One alignment tactic every B2B company should implement

Summary

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MarTech Podcast ™ – Episode Summary

Episode Title: One alignment tactic every B2B company should implement
Host: Benjamin Shapiro
Guest: Kelly Hopping, CMO at Demandbase
Date: September 5, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into a critical topic for B2B organizations: achieving and maintaining true alignment between sales and marketing teams. Host Benjamin Shapiro interviews Kelly Hopping, CMO of Demandbase, to discuss the single most important tactic for organizational alignment, why shared ownership of metrics matters, and how human connection underpins even the most data-driven strategies.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Magic Wand Question: One Alignment Tactic (01:15–03:00)

• Kelly Hopping's top tactic:
  • Weekly Funnel Reviews: Regularly review the funnel with both sales and marketing teams to maintain sync and clarity.
  • CEO Accountability: CEOs should hold CMOs directly accountable for pipeline, not just marketing-qualified leads.

    “My second, even though you didn’t ask for one, would be CEOs holding their CMOs to pipeline, period.”
    (Kelly Hopping, 01:36)

  • Shared Metric Ownership:
    • Sales and marketing teams must both have "pipeline" as a primary goal.
    • Realignment of SDRs (Sales Development Representatives) to bridge the gap:

      “I hit a wall this year… I was held to pipeline, the SDRs were sitting in another organization and held to SQLs. And then sales was held to closed one… There’s no one on the other side of the fence who owns pipeline. … So we said, okay, if your goal is pipeline, what my goal is pipeline, sales has a pipeline goal, then we’re all driving towards that.”
      (Kelly Hopping, 01:51–02:31)

    • This realignment removes finger-pointing and encourages tighter collaboration.

Creating Balance: The “Handshake Metric” (02:37–03:50)

• Host’s Synthesis:
  • Emphasizes the need for true balance between marketing and sales, connecting at pipeline as the shared metric.
  • Importance of organizational structure — having VPs on both sides (field marketing and sales/account-based marketing) who work closely to ensure this alignment.

    “There’s a great sense of balance in everything you’re talking about with how marketing and sales work together. There’s a handshake and we are looking at the same metric.… To be able to use that metric and have that sort of balance… There is connective tissue between the organizations.”
    (Benjamin Shapiro, 02:37–03:29)

The Human Element in Alignment (03:50–04:07)

• Kelly Hopping’s closing reflection:
  • Success isn't only about dashboards and KPIs; genuine human partnership is essential.

    “We’re figuring it out every day. We’re still humans in the process. Right. It’s not that you can use metrics and dashboards and meetings to solve like you still have to be as human. Show up with the right intention, show up as a partner, show up as a good human being, and that’ll help too.”
    (Kelly Hopping, 03:50–04:07)

• Closing Thought from Host:
  • Even in an age of AI, authenticity and human relationships drive success.

    “In the age of AI. Turns out being human still really matters.”
    (Benjamin Shapiro, 04:07)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Weekly funnel reviews would be the number one.”
  (Kelly Hopping, 01:36)

• “CEOs holding their CMOs to pipeline, period. That would be the only thing.”
  (Kelly Hopping, 01:38)

• “When you are held for pipeline… there’s no one on the other side of the fence who owns pipeline. So who in the world is going to help me partner to make sure it happens? And it wasn’t.”
  (Kelly Hopping, 01:54–02:12)

• “Having one shared metric on both sides of the aisle, that’s my one thing.”
  (Kelly Hopping, 02:30)

• “We’re still humans in the process… show up as a partner, show up as a good human being, and that’ll help too.”
  (Kelly Hopping, 03:52–04:07)

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Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | Content/Takeaway | |-----------|--------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------| | 01:15 | Guest Intro & Big Question | “If you could wave your magic wand…” | | 01:36 | Kelly’s Alignment Tactics | Weekly funnel reviews, CEO > CMO pipeline accountability | | 01:51 | The Pipeline Gap | SDR sales-marketing relay, changed KPIs | | 02:37 | Host’s Summary (“Handshake Metric”) | Marketing-sales metric alignment, balance needed | | 03:50 | Human Factor | Metrics matter, but so does trust & intention | | 04:07 | AI & Humanity | Authentic partnership is irreplaceable |

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Tone & Final Reflections

The discussion was candid, pragmatic, and encouraging. Both Benjamin and Kelly emphasized actionable, real-world steps while also celebrating the importance of ongoing human connection in business—even as technology transforms the industry. The message is clear: metrics help, but true alignment requires people working together with collective accountability and empathy.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

Welcome to the Martech Podcast, a member of the I Hear Everything Podcast network. In this podcast, you'll hear the stories of world class marketers that use technology to drive business results and achieve career success. Here's the host of the Martech Podcast, Benjamin Shapiro.

[B]

I'm Benjamin Shapiro and joining me today is Kelly Hopping, the CMO of Demandbase. And today Kelly will reveal the secrets to creating sales and marketing alignment that drives measurable growth. All right, last question I have for you. If you could wave your magic wand and implement just one alignment tactic for every B2B company tomorrow, what would it be?

[C]

I'd say weekly funnel reviews would be the number one. But my second, even though you didn't ask for one, would be CEOs holding their CMOs to pipeline, period. That would be the only thing. Forget the one. I'm now on like three.

[B]

Talk it out, let's go. You can work your way down to one, it's fine.

[C]

My other one would be you have to have a counterpart in sales that owns Pipeline as their metric. I think that's the biggest thing when you are held for Pipeline. I hit a wall this year and am now off of lightning round. I was realizing that I was held to pipeline, the SDRs were sitting in another organization and held to SQLs. And then sales was held to closed one. And I was like, there's no one on the other side of the fence who owns Pipeline. So who in the world is going to help me partner to make sure it happens? And it wasn't. So we moved the SDRs over and we changed their goals to SQLs and Pipeline. So we said, okay, if your goal is Pipeline, what my goal is Pipeline. Sales has a Pipeline goal, then we're all driving towards that. So having one shared metric on both sides of the aisle, that's my one thing.

[B]

I'm going to answer your question after having talked to you for a half an hour of the one thing that you would do to wave your magic wand. There's a great sense of balance in everything you're talking about with how marketing and sales work together. There's a handshake and we are looking at the same metric. When something goes over the fence from sales, we get all the way to pipeline with our marketing efforts. And then sales starts with pipeline and goes to close one. And to be able to use that metric and have that sort of balance of we connect at the same point, it needs to be equally weighted on both sides. You need a VP of field marketing that is working with your ABM sales, whatever the organization is. But basically it's sort of similarly structured organizations on both sides that make things feel aligned and actually balanced. There is connective tissue between the organizations. How's that for putting words in your mouth?

[C]

I like your one thing, which is.

[B]

In fairness, three or four things. But the questions aren't perfect either. All right, well, I think we've landed the plane here on we need balance for us to have marketing and sales alignment. And I appreciate you coming on the MarTech podcast and telling us a little bit about how we find that sort of perfect weight between the sales and marketing team.

[C]

Absolutely. I mean, we're figuring it out every day. We're still humans in the process. Right. It's not that you can use metrics and dashboards and meetings to solve like you still have to be as human. Show up with the right intention, show up as a partner, show up as a good human being, and that'll help too. I think those are really required steps.

[B]

In the age of AI. Turns out being human still really matters. And that wraps up this episode of the MarTech podcast. Thanks to Kelly, hopping CMO of demand base for joining us. If you'd like to contact Kelly, you can find a link to her LinkedIn profile in our show notes or or on martechpod.com you can visit her company's website, which is demandbase.com she's also the host of the Next Gen CMO podcast and the co author of the book yes, it's your fault. And if you haven't subscribed yet and you want a daily stream of marketing and technology knowledge in your podcast feed, hit the subscribe button in your podcast app or on YouTube and we'll be back in your feed next week. That's it for today, but until next time, my advice is to just focus on keeping your customers happy.

[C]

Sa.

[A]

Thanks for listening to the Martech podcast and I hear everything. Production Looking to launch or scale a podcast like this one for your brand? Then visit iheareverything.com.