Beyond the Blame Game: Building Real Sales & Marketing Partnerships
- lmahrra
- Jul 11, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 28, 2025
How Empathy, Curiosity, and Candid Conversations Create High-Performing Teams
Are you tired of the age-old “sales vs. marketing” tug of war? In this episode of Uncomfortable Conversations, I'm joined by Mark Pembroke, Senior Account Manager at Core Technology Solutions, to break down the walls between these two critical teams. Discover what it really takes to turn friction into fuel, drive revenue, and build a business culture where everyone wins.
In most companies, the relationship between sales and marketing is misunderstood, combative, or stuck in a rut. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Louise and Mark bring decades of frontline experience—and plenty of honest stories—to reveal how genuine connection, shared goals, and a little vulnerability transform teams from rivals to true partners.
Key Talking Points:
From Adversaries to Allies: Why the “us vs. them” mindset is outdated, and how to replace it with empathy and shared KPIs.
Building Trust, One Conversation at a Time: Why curiosity and a simple “How can I help?” are the keys to unlocking alignment.
Fail Fast, Learn Faster: How honest feedback, data-driven decisions, and a willingness to call it quits on underperforming campaigns fuel real progress.
Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast: How values, leadership buy-in, and a sense of belonging drive long-term success plus the inside story behind Core Technologies’ award-winning campaigns.
Busting the Biggest Myths: Mark’s candid take on the combative reputation of sales and marketing, and why the real win is always about the team.
Jump-to Timestamps
00:00 – 02:00: Louise’s intro & why this topic matters
04:10 – 06:50: Mark’s story: frontline experience and lessons from 15 years at Core
08:00 – 13:00: What gold-standard sales & marketing alignment looks like in practice
16:00 – 21:00: Quick wins, “How can I help?” and building trust from day one
23:00 – 26:00: Vulnerability, ego, and the power of honest feedback
29:00 – 32:00: When things go wrong: Stopping, learning, and starting again
36:30 – 41:30: The culture factor - why belonging and values matter
45:50 – End: Busting myths & the final takeaway: “It’s not about you, it’s about the team”
Listen Now
Ready to move beyond the blame game and build real partnerships? Listen to the full episode below or jump to the moments that matter most.
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