreement (SLA) or process for lead handoffs (e.g., marketing delivers X info on a lead; sales contacts within Y hours). 

Encourage regular communication through joint meetings and updates – for instance, weekly pipeline reviews with both teams present to discuss progress and roadblocks.

Use integrated tools (shared CRM, dashboards, Slack channels) so everyone accesses the same data. Provide cross-training opportunities, like having marketers shadow sales calls and sales reps contribute to content creation, to build empathy and insight. 

Finally, foster a culture of open feedback instead of blame – both teams should continuously share what’s working or not and adjust as a unit. Leadership support is vital: when executives reward team outcomes (not just siloed achievements) and perhaps even unify the org under a single revenue leader, it reinforces alignment. By following these best practices – common goals, clear processes, integrated tools, joint activities, and open feedback loops – B2B organizations can achieve tight sales and marketing alignment.

Sales and marketing teams often operate in silos, leading to missed opportunities, inefficiencies, and slower revenue growth. Aligning these teams is critical for a smooth lead-to-revenue process and a unified approach to customer engagement. 

Here are practical steps to bridge the gap and ensure both teams work toward common goals:

1. Conduct a Joint Audit of Goals, Definitions, and Processes
   Begin by reviewing how each team defines sales leads, opportunities, and success metrics. Identify inconsistencies and gaps in processes, terminology, and expectations. A shared understanding forms the foundation for alignment.
   
2. Rebuild SLAs and Lead Qualification Criteria
   Develop clear Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and lead qualification criteria that both teams agree upon. This ensures leads are followed up promptly and consistently, reducing friction and wasted effort.
   
3. Set Shared Revenue KPIs
   Establish performance metrics that are meaningful for both sales and marketing, such as pipeline contribution, lead-to-opportunity conversion rates, and revenue influenced. Shared KPIs encourage collaboration and mutual accountability.
   
4. Improve Communication
   Implement regular touchpoints such as weekly syncs, joint planning sessions, and shared dashboards. Transparent and frequent communication prevents misunderstandings and keeps everyone informed about priorities and progress.
   
5. Cross-Train Teams and Foster Mutual Feedback
   Encourage sales to learn about marketing campaigns and strategies, and marketing to understand the sales process and customer pain points. Regular feedback loops help teams adjust quickly and strengthen collaboration.
   
6. Use Integrated Tools to Ensure Visibility
   Adopt CRM and marketing automation tools that integrate seamlessly, providing real-time visibility into leads, campaigns, and customer interactions. A single source of truth helps teams work together more effectively.
   
7. Appoint a Liaison or RevOps Role
   Assign a dedicated person or team, such as a Revenue Operations professional, to oversee alignment initiatives, monitor KPIs, and troubleshoot any disconnects between sales and marketing.
   
8. Start Small and Scale Gradually
   Pilot alignment strategies in a specific campaign, product line, or market segment. Gather insights, refine processes, and then expand successful practices across the organization.

Aligning sales and marketing is not a one-time project—it’s an ongoing commitment. By taking structured, practical steps and fostering a culture of collaboration, organizations can drive more predictable revenue, better customer experiences, and a more motivated, cohesive team.

Checklist: How to Know if Your Sales and Marketing Teams Are Aligned (2026 Edition)

How can you tell if all these best practices are actually paying off? Below is a 2026 alignment checklist – a set of indicators that your sales and marketing teams are truly in sync. Use this as a quick audit: if you can check off most of these, your teams are aligned (and reaping the benefits). If not, you know where to focus your improvement efforts.

• Shared Revenue Goals: Both teams rally around common targets (e.g. quarterly pipeline $ and revenue), rather than siloed metrics. Marketing isn’t just reporting MQLs in isolation, and sales isn’t solely focused on closed deals – instead, everyone talks about the same KPIs in meetings (1).
  
• Unified Planning: Sales and marketing collaborate on plans and strategies. For instance, go-to-market strategies, campaign calendars, and product launch plans are created jointly, with input from both sides. There’s a unified sales-marketing strategy document or meeting where both contribute, rather than separate plans that hope to converge later.
  
• Clear Lead Handoff Process: There is a well-defined workflow for lead qualification and handoff. Marketing knows exactly when to pass a lead (based on agreed criteria), and sales agrees to follow up within a set timeframe (per SLA). Leads are rarely “lost” or ignored; if a lead isn’t accepted, there’s a feedback loop to marketing explaining why (4).
  
• Consistent Messaging: Both teams use the same language and value propositions when talking to prospects. Check your content and sales pitches – are the product descriptions and key benefits consistent? Aligned teams present a unified story across marketing materials, sales calls, emails, and social media. The branding and tone feel seamless to the buyer.
  
• Shared Tools & Data Visibility: Marketing and sales access and trust the same data (lead statuses, pipeline figures, campaign attribution, etc.). If a salesperson needs to see how a lead engaged with marketing, they can easily find out. If marketing wants to see sales outcomes of leads, they have that info. There’s no hoarding of data or separate, conflicting spreadsheets.
  
• Regular Interactions: There are frequent touchpoints – weekly meetings, daily Slack exchanges, joint trainings – and informal conversations between marketers and sellers happen easily. If a marketer has a question about customers, they know which rep to ask. If a sales rep needs a piece of collateral, they know who in marketing can help immediately. Silence between departments is a red flag; chatter and collaboration are a green flag.
  
• Mutual Accountability and No Blame Games: In aligned teams, you won’t hear “marketing’s leads are weak” or “sales is lazy.” Instead, both teams own up to challenges jointly. Wins are celebrated together, and misses are analyzed without finger-pointing. If something goes wrong (e.g., a campaign underperforms), the discussion is “How can we together fix this?” rather than devolving into departmental blame.
  
• Cross-Department KPIs and Rewards: Another sign is when success is measured in terms of team outcomes, not just individual department output. For example, marketing’s performance review includes impact on sales pipeline, and sales might be evaluated on effective use of marketing resources (like engaging with content or leads). Some companies even have revenue teams or a Chief Revenue Officer that oversees both departments, ensuring alignment at the leadership level.
  

If you go down this checklist and find several gaps, don’t be discouraged – few organizations get a perfect score. The purpose is to highlight areas to work on. Maybe you realize that while goals are shared, your communication isn’t as frequent as it should be. Or you tick most boxes but notice messaging consistency is off (maybe your sales pitch has diverged from marketing’s branding – time for a refresh meeting). Use these checkpoints to keep refining your alignment efforts. Remember, alignment is an ongoing process of continuous calibration.

In 2026, market dynamics and buyer preferences will keep evolving, so even well-aligned teams need to stay agile and re-align on new goals and strategies regularly. Keep this checklist handy to periodically gauge your teams’ synergy and ensure you maintain that alignment momentum you’ve worked so hard to build.

Conclusion: Unify Your Sales and Marketing – and Drive Revenue – with Martal Group

Achieving true sales and marketing alignment can be challenging, but as we’ve shown, the rewards are game-changing – faster growth, higher conversions, and a smoother path from first touch to closed deal. The five best practices outlined above (from shared goals to continuous communication) provide a roadmap to strengthen your organization’s marketing-sales unity in 2026 and beyond. The checklist and FAQ can help you keep tabs on your progress and address any cracks in the alignment.

Most importantly, remember that alignment is not a one-time project but an ongoing discipline. It requires leadership commitment and sometimes a fresh approach to how teams are structured and how success is measured. Many leading B2B companies are even creating Revenue Operations (RevOps) roles or hubs to maintain this alignment – with 73% of companies now having a RevOps function at the C-suite level (8). The trend is clear: breaking down silos and unifying sales and marketing (and even customer success) under common revenue goals is the future of B2B growth.

If you’re looking to accelerate this transformation and unify your sales and marketing efforts through seamless execution, Martal Group is here to help. We at Martal Group specialize in outbound lead generation and sales outsourcing, acting as a fractional extension of your sales team. Our approach inherently bridges the gap between marketing and sales: we combine targeted omnichannel marketing (leveraging cold emailing, cold calling, and LinkedIn prospecting) with strategic messaging that aligns with your marketing value proposition, ensuring a consistent brand voice from the first email to the closing call. By using our proprietary AI-driven platform to analyze intent data and engagement signals, we ensure the leads we source are ones your sales team can close, effectively synchronizing the top-of-funnel and bottom-of-funnel process.

Martal’s experienced sales executives don’t operate in a silo – we work closely with your marketing goals and business objectives. For example, if your marketing team is running an ABM campaign, our outsourced SDRs will reinforce that with personalized outreach, and share on-the-ground feedback to refine targeting. If marketing has a content piece or webinar, we incorporate it into our sales cadences to warm up prospects with the same narrative. This unified approach means you get the benefits of an in-house aligned team, plus the scalability and expertise of an external partner. We’ve helped startups and Fortune 500s alike boost their pipelines by ensuring every marketing-generated lead is engaged by a trained sales pro, and every sales conversation leverages relevant marketing insights.

Ready to see the impact of true sales and marketing alignment on your revenue? Let’s talk. Book a free consultation with Martal Group today, and let’s explore how we can act as the glue between your marketing and sales efforts – from lead generation to closing deals and even sales training for your reps. With Martal’s Sales-as-a-Service model, you gain a sales partner that unifies the strategy and execution, so no lead falls through the cracks and no message goes off-script. We’ll help you build an aligned revenue engine that turns more prospects into satisfied customers.

Don’t let misalignment stall your growth. Reach out to Martal Group and let’s achieve the revenue results that only a truly unified sales and marketing team can deliver.

References

1. Brainstorm Club
2. Highspot
3. Improvado
4. Foleon
5. UserGems
6. Salesforce
7. AdRoll
8. Salesloft
9. SuperOffice