Right now, we’re hearing a lot from revenue leaders — and the pattern is clear. From startups trying to make their next round of funding, to scaleups recalibrating their GTM strategy, to enterprise teams reassessing their tech stack — everyone’s talking about the same handful of challenges.

Right now, we’re hearing a lot from revenue leaders — and the pattern is clear.

From startups trying to make their next round of funding, to scaleups recalibrating their GTM strategy, to enterprise teams reassessing their tech stack — everyone’s talking about the same handful of challenges. And they’re not small ones:

  • Pipeline is unpredictable
  • Inbound isn’t converting fast enough
  • Outbound is noisy and low yield
  • Sales teams are spending too much time qualifying, not enough time closing
  • The demand to do more with less is still there
  • Everyone’s mandated to figure out their AI Strategy, but not sure what to do

We’ve been listening closely. Here are the top five things we’re hearing most often from CMOs, Heads of Demand Gen, and RevOps leaders right now — and how some teams are starting to respond.

1. Inbound is busy, but not qualified

Many marketing teams are successfully driving form fills — through paid, content, and events. But pipeline isn’t keeping up. The real issue? There’s no consistent way to separate high-fit buyers from junk leads in real time.

What we’re hearing:

  • “We don’t know who’s actually worth our time until it’s too late.”
  • “There’s no middle layer between MQL and SQL – so sales are overwhelmed or ignore it all.”

What teams are trying:

  • Enriching leads with revenue and tech data on submission
  • Auto-routing based on ICP-fit + buying signals
  • Introducing a light-touch nurture layer for everyone else

2. SDRs are stuck in qualification mode

In a lot of teams, SDRs spend 70–80% of their time qualifying leads — not booking meetings with serious buyers. That leads to slow response times, missed windows, and inconsistent follow-up.

What we’re hearing:

  • “Our SDRs are babysitting junk leads.”
  • “We’re leaking too many deals by not moving fast enough.”

What teams are trying:

  • Automating the early triage of all inbound leads
  • Escalating only high-fit leads to human follow-up
  • Using AI agents to handle the first few touches

3. Speed to first touch is still too slow

The first 15 minutes matter. And yet, many teams still take hours — sometimes days — to follow up. That delay crushes conversion rates, especially for PPC or event-driven leads.

What we’re hearing:

  • “We’ve got SLAs… but we don’t hit them.”
  • “We’re just not fast enough to compete.”

What teams are trying:

  • Setting up AI assistants to instantly respond, qualify, and schedule
  • Connecting inbound forms directly to smart routing workflows
  • Nudging buyers across channels (email, SMS, LinkedIn) within minutes

4. Sales teams don’t trust lead quality

Because the signal-to-noise ratio is poor, a lot of reps are simply ignoring inbound leads. That’s leaving a ton of value on the table — and creating friction between sales and marketing.

What we’re hearing:

  • “AEs want to prospect, not babysit MQLs.”
  • “There’s a trust issue with inbound — it’s seen as low value.”

What teams are trying:

  • Giving sales visibility into lead scores and buyer context
  • Pre-qualifying using firmographic and behavioural data
  • Routing only the best-fit leads to AEs, instantly

5. Everyone wants to do more with less

Budgets are tight. Teams are lean. Leaders are under pressure to drive more pipeline with fewer resources. But that doesn’t mean slowing down — it means getting smarter with what you’ve got.

What we’re hearing:

  • “We can’t hire more SDRs — we need to automate.”
  • “We’ve got leads. We just need to convert them better.”

What teams are trying:

  • Building leaner, faster lead workflows with automation
  • Using AI to qualify, score, and schedule meetings 24/7
  • Prioritising revenue efficiency over pure volume

6. Everyone’s mandated to figure out their AI strategy, but not sure what to do

There’s pressure from the top to "get ahead of AI" — but most teams don’t know where to start. The result? A lot of vague initiatives with no clear commercial impact.

What we’re hearing:

  • “We need to show we’re using AI… but we’re not sure how it helps us hit number.”
  • “There’s a gap between experimentation and execution.”

What teams are trying:

  • Starting with practical use cases: lead triage, qualification, and routing
  • Layering AI into existing workflows (instead of ripping them up)
  • Focusing on revenue outcomes, not AI for AI’s sake

Zooming out

The theme here isn’t that leads are down or that marketing isn’t working. It’s that the middle of the funnel is broken — and that fixing it is the fastest, cheapest way to increase revenue right now.

We’re spending a lot of time helping teams rewire their lead journeys so they can:

  • Respond faster to high-intent buyers
  • Automatically nurture everyone else
  • Keep sales focused on what they do best

If that’s a conversation you’re having internally, we’re always happy to share what we’re seeing.

Schedule a time to speak with us.