Why sales & marketing misalignment is costing you deals—and how to fix it

A sales team at a B2B health-tech company spent months pursuing a major health plan lead. Late in the process, they discovered the client wasn’t ready to move forward.

‍

After reviewing their approach, it was clear the issue wasn’t just bad luck—it was misaligned messaging. The lead had been nurtured by a broad marketing campaign that didn’t qualify buyer readiness, leading to wasted time and resources.

‍

The cost of sales & marketing misalignment

• Longer deal cycles
• Misaligned messaging that confuses buyers
• Wasted effort on poorly qualified leads

‍

For health-tech startups, where every contract is critical, these inefficiencies can become serious roadblocks to growth. When sales and marketing work together, the results are different.

‍

• Deals close faster
• Messaging resonates with the right buyers
• Client relationships strengthen

‍

The good news: alignment isn’t just a concept—it’s a process that can be built into your operations.

‍

1. Build a strong foundation with joint workshops and shared vision

Sales and marketing teams that don’t align are like partners in a three-legged race who haven’t tied their legs together. They struggle to move forward efficiently. One of the best ways to fix this is through structured collaboration.

‍

Joint sales-marketing workshops

• Align messaging with real buyer pain points
• Define team priorities based on company culture
• Incorporate customer feedback into marketing and sales strategies

‍

Tailoring for different company cultures

• In a sales-driven culture, marketing should focus on rapid iteration and providing sales teams with effective tools
• In a product-driven culture, sales should act as a feedback loop to refine product marketing strategies

‍

Actionable steps

• Hold monthly joint sessions to review messaging effectiveness
• Use post-sale feedback from customer interviews or surveys
• Clearly define the roles of sales and marketing to ensure collaboration

‍

‍

2. Craft buyer-specific messaging that resonates

Different buyers prioritize different things. A self-insured employer may care about reducing absenteeism, while a health plan might be more focused on member satisfaction. When sales and marketing teams understand these nuances, messaging becomes sharper and more effective.

‍

How to personalize messaging

• Develop detailed buyer personas that outline pain points, priorities, and common objections
• Train sales teams to identify persona-specific needs during discovery calls
• Provide teams with tailored materials, such as persona-specific pitch decks and industry-focused case studies

‍

3. Adapt messaging to market shifts

The health-tech industry moves fast. Changes in payer priorities, new regulations, and the rise of value-based care can shift buyer needs quickly. Sales and marketing alignment means having a foundation of core messaging while staying agile enough to adapt.

‍

How to stay competitive without losing focus

• Keep messaging rooted in core value propositions and adjust only when necessary
• Track industry trends, regulatory updates, and shifts in buyer behavior
• Identify where buyers get their information (LinkedIn, conferences, industry reports) and engage with those channels strategically

‍

Using data to optimize messaging

• Conduct quarterly reviews to refine messaging based on conversion rates and CRM data
• Test new messaging with small-scale experiments before making major shifts
• Align content with the platforms where your buyers are most active

‍

4. Measuring success: The impact of alignment

When sales and marketing teams work together, the benefits are both measurable and strategic.

‍

Key benefits of alignment

• Shorter deal cycles
• Better-qualified leads entering the pipeline
• Improved customer retention

‍

Metrics to track

• Time-to-close to measure deal velocity
• Lead quality to ensure prospects fit ideal buyer profiles
• Conversion rates to gauge messaging effectiveness
• Cross-team collaboration feedback from both sales and marketing

‍

Next steps: How to start aligning your teams

Misalignment results in wasted effort on deals that will never close. The best companies don’t leave it to chance—they build alignment into their sales and marketing process.

‍

Actionable first steps

• Host a joint workshop to align priorities and messaging
• Refine buyer personas to improve lead qualification
• Create a feedback loop that incorporates real customer insights into your messaging strategy

‍

Free sales-marketing alignment workshop

We offer a free 1-hour workshop to help your teams:

• Align messaging with buyer priorities
• Incorporate customer feedback into strategy
• Create a roadmap for stronger collaboration

‍

Schedule your free workshop today and start closing more deals with a better-aligned sales and marketing approach.

‍

‍Written in collaboration with Frank Jennings, a sales leader with decades of experience driving growth for pioneering digital health companies. Over the past 30 years, Frank has built and led high-performing enterprise sales teams at Castlight Health, Covera Health, and Doctor on Demand, helping scale some of the most innovative companies in healthcare. As a seasoned growth strategist, he brings deep expertise in navigating complex sales cycles, driving adoption in evolving markets, and positioning digital health solutions for enterprise buyers. Now serving as President of Pelago, Frank continues to shape go-to-market strategies that expand access to transformative healthcare solutions.

‍

‍