The People pillar of RM6 focuses on leadership, collaboration, and talent development—three critical areas that impact how effectively marketing teams execute revenue-driven strategies.

Core Components of the People Pillar

1. Leadership and Management

  • Leadership effectiveness
  • Strategic decision-making
  • Driving a revenue-focused culture

2. Team Dynamics and Collaboration

  • Cross-functional marketing and sales alignment
  • Breaking down silos
  • Stakeholder engagement

3. Talent and Workforce Development

  • Workforce planning and skill development
  • Performance management
  • Retention strategies for high-impact teams

When marketing teams get these elements right, they create a culture of accountability, agility, and impact, ensuring that every marketing action is tied to revenue outcomes.

Leadership and Management: Driving Revenue Accountability

The Shift from Activity-Based to Revenue-Based Leadership

In traditional marketing, leadership focused on branding, campaign execution, and lead generation. However, revenue marketing demands a fundamental shift—leaders must align marketing’s success with revenue outcomes.

What Makes a Revenue Marketing Leader?

Revenue marketing leaders are:

  • Strategic Thinkers – They focus on pipeline contribution, customer lifetime value (CLV), and marketing ROI.
  • Data-Driven Decision Makers – They use predictive analytics, AI, and automation to inform marketing investments.
  • Customer-Centric – They align marketing, sales, and customer success to optimize the entire revenue funnel.
  • Change Agents – They drive digital transformation and break down silos between marketing and sales.

Leadership and Management Effectiveness: What’s Required?

Revenue marketing leaders must:

1. Define a Revenue-Centric Vision – Establish clear goals for marketing’s role in revenue generation.

2. Empower Teams with Decision-Making – Allow marketing teams to own revenue impact, not just lead volume.

3. Build a Culture of Accountability – Every marketing dollar spent must have a measurable business impact.

4. Invest in Skills and Training – Ensure teams are data-literate, AI-savvy, and customer-focused.

💡 Leadership in Action: High-growth B2B companies have CMOs who sit at the revenue table with sales and finance. They drive strategic investments in ABM, AI-powered demand gen, and multi-touch attribution models to justify marketing’s budget.

Team Dynamics and Collaboration: Aligning Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success

Breaking Down Silos for Full-Funnel Success

Marketing, sales, and customer success have historically operated in functional silos, leading to:

  • Disconnected customer experiences
  • Misaligned messaging and engagement efforts
  • •Leads slipping through the cracks

Revenue marketing demands integration across these teams to create a unified revenue-generating machine.

Cross-Functional Collaboration: How It Works

Revenue marketing breaks down silos by ensuring:

1. Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success Share KPIs

  • Pipeline velocity, revenue influence, and customer retention become shared metrics.

2. ABM and Demand Generation Are Fully Integrated

  • Target accounts receive coordinated marketing and sales outreach.

3. Customer Success Plays a Role in Marketing

  • Customer marketing focuses on upsells, cross-sells, and renewals.

4. Tech Stack Enables Seamless Hand-Offs

  • CRM, marketing automation, and AI tools provide real-time engagement tracking.

💡 Collaboration in Action: Leading revenue marketing teams co-own pipeline with sales and have shared revenue targets to ensure full alignment.

Stakeholder Alignment: Securing Executive Buy-In

Revenue marketing isn’t just a marketing initiative—it’s a company-wide transformation. Securing executive and cross-departmental buy-in is critical for success.

How to Align Stakeholders:

1. Show Revenue Impact Early – Prove that marketing can predictably influence pipeline and revenue.

2. Engage Finance and Sales Leadership – Ensure CFOs and CROs understand the ROI of marketing programs.

3. Advocate for a Shared Revenue Model – Position marketing as a business growth driver, not just a lead generator.

💡 Stakeholder Buy-In in Action: Leading companies have Revenue Operations (RevOps) teams that bridge marketing, sales, and customer success to optimize revenue performance.

Talent and Workforce Development: Building a Revenue-Ready Marketing Team

Workforce Planning: The Skills Marketing Teams Need

Revenue marketing requires a different skill set than traditional marketing. To compete, teams need:

  • AI and Data Analytics Proficiency – Understanding customer intent, predictive modeling, and attribution analysis.
  • Tech Stack Mastery – Hands-on experience with CRM, marketing automation, and RevOps platforms.
  • Sales and Customer Experience Knowledge – Marketing must speak the language of sales and customer success.
  • Agility and Adaptability – The ability to pivot campaigns, test new tactics, and optimize in real time.

💡 Workforce Planning in Action: High-performing marketing teams invest in continuous learning, certifications, and AI-based training programs.

Skill Development and Enablement: Upskilling for Revenue Impact

To stay competitive, marketing teams must continually develop new competencies.

Key Areas for Skill Development:

1. Revenue Attribution and Analytics – Training in multi-touch attribution, predictive modeling, and customer journey analysis.

2. AI and Automation – Mastering tools like chatbots, AI-driven content generation, and real-time personalization.

3. Sales Enablement – Learning to create high-impact sales content and support pipeline acceleration.

4. Customer Lifecycle Marketing – Understanding retention, loyalty, and expansion strategies.

💡 Training in Action: Leading companies establish Marketing Centers of Excellence to upskill teams on revenue-driven marketing strategies.

Performance Management and Retention: Keeping Top Talent

Retention is a major challenge in marketing, with professionals often leaving due to:

  • Unclear career paths
  • Lack of revenue accountability
  • Minimal investment in training and development

To retain high-impact marketing talent, companies must:

1. Tie Compensation to Revenue Impact – Reward marketers for pipeline contribution and revenue growth.

2. Provide Career Growth Paths – Offer AI, analytics, and leadership training.

3. Invest in Employee Well-Being – Avoid burnout by ensuring manageable workloads and clear priorities.

💡 Retention in Action: Revenue marketing teams that link performance to business outcomes have higher job satisfaction and lower turnover.

The Future of People in Revenue Marketing

As marketing evolves, the People pillar will continue to play a critical role in revenue marketing success.

What’s Next?

1. AI-Driven Talent Development – AI will personalize training, mentorship, and career development.

2. Revenue-Based Marketing Certifications – Organizations will require revenue marketing credentials to validate expertise.

3. Chief Revenue Marketers (CRMs) – The role of marketing leaders will shift toward direct revenue ownership.

💡 Final Takeaway: Revenue marketing is not just about technology or tactics—it’s about people. The teams that lead, collaborate, and grow together will be the ones that drive predictable, scalable revenue.

Final Thought: Is Your Team Ready for Revenue Marketing?

Transforming marketing into a revenue-generating function requires a team that is data-driven, revenue-focused, and deeply collaborative.

🔹 Does your team have the right leadership in place?

🔹 Are marketing, sales, and customer success fully aligned?

🔹 Do you have a workforce plan that prioritizes revenue impact?

If not, it’s time to invest in the people who will power your revenue marketing transformation.