Welcome to "The Pipeline" — a weekly column from HubSpot, featuring actionable advice and insight from real sales leaders.
Some deals hit walls — that‘s just an unfortunate fact of sales life. As wonderful as it would be to have every sales engagement run smoothly end-to-end and amount to an amicable, productive resolution, that’s just not how things work.
Recent
How To Turn Customer Feedback Into A Competitive Intelligence Engine
In a competitive SaaS landscape where speed alone is insufficient, companies must pivot to effectively harness customer intelligence as a strategic asset. Maneesh Sharma, COO of TestMu AI,...
Marketing Makes More Decisions Than Ever, Insights Isn't Reaching Them
In a rapidly evolving marketing landscape, Steve Phillips highlights the shift from traditional high-stakes campaigns to a strategy of "lots of little" decisions. With AI-enabled tools, brands can...
Evergreen Content Is Over – The Individual Is The Only Strategy Left
This article explores the dramatic shift in content creation from established publishers to individual creators, particularly on platforms like Substack. It argues that journalists now build their...
Omniplatform Is The New Omnichannel: Here's How To Build Your Strategy
Discover how to elevate your marketing strategy with omniplatform management in this insightful article by Tom Zawacki. As consumer habits evolve, brands must connect their marketing channels and...
The Death Of Traditional Attribution: What Works In A Fragmented Media Landscape
In today's complex marketing landscape, traditional attribution models are proving inadequate. Adam Ortman, CEO of Kinetic319, highlights the evolution from last-click attribution to a layered...
Local Marketing Is Too Complex: What the Data Says & What To Do
In a world where multi-location marketers struggle to showcase ROI, this article emphasizes the necessity of integrating AI tools for effective local listing and review management. It advocates...
SaaSpocalypse: An Imminent Demise Of SaaS Or The New Moat-Building Era?
In this insightful article, Alexey Spas explores the evolving landscape of SaaS in the age of AI, debunking the notion of an impending "SaaSpocalypse." He presents three scenarios for SaaS's...
Planning for the J-Curve Dip in Marketing Transformation
Discover the crucial concept of the J-curve dip in marketing transformation, where short-term declines in productivity precede long-term gains, especially during shifts like AI adoption. This...
Content Creation Is Now Your Strongest Fundraising Asset. Here’s Why.
In a shifting venture capital landscape, emerging managers must pivot from traditional pitch decks to creating engaging newsletters, podcasts, and public writing to build trust and familiarity...
Cloudflare Moves To Make AI Pay For The Content It Consumes
Cloudflare is reshaping the internet with its concept of the Agentic Internet, aimed at addressing how generative AI impacts content creators. As AI extracts information without clicks, publishers...
Inside the CX Operating System: How Headless Architecture Redefines Enterprise Marketing's Job
Discover how enterprises can transform their marketing approach by adopting a CX Operating System—a strategic capability, not just a product. This article explains the critical shift from...
Navigating The New Pricing Paradigm For SaaS
In this insightful article, Steve Karp, Chief Innovation Officer at Unanet, examines the transformative impact of AI on SaaS pricing models. He outlines how traditional pricing structures are...
5 Reasons Why Identity Is Becoming B2B Marketing's Most Critical Asset
In a landscape filled with advanced marketing technologies, Paula Chiocchi reveals that the true challenge in B2B marketing lies in understanding buyer identity. As decision-makers evolve beyond...
The Creator Economy's Next Moat Isn't Reach. It's The Data You Already Own.
This article explores the shifting landscape of the creator economy, highlighting how historical campaign data is becoming a crucial asset for brands and agencies. With AI transforming data...
Why Too Much Personal Branding Can Seem Inauthentic To Your Audience
Navigating personal branding can be tricky—overdo it, and you risk alienating your audience. This article explores common pitfalls like being a "jack of all trades," pushy sales tactics, and...
Why Enterprises Can’t Just Plug Claude Into Customer Success
Abhishek Yadav, CEO of Meza AI, tackles the misconception that AI can replace dedicated customer success platforms. He argues that while AI models can quickly generate insights, they depend on...
Microsoft Discovery Aims To Advance The Era Of Agentic Science
Discover how Microsoft Discovery, an innovative AI platform, is transforming scientific research by streamlining data synthesis and accelerating discovery processes. Launched at Build 2026, this...
Influencer Marketing Is Moving From Rented Attention To Creator Infrastructure
Anastasia Shtompel, founder of Shtompel Marketing, reveals the shifting landscape of influencer marketing, emphasizing the decline of outdated strategies and the rise of creator-driven ecosystems....
The Agentic AI Threat Loyalty Leaders Aren’t Talking About
Explore the evolving landscape of loyalty programs in the age of AI. Atul Sabharwal, CEO of Snipp, reveals how AI agents redefine customer loyalty, shifting focus from emotional connections to...
Measuring AI: What Organizations Should Know In 2026
In an era where AI chatbots are reshaping search dynamics, understanding measurement is crucial. Tracie Kambies highlights the pitfalls of current AI visibility metrics which often mislead brands...