The SLA: The constitution of your revenue team
Shared KPIs are not enough. You need binding rules. Here is how a service level agreement between marketing and sales works, and where it fails in practice.
The situation: why shared KPIs alone do not work
Shared KPIs are often presented as the cure for marketing and sales alignment. The first step does work: transparency appears and both teams look at the same numbers.
Then a new question comes up: who does what when the numbers are off?
Both sides look at identical metrics and interpret them very differently. Assigning blame gets nobody anywhere, because there is simply no agreement on what counts.
This is exactly where the SLA starts. A service level agreement is not complicated. It documents your agreement, what you do and what you measure. It is the constitution of the revenue team: binding, clear and measurable.
Around 53%* of GTM teams report that marketing leads are not worked or that sales receives low quality contacts. An SLA addresses precisely that gap.
Marketing sees
We delivered 100 SQLs.
Sales sees
Only 30 of them are usable.
53%
of GTM teams struggle with unworked leads or low quality contacts*
* Source listed at the end of the page
An operational definition
What is an SLA between marketing and sales?
In this context an SLA is not a contract between your company and a customer. An SLA between marketing and sales is an internal contract.
Definitions
When does a lead count as sales ready?
Response times
How fast does sales react to a handover?
Activities
How many contact attempts are mandatory?
Returns
When does a lead go back into nurturing?
Ownership
Who documents what in the CRM?
Escalation
What happens when the rules are not followed?
The key point: an SLA is not a control instrument. It records that you discussed something and agreed on it.
Without an SLA
Good intentions, individual interpretation, recurring debates.
With an SLA
Tangible, measurable commitments with clear ownership on both sides.
The operational substance
The 5 pressing questions your SLA has to answer
An SLA is only as good as the questions it answers. These five decide whether the document is lived or ends up in a drawer.
The problem
Marketing says the download counts. Sales says the role has to fit. Nobody is wrong, there simply is no shared definition.
The solution
A reliable MQL and SQL criteria set combines two types of data: firmographic data such as company size, industry, region and revenue, and behavioural data such as website visits, content downloads, pricing page views and engagement patterns.
A neutral lead scoring model owned by a central RevOps function weights these data points transparently. That is how you get leads that are genuinely ready for sales.
Practical example
Not like this, but like that
Not: whitepaper downloaded equals MQL. Instead: whitepaper downloaded, pricing page visited three times, role is a decision maker and the company matches the ICP. That is objective, reproducible and can be modelled in the CRM.
The practical path in 5 steps
How to write an SLA in practice
An SLA is not created in a slide deck. It is created in workshops where both teams actually sit down together.
- 1
Week 1
Take stock
What already exists? Which processes are documented and how do they really work day to day? Lived practice matters more than theory.
- 2
Week 1 to 2
Shared target picture
Both teams define what they are working towards. This target picture is written down and becomes the basis for the coming months.
- 3
Week 2 to 3
Definitions and criteria
What is an MQL, what is an SQL? Which combination of fit, behaviour, role and company context makes a lead sales ready?
- 4
Week 3 to 4
Handover and return
When does sales accept a lead, on what grounds can it reject one, how does the lead return to nurturing and how is that documented?
- 5
Week 4 to 5
KPIs, tracking and escalation
Which metrics do you steer together, how are they measured and what happens when one side does not deliver?
This is not a major programme. With focused work, a solid SLA is ready in 4 to 5 weeks alongside daily business.
From practice
Common mistakes when introducing an SLA
Too many criteria, too complex
The problem
The SLA grows to 20 pages and defines cases that never occur. After two weeks nobody remembers what is in it.
The solution
As much as necessary, as little as possible. A good SLA fits on 2 to 3 pages. If it gets longer, it is too complex.
Decided at the top, not lived
The problem
Management signs off the SLA and expects marketing and sales to execute it. They were not involved, so resistance follows.
The solution
Involve the teams early. Workshops instead of top down mandates. The process of creating it matters as much as the result.
Written once, then forgotten
The problem
The SLA is considered finished. Six months later it no longer fits because market, products and processes have moved on.
The solution
Monthly reviews, an annual deep check and the willingness to adjust criteria as soon as they stop working.
Want to see what a workable SLA looks like in concrete terms?
What to watch out for
The five most common pitfalls in SLA operations
These points decide whether your SLA still has an effect after six months. Check them before you roll out, not after.
Commission structures not adjusted
If marketing is incentivised on lead volume and sales on closing, conflict is built in. The SLA cannot resolve that, the incentive structure has to be aligned.
No RevOps ownership
An SLA needs an owner who manages data, facilitates meetings and keeps the document current. Without that role the SLA slowly dies.
Lead definition stays vague
Qualified means something different to everyone. You need concrete criteria instead of abstract descriptions, otherwise the definition debate returns.
Targets too high or too low
Unrealistic targets get ignored, targets that are too low teach you nothing. Set a baseline with real data, then optimise step by step.
No documentation in the CRM
Whatever is not documented in the CRM does not exist. Every lead event, rejection and reason belongs in the system, otherwise you cannot measure.
Who is involved
Introducing an SLA: who needs to be in the room?
An SLA is a team project. These roles belong at the table:
Head of Marketing & Head of Sales
Strategy, commitment and incentive structures.
RevOps Manager
Technical ownership, CRM setup and automation.
Marketing Operations
Processes and data quality.
Sales Operations
Lead handling and CRM logic.
Frontline teams
One or two representatives per team to sanity check feasibility.
Anything that looks good on paper but fails in daily work is worthless. That is why the people doing the work belong in the room from day one.
Ready to adapt
SLA example: what a working document looks like
So you do not have to start from a blank page, here is a condensed SLA example from practice. Not perfect for your company, but a solid base to adapt.
Marketing & Sales SLA, example company
- Definitions
-
- ICP: companies with 50 to 500 employees, DACH region, revenue above 5 million euros
- MQL: company matches the ICP and shows at least 2 behavioural signals (website visited 3x per month, content download, pricing page visited)
- SQL: MQL plus sales qualification on role, timeline and identified budget
- SAL (optional): lead accepted but not yet sales ready
- Marketing commitments
-
- Delivers at least 100 MQLs per month
- At least 70% of MQLs match the ICP, based on historical data
- Data fully documented: company, role, behaviour, source
- Sales commitments
-
- Contacts 95% of MQLs within 4 business hours
- Accepts or rejects within 48 hours
- At least 3 contact attempts per lead via call, email and LinkedIn
- Feedback including the reason documented in the CRM
- Return & nurturing
-
- Rejected leads go back to marketing
- Rejection reason documented: budget, timing, fit or other
- Marketing re-nurtures for 6 months or until a new buying signal appears
- Monitoring
-
- Automated tracking in the CRM
- Monthly review meeting, 30 minutes
- Quarterly strategic adjustment
- Escalation
-
- If SLA targets are missed two months in a row, both function leads meet
- Decision on adjusting targets, training or additional resources
Take the structure, replace the numbers with your own baselines and have both teams sign off.
Want to make your SLA binding in practice, not just on paper?
Your next step
An SLA is not optional
An SLA is the foundation that makes marketing and sales alignment actually work.
The good news: you are not starting from zero. You already have processes and data. You need to document both and make them binding.
01
Do it yourself
Work through the five steps with your team and document the results in one shared document.
02
Start from the example
Take the SLA example on this page and adapt it to your numbers and processes.
03
Guided support
In a free 30 minute intro call we show you how to build an SLA that works. No detours, no theory.
Together we build
the bridge
Every week without a functioning pipeline costs you more than 30 minutes of your time. In the initial consultation (free, 30 minutes) you get an outside perspective on your situation. No pitch. Then you decide.
Frequently asked questions about the marketing and sales SLA
Source
* 53% of GTM teams report that marketing leads are not worked or that sales receives low quality contacts. influ2.com, Sales & Marketing Alignment Statistics Report