CRO: Friend or Foe?

Joelle Kaufman has been both a CRO and a CMO—and she’s here to tell you: if sales and marketing aren’t on the same page, you’re leaving revenue on the table. 

In this Huddles Quick Take, Joelle outlines the three most common mistakes CMOs make when trying to align with sales—and how to avoid them. From pipeline goals to budget tension to attribution battles, Joelle shares how CMOs can build better partnerships that actually drive revenue. 

What You’ll Learn: 

• 3 alignment mistakes that keep marketing and sales at odds 

• Why obsessing over MQLs sends the wrong signal 

• How shared pipeline goals help unify teams 

• The real problem with attribution finger-pointing   

For the rest of the conversation with Joelle, visit our YouTube channel (CMO Huddles Hub) or click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64XHb_E7UT4. 

Get more insights like these by joining our free Starter program at cmohuddles.com. 

Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 463 on YouTube

Resources Mentioned 

• CMO Huddles 
• GTM Flow 

Highlights

• [1:37] Meet Joelle Kauffman  
• [2:52] Mistake #1: The leads-to-revenue blame game  
• [5:08] Mistake #2: Arm wrestling over budget 
• [21:02] Mistake #3: Vying for credit (attribution)

Highlighted Quotes  

“CROs want as much confidence as possible that the number they are signing up for is the number they can hit.” —Joelle Kaufman 

“Companies with a strong brand have faster sales cycles at premium prices. We simply need to be making an analytical case.” —Joelle Kaufman

“We need to be maniacal about no sacred cows. Everything needs to be on the table, and we need to create a culture of fast failure.” —Joelle Kaufman

“Whether or not marketing and sales are organizationally merged—in the prospect buyer’s mind, it’s one thing. They don’t care.” —Joelle Kaufman

Full Transcript: Drew Neisser in conversation with Joelle Kaufman