Tag: sales

Challenge: What do you do when your analytics don’t give you a clear answer?

Marketing data is powerful. We now have a wide range of sources to understand prospect behavior—website analytics, form submissions, event traffic, third-party enrichment, and more. Even better, we can integrate these data points through attribution platforms to create compelling narratives about the buyer’s journey.

These insights help answer key questions:

• Which programs drive the highest-quality leads that result in closed-won deals?
• How can we accelerate deal velocity or improve close rates?
• Which channels or tactics generate engagement that never translates into pipeline?

Ultimately, the goal is to build a predictive marketing engine—one that allows us to understand how today’s efforts will impact tomorrow’s pipeline and revenue.

But sometimes, the data falls short.

Case in Point

Years ago, we had a product with several distinct value propositions—each strong enough to justify a purchase. We ran targeted campaigns around each component and guided prospects through customized nurture tracks designed to drive opportunity creation.

In one segment, we saw strong lead volume and even new opportunities. But oddly, these deals consistently failed to close—unlike opportunities from other product components, which converted successfully. We experimented with nurture sequences and tested new offers, but the issue persisted.

So, I did something simple: I sat down with the AEs who had worked those opportunities.

After some digging (and pushing past polite responses), two insights emerged:

1. Sales enablement gaps – Reps didn’t feel confident selling this particular component, so they often avoided highlighting it in conversations.
2. Product-market fit issues – The component lacked key features found in competing solutions. As a result, prospects disengaged early in the sales cycle.

These are problems no dashboard could ever reveal.

The Takeaway

This was a classic “duh” moment. Despite all the data at our fingertips, the oldest attribution method in the book still reigns supreme: talking to your sales team.

Sales reps are your most reliable sensor network. They’re on the front lines, having real conversations with real buyers. Their feedback is often the missing puzzle piece when data alone doesn’t add up.

As demand gen leaders, our job is to equip sellers with the programs and insights they need to succeed. And that starts with genuine, ongoing collaboration.

Lesson: Don’t overlook your most valuable attribution tool—consistent, open dialogue between marketing and sales.