What B2B Tech Marketers Can Do in a Pipeline Growth Crisis…
How are the best marketing teams working around the current economic uncertainty and driving results when 74% report longer sales cycles? The friction for B2B marketing in 2025 presents a stark dichotomy: while most teams struggle with mounting challenges, a select group of high performers continues to excel. The 2025 Pipeline360 survey of 534 B2B marketing professionals across the US, UK, Europe, and Asia reveals exactly what separates the winners from the rest. Here, we look at the six critical success factors in detail.
The Perfect Storm Facing B2B Marketers
The data paints a sobering picture of the current marketing environment. Economic uncertainty tops the list of challenges, with 45% of marketers citing it as their primary concern. This uncertainty cascades into other significant obstacles that are reshaping how marketing teams operate. Unrealistic leadership expectations plague 36% of marketing teams, creating pressure to deliver more with less. Meanwhile, declining buyer engagement affects 33% of organisations, manifesting in reduced email open rates and fewer form fills – critical metrics that directly impact pipeline generation.
Perhaps most challenging of all, 63% of organisations report that marketing budgets remain stagnant or are actively shrinking. This budget constraint creates a vicious cycle where teams must scale programs and drive revenue growth with fewer resources than ever before. Adding fuel to the fire, 74% of marketers report experiencing longer sales cycles, with 41% seeing moderate to significant increases of two to six months. These extended cycles force marketing teams to sustain engagement over prolonged periods, particularly in the crucial middle and bottom-of-funnel stages where drop-offs are increasingly common.
The High Performer Advantage: Six Critical Success Factors
Despite these challenges, high-performing marketing teams are not just surviving – they’re thriving. The research identified six key areas where top performers significantly outpace their struggling counterparts, with percentage point spreads that reveal the stark divide between success and failure.
- Data Utilisation – The most significant differentiator between high and low performers lies in data handling capabilities. An impressive 79% of high performers report being very good or excellent at data utilisation, compared to just 14% of low performers – a staggering 65-point percentage gap. This data mastery translates into more informed decision-making, better audience targeting, and improved campaign optimisation. High performers use data not just to measure performance but to predict and influence buyer behaviour throughout the customer journey.
- Streamlined Tech Stacks – The second-largest gap emerges in technology optimisation, with 72% of high performers reporting fully optimised and impactful or streamlined tech stacks versus only 12% of low performers – a 60-point difference. This finding challenges the common assumption that more tools equal better results. Instead, high performers focus on creating cohesive, integrated technology ecosystems that enhance rather than complicate their marketing operations. They prioritise tools that work together seamlessly rather than accumulating disparate solutions.
- Consistent Buyer Engagement – High performers also excel at reaching their target audiences and buying groups, with 72% reporting effectiveness in this area compared to 12% of low performers – another 60-point gap. This success in buyer engagement becomes increasingly valuable as traditional channels face declining performance. While others struggle with reduced email engagement and form submissions, high performers find ways to maintain meaningful connections with their prospects throughout extended sales cycles.
- Superior Lead Nurturing – The lead nurturing gap shows 69% of high performers rating their capabilities as very good or excellent, while only 10% of low performers achieve this level – a 59-point spread. Given the reality of longer sales cycles affecting nearly three-quarters of organisations, superior lead nurturing becomes a competitive necessity rather than a nice-to-have capability. High performers excel at maintaining prospect interest and moving opportunities forward even when buying decisions take longer to materialise.
- Above Average Content Quality – Content quality represents another significant differentiator, with 85% of high performers reporting very good or exceptional content versus 27% of low performers – a 58-point gap. This content excellence becomes particularly crucial as buyers become more selective about the information they consume. High-quality content not only attracts initial interest but sustains engagement throughout longer sales cycles, providing value that keeps prospects engaged even when purchasing decisions are delayed.
- Strong Marketing-Sales Alignment – Finally, marketing-sales alignment shows a 51-point gap, with 75% of high performers reporting mostly or fully aligned teams compared to 24% of low performers. This alignment proves especially valuable in the current environment, where longer sales cycles require sustained coordination between marketing and sales teams. When these functions work in harmony, organisations can maintain consistent messaging and engagement throughout extended buyer journeys.
AI and Personalisation
The survey reveals that artificial intelligence is emerging as a critical success enabler, though its application requires strategic thinking rather than blanket adoption. Data-driven personalisation leads the charge, with 52% of marketers identifying it as the top factor for improving lead nurturing. This statistic underscores the connection between data utilisation – the area where high performers show their largest advantage – and practical marketing execution. Generative AI also shows significant promise, with 36% of marketers seeing value in its application for content creation and email optimisation.
This technology addresses two critical needs: producing the high-quality content that differentiates top performers while scaling personalisation efforts that improve lead nurturing. The research positions AI as “the bridge between fragmented data and the personalised experiences buyers expect.” This framing suggests that successful AI implementation requires strong data foundations – another area where high performers excel.
Revenue Metrics Rise to the Top
The shift toward revenue-focused measurement reflects the increased pressure on marketing teams to demonstrate direct business impact. The most widely used metrics reveal a balanced approach that recognises both brand-building and demand generation activities. Website traffic leads at 43%, followed closely by revenue generated at 42%, and SQL (Sales Qualified Leads) at 39%. However, high-performing teams show a clear preference for revenue metrics, with 50% using revenue generated as their primary KPI. This metric prioritisation reflects a mature understanding that while traffic and leads matter, ultimate success depends on converting those metrics into actual revenue. High performers focus on outcomes rather than activities, measuring what matters most to business growth.
Strategic Implications for Tech Marketers
The research reveals several critical insights that should inform strategic planning for B2B tech marketing teams:
- Outcome Driven Solutions Over Tool Accumulation
Nearly 70% of B2B marketers favour actionable support and insights over additional tools. This preference signals a fundamental shift from technology accumulation to results generation. Tech marketers should focus on demonstrating clear ROI and practical value rather than featuring complexity or comprehensive capabilities.
- Sustained Engagement Strategies
With 74% of marketers facing longer sales cycles, tech marketing must evolve beyond initial lead generation to sustained relationship building. This requires content strategies, nurturing sequences and engagement tactics designed for extended buyer journeys rather than quick conversions.
- Data-Driven Personalisation at Scale
The emphasis on data utilisation and personalisation suggests that successful tech marketing increasingly depends on leveraging customer data to create relevant, timely experiences. Marketing teams need both the technical capabilities and strategic insights to turn data into personalised engagement.
- Integration Over Innovation
The focus on streamlined tech stacks and sales-marketing alignment indicates that integration capabilities often matter more than cutting-edge features. Tech marketers should emphasise how their solutions connect with existing workflows rather than replace them entirely.
High Performance Bluepring
The research suggests that 2025 represents an inflection point for B2B marketing. Economic pressures, longer sales cycles, and declining traditional metrics create challenges that require strategic rather than tactical responses. High performers demonstrate that success remains achievable through focused execution in six critical areas. Rather than seeking silver bullets or revolutionary approaches, these teams excel at fundamentals: leveraging data effectively, optimising their technology investments, maintaining buyer engagement, nurturing leads systematically, producing exceptional content, and aligning their sales and marketing efforts.
The role of AI emerges not as a replacement for human strategy but as an enabler of better execution. Successful teams use AI to enhance their data utilisation and content quality – two areas where high performers show significant advantages. For tech marketers, these findings suggest that success in 2025 requires a return to fundamentals enhanced by strategic technology adoption. The companies that thrive will be those that master the basics while thoughtfully integrating new capabilities that amplify their core strengths.
Key Actions for B2B Tech Marketing Leaders
The Pipeline360 research provides a roadmap for navigating current challenges while building sustainable competitive advantages:
- Focus on the above six differentiating factors where high performers excel, particularly data utilisation and tech stack optimisation.
- Invest in AI capabilities that enhance personalisation and content quality rather than adding complexity.
- Prepare for sustained buyer engagement throughout longer sales cycles by developing nurturing strategies designed for extended journeys.
- Most importantly, prioritise outcomes over activities. High performers measure what matters – revenue generation rather than vanity metrics.
This focus ensures that marketing efforts contribute directly to business growth rather than simply generating activity. The organisations that embrace these insights and execute them consistently will emerge stronger from current challenges, positioning themselves for sustained growth as market conditions eventually stabilise. The question isn’t whether these challenges will persist, but rather which teams will use them as catalysts for strategic advantage.
Read the full Pipeline360 report HERE
You may want to read: “2025 State of B2B Pipeline Growth Report – Summary”
