Beyond Silos: My Take on Why Aligning Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success is the Real Growth Hack

Alright, let’s talk about something that drives me nuts: silos. You’ve got Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success—three departments all working toward one goal (revenue!), but often not quite in sync. It’s like we’re all playing for the same team but using different playbooks.

Enter RevOps. Q. RevOps is a whole mindset shift that says, “Hey, why don’t we stop working at cross-purposes and start working like one unified revenue-generating engine?” So what does that actually look like in practice and why it’s worth your time.

1. First, What’s the Deal with Silos?

Silos happen naturally as companies grow. Sales is chasing targets, Marketing is focused on generating leads, and Customer Success is trying to keep customers happy. But without coordination, you get duplication, mixed messages, and—let’s be real—missed opportunities.

Imagine this: Marketing spends all this effort driving leads, but when Sales gets to them, they’re nowhere near ready to buy. Or Sales closes the deal, but then Customer Success has zero context on the customer’s journey or expectations. It’s a mess! And more importantly, it’s wasted potential.

2. Aligning on KPIs: What Actually Matters?

One of the first things RevOps does is put everyone on the same page when it comes to KPIs. Traditionally, each team has its own goals: Marketing tracks MQLs, Sales looks at closed deals, and CS focuses on retention. But if these metrics aren’t tied together, they’re just vanity metrics.

Instead, let’s talk about KPIs that actually drive revenue, like pipeline velocity (how fast deals move through the funnel) or the LTV/CAC ratio (the long-term value of a customer vs. the cost to acquire them). These shared KPIs give all teams a common target to rally around, so they’re not just focused on their piece of the pie but on growing the pie itself.

3. Making Data Your North Star

Now, if you’re like me, you’ve seen what happens when every team’s data is scattered across different systems. It’s not pretty. One team’s CRM data doesn’t sync with the marketing automation platform, and then there’s the spreadsheet everyone’s been updating on the side. A nightmare, right?

RevOps comes in and says, “Let’s create a single source of truth.” That means getting all this data into one place and making sure everyone has access to the insights they need in real time. It’s not just about data for data’s sake; it’s about using that data to make better decisions. Think about it: if Marketing knows which campaigns actually convert into long-term customers, they can optimize their spend. Sales can prioritize the leads that are statistically most likely to close, and CS can proactively tackle churn risks.

4. Forecasting: Goodbye, Guesstimating

If you want predictable revenue, you need forecasting that actually works. This is where RevOps really shines. By looking at the pipeline holistically, RevOps can help teams make informed projections rather than guesstimating based on “gut feel.”

With data-backed forecasting, you can spot gaps in your pipeline early, adjust your strategy, and set more realistic revenue targets. And let’s not forget the power of predictive analytics here—by analyzing past trends, RevOps can flag deals that are most likely to close and customers that might be at risk of churning. It’s like getting a crystal ball that actually works.

5. Bringing It All Together: A Quick Example

Let me bring this home with a simple example. Say you’re launching a new module or product. Here’s how it plays out without RevOps:

• Marketing runs some campaigns, generates leads, and tosses them over to Sales.

• Sales scrambles to close deals without much visibility into what Marketing promised.

• Customer Success gets hit with customers who aren’t fully aligned on the product, leading to friction and, potentially, churn.

Now let’s look at that same scenario with RevOps:

• Marketing and Sales are in lockstep on the target customer profile and messaging from day one, so they’re speaking the same language.

• Sales has real-time visibility into which leads are engaged and which need more nurturing.

• Customer Success receives a handoff document that outlines customer expectations, so they’re ready to create an experience that keeps the customer happy and engaged.

The result? Less friction, faster sales cycles, happier customers, and a higher likelihood of repeat business. That’s the magic of alignment.🪄