When sales shrugs at your marketing magic (and what to do instead)
You know that feeling? You pour hours — no, days — into crafting the perfect content, sales sheets, one-pagers, emails, battle cards, and that deck you were genuinely proud of. And then… crickets from Sales.
Guess what? You’re not alone. According to industry research, up to 90% of marketing content never gets used by sales. Yes, really. That’s not just bad luck… it’s a systemic disconnect and a massive opportunity.
Here’s the honest truth: Sales doesn’t ignore your material because they hate you. They ignore it because it doesn’t help them close deals, at least not the way they sell. But once you understand why sales skips your collateral (and what to do about it), you don’t just “fix” the problem, you become the go-to marketer who actually drives revenue.
1. First: Stop assuming you know what sales needs
If marketing and sales were friends, they’d be BFFs. But in most orgs? “Talk soon” means never.
Here’s the rub: Sometimes marketing creates materials based on brand voice and a gut feel, while sales wants ready-to-use templates that help them hit quotas today. That gap is real and measurable.
Solution:
➡️ Sit down with sales leaders and ask what KPIs they are measured on, e.g., number of calls, pipeline touches, demos scheduled, booked revenue. Materials must help them hit those goals.
Think of it like building a tool for a plumber, you might think they want a pretty hammer, but what they actually need is a wrench that fits the pipe.
2. Make materials easy to find and use
If your deck lives in 14 folders across 3 systems, good luck. Sales won’t hunt for it (they’re busy selling).
Quick wins:
▸ Centralize content in one shared, searchable system
▸ Tag materials by buyer persona, sales stage, industry
▸ Add quick notes like: “Use with new leads → helps overcome pricing objections”
Make opening your content feel easier than Googling “coffee memes for Monday.”
3. Include sales before you create materials
Stop waiting until your masterpiece is finished only to hear, “We won’t use it.” That’s like launching a movie before getting feedback from test audiences… risky.
Instead:
➡️ Co-create with sales: Interview reps, sit in on calls, ask for objections they hear most often. Materials crafted with this input are dramatically more likely to be used.
You’ll also build trust, which data shows is a huge factor in adoption. When sales feels heard — they use what you produce.
4. Train, don’t dump
Yes, that beautiful playbook you built? Great. But if you give sales a PDF and hit “send,” adoption will still be low. Why? Because sales often doesn’t know how to use the new material in real scenarios.
Better approach:
▸ Host micro-training sessions
▸ Provide real examples (“Here’s how Jane from XYZ used this page to close a deal”)
▸ Use role-plays in team meetings
Even the best tools fail without training. Think of it like handing someone a Ferrari and never explaining the gears.
5. Get analytical: See what works and what flops
Use analytics tools to track what content is used, clicked, forwarded, or NOT touched. This helps you spot patterns and iterate quickly.
Metrics you can track:
▸ Downloads per rep
▸ Email opens with content attachments
▸ Deal stage where content was used
▸ Content that correlated with closed business
Pro tip: Share these insights with sales. When they see data showing that your material helps close deals, they’ll start using it more.
6. Create materials sales can customize
One of the top reasons content goes unused? Sales can’t adapt it to the unique buyer sitting across from them.
Your materials should be:
▸ Easy to personalize (insert customer name/value props)
▸ Modular (don’t be afraid of components instead of monolithic PDFs)
▸ Action-oriented (e.g., templates with fill-in fields)
If sales can bend it, they’re more likely to bend it to their advantage — and actually use it.
Real examples of what works
Here’s how smart marketers have made adoption happen:
Example 1: Instead of a 20-page guide, break it into:
▸ Quick objection cheat sheet
▸ One-page buyer value map
▸ Demo scripting examples
Sales uses snippets, not novels.
Example 2: Set up a weekly “Content on Deck” 10-min sales toast:
Share what’s new, how reps can use it this week, and gather objections. Short, punchy, actual practice drills.
Example 3: You present case studies with sample talk-tracks. Not just the story, but the words to say.
The bottom line: Make Marketing part of the Sales narrative
If sales ignores your materials, it’s not a personal insult, it’s a signal that something in your go-to-market needs alignment. Close the gap with collaboration, accessibility, data, and practical workflows, and you transform marketing from a cost center into a revenue engine.
Whether you’re leading marketing in a startup or an enterprise, these steps are your roadmap from “unused PDF” to must-use sales content.
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