Pipeline Acceleration Through Sales Enablement
Bridging the gap between marketing and sales by building a scalable SDR function and lead management framework
Challenge
A global tech company faced persistent misalignment between marketing and sales. Marketing qualified leads (MQLs) often stalled before reaching sales qualification, with sales feedback that these leads were not “quote ready.” As a result, sales teams frequently deprioritized MQLs, missing service-level agreements (SLAs) and allowing valuable leads to go untouched. This disconnect slowed pipeline velocity, left potential opportunities behind, and limited customer acquisition and revenue growth.
Solution
Closing the gap between marketing and sales required more than incremental fixes — it called for a new operating model in the middle of the funnel. To achieve this, I designed and launched a comprehensive sales enablement program built around a newly established global Sales Development Representative (SDR) team, positioned as the bridge between lead generation and sales execution.
Team Build & Process
The foundation began with team structure and standardized process. SDRs were trained to directly engage with marketing-sourced leads and equipped with the BANT qualification framework (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline). Clear SLAs, multichannel outreach cadences, and consistent coaching ensured that no lead was left behind. This created alignment and trust with sales, while raising confidence in the quality of pipeline delivered.
Technology Enablement
HubSpot Sales Hub was deployed to streamline SDR operations, with automated sequences, task management, and reporting dashboards driving efficiency and accountability. Lead Forensics provided visibility into anonymous website visitors, turning previously invisible interest into actionable leads. Together, these tools created the infrastructure for disciplined, trackable engagement.
Warm Outreach & Nurturing
SDRs also served as the first line of engagement for marketing-sourced MQLs from newsletters, campaigns, webinars, tradeshows, and inbound chat requests. Standardized cadences across phone, email, and social channels allowed SDRs to nurture these leads consistently, while live chat and chatbot integrations enabled real-time capture of inbound interest, accelerating the path to sales qualification.
Low-Hanging Fruit: Cross-Sell, Upsell & Opportunity Re-Engagement
SDRs further drove revenue lift by re-engaging past CRM opportunities and focusing on cross-sell and upsell plays. These warm accounts, already familiar with the brand, converted at significantly higher rates than cold prospects. By targeting this low-hanging fruit, the team was able to quickly unlock incremental pipeline while maintaining momentum on net-new demand generation.
Strategic Cold Outreach
Cold calling was deliberately kept as a small but high-value activity. SDRs did not rely on “spray and pray” tactics; instead, a dedicated sales enablement team developed segmented prospect lists based on ideal customer profiles (ICP). This ensured that every outbound touch was targeted, strategic, and informed by data, making cold calling a precision game rather than a volume exercise.
Results
The sales enablement program quickly proved to be more than a process change — it became a catalyst for pipeline growth. By proactively qualifying and engaging marketing-generated leads, the team improved the MQL-to-SQL conversion rate by 35%, ensuring that sales received not just more opportunities, but better ones. The handoff between marketing and sales accelerated, reducing friction and increasing pipeline velocity by 25%, with far fewer leads stalling mid-funnel.
The program also unlocked value from previously untapped sources. Re-engagement campaigns doubled response rates compared to traditional cold outreach, reviving dormant opportunities already familiar with the brand. At the top of the funnel, Lead Forensics and live chat added 15% more net-new opportunities, capturing demand that had once gone unnoticed.
Most importantly, the initiative established a repeatable, scalable sales enablement framework. What began as a solution to misalignment matured into a sustainable operating model — embedding middle-of-funnel discipline, accountability, and growth potential into the company’s revenue engine.
