If you’ve been to any B2B marketing event in the last few years, you’ve likely sat through more than one session on the need for sales and marketing to be ‘aligned’.
It sounds like progress. Two teams working in harmony. On the surface, it feels right.
But the very idea of alignment creates a problem.
Alignment implies separation. It assumes that sales and marketing are distinct functions, operating in parallel, occasionally coming together to compare notes and adjust direction. It creates a model where marketing plans and sales executes, where insight is handed over, and where collaboration is scheduled rather than continuous.
In reality, this is not how growth happens in complex B2B environments. Research from Bain and Google shows that B2B buyers now engage in a highly non-linear journey, looping back and forth across channels and stakeholders rather than progressing in stages. This alone breaks the idea of two teams operating in sequence or even in parallel. The truth is simpler and more demanding. Sales and marketing should not be ‘aligned’. They should operate as one system with a shared purpose.
Growth comes from a shared system, not shared goals
When sales and marketing operate as a single system, the dynamic changes. Insight doesn’t sit in reports or dashboards. It flows directly into conversations. Those conversations then reshape the understanding of the account, revealing new priorities, objections and opportunities. Messaging evolves in response. Content adapts. Outreach sharpens.
This matters because buying itself is a group activity. Gartner research shows that the typical B2B buying group involves 6 to 10 stakeholders, each bringing different perspectives and information into the process. No single team, or single moment of alignment, can keep pace with that complexity. In this model, marketing is not creating in isolation, and sales is not operating unsupported. Both are contributing to the same outcome in real time.
Insight should live in conversations, not documents
Too often, insight is captured at a moment in time, documented and then distributed. Personas are defined, messaging frameworks are created, and campaigns are built from that foundation. But by the time this reaches sales, it is already out of date.
Real insight lives in conversations. It’s shaped by what buyers say, how they say it and what they choose not to say. It reflects internal pressures, political dynamics and shifting priorities that no static document can fully capture.
According to Gartner, B2B buyers spend just 17% of their purchase journey meeting with potential suppliers, and that time is split across multiple vendors. That means the majority of insight is not visible in formal interactions. It needs to be captured, shared and acted on continuously.
The most important marketing happens in the room
In many organisations, marketing is judged by the assets it produces. But the most important marketing moment is not a campaign launch. It’s the sales presentation.
This matters more than ever when you consider that 78% of B2B buyers shortlist only three vendors, and around 90% go on to choose from that list. If your narrative doesn’t land in these moments, you simply do not progress.
Yet too often, this moment is under-supported. Presentations are standardised, reused and disconnected from the specific account context. If sales and marketing are truly integrated, this changes. Presentations become tailored, insight-led and designed for the reality of the buying group.
Recommendation is the outcome that matters
When sales and marketing operate separately, they often optimise for different metrics. Marketing focuses on leads and engagement. Sales focuses on pipeline and conversion. But in practice, both are working towards the same outcome: Recommendation.
This is what gets you onto the shortlist in the first place. And in a world where buyers typically consider only a small number of vendors, that position is critical. Recommendation is built through consistent messaging, credible proof and strong relationships. It is not owned by one function. It is the result of both working together as one.
Your best marketing channel is your people
LinkedIn research shows that buyers are far more likely to engage with individuals than with corporate brand accounts. People trust people, especially in complex, high-risk decisions. Raising the authority and reach of sales team members is key – their presence on social platforms creates additional entry points into accounts, allowing conversations to start earlier and carry more weight.
The wrong metrics create the wrong behaviour
One of the reasons alignment persists as a concept is because of how success is measured. Metrics such as MQLs, intent scores and engagement indexes create a sense of progress. They provide numbers that can be tracked and reported. But they often sit far removed from actual commercial outcomes. In reality, an MQL does not guarantee a conversation, and an intent signal does not guarantee a deal. These metrics can become distractions, particularly when they are used to justify activity before revenue is realised.
If sales and marketing are truly integrated, the focus shifts. Conversations within accounts. Progression through opportunities. Revenue. These are the measures that matter.
The true myth buster
Sales and marketing alignment is a useful idea, but it is not enough for the realities of modern B2B. What is needed is something more fluid, more responsive and more connected. A model where insight flows continuously between teams. Where conversations shape strategy. And where both functions are accountable for the same outcome. Not activity, but revenue, driven through meaningful engagement, credible positioning and sustained influence.
That is not alignment. It is operating as one system with a shared purpose.
If you’re ready to move beyond alignment and build an ABM approach that actually works in practice, explore our framework here – https://www.velo-b2b.com/marketingmaps/account-based-marketing/