If you’ve ever watched sales and marketing argue while revenue quietly slips through the cracks, this episode explains why that keeps happening and how to fix it. You’ll learn how to clarify ownership without rigid rules, reduce pipeline friction, and avoid the handoff confusion that slows deals down.
This conversation came straight from a real internal debate, the kind most revenue teams never slow down long enough to unpack. If this tension feels familiar, you’ll want to hear how Sarah and Jay talk it through on Revenue Rewired before you read on.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or YouTube.
Why the Sales and Marketing Line Is So Blurry
Most leaders assume the problem is alignment. In practice, it’s shared responsibility without shared understanding.
Marketing creates demand. Sales convert demand. But the space in between, where leads are nurtured, qualified, personalized, and followed up on, doesn’t belong cleanly to either team.
As Sarah puts it in the episode,
“The handoff isn’t a moment. It’s a stretch of time. And that’s where things get messy.”
That messy middle is where speed drops, context gets lost, and strong opportunities quietly stall.
What Actually Causes Sales and Marketing Misalignment?
It’s rarely about effort or intent. It’s about operational ambiguity.
Across mid-market B2B teams, the same issues show up:
- Lead quality means different things to different people
- CRM data exists, but no one fully trusts it
- Sales follow-up timing feels inconsistent to prospects
- Personalization efforts spiral into overwork
- Everyone is busy, but accountability is fuzzy
Jay sums it up simply:
“When everyone owns it, no one really owns it.”
That’s how handoff breakdowns turn into pipeline friction.
The Cold Email Debate Is a Symptom, Not the Real Problem
This episode was sparked by a familiar argument: who should own cold email?
Marketing sees it as messaging and positioning.
Sales sees it as conversations and responses.
Both perspectives are valid. And that’s exactly why ownership gets stuck.
Sarah points out,
“Cold email lives at the intersection of strategy and timing. It doesn’t fit neatly into a box.”
When teams force a clean line, outreach either becomes generic or overly manual. The issue isn’t the tactic. It’s assigning ownership without considering context.
Why Org Charts Don’t Fix Revenue Handoffs
When misalignment shows up, many companies respond by tightening structure. More stages. More rules. More approvals.
That usually slows everything down.
What actually fixes misalignment is communication, not reorganization.
Jay explains it this way:
“Most handoff problems aren’t process problems. They’re feedback problems.”
When marketing hears what sales hears on calls, messaging sharpens. When sales understand campaign intent, follow-up improves. That shared understanding creates momentum without adding friction.
What Unified Revenue Teams Do Differently
High-performing teams don’t ask, “Is this marketing or sales?”
They ask, “What moves this opportunity forward right now?”
They prioritize:
- Context over control
- Speed over perfection
- Shared outcomes over clean ownership
That mindset creates a smoother buyer experience and fewer dropped opportunities.
FAQ: Questions Revenue Leaders Actually Ask
Q: Why does the sales and marketing handoff keep breaking?
A: Because ownership is shared, but feedback isn’t. Without real-time communication, leads lose momentum.
Q: What’s the biggest risk of unclear ownership?
A: Pipeline friction. Deals slow down or disappear without anyone noticing until it’s too late.
Q: Who should own personalization in outbound and follow-up?
A: Whoever has the best context at that moment. Early signals often sit with marketing. Late-stage nuance usually sits with sales.
Q: How do you fix misalignment without restructuring teams?
A: Start with shared language, shared metrics, and consistent feedback loops. Structure should support clarity, not replace it.
This episode of Revenue Rewired features our very own StringCan Leaders, Sarah Shepard and Jay Feitlinger, who work directly with mid-market B2B teams navigating growth, complexity, and revenue pressure. Their insights are drawn from real client work, not theory, and reflect how modern revenue engines actually operate.
If you’re ready to tighten your revenue handoffs and remove friction from your pipeline, subscribe to the podcast, leave a comment, or connect with our team.
