How to Align Sales and Marketing and Why It’s Important: 10 Actionable Tips for Better Results

The Key to ABM Success: Sales and Marketing Alignment

Imagine a sports team where players don’t communicate, pass the ball randomly, and don’t follow a common strategy. That’s what happens when sales and marketing teams aren’t aligned in Account-Based Marketing (ABM). Instead of a seamless approach, they end up working in silos, reducing efficiency and missing key opportunities.

Account-Based Marketing is only as strong as the alignment between sales and marketing teams. Without synergy, even the best ABM strategies fall flat. But when these two functions work together, businesses can create more personalized, high-impact campaigns that drive revenue growth.

When sales and marketing don’t align, businesses waste time, miss out on customers, and lose money. But when they work together, they can focus on the best opportunities and close more deals.

According to a study by Forrester, companies with strong alignment between sales and marketing achieve 32% higher revenue growth than those without it. Meanwhile, organizations that fail to align these two crucial functions experience poor conversion rates and lower customer retention.

Many marketing leaders agree that communication, shared goals, and transparency are the foundation of successful sales and marketing alignment. This guide will break down actionable steps and expert insights to help you bridge the gap and build a unified ABM strategy.

Why Aligning Sales and Marketing is Crucial in ABM

Unlike traditional marketing, which focuses on generating broad leads, ABM targets specific, high-value accounts with personalized strategies. 

To make this work, marketing and sales must be in sync from day one.

As Henry Clark, Sr. Manager Account-Based Marketing & Campaigns at SecurityHQ, explains:

"There’s always going to be a little bit of conflict between sales and marketing. Marketing’s instinct is to sit, wait, test, and then go, while sales will always want to move fast. The most important part is aligning goals and outcomes so everyone works in the same direction."

When alignment is missing, marketing efforts go unnoticed, sales teams ignore marketing-driven leads, and potential deals fall through the cracks. But when both teams collaborate effectively, conversion rates increase, deal cycles shorten, and customer relationships strengthen.

1. Over-Communicate to Stay in Sync

Communication isn’t just important; it’s everything. Sales teams need to be aware of marketing campaigns, strategies, and expected outcomes well in advance.

Ileana Cipca, Global Partner Marketing Leader at IBM, emphasizes the need for constant communication:

"It's important to communicate, communicate, and over-communicate. There's never too much communication. Sales must know our marketing strategies well in advance, and we need their insights since they are closest to the clients."

Your Move:

• Create a structured communication plan that includes regular meetings, shared documents, and real-time updates.

• Involve sales in campaign planning to gather insights and refine strategies.

• Establish a feedback loop where sales and marketing continuously exchange insights.

2. Align Goals and Expectations

Sales and marketing naturally have different approaches: marketers like to test and optimize, while sales reps prefer immediate action. Bridging this gap requires shared objectives and clear expectations.

Take Action:

• Define common ABM objectives and ensure both teams agree on success metrics.

• Establish Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that outline responsibilities for both sales and marketing.

• Develop shared dashboards to track campaign progress, lead engagement, and conversion rates.

3. Leverage Revenue Operations (RevOps) for Seamless Data Sharing

Sales and marketing alignment is impossible without accurate, consistent data. A well-structured RevOps (Revenue Operations) function ensures that both teams have access to clean, up-to-date information.

Ryan Moline, Product Marketing Director at Demandbase, stresses the importance of RevOps:

"If you have a good operations team that builds the right processes and workflows, makes sure the data is shared correctly, and keeps it clean and consistent, that is crucial for success."

Put This Into Practice:

• Invest in RevOps to centralize data management and reporting.

• Use a shared CRM to ensure both teams have visibility into the sales pipeline.

• Implement intent data to align messaging across sales and marketing efforts.

4. Make ABM Relevant to Sales Through Impactful Data

To get sales fully invested in ABM, show them the revenue potential.

Tiago Luzio, B2B Event Marketing Manager at Walt, shares his approach:

"I start most of my enablement sessions with sales by showing them how much opportunity there is in ABM alone for the next quarter. Suddenly, they see the financial impact and want to engage."

Want sales to buy into ABM? Speak their language.

• Show them the money: Frame ABM insights in terms of pipeline growth and revenue impact; numbers that matter to them.

•  Make their job easier: Equip sales with simple, actionable playbooks and materials that fit seamlessly into their workflow.

•  Shift the mindset. ABM isn’t just a marketing play; position it as a powerful revenue driver that directly fuels sales success.

When ABM aligns with sales priorities, adoption becomes a no-brainer. 

5. Who Is Responsible for What? Sales vs Marketing

To ensure smooth collaboration, both sales and marketing must have clearly defined roles. Understanding who owns which part of the buyer journey is essential to prevent confusion and inefficiencies.

Mariska van Beukering, Vice President of Marketing at nLighten, explains:

"Marketing and sales need to be tied from the beginning when targeting accounts. Marketing organizes campaigns, but sales personalize outreach with their contact details. The buyer’s journey isn’t linear; it jumps back and forth between marketing-led and sales-led touchpoints."

How to Implement This:

• Clearly define which team owns each stage of the buyer journey.

• Use a collaborative approach where marketing supports sales with content and insights.

• Ensure seamless handoffs between marketing-led activities (webinars, content downloads) and sales-led conversations.

6. Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning and Collaboration

ABM isn’t a set-and-forget strategy; it requires ongoing learning and adaptation. Training and development play a vital role in keeping both teams on the same page.

Mariska van Beukering, Vice President of Marketing at nLighten, stresses this point:

"Don't assume that everybody knows everything. Continue focusing on training and skills development, and celebrate success to keep the energy going."

• Step 1: Organize ABM training sessions for both teams to ensure a shared understanding of strategy and execution.

• Step 2: Encourage joint workshops where sales and marketing can brainstorm and refine messaging.

• Step 3: Recognize and reward collaborative efforts to maintain motivation.

7. Addressing Sales and Marketing Misalignment

A critical challenge in ABM is fostering open, honest conversations between sales and marketing to build trust and collaboration.

Matt Conway, Head of ABM at TXOne Networks, posed the question as a part of the ABM Answered Series: "How do you get those healthy and honest conversations going between sales and marketing?"

Tiago Luzio, B2B Event Marketing Manager at Walt, responded:

"We must start by educating sales on what ABM truly is and how it directly impacts revenue. Sales needs to know that ABM isn’t just about content or gifts; we are here to drive revenue like they are. Showing them how much potential pipeline ABM can generate gets their attention."

Saurabh Sanghi, Senior Marketing Manager at IGT Solutions, adds:

"Open, clear communication and shared goals make all the difference. Marketing must be open to feedback and share campaign results with sales so they can act on it. Success must be celebrated jointly, it builds trust and ensures collaboration."

Want to get this right? Start by: 

• Educating sales on ABM’s direct revenue impact to gain their buy-in.

• Attending sales meetings to offer insights and gain credibility.

• Sharing success stories and data-driven results to reinforce ABM’s value.

8. Build Trust Through Transparency and Shared Wins

Healthy relationships between sales and marketing come from trust, mutual respect, and shared success stories. Both teams should recognize and appreciate each other's contributions.

Saurabh Sanghi, Senior Marketing Manager at IGT Solutions, highlights this:

"Marketing and sales need to support each other to achieve business objectives. Always celebrate success jointly; recognition keeps teams motivated."

9. Rethink the Role of Marketing Beyond Lead Generation

Traditional marketing approaches often focus on lead quantity rather than quality. In an ABM strategy, marketing should remain engaged throughout the entire buyer journey.

Christopher Strandell, Advisor in ABM at InZynk, explains the issue:

"In many organizations, the collaboration between sales and marketing is just a lead handover. Then it’s hands-off for marketing. That creates friction because sales teams don’t see value in marketing’s efforts."

Example: InZynk’s Pipeline Transparency Initiative

By shifting marketing’s role from just lead generation to full pipeline visibility and acceleration, InZynk improved lead quality. This change fostered better collaboration with sales, leading to higher adoption of marketing-driven initiatives and increased conversion rates. (Christopher Strandell interview in ABM Answered)

Turn Insights into Action by:

• Shifting marketing’s role from lead generation to account nurturing and pipeline acceleration.

• Giving marketing visibility into sales pipeline data to tailor content and messaging accordingly.

• Ensuring marketing stays involved even after a lead enters the sales pipeline.

10. Be Where Sales Are

Marketing should not wait for sales to ask for help. Instead, they should actively participate in sales discussions, understand challenges, and provide useful insights.

Corrina Owens, ABM Consultant, explains:

"I ask to join sales meetings, and I show up with something valuable. Whether it's insights on an upcoming event, new content, or helpful prospecting data, it builds trust and credibility over time."

How to Stay Engaged:

• Join regular sales team meetings and pipeline reviews.

• Provide useful resources that sales can use in conversations.

• Be available to support sales efforts in real-time.

Conclusion: ABM is a Team Effort

Aligning sales and marketing in ABM isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential for success. The key takeaways:

✅ Over-communicate to ensure everyone is on the same page.

✅ Define shared goals and establish clear expectations.

✅ Utilize RevOps to streamline data and processes.

✅ Clearly define roles for sales and marketing.

✅ Foster honest conversations and alignment between teams.

✅ Celebrate shared wins to foster a positive culture.

✅ Show sales the financial impact of ABM.

ABM success doesn’t happen overnight. It requires commitment, collaboration, and a shared vision between sales and marketing.

By following these steps, your teams can align efforts, improve engagement, and drive revenue together.