Why Marketing must own revenue, not just leads
Sales–marketing alignment is often talked about as a virtue. But all too often, companies treat this alignment as a buzzword, rather than building concrete systems to live it.
To achieve scalable growth, marketing teams need revenue targets, shared pipeline metrics, and real accountability for generating and influencing deals.
In other words, marketing must be a direct player in the revenue game, not just the lead-gatherer.
Why alignment fails without revenue accountability
Alignment without metrics is aspirational, not operational. It's easy to say "we're aligned," but without shared goals, the two teams still operate in silos.
Marketing often gets measured on activity (traffic, content published, MQLs), but if these don’t translate into a meaningful pipeline, what’s the point?
By holding marketing accountable for influenced or driven revenue, you force the team to focus on activities that actually matter.
The marketing-pipeline metrics mirror those of Sales
Once you've defined influence and origin, you need to track them with the same rigour as sales pipeline metrics. Here are essential ones:
Marketing-influenced Signups / SQLs
How many of your SQLs (Sales Qualified Leads) came through marketing channels?
Marketing-influenced deals created
How many opportunities/deals (pipeline) have a marketing origin or have been touched by marketing?
Marketing-influenced deals won
Among those influenced or driven by marketing, how many were closed-won?
Marketing-influenced revenue
The total dollar/euro value of deals won that had a marketing touch or origin.
New customers via marketing
How many new customers were acquired through marketing-initiated or marketing-influenced efforts?
Quality metrics (LTV, CAC)
CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost): How much is marketing spending per customer acquired via marketing?
LTV (Customer Lifetime Value): What’s the value of those customers over time?
LTV:CAC Ratio: To understand if marketing is bringing in not just any customers, but good value customers.
Tracking quality is critical — raw volume of influenced deals isn’t enough if the value is low.
How revenue-based KPIs force Marketing to prioritise value
By giving marketing a revenue target, you change the game:
Marketing will invest more in channels, campaigns, and content that generate real pipeline, not just pageviews or engagement.
The team can double down on strategies that bring in high-value customers (based on LTV, deal size, churn risk, etc.).
It creates a feedback loop: if certain campaign types consistently generate lower-value customers, you can pivot or de-prioritise them.
It helps marketing earn the trust of sales: when both teams see marketing’s hand in creating and closing revenue, marketing becomes a revenue partner, not just a support function.
Making alignment real: SLA + process alignment
Defining metrics isn’t enough. To operationalise alignment, you need structure. This is where a Sales–Marketing SLA (Service Level Agreement) comes in.
An SLA sets mutual commitments: how many MQLs marketing will generate, what “qualified” means, how fast sales will follow up, etc.
It should clearly define lead scoring, lead handoffs, response times, and feedback loops.
It’s not a dusty doc; revisit it regularly (e.g., quarterly) to reflect changing conditions.
It is helpful to have a unified tech stack (CRM + marketing automation) so both teams see the same data and pipeline movement.
When properly implemented, SLAs can reduce friction, clarify responsibilities, and increase accountability.
Dealing with friction and challenges
Even with SLAs and shared metrics, alignment won’t magically be friction-free. Here are common challenges, and how to work through them:
Lead quality disagreement:
Sales may push back that MQLs aren’t “good enough.”
How to fix this: Stop measuring MQL generation; SQLs should be the lead targets for Marketing. Define the attributes that make a good quality SQL that are based on your target ICPs.
Data transparency:
Without integrated systems, it’s hard to trace marketing touches.
How to fix this: Invest in a unified CRM + automation + attribution tool.
Misaligned incentives:
If sales are only incentivised on closed deals, and marketing only on lead volume, misalignment continues.
How to fix this: Give marketing an SQL target that is based on the % of revenue marketing is responsible for generating.
Customer quality mismatch:
Not all customers are equal. Marketing is bringing in more low-value customers or low-tier subscribers.
How to fix this: Regularly analyse the LTV/CAC of marketing-influenced new deals or customers to understand whether marketing brings in high-value clients. Focus marketing efforts on higher-tier audiences.
Internal resistance:
Some in marketing may resist revenue targets, believing their role is more “top of funnel.”
How to fix this: Education + leadership buy-in is essential: this is about growth, not blame. Highlight how this is a proven way for Marketing to showcase the revenue they bring in to the company.
Why this is a growth lever (not just reporting)
Putting marketing on the hook for revenue isn't just a reporting exercise; it's a growth lever:
Focus: Teams stop chasing vanity metrics. They double down on what drives pipeline.
Optimisation: Data-driven feedback lets you optimise campaigns for revenue impact, not just engagement.
Scalability: When marketing reliably influences or drives revenue, growth becomes more predictable.
Collaboration: Shared goals (revenue, pipeline) foster a “we’re in this together” mindset, not “us vs them.”
Accountability: Everyone knows who owns what, and teams can hold each other accountable based on real business outcomes.
Key takeaways: This is what true sales–marketing alignment looks like
If you want real growth, scalable, predictable, and sustainable, treating marketing like a revenue driver isn’t optional. It’s essential.
Make revenue the core KPI for marketing, back it with shared pipeline metrics and SLAs, and you turn marketing into a predictable engine for growth.
Marketing must have a revenue target, not just lead volume goals.
Tracking marketing-influenced and marketing-driven revenue ensures marketing is focused on high-impact activities.
Shared pipeline metrics (SQLs, deals created, won) build transparency.
A formal SLA between sales and marketing operationalises this alignment.
Monitor quality via LTV/CAC to make sure marketing is bringing in valuable customers.
Expect friction, but use data, feedback, and iteration to work through it.
