Revenue teams—Marketing, Sales, Customer Success (CS), and Revenue Operations (RevOps)—are the backbone of any go-to-market strategy. When these teams work in harmony, they create a seamless engine that drives growth and retention. But when they’re out of sync or fall into common pitfalls, the whole operation can stall.
Let’s break down the top mistakes we see across these revenue-driving functions and, most importantly, how to avoid them.
Marketing Mistakes: The Disconnect from Revenue
1. Focusing on Vanity Metrics Over Revenue Impact
Sure, high impressions or social shares feel good, but they don’t necessarily translate into revenue. A lack of alignment between Marketing’s efforts and bottom-line impact creates friction with Sales and CS.
The fix:
- Align Marketing KPIs with revenue goals. Focus on metrics like lead-to-revenue conversion rates and pipeline contribution.
- Regularly share performance insights with Sales and CS to ensure campaigns drive relevant leads.
2. Ignoring the Middle and Bottom of the Funnel
Many Marketing teams over-index on lead generation while neglecting nurture and enablement for leads already in the pipeline.
The fix:
- Map out the full customer journey in order to build targeted nurture campaigns to move leads through the funnel.
- Collaborate with Sales on content that supports deal acceleration, like case studies and ROI calculators.
3. Misaligned Messaging
When Marketing creates content or campaigns without consulting Sales or CS, the result is often messaging that doesn’t reflect real customer needs or objections.
The fix:
- Involve Sales and CS in messaging workshops to ensure alignment.
- Use customer feedback from CS to refine personas and pain points.
- Establish a consistent feedback loop between Sales, CS & Marketing to determine how campaigns performed and opportunities for improvement
Sales Mistakes: The Missteps That Stall Deals
4. Overpromising During the Sales Process
When Sales promises the world just to close a deal, it sets up CS for failure and damages trust with the customer.
The fix:
- Set realistic expectations based on product capabilities and implementation timelines.
- Use tools like Mutual Action Plans (MAPs) to align on clear, achievable goals with the customer.
- Make sure the sales team has a solid grasp of your ideal customer profiles (ICPs) and the specific use cases where your solution delivers the most value.
5. Single-Threaded Relationships
Relying on one contact within an account leaves deals vulnerable if that person exits or deprioritizes the project.
The fix:
- Build multi-threaded relationships by engaging with multiple stakeholders across different levels of the organization.
- Map out buying committees and tailor communication to their roles and priorities.
- Establish processes for aligning executive sponsors within your own company with executive stakeholders within the prospect’s company.
6. Neglecting Discovery After the Initial Call
Discovery isn’t a one-and-done activity. Failing to continuously dig into a customer’s evolving needs can lead to mismatched solutions.
The fix:
- Treat discovery as an ongoing process throughout the sales cycle.
- Train reps to revisit customer goals and challenges at key stages of the deal.
- Review week-to-week progress of opportunities with reps to understand new information uncovered & highlight possible areas for more discovery.
Customer Success Mistakes: Missing Retention Opportunities
7. Reactive Instead of Proactive Engagement
Waiting for customers to raise issues often means it’s already too late to save the account.
The fix:
- Regularly check in with customers through structured Success Plans.
- Use data to proactively identify churn risks, such as low adoption or declining usage.
8. Treating Renewals as a Transaction
Renewals are often approached as a last-minute task rather than an opportunity to deepen the relationship and identify expansion opportunities.
The fix:
- Start renewal discussions early, focusing on the customer’s evolving goals.
- Leverage Success Plans to demonstrate the value delivered and the path forward.
- Break renewal goals out into specific milestones needed to achieve that renewal, and use these as a blueprint & cadence for checking in with customers.
9. Lack of Alignment with Sales
When CS isn’t looped into Sales handoffs, they’re left without the context needed to deliver on promises made during the sales cycle.
The fix:
- Implement a formal handoff process that connects Sales commitments to CS action items.
- Use tools like MAPs to bridge the gap between pre- and post-sale efforts.
- Ensure both Sales & CS have access to knowledge-sharing tools such as call recording tools to make the handover seamless.
RevOps Mistakes: The Silent Saboteur of Alignment
10. Operating as a Silo
RevOps should be the glue that connects Marketing, Sales, and CS, but too often, it operates in isolation.
The fix:
- Position RevOps as a strategic partner that supports all revenue teams.
- Regularly meet with Marketing, Sales, and CS leaders to align on priorities and processes.
11. Ignoring Data Hygiene
Poor data quality leads to flawed reporting, missed opportunities, and inefficiencies across the revenue cycle.
The fix:
- Conduct regular audits to ensure CRM data is accurate and up-to-date.
- Standardize data entry processes and provide training to all teams.
12. Focusing Solely on Tools Instead of Strategy
RevOps often gets bogged down in managing tech stacks, losing sight of the strategic impact they should drive.
The fix:
- Treat tools as enablers, not the strategy itself. Focus on aligning technology with overarching revenue goals.
- Evaluate the ROI of your tech stack regularly and streamline where needed.
The Cross-Functional Mistake: Working in Silos
Perhaps the most significant mistake isn’t isolated to one team—it’s the tendency for Marketing, Sales, CS, and RevOps to work independently rather than as a cohesive unit.
The fix:
- Establish regular cross-functional meetings to share insights and align strategies.
- Use a unified framework like PART (Problem, Action, Result, Trigger) to ensure consistent approaches across teams.
- Celebrate shared wins to reinforce the value of collaboration.
Final Thoughts
Revenue success doesn’t come from any single team—it’s the collective effort of Marketing, Sales, CS, and RevOps working in harmony. By recognizing these common pitfalls and addressing them head-on, you can build a more cohesive and effective revenue engine.At What Not To Do, we specialize in helping businesses align their revenue teams, optimize GTM strategies, and eliminate friction points. Contact us to help you turn your challenges into opportunities for growth.
