In today’s B2B landscape, go-to-market (GTM) strategies are under more pressure than ever. With increasingly complex buying journeys, expanding tech stacks, and the rapid rise of AI, organizations are struggling to move from activity to actual impact.
In a recent episode of the MarTech 360 Podcast, Steven Lewis, Marketbridge’s Managing Director of Strategy Consulting, joined Samarth Bhargava for a candid conversation on what’s really holding GTM teams back—and what leaders must do differently to scale and succeed.
Here are 7 key takeaways
1. The real problem isn’t execution—It’s misalignment
Many organizations assume their GTM challenges stem from poor execution. In reality, execution issues are often just symptoms of a deeper problem: misalignment across teams.
Sales, marketing, and customer success are often driven by fundamentally different incentives. Marketing teams tend to focus on generating leads, while sales is measured on revenue, margin, and closed deals. Without a shared definition of success—and a shared language and understanding about who the ideal customer is—these teams naturally drift into silos. Over time, this disconnect creates inefficiencies, missed opportunities, and internal friction.
As Steven describes it, this misalignment creates a “friction tax”—a hidden cost that quietly erodes the return on every dollar spent across revenue-generating teams.
2. Culture is the hardest lever
While many transformation efforts focus on tools or processes, the real barrier is often cultural.
It is relatively easy to change activities—launch a new campaign, implement a new tool, or adjust a workflow. Changing how teams think, collaborate, and make decisions, however, is far more difficult. And yet, it is precisely this mindset shift that determines whether transformation efforts succeed or fail.
Organizations that successfully evolve their GTM strategies tend to embrace cross-functional collaboration, accept short-term disruption in pursuit of long-term gains, and build a culture of shared accountability. Without this foundation, even the most well-designed strategies struggle to take hold.
3. Disconnected data Is undermining growth
Despite heavy investments in MarTech, many organizations still operate with fragmented and disconnected data systems. The result is not just inefficiency, but confusion.
When different teams rely on different data sources, organizations end up with multiple versions of the truth. Conversations shift away from solving problems and toward debating whose data is correct. This lack of alignment slows decision-making and weakens overall performance.
“[Disconnected data] creates multiple versions of the truth… it leads to finger pointing versus problem solving.”
The solution is not simply adding more tools, but integrating them more effectively. Leading organizations are moving toward unified data environments and establishing a single source of truth that can be shared across teams. Just as importantly, they are shifting their focus toward metrics that reflect actual buying behavior rather than surface-level activity.
As AI becomes more embedded in GTM strategies, the importance of clean, connected data will only increase. However, for many legacy organizations, modernizing data infrastructure remains a long term and complex challenge.
4. Most metrics don’t matter—Focus on what moves the needle
Modern GTM teams are surrounded by dashboards, alerts, and performance metrics. Yet more data does not necessarily lead to better decisions.
Many commonly tracked metrics—such as clicks or impressions—offer limited strategic value. They may indicate activity, but they rarely reveal impact.
Instead, leaders need to focus on identifying true signals within the noise. Metrics like conversion velocity or how quickly opportunities move through the pipeline provide a much clearer picture of performance. These are the kinds of indicators that both sales and marketing can align around.
“Conversion velocity… that’s a real signal. That’s a signal that both marketing and sales can agree on.”
Steven emphasizes the importance of moving away from data maximalism, where everything is tracked, toward a more intentional form of data minimalism. This means investing more effort in identifying the few metrics that truly matter and using them to guide decision-making.
5. Scaling requires more than early wins
One of the most common mistakes organizations make is assuming that early success can be easily scaled. In reality, what works in a controlled pilot environment often breaks down under pressure.
To determine whether a GTM motion is truly ready to scale, Steven points to a few critical indicators. First, organizations need to look beyond top performers and assess whether average team members can consistently deliver results. If success depends on a handful of high performers, the model is not yet scalable.
Second, there must be a level of predictability. Leaders should be able to model expected outcomes based on specific inputs with a reasonable degree of confidence. Finally, operational readiness is key. Systems, processes, and teams must be able to handle increased volume without requiring disproportionate increases in resources.
6. The hidden growth killer: Prospect friction
One of the most overlooked barriers to growth in GTM strategies is friction within the customer journey.
Many organizations unintentionally introduce obstacles that slow down or frustrate buyers, such as gated content, mandatory sales calls, or overly complex processes. These friction points may have made sense in the past, but today’s buyers are increasingly digital-first and prefer to navigate much of the journey independently.
“Buyers don’t necessarily want to talk to a human being and we need to look at the buyer and eliminate all the friction points between market and not knowing anything to most loyal customer.”
Reducing friction requires a shift in perspective—from controlling the buying process to enabling it. Organizations that succeed are those that make it easier for customers to move from initial awareness to long-term loyalty, removing unnecessary barriers along the way.
7. The funnel is dead—Welcome to ecosystem-led GTM
Looking ahead, one of the most significant shifts in GTM strategy is the move away from the traditional funnel model.
Rather than viewing the customer journey as a linear progression, organizations are beginning to adopt a more ecosystem-driven approach. In this model, partners, influencers, communities, and customers themselves all play a role in shaping buying decisions.
This shift requires deeper integration across teams and systems, as well as a more holistic view of the customer. It also changes the fundamental question from “How do we reach this customer?” to “How do we build a relationship with this customer?”
Companies that succeed will focus on unifying marketing, sales, customer success and RevOps by looking holistically at how the customer relationship is built. Content isn’t an output—it’s data that feeds a single view of the customer and the ecosystem the customer is in.
Final thought: Cross-functional strategy is the ultimate advantage
In a world filled with new tools, technologies, and constant innovation, it is easy to lose sight of the fundamentals.
The organizations that succeed will not necessarily be the ones with the most advanced tech stacks, but those that are aligned cross-functionally on the strategy for customer relationship building and the KPIs.
“Companies that can deal with this messiness and uncertainty best will be the ones that lean in and grow the fastest.”
Ultimately, GTM success is not about doing more. It is about working better—together, with clarity, consistency, and purpose.
