4 rules for fixing alignment….and the one tool that can actually enforce them.
When Sales and Marketing don’t align, it shows up fast in the form of missed goals and finger-pointing.
To no one’s surprise, the fix isn’t just more meetings.
It's a new system.
And that system starts with four non-negotiables.
So let’s look at what they are, and how to actually enforce them using one tool: HubSpot.
Shared goals > vague alignment. Define MQL, SQL, and Opportunity the same way across teams, and agree on KPIs that measure true revenue impact.
One tool, one truth. Disconnected systems create miscommunication. HubSpot unifies Sales, Marketing, and CS in a shared CRM that updates in real time.
Campaigns must match. Inbound, outbound, and Sales plays should use the same persona, messaging, and timing. Otherwise, your buyer gets whiplash.
Feedback loops close the gap. Sales should log outcomes; Marketing should act on them. HubSpot makes this automatic with workflows and reporting.
The most common (and most expensive) mistake in B2B go-to-market teams is when Sales and Marketing teams are working toward different goals. In fact, 90% of sales and marketing professionals admit they’re misaligned across strategy, process, content, and culture.
Sales wants closed deals and Marketing wants MQLs (Marketing Qualified Leads).
It sounds like they’re on the same page until you realize:
You can’t just say "we’re aligned." You have to define the exact stages and agree on how to measure success.
Here’s what that looks like:
If Marketing and Sales aren’t using the same definitions, your funnel is broken.
Track metrics that both teams influence:
Everyone should see and be accountable to these numbers, not just their own. And it matters financially too: 60% agree that this misalignment damages financial performance, and only 11% of companies have successfully aligned their marketing and sales audiences and handoff processes.
HubSpot makes it easy to set this up (and the best part….no spreadsheets).
You can’t align Sales and Marketing when they live in different systems. And the data backs it: 79% of sales pros say their CRM helps improve alignment, but 40% of sales and marketing teams say their systems still aren’t optimized for it.
If Sales is working out of Salesforce, Marketing’s tracking everything in HubSpot, and someone's still updating a spreadsheet manually, then chaos is a charitable term for what’s going on.
When teams don’t share a single system, a few predictable things happen:
To fix this, you need one tool (or a tightly integrated stack) that both teams use to:
HubSpot is designed to bring your entire GTM team (Marketing, Sales, and CS) onto one unified platform with a shared source of truth. When teams are aligned like this, companies see a 36% boost in customer retention.
Here’s how:
Sales and Marketing both see the same lead activity, the same lifecycle stage, and the same deal progress.
When someone fills out a form, downloads content, or gets contacted by a rep, it’s logged immediately.
Already using Salesforce? Not a problem. HubSpot integrates tightly and can push/pull data so nothing is lost or duplicated.
Build dashboards that show both campaign performance and pipeline progress side-by-side, in real time.
If Marketing, Sales, and SDRs are running different plays, your buyers will feel it.
That disconnect is one of the most common signs of broken sales and marketing alignment. And you can quantify it: the average targeting overlap between B2B sales and marketing teams is just 16%.
In case you're not sure what misalignment looks like, here’s a friendly reminder:
Real alignment doesn't mean more meetings. It shows up in execution:
This is what Allbound looks like….
Inbound, outbound, and sales outreach working together as one coordinated motion, with every team moving in sync toward the same goal.
Ultimately, it’s about making sure every touchpoint supports the same buyer journey.
HubSpot gives both Sales and Marketing the tools to plan, launch, and execute campaigns together, without switching tools or losing visibility.
Build the campaign, launch the ads, send the emails, and follow up with outbound, all inside HubSpot.
Give reps the right talk tracks, CTAs, and objection handling guides, built around the campaign’s messaging.
Store and organize sales assets, such as case studies, one-pagers, and decks, so Sales always knows what to use and when.
Track campaign performance, meetings booked, pipeline created, and influenced revenue in one view.
If Sales never explains why leads aren’t converting, Marketing can’t fix the source of the problem.
And if Marketing doesn’t know what happens after the handoff, they’re just guessing.
HubSpot makes the feedback loop automatic and trackable:
Use custom fields to tag reasons for every outcome.
See which campaigns generated actual pipeline, not just clicks or form fills.
When a behavior matters, reflect it in your scoring model automatically.
Dashboards for both teams, so insights aren’t hidden.
Misalignment between Sales and Marketing is usually not a people problem or just about “getting along” better.
It’s a system and infrastructure issue.
Here’s a recap:
Each of these requires structure.
HubSpot makes that structure executable through visibility, automation, and accountability across both teams.
Funnel not working? Start here 👇