When Sales and Marketing are Speaking Different Languages
There is nothing new under the sun for B2B leaders when Marketing claims that they have provided 200 qualified leads, whereas Sales insists that there is not one worth calling.
While marketing runs their campaigns optimizing for click-through and traffic rates, the sales reps focus exclusively on pipeline. The consequence – endless bickering and wasted time.
In Keboola, we decided to change the situation. We aimed at creating a common data platform providing a unified picture of the customer for both departments.
Our Challenge to Solve
Marketing and sales may not have been doing anything wrong, but they were using data that were partial at best. Marketing depended on engagement data such as clicks on campaigns and page views. The sales team, meanwhile, looked to CRM data in Salesforce.
Marketing and sales may not have been doing anything wrong, but they were using data that were partial at best. Marketing depended on engagement data such as clicks on campaigns and page views. The sales team, meanwhile, looked to CRM data in Salesforce. Having a clear understanding of what an internal Salesforce team does can help businesses organize their sales processes and make better use of customer information.
However, it became clear that manual work aimed at merging these two perspectives proved to be too time-consuming to be useful in the majority of situations. The necessity arose for creating a system that could process all the data, successfully match leads with the accounts, and use a scoring algorithm approved by both sides. In other words, there was a need to create such an environment where people would trust the information.
The Shared Stack We Developed
Keboola became the platform where our sales and marketing data is transferred. Information here is aggregated, cleansed, enriched and fed back into tools that salespeople and marketers use every day.Keboola became the platform where our sales and marketing data is transferred. Information here is aggregated, cleansed, enriched and fed back into tools that salespeople and marketers use every day. By connecting these systems and reducing manual work, businesses can also explore how AI enhances customer service and operational efficiency through better data integration, automation, and faster access to actionable insights.
Instead of separate figures, we had a base on which engagement, intent, CRM data is consolidated, duplicates are eliminated and scoring models which take into consideration the needs of both sides are applied.
It means that by the time when the lead from the campaign reaches the Sales team, it already contains enrichment with firmographic data, matching with an accurate account and scoring in context. The enriched data is fed back into automation platforms for Marketing which becomes aligned with the needs of Sales.
How Things Improved Once We Got it Right
Once the unified stack was up and running, everything changed for the better. Sales teams became confident about leads being handed to them as they got the entire context. Marketing finally got to demonstrate its contribution towards the funnel beyond merely reporting MQLs. The never-ending process of exporting data and using Excel went away entirely. Once the unified stack was up and running, everything changed for the better. Sales teams became confident about leads being handed to them as they got the entire context. Marketing finally got to demonstrate its contribution towards the funnel beyond merely reporting MQLs. The never-ending process of exporting data and using Excel went away entirely. With reliable customer information and better lead prioritization, businesses can also increase sales through CRM by helping sales representatives focus on the most promising opportunities.
And because of the modular nature of the stack, we could introduce new signals and validate them within days.
Actual Results That Helped us Win
The results were not just tangible; they made the difference. The lead enrichment process was reduced from three hours to fifteen minutes. Sales reps didn’t have to spend any more time on bad-fit accounts as a result of scoring aligned to their qualification criteria. The results were not just tangible; they made the difference. The lead enrichment process was reduced from three hours to fifteen minutes. Sales reps didn’t have to spend any more time on bad-fit accounts as a result of scoring aligned to their qualification criteria. Lead engagement with the website and dormant accounts were identified and routed to the right sales rep on the same day, helping teams improve customer engagement through timely, relevant follow-ups based on actual customer behavior. Our reporting was even improved. Weekly reports would come from exactly the same system where we ran our marketing campaigns.
Lead engagement with the website and dormant accounts were identified and routed to the right sales rep on the same day. Our reporting was even improved. Weekly reports would come from exactly the same system where we ran our marketing campaigns.
Lessons Learned Along the Way
Of course, we didn’t get everything right the first time. But it became more challenging than we had anticipated to match leads, since sometimes either we would have to deal with email addresses from a generic domain, or else company names were incorrectly written.
Similarly, engagement metrics without context did not mean much, as ten visits by the wrong individual were less valuable than even one visit by the right person. Similarly, engagement metrics without context did not mean much, as ten visits by the wrong individual were less valuable than even one visit by the right person. This is why businesses need to make better sales decisions by combining engagement metrics with account fit, buying intent, and other relevant customer data rather than relying on isolated numbers.
But possibly the most valuable lesson was how critical naming conventions were. At first, there were three separate systems for lead scoring. We needed to make these consistent for the system to start delivering.
The Biggest Shift: A Shared Language
The real victory wasn’t just better data pipelines. It was alignment.
Now, when someone says “top ICP account” or “hot lead,” both sales and marketing mean the same thing. Conversations stopped being arguments and started being collaboration. That shared language was what turned our data stack from a technical project into a cultural shift.
For Teams Facing the Same Struggle
If your sales and marketing teams are stuck debating lead quality, a shared data stack can change everything. It’s not about adding dashboards—it’s about creating a system both sides trust.If your sales and marketing teams are stuck debating lead quality, a shared data stack can change everything. It’s not about adding dashboards—it’s about creating a system both sides trust. The same principle applies across industries, where CRM solutions for car rental systems can help businesses organize customer information, streamline interactions, and coordinate operational workflows more effectively.
And once that trust exists, alignment, speed, and growth follow naturally.
This article was prepared by Keboola, a data platform that helps companies unify, automate, and activate their data for real business impact.
Frequently Asked Questions: Utilizing Keboola for a Unified Data Stack
Why do we need Keboola and not just create everything ourselves?
Because it will take you a lot of time, will be very complex and will require a lot of effort. Instead, Keboola will automatically move your data between all those tools, clean it up, enrich and ensure that Sales and Marketing will use the same reliable data source.
But won’t Keboola require integration with all of our existing tools?
No, it does not. Keboola is equipped with out-of-the-box connectors to CRMs (for example, Salesforce), marketing automation, intent data providers and business intelligence solutions. Keboola integrates with your tech stack, without breaking it apart.
When will the team start seeing the results?
In a matter of weeks, rather than months. In our case, the process of enriching the leads became instant.
Should we be an enterprise-level organization?
We don’t think so. Actually, even mid-size B2B organizations can get some value from such a solution. And the level of complexity depends not on the size of the company but on how many tools and signals you have.
What results should we expect?
Shorter time to qualification of the leads, higher