GTM Live Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Episode Title: Why Sales + Marketing Credit Wars Are a Scorecard Problem (Not a People Problem)
Guest: Matt Green, Co-Founder & CRO, Sales Assembly
Host: Amber (Passetto)
Release Date: February 6, 2026

This episode addresses one of B2B SaaS’s most persistent challenges: the “credit wars” between sales and marketing. Instead of viewing misalignment as a people or culture issue, Amber and Matt Green argue it’s fundamentally a scorecard and measurement problem. The conversation spans attribution models, how to optimize pipeline generation in 2026, modern forecasting approaches, and the value of in-person tactics in an AI-driven sales world. Matt, known for his hands-on approach as a CRO and for “no bullshit” takes, shares advice for sales and marketing leaders determined to build truly aligned and effective go-to-market teams.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What’s Behind Sales + Marketing Credit Wars?

• Root-Cause: Competing Scorecards
  • Matt argues the core issue isn’t culture but misaligned measurement:
    • “This whole ongoing attribution argument, it only exists because we’ve created systems where marketing and sales have competing scorecards.” (09:52)
    • Marketing is measured on MQLs/pipeline; sales on closed revenue — this inevitably pits teams against each other.
    • Solution? Shift to shared revenue accountability.
      • “When both teams have the same number, and the same number being revenue... the attribution question just kind of falls by the wayside.” (10:40)
• Leadership’s Role
  • Amber notes that some execs over-focus on granular attribution because it’s data they feel they can control, especially when lacking true revenue visibility. (12:16)
• On Attribution Model Futility
  • Matt: “You can’t isolate causation in a system with 8 to 12 buying committee members, six-month-plus sales cycles, and touch points across every channel you can’t even track.” (14:06)

2. Should Marketing Be Tied to Revenue?

• False Dichotomy Among Marketers
  • Amber observes two camps:
    1. Those who know current attribution is flawed and want something better.
    2. Those who claim “marketing can’t be measured,” rejecting all accountability.
  • Amber: “Marketing should not be held tied to revenue... That’s flat out wrong.” (15:54)
• Matt’s Forward-Thinking Lens
  • “If we do truly want to be forward thinking, why are we focused on trying to measure what worked in the past?... The question should be: what do our best customers have in common and how do we go find more of that?” (17:07)

3. Building Pipeline in 2026: What Works Now?

• The Return of In-Person & Micro Events
  • To stand out in saturated digital channels, getting face-to-face is on the rise:
    • “We have seen a much higher level of success... on finding ways to get in person. Not through big trade shows, but small events, micro events, more travel.” (21:27)
  • Inboxes are flooded with high-quality (now AI-generated) emails, making digital outreach less effective.
  • Cold calling had a resurgence, but now there’s too much phone noise as well. (22:50)
• Sales Assembly’s Micro-Event Strategy
  • Intimate, invite-only dinners for buyers and clients, with no pitch, no agenda.
  • “Where the real magic—and the quantifiable ROI—has happened is just having that mixture of in the room... Just sit back and watch the magic come from that.” (24:44)
• ROI & Measurement
  • They use simple, binary tracking: “Did they come to a dinner? Yes or no.” Correlation > assigning specific attribution credit. (28:41)
  • Amber & Matt agree: trust your qualitative read on pipeline drivers, not spreadsheet gymnastics.

4. Back to Sales Basics: Training, Tactics, and Forecasting

• Sales Fundamentals Transcend Trends
  • Matt: “Good storytelling is good storytelling, good negotiation is good negotiation... These are the types of things we focus our training on week in and week out.” (05:09)
• On Forecasting: Why Is It Still So Hard?
  • Matt, referencing Todd Capone:
    • “The reason why forecasting is still so tough? Because we’re too focused on seller behaviors as opposed to buyer behaviors.” (31:41)
    • Most CRMs track internal activity (“Did you send the proposal?”) instead of buyer actions (e.g., “Who did you send it to?”, “Who opened it?”).
  • Tactical Advice:
    • Move away from internal deal stages towards buyer-driven stages: e.g., “How many stakeholders from the buyer’s side have been looped in?” (33:32)
    • Use AI-enabled tools and deal rooms for visibility into buyer engagement.
    • Make multi-threading visible and insist deal stages don’t advance unless criteria (like stakeholder involvement) are met.

Memorable Quote:

“If I cannot authentically and eloquently answer the question ‘Why is Amber doing this? Why is Amber a champion?’... then, no, we’re not moving this to stage three.” (37:31)

5. The Role of LinkedIn & Peer Learning

• Matt’s Approach to Content
  • LinkedIn is Sales Assembly’s #1 channel; Matt’s prolific content comes from listening to monthly peer Zoom calls with AEs, BDRs, CROs, etc.
    • “If you read a good amount of the nonsense that I throw up on LinkedIn, these are ideas I’m hearing other people putting into practice.” (40:08)
  • Advice for others: Build your own peer listening/lighthouse network for constant market feedback.

6. Lightning Round: Sales + Marketing Alignment

• Matt’s CMO Advice
  • “See how hard you can steer the conversation away from MQLs... and get alignment on revenue. As long as deals are closing... that’s how we’re going to have alignment with sales.” (42:34)
• Sales Should Meet Marketing Halfway
  • “Sales leaders have to be comfortable sharing credit... If the business is going well, what does it matter what team gets credit?” (44:02)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Broken Attribution and Scorecards:
  • “When deals close, nobody argues about who touched them seventh.” — Matt Green (11:22)
• On Simplifying ROI for Events:
  • “We have a simple checkbox in HubSpot... Did they come to a dinner? Yes or no.” — Matt (28:41)
• On Forecasting Shifts:
  • “Let’s look at the buyer’s activities, the buyer’s actions, what they’re doing throughout the process, and then base our forecasting off that.” — Matt (31:41)
• On Forward-Looking Go-to-Market Leadership:
  • “Why are we focused on trying to measure what worked in the past?... The market’s constantly moving.” — Matt (17:07)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:49 — Matt’s “boots-on-the-ground” philosophy at Sales Assembly
• 09:52 — Attribution and credit wars: source of the problem
• 17:07 — “Forward thinking” GTM: measure by customer patterns, not touchpoints
• 21:27 — What’s driving pipeline in 2026: AI, noise, and the new value of in-person
• 24:44 — Sales Assembly’s event-based pipeline model
• 28:41 — How they measure event ROI (and why it works)
• 31:41 — Forecasting: shifting from seller to buyer behavior
• 40:08 — Matt on personal content strategy and “social listening”

Conclusion & Takeaways

• Credit wars are less a cultural clash, more a measurement and incentive design problem. True alignment requires shared revenue targets and measurement.
• In 2026’s crowded channels, micro-events and high-value in-person interactions offer outsized pipeline impact.
• Effective forecasting in modern B2B means tracking buyer—not seller—signals and behaviors.
• Ongoing peer learning (not just formal training) drives both pipeline and thought leadership.
• Alignment is everyone’s responsibility—both sales and marketing leaders need to step over the line and focus on what matters: revenue and customer growth, not vanity metrics.

Next steps:

• Follow Matt Green on LinkedIn for CRO insights.
• Check out Sales Assembly if you want in-person event inspiration or sales training that “transcends tactics.”
• For revenue leaders: challenge internal scorecards and champion cross-functional, customer-centric metrics!