We work with B2B tech companies every day that are generating leads but not seeing the revenue they expected. When we dig into the details, the problem usually is not volume; it is conversion.
Good leads are being handed to sales teams that either do not trust them, do not follow up quickly, or lack the tools to close. Marketing thinks it’s done its job. Sales disagrees. The result is a pipeline that appears full on paper but delivers little in practice.
In this blog, I will break down why this happens, what to look for, and what needs to change if you want your marketing investment to actually drive sales.
Why leads are falling through the cracks after the handover
In most B2B tech businesses, marketing and sales are running in parallel but not in sync. Marketing builds the campaign, captures the leads, and hands them over, but what happens next is often unclear.
There is no shared definition of a qualified lead. No agreed process for what happens post-hand-off. No feedback loop that allows either side to improve.
That lack of alignment leads to three things:
- Salespeople wasting time on leads they do not believe in
- Marketing making decisions based on incomplete or inaccurate data
- A pipeline full of names, not real opportunities
Fixing this is not about hiring more people or spending more on ads. It is about connecting the dots between your teams so that every part of the engine is working toward the same goal: closing business.
What’s really happening when sales do not follow up on leads?
It’s easy to assume sales just are not doing their job, but that’s rarely the full story. When salespeople ignore leads, it’s usually because the leads are not meeting their expectations. That might mean they are too early stage, not decision-makers, or simply not ready to buy. However, if marketing and sales have not agreed on what constitutes a good lead, then no one is really at fault, and everyone ends up frustrated.
Worse, when leads go untouched, marketing has no idea what works and what doesn’t. The feedback loop breaks. Optimisation stalls. Leadership starts to lose confidence in both teams. The real problem is not the people. It is the process.
Why it is not just a marketing problem
When the pipeline underperforms, marketing usually gets the first finger pointed at them. However, poor lead conversion is rarely a one-sided issue. In many B2B tech businesses, marketing is running campaigns without clear input from sales. Sales teams are chasing targets without visibility into what marketing is delivering. Leadership is looking at numbers and wondering why revenue growth has stalled. This disconnect creates a gap, not just in the process but in priorities. Marketing is measured on volume, sales on conversion, and no one is aligned on what actually drives pipeline health. Fixing this is not about working harder. It is about building the right structure around how your commercial engine operates.
Building a commercial engine that works
If you want consistent, quality B2B leads and revenue that follows, you need more than isolated efforts from marketing or sales. You need a system that connects strategy to execution across both functions.
This means:
- Clear positioning and messaging that speaks directly to your ideal buyer.
- Marketing campaigns designed around commercial outcomes, not vanity metrics.
- Sales enablement that gives your team the insight and tools to close.
- A feedback loop between sales and marketing so each informs the other.
It is not about chasing quick wins. It’s about building the foundations that let your business grow and continue to grow.
No accountability for sales follow-through
Even with a solid marketing engine, it is all too common for leads to be left in CRM limbo, with no one owning the next step, no process to maintain momentum and no system to close the loop between marketing and sales. In some cases, marketing is blamed for “bad leads” when, in reality, the sales team lacks an effective follow-up strategy. In others, the sales team feels unsupported because leads come in without context or clear pathways. A high-performing growth system makes follow-through non-negotiable. It creates alignment on who owns what, how quickly leads are contacted, and what information needs to be shared to turn a lead into a real opportunity. To achieve success, it is crucial to establish a unified system where marketing and sales are aligned, sharing common goals and clear accountability.
Conclusion
Generating leads is only half the job. To achieve commercial results, you need the right systems, structure, and collaboration in place to move those leads through to closed business.
That means aligning your teams, defining what success looks like at every stage, and establishing a feedback loop that enables you to improve over time. It is not about more activity. It is about better orchestration.
When sales and marketing are aligned, you don’t just get more leads, you get leads that convert.
How Resonate helps you turn leads into revenue
At Resonate, we work with B2B tech companies to align their marketing and sales engines, so good leads don’t go to waste. From strategic positioning to campaign execution and sales enablement, we build systems that connect the dots and drive commercial outcomes. If you are generating leads but not seeing the revenue, we can help you change that.
Related blogs
Why your sales team is busy but not productive (and what to do about it)
Your pipeline problem might be a positioning problem
Why B2B tech leaders must rethink their top-of-funnel sales strategy
