CORE
July 2026
For years, marketing-qualified leads were the currency of demand generation. They give marketing teams a clear way to communicate progress internally, measure conversion, and demonstrate pipeline contribution to sales. For many organizations (especially in SaaS), the MQL-to-SQL handoff became the operating model for organic growth.
However, today’s B2B buying journeys have outgrown any measurement system built around a single hand raise. Gartner Inc. found that buying groups now range from five to 16 individuals across as many as four functions, making one prospect’s activity a thin proxy for true buying momentum.
Modern CMOs are shifting the conversation from lead volume to opportunity momentum. Instead of optimizing around isolated form fills, they’re looking for evidence that marketing is helping the right accounts move closer to revenue.
Attribution is rarely, if ever, perfect. The goal is a shared view of impact that sales, finance, and the C-suite can understand, trust, and use to make better, more informed decisions.
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The disconnect between sales and marketing is an all-too-familiar debate. Marketing questions whether sales is following up, while sales questions whether the leads are worth pursuing.
However, that conversation assumes the leads are still the right unit of measurement. In many complex B2B environments, the issue is that a single lead represents only a small fraction of the buying process. When decisions involve larger committees, anonymous research, and multiple internal stakeholders, one individual’s engagement can create a false sense of clarity.
The result is that dashboards may show activity without answering the questions that matter most in the boardroom: Is marketing accelerating deals? Is it improving win rates? Is it helping sales have better conversations with the right accounts?
When measurement systems can’t credibly answer those questions, confidence erodes – and marketing’s influence erodes with it.
Instead of asking how many leads marketing generated, many forward-thinking CMOs are asking whether marketing is helping the right accounts move closer to revenue.
That shift starts with a shared definition of the market. Sales and marketing teams need to align on the language they use every day. What qualifies as an opportunity? Which accounts fit the ideal client profile? Who influences the buying decision? How do we distinguish early interest from a qualified business opportunity?
This may seem foundational, but it’s often where measurement breaks down. Without a common taxonomy, marketing might be optimizing for engagement while sales is prioritizing readiness. Both teams may be working hard, but they’re not necessarily measuring the same version of progress.
From there, engagement quality begins to matter more than activity volume. Rather than tallying clicks, opens, or form fills in isolation, marketing teams are looking at the strength and consistency of engagement across the buying group. The real question is whether engagement with a piece of content signals broader interest within a priority account.
The most effective organizations also make success shared. When sales and marketing align around common scorecards, the conversation shifts from who gets credit to what needs to happen next. Both teams can see where momentum is building, where it’s stalling, and which strategies or tactics should be implemented to move opportunities forward.
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The next step is building a measurement system that’s credible and can guide strategic decision-making across all levels of the business.
For marketing, that means a renewed focus on pipeline velocity and momentum. Are target accounts engaging more deeply? Are the right stakeholders entering the conversation? Are sales teams seeing warmer, better-informed opportunities? Are campaigns helping stalled opportunities reengage?
These questions are more useful than asking whether a single lead source deserves credit for a closed deal. In complex B2B sales, marketing’s impact rarely shows up as a perfect line from campaign to contract. It shows up through acceleration, education, influence, and confidence.
A believable scorecard should connect marketing activity to the moments that matter in the buying process. The exact metrics will vary by business, but the principle is consistent: Marketing should be measured by its ability to help the business create, advance, and win the right opportunities.
By no means is the MLQ “dead.” It still has a role, but only when viewed as one signal among many.
Modern CMOs are being asked to operate with greater accountability, tighter alignment, and a clearer connection to business performance. Our CMO Signals & Shifts research reinforces this reality. The role is becoming more influential but also more exposed to scrutiny.
The organizations that get this right will be the ones with the clearest view of business progress and the discipline to act on the data. Marketing’s value is proven – and becomes undeniable – by helping the business create momentum, advance opportunities, and generate revenue.
Written by Mike Neumeier, APR, CEO of Arketi Group
Mike Neumeier, APR, is Chief Executive Officer at Arketi Group, an integrated marketplace and workplace communications firm serving B2B technology companies. A co-founder of Arketi, Neumeier has earned more than 100 industry awards, including the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Georgia’s Order of the Phoenix, the National PRSA Hall of Fame, and recognition as one of Atlanta’s Most Admired CEOs. He applies his passion for PR, marketing, and brand building to deliver strategies that drive revenue and measurable client value. For more insights like these, follow Mike on LinkedIn.
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