This problem has plagued sales and marketing organizations for as long as these functions have existed. Companies are investing huge amounts of money in martech stacks and sales databases, only to see them underperform – not because of the technology itself, but because of poor input.
The problem lies mainly in the qualified, highly committed contacts that the sales force holds tightly – like pearls in their hands.
For years, the prevailing theory has been that sales doesn’t want marketing to get anywhere near its most valuable relationships. Sales managers often attribute the problem to competing priorities or a general lack of interest in “data entry.” Interpret that as you wish.
The visibility gap
I’ve encountered this problem repeatedly when mapping content consumption throughout the buying journey. Typically, we can only associate 10% to 15% of sales contacts with measurable marketing activities, such as downloading content, attending events, or other interactions.
However, recently we had the opportunity to take a look under the hood.
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A customer shared their contacts, intent data, engagement data and – most importantly – sales email correspondence linked to active opportunities across more than a dozen accounts. The data covered hundreds of emails exchanged over a seven-month period. In some cases we have seen opportunities from the start; in other cases we jumped into the middle of the stream and followed them until they closed.
We mapped the emails chronologically and tracked each individual involved in the conversations. Only after reviewing the full sequence of these communications did the real reason why salespeople aren’t entering new contacts into the database become clear.
Where do all these names come from?
The first question we wanted to answer was simple: where do these new contacts come from – and why?
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What we found was remarkably consistent. As deals progress, new contacts often appear at three different points in the sales process:
- Demo requests: These usually expand the purchasing group by an average of seven to ten people.
- Test setup: This phase typically introduces three to five additional contacts, often with stakeholders from other regions within global organizations.
- Final presentation: At this stage, purchasing and financing often come into the picture, and if the presentation takes place on site, more participants often show up.
Why don’t representatives enter the names?
Contrary to popular belief, this is not about laziness or disinterest. It’s about focus.
As the window of opportunity closes, the activity between the prospect and the salesperson increases – sometimes dramatically. Last-minute trial setups, contract negotiations, and master service agreements consume virtually all of the rep’s time and attention.
The excitement of a potential win – like the smell of blood in the water for sharks – sends reps into a sales frenzy. Their behavior becomes almost completely reactive.
New contacts who do not directly participate in the email threads are considered peripherals. In practice they become invisible. This blind spot is especially pronounced when insight matters most.
Why would you enter them at all? What is the advantage?
What most reps don’t realize – given their narrow focus on closing the deal – is that these late-stage participants often struggle to get up to speed.
They visit the company website.
- They look for case studies.
- They download white papers.
- They watch on-demand videos.
Their goal is simple: to be informed enough to influence the final decision.
That behavior is exactly what makes them valuable.
If-and it’s a big ifIf reps take the time to enter these contacts into the database, their sudden spike in activity can surface powerful intent signals.
An example from practice
On one occasion, a CEO began the buying process shortly before an on-site presentation. The decision came down to the incumbent supplier and our customer.
That CEO searched for a specific term more than 35 times in two weeks.
By identifying the contact person, that insight emerged. The sales team redesigned the final presentation to focus heavily on that topic and connect it directly to the customer’s value proposition.
They won the deal.
The solution is cultural, not technical
This is not a Salesforce problem.
It’s not a HubSpot problem.
And it’s certainly not a marketing problem.
It is a process and mentality problem.
The most valuable buying signals often appear leave into the sales cycle, introduced by stakeholders who were not part of the initial conversations. If these contacts never enter the system, organizations lose visibility at the precise moment when insight can influence outcomes.
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Sales teams don’t need more tools; they need a clearer understanding of the benefits. Capturing late-stage contacts isn’t about helping marketing create better reports. It’s about giving sales an unfair advantage: real-time insight into what decision makers care about most.
When these contacts are entered, the intent data lights up. Content consumption becomes visible. Messages can be customized. Presentations become sharper. Improve win rates.
Until organizations address this blind spot, marketing will continue to appear ineffective, intent data will appear incomplete, and sales teams will unknowingly leave influence on the table.
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