How to Build a Lead-Generating Sales & Marketing Team

Alexander Dzhevaga

Hey everyone, welcome back to Tech HR Talks! Whether you're hiring, scaling, or building out your dream team, this is where we break down the real-world strategies that help tech companies grow smarter. I'm Alexander Dzhevaga, and as always, I’m joined by my amazing co-host, Ann Kuss, CEO of Outstaff Your Team.

Ann Kuss

Hey everyone! So glad to be back. And today’s topic is one I know a lot of companies are wrestling with: How do you build a sales and marketing team that actually drives leads?

Alexander Dzhevaga

Exactly. So, here’s the thing — B2B buyers aren’t sitting around, waiting for someone to pitch to them anymore. They’re doing, like, 70% of their research before even talking to sales. It’s all DIY decision-making these days. This shift, where buyers are more informed and further along in their journey before reaching out, means the old approach—where marketing generates leads and sales just closes deals—no longer works. Both teams need to collaborate far more deeply than before.

Ann Kuss

Right. And that’s where the whole alignment piece comes in. Sales and marketing can’t just... operate in silos anymore. It’s like trying to drive with one wheel going one way and the other in reverse—it’s messy, and nothing gets done. Honestly, the companies that get ahead are the ones that make alignment a non-negotiable practice. When you look at today’s high-performing teams, you notice a shared ownership over the customer journey. Marketing doesn’t just bring prospects in—they’re ensuring that these prospects are qualified and ready. And, on the flip side, sales isn’t just focused on closing—

Alexander Dzhevaga

They’re shaping demand too, yes!

Ann Kuss

Exactly. They’re helping refine the messaging, providing insights from direct customer interactions, and feeding this back into marketing strategies. It’s a two-way street. And let’s talk about how HR plays into this shift, because, I mean, we’re not just looking for someone to “fill roles” anymore, right? It’s all about hybrid skills now. Take tech teams, for example—

Alexander Dzhevaga

You mean combining sales-oriented marketing with data-heavy strategies?

Ann Kuss

Yes. Hiring’s no longer just “find me a marketer” or “get me a salesperson.” You need someone who can do both, even if it’s at a foundational level. Like sales-savvy creators or marketing-oriented sellers. And it’s not just helpful—it’s critical if you’re serious about building agile teams.

Alexander Dzhevaga

And I think that agility isn’t just about being lean. It’s about having team members who understand the broader revenue picture—not just their immediate tasks. If marketing knows how sales goals are structured, and sales understands the customer data that marketing generates, you start to see this seamless, almost fluid, collaboration. That’s what makes lead generation systems work effectively.

Ann Kuss

Yes! And from my experience, when you recruit with these hybrid skills in mind, you’re not just filling gaps—you’re building teams that can adapt, scale, and, more importantly, grow in sync with this crazy-fast-changing landscape we’re in. It’s a mindset shift for hiring, no doubt. And it’s the same shift we’re seeing in how businesses approach the buyer journey. Traditional roles are merging, just like the lines between sales and marketing are blurring.

Alexander Dzhevaga

That’s so true. And the impact it has? Huge. You know, the right talent and approach is game changing. But there’s so much more to dive into about these hybrid roles, and it’s just getting interesting.

Ann Kuss

Right, and when we look at these hybrid skill sets, like growth marketers or sales-savvy creators, it really highlights how transformative these roles have become. I mean, they’re not just filling gaps—they’re driving performance in ways we couldn’t even imagine a few years ago.

Alexander Dzhevaga

Absolutely agree. And what I find fascinating is how these roles aren’t just about individuals having more skills—they’re about connecting the dots across traditionally separate functions. Take growth marketers as an example. They’re not simply running ads; they’re analyzing sales data, tweaking messaging in real-time, and driving actual leads that align with pipeline goals.

Ann Kuss

Right, and I mean, it’s not just about knowing a bunch of tools. It’s about the mindset. These hybrid professionals, they don’t see, like, boundaries between roles. They think in outcomes and impact, which is exactly what you need for B2B growth today.

Alexander Dzhevaga

And that’s where assessing team readiness becomes key. When hiring for these roles, you need frameworks that gauge not just technical proficiency but adaptability and how well these individuals see the larger revenue picture. It’s not as easy as just posting a job description and hoping for the best.

Ann Kuss

Totally. And, you know, one way we’ve seen this applied beautifully is in strategic partnerships. Like, imagine you’re launching a SaaS product, right? You’re entering this new market, and you don’t just hire more sales reps or marketers—you bring on hybrids who can leverage those partnerships effectively. Because these partnerships aren’t just about exposure. They’re about operationalizing trust. The hybrid skill sets really excel here—they’ll create co-marketing content, run webinars, and even, in some cases, integrate partner insights into their go-to-market strategies.

Alexander Dzhevaga

Exactly! And when you have people who understand how to pull these threads together, the level of momentum you get? Unreal. It’s like they’re not just part of a team; they’re connecting the team to opportunities that would’ve been, like, impossible otherwise.

Ann Kuss

And that comes down to building recruitment strategies that attract these kinds of hybrids in the first place. If companies focus too narrowly—on, say, purely a sales mindset or only on marketing expertise—they’re missing the chance to gain that compounded edge in the market. And if you think about it, hiring isn’t just filling roles anymore—it’s solving puzzles that unlock bigger growth opportunities. These hybrid roles? They’re often the missing pieces. But there’s still a lot more to unpack.

Alexander Dzhevaga

Alright, let’s get into the hiring side of things—because this is where so many companies still trip up. They look for candidates who can “check boxes” instead of people who can connect the dots.

Ann Kuss

That's true. If you're hiring with only hard skills in mind—like “knows HubSpot” or “has 3 years of SaaS sales experience”—you’re not building for impact, you’re building for maintenance. And we’re way past that point.

Alexander Dzhevaga

So the question becomes: how do you spot someone who can think cross-functionally? Someone who doesn’t just do their part, but actually enhances the performance of the whole team?

Ann Kuss

For me, it starts in the interview. Ask questions that reveal how they work across departments. Like, “Tell me about a time you helped a team outside your own meet a goal,” or “How do you typically align your work with what sales—or marketing—is focused on?” You want to hear how they’ve collaborated, solved problems together, maybe even challenged existing workflows in a productive way. Because that's what this role is about—contribution and connection.

Alexander Dzhevaga

And then there's onboarding. You can't just bring someone in and say, “Okay, here's your tool stack—go.” You need a playbook that sets expectations for collaboration. Shared goals, shared language, and regular touchpoints between sales and marketing from day one.

Ann Kuss

Yes! I've seen onboarding programs that include cross-departmental shadowing—like a marketer sitting in on sales calls or sales reps helping review messaging. It's simple but powerful. It builds empathy and alignment from the very start.

Alexander Dzhevaga

Okay, so now you’ve got the right people—how do you build a system around them that doesn’t fall apart the minute someone goes on vacation?

Ann Kuss

You need structure that’s sustainable. Not just, “Hey, this one campaign crushed it,” but more like, “This system we built can keep producing qualified leads no matter what.”

Alexander Dzhevaga

And the best systems are built on shared goals. When sales and marketing both own the pipeline, you stop hearing “that lead wasn’t qualified” or “sales didn’t follow up.” Instead, the focus shifts to outcomes and refinement.

Ann Kuss

Right. And a key part of that is designing your team around that shared accountability. But here’s the thing: to make it work, you need people who naturally think in systems. People who aren’t just executors, but connectors.

Alexander Dzhevaga

And the big question is—how do you find those people, right?

Ann Kuss

Look for signals in their experience. Have they worked in early-stage companies, where roles were fluid and everyone had to collaborate? Have they contributed to cross-functional projects, like launching a product or building out a new vertical? Also, pay attention to how they speak about their work. Do they use phrases like "I drove this number" or "I worked closely with sales to enhance conversion"? That language tells you they understand performance isn’t siloed. And don’t be afraid to get creative with your hiring process. For example, give candidates a real scenario—like a drop in lead quality—and ask how they’d solve it working with both sales and marketing. The way they think through it reveals whether they operate in isolation or as part of a system.

Alexander Dzhevaga

Exactly. So it’s not just about hiring someone with the right title—it’s about hiring for mindset, collaboration, and adaptability. That’s what makes the difference between hitting your targets and constantly chasing them.

Ann Kuss

Well said. When companies build cross-functional, lead-focused teams and support them with systems that grow with them—that’s when momentum really kicks in.

Alexander Dzhevaga

So, I guess that’s a wrap for today. Keep rethinking how your teams connect, keep hiring with purpose—and we’ll catch you next time on Tech HR Talks.

Ann Kuss

See you next time!