In B2B marketing, the relationship between sales and marketing can make or break a company’s growth potential. With today’s buyers seeking authentic, solution-driven partnerships, the pressure is on for marketing and sales teams to align seamlessly, creating messaging that not only attracts but genuinely resonates with leads.
Tiffany Otten, a strategic marketing leader with a robust background in sales, knows firsthand the challenges—and the rewards—of bridging this gap.
In this conversation with Leadtail’s Danielle O’Neil, Tiffany shares her strategies for transcending traditional metrics, focusing on what she calls “earned intent,” and shaping marketing efforts that build both trust and impact.
If you’re looking to refine your approach to lead generation, client engagement, and cross-departmental alignment, Tiffany’s insights offer a fresh, results-driven perspective on how to succeed in today’s complex B2B environment.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Danielle O’Neil: Let’s dive in. You started in sales before moving into marketing, much like I did. How do you feel that sales background has influenced your marketing approach?
Tiffany Otten: It’s been invaluable, honestly. Having a sales background gives you a firsthand look at how leads interact with your brand and the challenges of making those connections work. In sales, you learn to value the importance of a strong, personalized message because your goal is to engage people meaningfully, even in just a few seconds. This experience translates well into marketing, where I now focus on crafting messages that resonate, especially in early outreach efforts.
Danielle O’Neil: That’s so true. It’s not just about filling the pipeline but ensuring those leads are quality connections that will ultimately convert. What are your thoughts on the “MQL” or marketing-qualified lead concept, which often leads to debate between marketing and sales?
Tiffany Otten: Ah, the MQL! It’s funny because while MQLs can be a useful metric, they sometimes miss the mark in B2B. I prefer to look at what I call “earned intent” over just qualification. In other words, we should focus on leads who show genuine interest through their interactions rather than basing decisions on traditional qualifiers. This shift helps us prioritize the right leads, saving both sales and marketing time and resources.
Danielle O’Neil: That’s a great point. And do you think there are effective ways for marketing and sales teams to achieve that kind of alignment? Or, as some say, is the tension just part of the relationship?
Tiffany Otten: Definitely, alignment is possible, but it requires shared goals and KPIs that resonate with both teams. Sales wants revenue, and marketing wants impact—if both teams can align on how each metric contributes to revenue, that’s the sweet spot. When marketing is generating leads that actually convert, sales is happy, and marketing feels effective. But it takes regular communication and willingness to evolve those KPIs to keep both teams in sync.
Danielle O’Neil: I couldn’t agree more. So, let’s talk about brand building versus sales enablement. How do you view the role of marketing in balancing these two, especially when there’s often pressure to lean heavily into sales enablement?
Tiffany Otten: You’re right; it’s often a balancing act. Brand building is essential because it shapes how people perceive and trust your company long-term. Sales enablement is crucial for driving conversions in the short term. I think a strong marketing strategy respects both, using brand building as a foundation and sales enablement as the push. Without the foundation, you’re just cycling through leads without making lasting impressions.
Danielle O’Neil: Excellent point. Another thing we discussed was the need to “earn the right” to engage prospects. Can you elaborate on that?
Tiffany Otten: Absolutely. In B2B, attention is earned, not given. Whether it’s your email subject line or the first few seconds of conversation, you have to communicate why engaging with you is worth their time. This means understanding their challenges and coming to the table with solutions—not just promotions. When we earn this right, the engagement quality improves, which helps us build lasting client relationships.
Danielle O’Neil: This brings us to an important aspect—understanding the client’s pain points. How does this factor into your marketing approach?
Tiffany Otten: It’s central, honestly. If we don’t understand what keeps our clients up at night, how can we truly help them? Our messaging, therefore, has to be rooted in their challenges and how we can offer solutions. In B2B, buyers are problem-focused; they’re looking for partners, not just vendors. And that’s how we try to position ourselves.
Danielle O’Neil: Very insightful. Now, attribution can be a major challenge in B2B marketing. What are your thoughts on measuring impact and the complications that come with attribution?
Tiffany Otten: Attribution is tricky. In B2B, the buying journey is often a long, multi-touch process, so it’s hard to pinpoint any single factor as “the reason” for success. I advocate for a blended approach that looks at different stages, from awareness to conversion, and assigns weight accordingly. This keeps us focused on overall impact rather than obsessing over individual touchpoints, which can sometimes distort the big picture.
Danielle O’Neil: It’s all about that bigger picture, isn’t it? Well, Tiffany, this has been incredibly insightful. Do you have any final advice for teams working to bridge the gap between sales and marketing?
Tiffany Otten: My best advice would be to make communication a priority. Both teams should feel they have a stake in the shared goals, and they need to talk regularly about what’s working and what isn’t. When both sides buy into the success of the other, that’s when real collaboration happens.
Tiffany Otten’s insights remind us that, in B2B marketing, success comes from more than just generating leads.
It’s about aligning teams, understanding client needs, and fostering genuine engagement.
By focusing on earned intent, crafting a cohesive brand image, and setting shared KPIs, sales and marketing teams can achieve powerful synergy.
As Tiffany emphasizes, when both sides communicate openly and invest in each other’s goals, true collaboration becomes possible.
These strategies are not only critical for effective marketing but are essential in building long-term client relationships that drive sustainable growth.
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