Manufacturers losing millions due to sales and marketing disconnect

Industry experts have warned that construction firms and those in the supply chain are losing millions of pounds in potential revenue because sales and marketing teams are working to different definitions of what constitutes a ‘qualified lead’.

B2B marketing agency Lesniak Swann brought together a panel of senior commercial leaders from construction brands Barbour ABI, BMI, Instagrid, Pick Everard and Polypipe Building Services.

They explored how misalignment is most visible at the point when marketing passes a lead to sales. Inconsistent labelling, limited feedback on lead outcomes and incomplete handovers often leave prospects repeating themselves or being ignored entirely which then results in procurement pushing decisions based primarily on price.

The panel blamed unclear handover processes and a lack of shared ownership once a prospect enters the pipeline for delaying decisions. This confusion can put customer relationships at risk and jeopardise deals at a time when buyers are better informed than ever and sales cycles are being stretched.

Polypipe Building Services sales and marketing director, Tom Murray, says “The disconnect between the two teams typically results in lots of busy activity instead of impact. Siloed working often turns reporting into an internal scoreboard rather than a shared growth plan.”

Kate Perrin, marketing director at Barbour ABI, added that a marketing team’s job should not end when a lead is passed over, commenting; “If you don’t track what happens next – how it converts and why – then you’re just debating opinion rather than building evidence. I would urge companies to introduce robust reporting that directly links marketing campaign activity to pipeline progress.”

Lesniak Swann co-founder Alexander Swann said construction firms need shared accountability rather than treating alignment as an internal process issue. He said: “This isn’t so much about marketing supporting sales or sales using marketing. It’s about shared accountability for growth. When there’s a disconnect customers feel it first.

“We see this across contractors, consultants and manufacturers. When teams measure different things, they pull in different directions. The result is inconsistent messaging, poor handover and a fragmented customer experience.

“Companies must ensure they’re getting the fundamentals right: agree a definition of qualification that everyone is clear on, set service-level expectations for following-up and review lead outcomes together to improve targeting, messaging and conversion.”