In today’s rapidly changing B2B environment, merely generating leads is no longer effective. The marketing department should have the pipeline under its control so that deals flow smoothly from the stage of awareness to the stage of a closed deal. It is quite similar to the situation when you have a high-performance engine, but you do not know whether all the parts are working properly- this is exactly what happens when marketers don’t completely own the pipeline. Having control over 90% of the pipeline is not only ambitious; it is a strategic necessity for increasing, stabilizing, and reflecting business impact.
What Pipeline Ownership Means
Pipeline ownership is marketing’s ability to have a say, manage, and lead the potential customer to almost every step of the journey as a buyer. Research by found that those businesses where the marketing department had control of the pipeline from 70 to 90% performed well in terms of revenue and sales efficiency as compared to the competitors (the companies with this characteristic)
When the marketers have the pipeline, they are not only creating leads, they are staging the entire journey of the customer, in which they make sure that the leads move from the first interaction to the opportunity creation step smoothly. Without this ownership, the sales team is often struggling with low-quality leads, longer sales cycles, and unsteady revenue.
Imagine this case: your marketing team brings in 1,000 leads per quarter. The sales teams get a small portion of those leads if only 30% of the leads are nurtured effectively, which means that the number of qualified opportunities will be low. If marketing controls 90% of the pipeline, every lead is nurtured, qualified, and positioned for conversion, resulting in shorter sales cycles and higher win rates.
Why Marketers Must Take the Lead
This is what the data says about pipeline ownership being led by marketing:
Forrester Research (2024) claims that organizations with marketing ownership report better win rates by 15-20%.
HubSpot 2025 Benchmark Report suggested that companies where the marketing team manages the pipeline close deals 30% faster as compared to the rest of the organisations.
The LinkedIn B2B Marketing Report (2024) points out that when marketing is in sync, fewer subscriber attrition during the mid-funnel stage by as much as 25%.
Pipeline control should not be looked at as a privilege but as a necessity to drive revenue. Marketing teams that have the greatest access to opportunities directly fuel consistent growth that can be reflected in the ROI.
According to McKinsey, Data-driven marketing improves revenue predictability and campaign ROI by up to 20%.
How to Control 90% of the Pipeline
The control of the pipeline at the 90% level is a succession of headlines that gather strategy, tools, team, and sales relations. Below are some measures a marketing professional might take to bring about such a result:
1. Implement Data-Driven Lead Scoring
Since leads are of different values, the concept of data-driven lead scoring is a must to help focus on the most lucrative prospects.
Do this:
Application of platforms like CRM and marketing automation (Salesforce, HubSpot, and Oracle Marketing Cloud) will give customer interaction data and engagement data.
Introduce predictive analytics for gauging the readiness to convert of a lead.
Always base on system on closed-won deal data for updating the scoring system.
Instance: A SaaS company found that leads who interacted most with the demo and pricing pages were three times as likely to convert. Therefore, by concentrating the lead activity on that, marketing almost 85% of the pipeline influence the following quarter. Read more about it here.
2. Align Marketing and Sales with Shared KPIs
Marketing control over the pipeline, along with a sales alignment system, is a must-have for absolute performance. The practice goes beyond the frequency of meetings, where shared accountability takes the front stage.
Ways to do this:
- Introduce mutual KPIs such as MQL-to-opportunity conversion, opportunities influenced, and revenue contribution.
- Joint forecasting sessions are a tool for monitoring campaign performance.
- Implement regular feedback loops where sales provides lead quality insights, and marketing makes changes to the strategy accordingly.
- Human feature: Marketing alignment may be like shouting at the void; sales might not see or develop the leads. Shared accountability keeps them together, and they can celebrate wins together.
3. Leverage Intent Data and AI-Powered Insights
Before B2B buyers engage with sales, they leave digital footprints. Marketers who figure out the signals can approach the buyers before they ask.
Steps to dealing with intent data:
- Platforms such as 6sense, Bombora, and Demandbase are the places to look for the first indications of purchasing.
- AI ranks the leads in such a way that the ones having the highest chances of conversion become the most prioritized.
- Give the proper nurturing content and/or contact assistance depending upon which buying cycle stage the lead falls.
- Instance: Cybersecurity vendor observed that IT Directors in the Fortune 500 companies were actively engaging with their content. Marketing reached almost all the deals that emerged from there long before the competitors could have connected with these prospects without wasting any time.
4. Nurture Leads Across the Entire Buyer Journey
Staking a claim on the pipeline shouldn’t be limited to only the initial stage of the funnel. Constant nurturing not only keeps the leads connected but also encourages them to continue with the conversion process.
Methods:
- Multi-channel campaigns by Email, LinkedIn, webinar, and retargeting.
- The release of influencers, decision-makers, and technical evaluators from classical education through personalized content.
- Open natures dynamically convert leads while on automated workflows.
- Comparison: A garden analogy serves the purpose well. One watering won’t suffice for the seeds; regular care is required for the flowers to bloom, which is also true for the pipeline.
5. Implement Closed-Loop Reporting
Reporting that is closed-loop ties marketing initiatives directly with sales results. It measures the impact of a marketer’s influence, visualizes the flow of money, and recognizes winning programs.
Pro tip: Install your CRM coupled with an analytical platform like Adobe Analytics or Salesforce Marketing Cloud to keep track of every touchpoint. This will allow you to create a continuous flow of leads, enabling the refining of campaigns across channels.
6. Invest in the Right Technology Stack
The newest MarTech stacks give marketers the possibility to manage their pipeline to the highest degree of efficiency. The use of CRMs, marketing automation, analytics, and intent platforms provides the visibility, insights, and automation needed.
Key tools:
- CRM: Salesforce, HubSpot, Oracle Sales Cloud
- Marketing Automation: Marketo, Emarsys, HubSpot Marketing Hub
- Analytics & Reporting: Tableau, Power BI, Google Analytics 4
- Intent & Predictive Platforms: 6sense, Bombora, Demandbase
Funny but true: Without the appropriate tech, managing your pipeline would be like trying to herd cats, but you are also blindfolded. However, having the right tools transforms it into the process of coordinating a well-trained orchestra.
Measuring Success
For pipeline ownership to be truly efficient, you have to keep an eye on these KPIs:
- Opportunities influenced – describes marketing’s direct impact on the formation of the sales pipeline.e
- MQL-to-opportunity conversion – measures lead quality and the efficiency of nurturing
- Pipeline velocity – indicates the amount of time that buyers spend in the different stages
- Campaign ROI – allows checking if the spent investments correlate with the revenue generated.
The following metrics tell the story that marketing is not just the source of leads, but is also the cause of real revenue streams.
Conclusion
Transforming marketing from a support function into a stage revenue driver by owning 90% of the B2B pipeline is the power of marketers who manage to accomplish this:
- Control buyer journeys in a proactive manner.
- Raise winning rates and speed up the deal cycle.
- Establish close relationships with sal.es
- Make funds flow measurable through revenue.
The way to total pipeline control includes having a plan, building relations, using technologies, and putting in place strategies that work constantly. Assess your current influence, implement predictive tools, and enhance operations. Marketers will not only receive leads when they follow this route, but also, the majority of opportunities will be guided to conversion.
FAQs
Q1: What does it mean for marketing to own 90% of the pipeline?
Marketing is responsible for the most significant part of the pipeline; thus, marketing is in charge of all opportunities leading from the initial stage of lead generation to sales-ready prospects.
Q2: Which tools are essential for pipeline control?
The use of CRM platforms such as Salesforce and HubSpot, marketing automation programs such as Marketo and Emarsys, analytics software such as Tableau and Power BI, together with intent data platforms such as 6sense and Bombora, form the backbone of the technology stack.
Q3: How do marketers measure pipeline influence?
KPIs such as opportunities influenced, MQL-to-opportunity conversion, pipeline velocity, and campaign ROI form the framework of pipeline influence measurement.
Q4: Can small marketing teams control a large portion of the pipeline?
Definitely. With a clear strategic plan, by utilizing predictive insights and automation, even a small team can influence up to 90% of the pipeline.
Q5: How does pipeline ownership improve sales outcomes?
It leads to improved lead quality, faster deal cycles, and stronger alignment with sales, which in the end, results in increased revenue.
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