How Marketing Can Own Go-to-Market (Instead of Just Supporting Sales)

Tired of being seen as sales support? David Heyworth reveals how marketing leaders can break free from the order-taking trap and own the entire go-to-market motion. From building sales discovery teams that report to marketing to creating personalised experiences that win enterprise deals, David shares battle-tested strategies for transforming marketing from a cost centre into a revenue-driving growth engine. Discover how shifting the focus from lead generation to revenue unlocks more strategic impact, strengthens alignment with sales, and drives meaningful growth through account-based selling. Key Takeaways Stop talking leads, start talking revenue - Frame your impact as "$1M in pipeline opportunities" not "100 MQLs generated"Own the sales discovery process - Build SDR teams that report to marketing for full funnel controlBe in the room where it happens - Get marketing into weekly sales meetings as strategic partners, not vendorsAccount-based selling beats ABM - Focus on "us" outcomes, not just marketing campaignsListen with intention - Use "two ears, one mouth" to gather sales intelligence and customer insightsProve your model first - Start with sales champions, show results, then scale across the organisationCustomer intimacy is your B2B superpower - Direct customer engagement beats digital analytics every timeAI is your wingman, not your replacement - Use it to scale content creation and personalisation efforts Memorable Moments The "crickets" story: How poor event execution taught valuable lessons about sales alignmentThe Defence Coin case study: Creating meaningful, personalised experiences that cement relationshipsThe conversion breakthrough: How rapid response transformed lead quality Who Should Listen: Marketing leaders frustrated with being seen as support functions, CMOs looking to drive revenue ownership, and anyone struggling with sales-marketing alignment in complex B2B environments. Subscribe to the xG Weekly Newsletter for weekly insights on B2B growth across APAC: https://xgrowth.com.au/newsletter