How do you measure the so needed collaboration between marketing and sales?

Laura: IMO, the key to this is metrics that bridge the lands of these two divides, creating a common language with which to understand what's being achieved in Sales from what's being done by Sales + Marketing. Best example: the time + effort it's taking Reps to get into conversations with buyers, and advance them thru each stage of the buyer journey. Compared + contrasted by lead source + lead score.

FYI, I admire what firms like Marketo and Eloqua are doing in terms of Revenue Performance Management. The problem with such metrics is that they're triggered by the ending of each opportunity. I prefer metrics that precede won/lost analyses. Metrics that can affect wins and losses. Metrics that show how the day-to-day success of sales reps is being affected by activities + tactics. With real-time analytics like the ones I'm advocating, you get shorter decision cycles; this lets you catch + fix mistakes faster. It also creates a more on-going dialogue between sales + marketing in terms of how to optimize the sales impacts of their collective efforts.

Trust this adds some value. - John