There was a time when marketing was all about generating pipeline, and sales focused on closing deals. But that world is behind us.
Today, building pipeline involves a lot more than just traditional marketing. We’re running social media campaigns, BDR/SDR outreach, automated outbound strategies, SEO, lead magnets, free trials, influencer partnerships, field marketing, ABM—you name it, we’re doing it. We’re even experimenting with AI-driven SDRs to see what sticks.
With so many tactics in play, a ton of energy goes into figuring out attribution—who gets credit for what. But the truth is, a lot of that effort is wasted. Instead of focusing on what’s actually driving results, we end up playing a game of who gets the credit.
Our traditional Go-to-Market metrics—things like traffic, marketing qualified leads (MQLs), and sales accepted leads (SALs)—don’t really give us the full picture. They might tell us how many leads we’re getting, but they don’t help us understand where we stand with our target accounts or what’s actually influencing them to buy.
Without that insight, we’re left guessing. And guessing isn’t good enough when you’re trying to grow.
If we want to get serious about understanding what works, we need to shift to a unified view of GTM effectiveness. Here’s how that could look:
Identify Target Accounts: Start with a clearly defined list of target accounts that match your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).
Awareness: Track how many of these accounts are aware of your company—if asked, they should know who you are and what you do.
Interest: Measure how many are showing interest—whether they’re self-educating on your value proposition or opting into your communications.
Consideration: Identify how many are considering your solution as a viable option for their needs.
Selection: Understand how many are in the vendor selection process, with your solution in the running.
Choice: Finally, track how many are choosing your solution and becoming customers.
Moving to this unified GTM view does more than just improve visibility—it aligns your entire team around the same goals. No more debates over lead quality or which campaigns are working. Instead, everyone is focused on moving target accounts through the funnel, from awareness to purchase.
This approach also helps you spot hidden opportunities to accelerate your pipeline. By understanding where your accounts are in the process, you can tailor your strategies to meet them where they are, speeding up their journey from prospect to customer.
The good news is that getting to this unified view is more achievable than ever. Thanks to the explosion of next-gen GTM tools, tracking and managing your entire pipeline has become much easier.
As the lines between marketing and sales continue to blur, it’s time to embrace a unified approach. By aligning your team around a shared view of GTM effectiveness, you’ll be better equipped to drive growth, adapt to changes in the market, and win more business.