Sales teams often work incredibly hard, supported by tools like CRMs, ongoing training, and even additional headcount. But despite the effort and investment, results can stall. Revenue plateaus, conversion rates dip, and the sales pipeline becomes unpredictable. It's a frustratingly common scenario.
If that sounds familiar, the problem isn’t just your sales activity; it’s the system around it. And more often than not, the missing link is marketing.
Even experienced and capable salespeople hit roadblocks, especially when they’re missing the support of a strong marketing system. Here are six common causes:
They’re not ready to buy, they don’t understand what you do, or they’re simply the wrong fit.
Too many conversations start with basic questions that your website or marketing should have answered.
Your team is selling features and benefits when they should be focused on solving specific business problems.
There’s no agreed-upon handover process, no shared CRM, and no clear definition of what makes a sales-ready lead.
Data is scattered, reporting is patchy, and there’s no way to see what’s really driving results.
Too often, only the “hot” leads get attention – while warmer, early-stage prospects are left behind. Without lead nurturing, follow-up, and consistent engagement, you’re missing out on thousands of untapped opportunities.
Until these problems are solved, your sales team is stuck fighting an uphill battle.
Often, sales and marketing operate in silos - each doing their job, but not necessarily pulling in the same direction.
Marketing may be focused on generating traffic or creating content, without thinking about what happens when a lead actually gets handed over. Meanwhile, sales is chasing monthly targets with little support, little insight, and no way to influence the kind of leads that come through.
This disconnect shows up as:
A strategic marketing system gives your sales team what they really need: a steady stream of sales-ready leads, with the tools and information to close them.
Here’s how:
Define what a good lead actually looks like: Marketing and sales work together to create shared lead definitions, ideal client profiles, and qualification criteria.
Nurture leads before they hit sales: Email automation and helpful content warm up leads - so by the time they speak to sales, they’re informed and interested.
Let automation handle the early conversations: Chatbots, forms, and workflows qualify leads and book appointments automatically, saving your team time.
Use one CRM that both sales and marketing can see: With shared visibility, your team can track every interaction, from first click to closed deal.
Build messaging that sells the outcome: Instead of pushing features or technical specs, your marketing speaks to real-world business problems, the same ones your sales team solves every day.
Stay in touch with leads that haven’t converted (yet): Not every lead is ready to buy straight away, but that doesn’t mean they’re a waste of time. A strong marketing engine keeps them engaged, builds trust over time, and brings them back when the timing is right.
Score and segment leads based on behaviour: With lead scoring in place, you can surface those showing high buying intent, even the hidden gems already sitting in your database - and prioritise them for sales follow-up.
We’ve worked with over 3,000 SMEs over the last 20 years. We’ve seen what works, and we’ve built a proven system to help sales and marketing teams work together - not against each other.
When you work with JDR, you get:
We use HubSpot because it brings everything into one place. Whether that's your CRM, your website, your marketing, or your reporting, meaning fewer silos, less guesswork, and more control.
If you want more sales, better leads, and a stronger pipeline, we can help.
Start by booking a free sales and marketing review. We’ll show you where things are breaking down, what to fix first, and how to build a system that works.
Or, to learn more, download our free guide: How To Increase Sales.