Insights: The state of B2B marketing: Key trends and transformations
Chapter 1.
Beyond MQLs: Driving revenue with account intelligence
The B2B marketing sector has changed considerably, with progressive organizations abandoning traditional lead-centric metrics in favor of more advanced approaches that directly connect to revenue outcomes. This evolution represents more than a simple metric change—it's a comprehensive shift in how marketing teams measure impact, prioritize resources, and demonstrate value.
Melinda Partin from The Channel Company articulates this shift clearly: "We've moved beyond MQLs because they're essentially vanity metrics that measure interest rather than intent. I've downloaded plenty of white papers to get information, only to ignore subsequent emails from sales teams—that's wasted effort for them. MQLs create a marketing-sales disconnect where marketing is incentivized to generate volume while sales is judged on closed deals."
This sentiment resonates across marketing leaders who have recognized the limitations of traditional approaches. Derek Weeks from Katalon emphasizes: "Our primary focus is new logo Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). While we track various metrics, nothing matters more than whether the organization is growing through capturing market demand. This revenue can be marketing-sourced, marketing-touched, or sales-generated, but it's the ultimate measure of marketing's contribution to our growth objectives."
The shift towards account-based measurement represents a natural evolution in B2B marketing, especially for organizations selling complex solutions to multiple stakeholders. Andrea Hayton from Baxter Planning explains: "We've completely moved away from traditional lead-based metrics and instead focus exclusively on accounts, contacts, and opportunities. This shift aligns perfectly with our enterprise B2B focus, where we're selling to multiple stakeholders within each organization."
This change is particularly powerful when supported by technology that enables more detailed analysis. Moréa Pollet from InfluxData describes their approach: "We've implemented an internal machine learning-based scoring system that analyzes historical data, demographics, and firmographics to provide a propensity to buy indicator rather than just basic lead qualification. This system has dramatically improved our conversion rates from MQL to conversation, by a 210% increase."
The evolution extends beyond measurement to change how marketing teams operate. D'Anna Siegle shares her perspective: "I've found success by expanding the view to share goals with revenue-generating teams and approach accounts the way they do – essentially practicing ABM without explicitly labeling it as such. In doing so, I shift the strategy from focusing solely on form fills and data capture to building sustainable value-driven journeys through ungated content and consistent brand awareness efforts."
This doesn't mean discarding lead metrics entirely, but rather putting them in proper context. Greg Tucker from CSG explains: "While we don't use MQLs by name, we still track lead progression as a foundational metric. What's changed is our focus on five key metrics: leads, pipeline quantity and quality, pipeline progression, engagement that predicts intent, and share of voice. These connect directly to what we ultimately care about—revenue."
The survey data reinforces this evolution, with 46% of sales leaders selecting predictive account scoring using AI as their preferred alternative to traditional MQLs. Additionally, 54% identify joint KPIs and success metrics as the most critical aspect of sales-marketing alignment.
For marketing organizations looking to make this transition, the technological foundation is critical. Surbhi Agarwal from Applied Intuition notes: "Moving forward, my marketing team implemented an approach that considers multiple touchpoints and engagement levels within each high-value account. We typically see 8-10 touchpoints and engagement with 7-8 influencers before a successful conversion."
The key to success in this new paradigm lies in:
- Establishing revenue-based metrics that directly tie to business outcomes
- Implementing account-level measurement that acknowledges complex buying groups
- Using AI and predictive analytics to identify high-value opportunities
- Creating integrated technology stacks that provide a unified view of account engagement
- Aligning marketing and sales around shared definitions and success criteria
Key Insights Recap
Traditional lead scoring models are giving way to account-based intelligence frameworks that better reflect the complexity of B2B buying. Organizations that implement AI-powered account prioritization, comprehensive intent tracking, and revenue-focused metrics are achieving considerably higher conversion rates and sales efficiency.
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About 6sense
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