7 marketing truths few want to admit
Admit them, and that’s where the real breakthrough begins.
Just before we dive in, I've noticed quite a few new subscribers recently—welcome aboard! Really glad you're here. 🙂
And to those who've stuck around since the start: thank you. I truly appreciate you taking the time to read, reply, and share.
Now, let’s jump straight into this week’s topic.
Everyone in B2B knows the right things to say.
But in 2025, the gap between what companies say they believe, and what they actually do, is where growth slows.
So let’s skip the fluff and talk about the 7 truths most marketing teams avoid.
1. If you think brand is optional, you don’t understand how B2B buyers buy
B2B buyers choose companies they already remember and trust.
That’s what brand does- it builds mental availability before buyers are in-market and makes all your demand generation work harder.
That’s where the 95:5 rule comes in:
Only 5% of your market is ready to buy right now. The other 95%? They’re not buying yet, but they will be.
And if your brand isn’t top of mind when they are, you won’t even make the vendor shortlist.
→ You can dig deeper into the 95:5 rule and what it means for your GTM here.
2. Intent data won’t save you but just confirms you’re already late
By the time third-party intent signals show up, most buyers have already built a vendor shortlist.
And the numbers back it up:
70% of B2B execs identify data quality as their top challenge with intent data (Intensify).
37% of marketers can’t accurately measure ROI from it (Mixology Digital).
Third-party intent signals are often delayed and unreliable, so by the time you act, your buyers are probably already talking to your competitors.
Spend your money elsewhere, and focus on first- and second-party intent data. See the differences below:
Image source: Dreamdata
3. Attribution isn’t broken, your expectations are
Most of what actually influences your buyer’s decision doesn’t show up in attribution tools. Think LinkedIn posts, podcasts, Slack groups, and word-of-mouth.
These untraceable touch points, what many call “dark social,” are where trust is built and buying decisions start.
Just because you can’t measure dark social doesn’t mean it’s not working.
And it doesn’t mean you can’t spot leading indicators, like an increase in branded search and direct traffic, and high-intent signups (lift-based measurement), which show you’re on the right track.
4. “We know our buyers” is the myth that kills your messaging
Messaging often gets built in a vacuum based on gut feeling, internal debates, or what worked at someone’s last company.
If you’re not talking to your buyers regularly, you’re just guessing, not differentiating.
And when your messaging lacks a clear POV or buyer validation, you can’t communicate your product’s value and explain why someone should choose you over the competition.
You simply blend in.
This is a topic for another newsletter, but here’s the short version:
Great messaging starts with a clear hierarchy: Strategic Narrative → Positioning → Messaging, backed by customer research.
5. If sales says your leads suck, they’re probably right
This isn’t a sales execution problem. It’s a marketing strategy problem.
Chances are, you’re optimizing for lead volume, not for buyers who are ready to buy and effective sources of pipeline and revenue.
Or it could point to a deeper disconnect: marketing and sales aren’t aligned on what your ICP really looks like.
6. Efficiency is the excuse companies use to avoid doing the hard stuff
CAC (or even better, CAC payback) isn’t a bad metric but obsessing over efficiency too early is often fear in disguise.
It leads teams to avoid the tough work: building brand, testing new channels, and investing in feedback loops to figure out what actually drives growth.
Let’s face it—it’s not the ones who optimize the fastest that break out, but the ones who learn the fastest.
7. You’re posting to be seen, not to be useful
Most B2B content on LinkedIn reads like a PR or product updates. But your buyers don’t care about how great you are. If they’re not the hero in your story, they’ll scroll right past it.
Not to mention that brand accounts have a harder time gaining traction, so you should invest in growing personal accounts or partnering with influencers your buyers already follow.
→ Only 1% are building their personal brand. See why you can’t overlook it, and how to get started with a 6-step framework here.
So… what do all these truths have in common?
They’re not just marketing problems. They’re GTM problems.
Weak messaging?
Misaligned ICP?
Relying too much on intent data or lead volume?
These are signs your GTM isn’t built right.
Which means it’s time to stop patching symptoms and start diagnosing the system.
I call it a GTM audit— a focused look at where your foundations are off:
Your ICP, GTM motion, positioning & messaging, customer & competitor research, and more. And just as importantly, how well you're executing.
Only then can you see what’s working, what’s not, where to double down, and what gaps to close—so you can build a GTM engine that actually delivers.
P.S. Not going deep into the details here, but if you’re curious how the GTM audit works, just hit reply.
Between the lines
Last week I shared a post reacting to Andrew Chen’s recent Substack where he said: “Every marketing channel sucks right now.”
And while I agree that channels are definitely harder than they used to be, the real problem isn’t the channels.
It’s the old playbooks teams are still running on them.
You can read more in the post, but here’s the bottom line:
You can’t win 2025 buyers with a 2017 GTM.
With markets, channels, and buyer behavior changing fast, working harder isn’t the answer.
You need to rethink your entire GTM approach.
Thanks for reading & see you next Saturday!
Alon
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