Within B2B organizations, sales and marketing share the same goals — stronger pipelines, higher conversion rates and long-term customer relationships — but they often take very different paths to get there. Marketing focuses on building awareness and engagement, while sales works to close deals and maintain relationships. Somewhere between those two efforts, alignment can slip. According to Harvard Business Review, that misalignment can cost businesses more than $1 trillion every year.
01
Get on the same page about your B2B buyer
The buyer is the common ground between B2B marketing and sales — and keeping that understanding fresh is key to success. A joint workshop helps both teams update and validate buyer personas to reflect current market realities. Use this time to:
- Map the B2B buyer journey together to identify triggers, stalls and decision milestones.
- Clarify pain points that influence how buyers move through the sales funnel.
- Review decision cycles to understand when or where prospects pause or drop off.
- Surface new opportunities based on market shifts or emerging needs.
- Agree on marketing message priorities so every digital marketing campaign and outreach effort reflects what buyers value most.
02
Brainstorm B2B content that speaks to real challenges
Content may sit within marketing, but sales insights fuel the best ideas. Workshops create a forum to combine those perspectives and build a more relevant content and ABM strategy. Use this part of the session to spark collaboration and capture actionable ideas that connect marketing strategy to real buyer conversations.
- Ask sales to share the challenges, objections and questions they hear most often.
- Identify which content formats your audience prefers: guides, webinars, podcasts or case studies.
- Map content types to each stage of the funnel to support nurturing and conversion.
- Co-create enablement materials such as objection-handling sheets or late-stage case studies.
- Capture ideas for repurposing high-performing content into new formats.
- Review upcoming marketing assets so sales knows which tools are already available.
03
Assess what’s working (and what’s not)
Every workshop is a chance to pause, look at your entire sales and marketing ecosystem and see where it’s performing — and where it’s not. Look at performance data with a critical eye, identify friction points and uncover opportunities to strengthen collaboration and results.
- Review metrics to see what’s performing and underperforming.
- Identify where leads are getting stuck or lost.
- Refine MQL and SQL definitions to ensure both teams are aligned on lead quality.
- Strengthen lead scoring and qualification criteria.
- Align on shared KPIs tracked in one dashboard, such as pipeline-sourced, win rate and stage-to-stage conversion.
- Adjust the marketing calendar based on sales cycles and buyer behavior.
04
Reevaluate where and how you reach your B2B audience
Marketing may manage channel strategy, but sales often knows where buyers actually spend their time. This part of the workshop is a chance to connect data with real-world experience, blending analytics with frontline insights to ensure your message reaches buyers in the right places.
- Review which B2B digital marketing channels are generating engagement or leads.
- Ask sales which industry publications or websites buyers read most.
- Identify trade shows or events that produce high-value conversations.
- Validate partner and co-marketing channels that support shared goals.
- Explore new or emerging channels that could extend reach.
- Revisit spend allocation based on what’s truly driving engagement.
05
Sync Up B2B Sales and Marketing Calendars
Both teams have their own timelines — but they don’t always sync up. Reviewing calendars together helps you plan smarter and avoid missed opportunities. This discussion should focus on finding alignment points, optimizing timing and ensuring both teams are working from a shared roadmap for the year ahead.
- Compare sales and marketing calendars side by side.
- Create one shared, go-to-market calendar for campaigns, launches, events and partner activities.
- Identify overlap between campaigns, product launches and sales pushes.
- Adjust budgets and timing to support key selling seasons or events.
- Coordinate around trade shows to maximize sponsorships and booth activity.
- Spot potential quiet periods and plan demand generation accordingly.
06
Share Your Best Tools and Tech Tips
Most sales and marketing teams use similar platforms — CRMs, automation tools, AI applications — but in different ways. Workshops can surface valuable tips and best practices across teams. Focus this part of the session on uncovering ways technology can streamline collaboration, improve visibility and help both teams work more efficiently.
- Have each team demo how they use systems like Salesforce, HubSpot or Demandbase.
- Share dashboards that track performance across both functions.
- Identify new integrations or automations that could improve efficiency.
- Exchange shortcuts, AI tools or reporting tricks that save time.
- Stand up a shared CRM view and a monthly feedback loop on lead quality.
- Agree on shared data definitions to ensure consistent reporting.
Workshop success starts with a solid agenda
A clear agenda keeps discussions focused, ensures every voice is heard and turns insights into actionable next steps. This sample framework outlines how to guide your sales and marketing teams through a productive, two-hour alignment session — one that blends strategy, collaboration and accountability.
Here’s your takeaway: schedule your first alignment workshop now and revisit quarterly.
Sales and Marketing Workshop: Sample Agenda
-
- 9:00–9:10 a.m. Introduction:
Define workshop context and desired outcomes - 9:10–9:35 a.m. Buyer journey mapping:
Identify triggers, stalls and decision milestones - 9:35–9:55 a.m. Pipeline and performance review:
Refine MQL/SQL definitions, lead handoffs and response times - 9:55–10:20 a.m. Content and enablement sprint:
Identify top objections and assign two assets to build - 10:20–10:30 a.m. Channel review:
Validate media mix, partner plays and event alignment - 10:30–10:40 a.m. Calendar alignment:
Coordinate key campaigns, launches and events - 10:40–10:50 a.m. Tools and tech sync:
Share CRM dashboards, automations and AI resources - 10:50–11:00 a.m. Wrap-up:
Finalize action list, owners and next session date
- 9:00–9:10 a.m. Introduction:
Let’s bring your B2B marketing and sales teams together
A well-run workshop can bring structure, focus and renewed energy to your growth strategy. At AvreaFoster, we’ve seen the impact firsthand. When B2B teams connect with intention, they move faster, smarter and with greater purpose.
Ready to plan your next sales and marketing workshop? We can help — whether you need a partner to kickstart collaboration or an experienced team that brings a fresh perspective to your sales and marketing strategy. Let’s connect and start planning.
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