“We’re all responsible for growth.” This statement might sound collaborative, yet in practice, it often means no one is truly accountable. In the world of B2B tech, especially in mid-tier firms, that lack of ownership quietly kills momentum.
I have sat in enough rooms (virtual and otherwise) with founders, CEOs, marketing leads, and part-time salespeople to see the same pattern unfold: sales is a shared responsibility, which really means it is no one’s full-time job. The result? Growth becomes lumpy. Sales cycles are long and inconsistent. Strong leads go untouched. Marketing often ends up blamed for not generating enough of them.
In this blog, I will explore how the absence of true sales ownership stalls growth, why assigning accountability matters, and what mid-tier tech firms need to do to build a sales function that delivers results.
When everyone owns sales, no one does
It usually starts with good intentions. A founder with a technical background closes the first ten customers. A marketer is hired to “drive inbound”. The operations manager is “client facing” and might mention an upsell if the opportunity arises. Despite all this, no one owns sales. There is no clear process, no pipeline discipline, and ultimately, no consistent growth. We call it the phantom funnel. Leads drift in from campaigns, webinars or vendor partnerships, yet without a clear sales owner, they are handled sporadically or not at all. The CRM remains half populated. Meetings happen on an ad hoc basis. Follow ups are missed. The founder is left wondering why revenue has stalled.
The illusion of activity
Some companies convince themselves they have a functioning sales engine simply because there is activity. Someone is posting on LinkedIn. Emails are going out. Marketing is “generating interest”. However, none of this is anchored in a structured sales strategy. There is no ICP driven targeting. No qualification framework. No forecastable pipeline. In most cases, the person responsible for selling is also juggling ten other roles. They might be an account manager, a solutions consultant, a founder or a marketer, dipping into sales whenever time allows. Deals stall. Pipelines stagnate. Morale takes a hit. The cost is not just cultural. It is commercial.
Sales is a full time strategic function
Sales in a B2B context is not a side hustle. This is particularly true in high consideration, mid to long cycle industries such as tech, SaaS or consulting. Sales requires focus, structure and discipline. It demands deep customer understanding, strategic outreach, consistent follow up and a robust qualification process. Businesses that treat sales as a core discipline, not simply as a byproduct of product market fit, are the ones that scale. These companies know that revenue does not just appear. It is earned through systems, persistence and process. Most importantly, they assign ownership. Targets have names next to them. Individuals are responsible for generating opportunities, managing the pipeline and delivering results.
What happens when no one owns sales
When sales lacks ownership:
- Leads fall through the cracks
- Revenue forecasting becomes guesswork
- Sales cycles stretch into quarters
- Growth becomes inconsistent
- Marketing loses faith in the process when leads are not converting
- Goodwill erodes with prospects, partners and internal stakeholders
It is not about hiring a “gun”
A common misstep is placing the burden on a single hire: “Let’s bring in a Business Development Manager (BDM) to fix this.” Without a supporting structure, that person is set up to fail. They inherit a broken system, an unclear remit, and an uncoordinated go to market approach. Sales needs to function as a system, not as a one person solution. This includes strategy, enablement, training and accountability. A capable BDM can thrive in the right environment. In the wrong one, they will burn out or leave.
So what is the solution?
If you are a mid-tier tech firm and this sounds familiar, consider starting with the following:
Assign ownership
Ensure someone is accountable for sales outcomes. They do not need to manage every task, but they must own the number.
Define your process
Map out sales stages, qualification criteria and handover points. Clarify what happens after a lead comes in.
Integrate sales and marketing
Create closed loop feedback systems. Avoid generating leads for a sales team that does not exist or engage.
Invest in enablement
Equip your team with usable tools, scripts, content and workflows.
Build pipeline discipline
Hold regular pipeline reviews, run deal strategy sessions, and implement close plans. Sales is not an art. It is a rhythm.
Final thought: The choice is clarity or chaos
Fast moving markets do not wait. If it is unclear who owns sales in your business, it will be equally unclear to your prospects. A lack of ownership leads to a lack of urgency, cadence and, ultimately, conversion.
Ask yourself: who owns sales in your business? If the answer is not crystal clear, then your growth strategy is not either.
Resonate helps you build a sales function that drives revenue
At Resonate, we work with mid-tier B2B tech companies to turn fragmented sales efforts into structured, scalable systems. From defining your commercial strategy to embedding sales enablement and pipeline discipline, we help ensure your revenue engine is owned, accountable, and built for growth. If you are ready to move beyond ad hoc sales and create a system that delivers, Resonate can help.
Ready to grow?
Book a 30-minute discovery call with me.
