One of the most common challenges inside any business is the clash between sales and marketing. Both teams ultimately want the same thing: revenue growth. Yet because of the way they are measured, the language they use, and the way they report success, they often end up pulling in different directions.

This is not new. The sales versus marketing debate has existed for decades, and in many organisations it is almost baked into the culture. But when you take a step back, you realise how damaging it can be to growth. This is why alignment between the two functions is such a vital part of the Chief Revenue Officer’s role.

Modern marketing leaders face the same challenge: proving which activities actually drive pipeline and revenue. From event sign-ups to social media engagement, the ability to connect the dots between marketing activity and sales outcomes is what separates guesswork from data-driven growth. This is where Marketing Operations plays a central role, creating systems and processes to capture, track, and report on impact.

We break down the most common marketing channels and activities, and explore how attribution works in practice.

AI is everywhere right now. Every product launch, every SaaS update, every pitch deck seems to include it. But here’s the reality: customers don’t care that your solution has AI built in.

That might sound brutal, but it’s true. AI is already no longer the shiny differentiator it once was. For many buyers, it’s assumed. If your competitors are already using it, then the question isn’t “does your product have AI?” but “what does it actually do for me?”

And if you’re working with a business solution that doesn’t leverage AI in some way, then buyers will increasingly ask why not? It’s becoming one of the biggest questions in the room.

We may still be in August, with long evenings and summer holidays in full swing, but now is the time to start preparing for the final quarter of the year. In just a few short weeks, the conversation will shift. As the nights draw in, people will be talking about Christmas parties, festive campaigns, and the winding down of business before the new year.

Every August the same refrain echoes through sales teams: “You cannot get hold of anyone”. For those working internationally, particularly with European clients, it is even more pronounced…

…So, if your prospects are out of office, what can you do that is genuinely valuable? The answer lies in using August not as a waiting room but as a control room. This is a time to assess, clean up and align your go to market efforts before the final push.

The term “AI” gets thrown around a lot these days as I have mentioned in my other recent Insights topics on AI, and while it promises to revolutionise sales and marketing, the reality is this: if you're not careful, adding AI into your sales process can quickly feel like bolting on a shiny toy rather than building a smarter, more human pipeline.

So how do you bring AI into your sales tech stack in a way that actually supports your team, amplifies the right parts of your process, and still puts people first? Let’s break it down.

Marketing has never been more complex.

From campaign strategy and brand storytelling to SEO, paid media, data tracking, content operations and funnel experimentation, the modern marketing function is no longer just a creative department. It is a commercially driven, technology-enabled growth engine. Yet the path to senior marketing leadership is still largely shaped by generalist experience rather than operational expertise.

So what does that mean for growing businesses trying to make sense of it all?

You have a product that works. You are generating leads. The market opportunity is there. Yet revenue is falling short. Deals are stalling, targets are missed, and there is a growing sense of frustration across the business.

Before you start changing personnel or questioning motivation, pause. In most cases, underperformance in sales is a symptom, not the root cause. This is where the real work starts: diagnosing the issue properly, and rebuilding with clarity and consistency.

Here is how to do just that.

At first glance, Outreach and Salesloft do very similar things. And that is because they do. Both tools are built to help sales teams manage multistep prospecting workflows, track activity, and measure what is working. Outreach calls it a sequence, while Salesloft prefers cadence, but ultimately they are both talking about the same thing, structured repeatable outreach across email, phone, LinkedIn and other channels.

So if the differences are minor, what actually matters when choosing or using a platform like this?

The rise of the fractional model is no accident. More and more companies are turning to experienced professionals on a part-time or project basis to fill senior roles without taking on the cost or commitment of a full-time hire. Not forever, just long enough to get things under control and moving in the right direction.