Why Your B2B Lead Gen Isn’t Working—And How to Fix It

Let’s discuss a hard truth: Marketing alone won't drive revenue! 

Sure, you can run campaigns, optimize for clicks, and fill the funnel with leads—but unless sales is actively involved, those leads will stall, fizzle, and die. According to HubSpot’s 2025 State of Marketing report, 68% of B2B companies say they struggle with lead quality. Why? Because marketing and sales often operate like separate departments instead of revenue partners.

Lead gen isn’t about “getting leads”—it’s about converting revenue. And that means sales needs to be in the loop from the very beginning.

Why misalignment kills B2B growth

Let’s break it down: 

• Sales says marketing leads suck because they’re “not ready to buy”
• Marketing says sales isn’t following up fast enough (cue finger-pointing)
• Marketing optimizes for MQLs, while sales only cares about SQLs
• No one’s tracking the full picture—from clicks and downloads to real revenue

This disconnect doesn’t just create friction—it costs you. Big time.

• Leads left unattended for more than 5 minutes are 8x less likely to convert (The CMO)
• 60-70% of B2B content never even gets used by sales (Forrester)
• Companies with aligned sales and marketing grow 19% faster and are 15% more profitable (HubSpot)

Misalignment isn’t a “soft” problem—it’s a pipeline killer.

How to fix this and stop wasting budget

If you want to get serious about B2B lead gen, here’s what has to change:

1. Sales Needs a Seat at the Marketing Table

Sales can’t just be handed leads and left to figure it out. They need to collaborate on strategy, help shape messaging, and inform targeting based on real buyer conversations.

56% of B2B marketing leaders say sales input is critical to campaign success (LinkedIn B2B Institute, 2023).

2. Align on Metrics That Actually Matter

Stop chasing MQLs. Align on revenue-impacting KPIs like lead-to-opportunity conversion rates, pipeline velocity, and closed-won revenue. Share dashboards. Measure what matters.

Companies tracking pipeline velocity close 36% more deals (Gartner, 2023).

3. Work from a Shared ICP and Value Prop

Get marketing, sales, and even customer success together to define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). Build messaging and content around real value, not assumptions.

4. Create Real-Time Feedback Loops

Set up regular feedback meetings. Have sales tell marketing which leads convert and why—and vice versa. Update your targeting and messaging based on actual conversion data, not guesswork.

47% of B2B marketers say they don’t get regular feedback from sales (Demand Gen Report, 2023).

5. Make Content Work for Sales

Don’t just create “thought leadership” for your blog. Give sales custom content they can use: case studies, one-pagers. And teach them when and how to use it. Personalize it by stage, persona, and pain point.

6. Marketing Needs to Nurture Like Sales

Marketing can’t just toss a lead into the funnel and walk away. Use ABM tactics to continue nurturing leads with personalized follow-ups, remarketing, and intent-based outreach—just like sales would.

Companies using HubSpot’s AI-powered CRM saw a 99% increase in inbound leads after 6 months and 143% increase in web traffic in 12 months (HubSpot 2025 State of Marketing Report)

7. Build, test and adapt as you learn with an agile digital marketing strategy

Digital marketing offers a cost-effective way for B2B marketers to test ideas and reach target buyers. By setting a baseline channel mix, measuring performance, and quickly shifting to what works, digital delivers real-time insights. Whether through LinkedIn, Google, or optimized landing pages, it can serve as the connective tissue across the buyer journey.

Call to Action: It’s Time to Fix Your Demand Gen Engine

The disconnect between marketing and sales isn’t just costing you efficiency, it’s costing you deals. If your teams aren’t aligned around shared goals, real-time feedback, and revenue-driving KPIs, your lead gen engine is underperforming. It’s not about working harder, it’s about working smarter together. The companies winning in B2B right now are the ones treating sales and marketing as one integrated growth team.

Here’s where to start:

• Do you want a B2B demand gen engine that actually drives revenue?
• Are your marketing and sales teams working from the same strategy, or in silos?
• Are you tracking the right metrics, telling the right stories, and targeting the right buyers?

If not, we can help.

Let’s start with a quick conversation about how your sales and marketing teams are working today. We’ll look at what’s working, what’s getting in the way, and where there’s room to align more closely. From there, we can plug in where you need support; whether that’s a deeper audit of your funnel, help refining your ABM or paid media strategy, or hands-on execution to bring it all to life. Wherever you are, we can meet you there and help you turn alignment into actual revenue while driving real, measurable value from your marketing investments.

Ready to future-proof your B2B Lead Generation Strategy?
The Chartis teams excel at strategically supporting B2B Brands. Contact us today to see how we can help you improve lead generation.