“Help, the blame game with Sales is starting, and my job is on the line,” shared a rattled CMO at a $100M martech company. Nothing says Valentine’s Day like unrequited love.

Instead of sending flowers, I ruminated. Yeah, I did. After all, this CMO had done a lot right. They sharpened the strategy and ICP, rebuilt the demand-gen team at light speed, and filled the pipeline with more high-quality leads than the company had ever seen.

And yet… revenue wasn’t following.

Follow-up was inconsistent. CRM data was muddy. Rejection reasons were vague. Sales was under pressure. Marketing had the metrics. The tension was rising.

If you’ve been a CMO for more than a minute, you know this story.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: there is no such thing as a successful CMO who “just fills the pipeline.” If Sales doesn’t close, everyone loses. Including you.

Even when it’s not your fault, it’s still your relationship to fix.

So what can you do before this turns into a messy breakup?

Stop Defending Leads. Start Diagnosing Conversion.

Winning the metrics argument only widens the divide. Sit down with Sales and look at stage-by-stage conversion. Where are deals stalling? What objections repeat? Shift from “Why aren’t you following up?” to “How do we win more together?”

Get Closer to the Front Lines

Listen to sales calls. Read rejection notes. Sit in pipeline reviews. Often, the issue isn’t lead quality. It’s messaging gaps, unclear positioning, slow response times, or reps chasing the wrong deals. Fix the system jointly.

Co-Own the Close

Marketing can’t stop at demand gen. Use AI to analyze call transcripts for objection patterns. Build dynamic AI-compiled battle cards. Arm reps with persona-specific first-call narratives and proof points. Make it easier to act than to ignore.

Align on One Scoreboard: Revenue

MQL is a marketing word. Revenue is a company word. Build a shared revenue model with Sales leadership. Agree on what “qualified” really means and what conversion rates are required to hit your plan.

Create a Joint Win Before the Breakup

Pick one ICP, one segment, or one campaign. Launch a 60-day “Revenue Reset” sprint with Sales leadership. Meet weekly. Adjust messaging. Tighten targeting. Improve follow-up discipline. Track pipeline progression, not just lead volume.

Because at $100 million, you’re much more than a lead engine. You’re a revenue architect.

On Valentine’s Day or any other day, the CMO who survives isn’t the one who proves Sales wrong. It’s the one who helps Sales win.

Questions For CMOs

Have you ever inherited a full pipeline and a broken close rate? What did you change first?

Written by Drew Neisser