Why MQLs Are Broken (And What to Measure Instead)

B2B marketers are under pressure to generate pipeline. But the truth is, most of us are stuck operating inside a broken GTM system that was never built for how buyers actually buy.

In this episode, we’re joined by Steve Patti — 7x CMO, 3x sales leader, and creator of the Brand Demand Expand framework — alongside Adem Manderovic, co-founder of CRO School and architect of Closed Circuit Selling.

Together, we unpack why the MQL became marketing’s biggest mistake, how misaligned incentives broke sales and marketing, and how to rebuild your go-to-market so it’s actually commercially viable.

Steve shares real stories — including how he used account intelligence to guide $200M in CapEx — and outlines the system he used to align sales, marketing, and product around real buyer needs.

Tune in and learn:

+ Why MQLs are based on “fantasy intent” — and what to track instead

+ How to replace lead gen with real account intelligence

+ What sales, marketing, and CS need to align on to win deals (and renew them)

If you’re a B2B marketer frustrated with misaligned GTM motions, noisy Martech promises, and the pressure to deliver pipeline from people not ready to buy — this episode is a must-watch.

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00:00 Why MQLs Are a Lie We Keep Telling Ourselves

02:10 Sales and Marketing Broke Each Other

04:00 How Martech Incentivised the Wrong Behaviours

06:00 The Rise of GTM Engineers (and Why It’s Dangerous)

07:30 What Sales Used to Measure vs. Today’s Mess

09:00 From Carrying the Bag to Calling the Bluff

12:00 Brand Still Matters More Than Martech Tells You

15:00 Why “Create Demand” is the Wrong Idea

17:00 The Real GTM Fix: Start With Account Intelligence

19:30 Cataloguing the Market: The Mid-Market Hosting Playbook

23:00 A Real Example of ABM Done Right

26:00 The Problem With ABM Without ABS

28:00 Make Marketing the Wingman, Not the Hero

30:00 Stop Guessing: Why Marketing Shouldn’t Chase Intent

33:00 Micro-Events That Actually Move Pipeline

36:00 IVP Fit: Ideal Vendor Profile vs Ideal Customer Profile

39:00 Don’t Waste Sales Time on Unwinnable Deals

41:00 Sales Looks Right to Left, Marketing Left to Right

44:00 Closed Lost Isn’t the End—It’s an Opportunity

47:00 When CS Is Set Up to Fail From the Start

50:00 Reactivating Lost Deals With Class

54:00 The Real Reason So Many GTM Systems Fail

57:00 How PE and VC Killed Long-Term Thinking

1:00:00 The Problem With Building to Sell, Not to Last

1:03:00 Want Behaviour Change? Fix Beliefs, Not Just KPIs

1:06:00 The Pyramid of Beliefs, Values, and Actions

1:09:00 How to Convince the C-Suite to Change GTM

1:12:00 Final Thoughts: This Isn’t Just a Sales Problem...