Table of contents

    Sam Kuehnle (VP of Marketing at Loxo) shares how to create a marketing plan that will resonate with leadership and contribute your company’s annual revenue target.

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    Why Most Marketing Plans Fall Apart

    Every marketing team wants a plan that feels confident, credible, and aligned with sales.

    So why do most plans break down by Q2?

    Probably because they’re built in a vacuum and disconnected from the company’s revenue targets and the people responsible for hitting them.

    Sam Kuehnle, VP of Demand at Loxo, has seen this firsthand.
    In our conversation on Move the Needle, he broke down a simple truth:

    “You can hit 120% of your MQL goal and still miss your revenue target.”

    This is the cost of misalignment.
    The good news? There’s a repeatable system to fix it.

    Step 1: Start With Historicals, Not Ambition

    Before setting any targets, Sam advises teams to dig into the historicals:

    • Pipeline generated by segment
    • Revenue by product
    • Conversion rates between every stage
    • Speed to lead & handoff performance
    • Channel efficiency
    • ICP fit and quality of deals created

    You can only plan forward if you first understand what actually happened behind you.

    “You can’t build targets from ambition. You have to build them from historicals.”

    This becomes the foundation for the rest of the plan.

    Step 2: Build Both Top-Down and Bottom-Up Forecasts

    This is where the majority of misalignment happens.
    Sam encourages every team to build both models  and reconcile them together.

    Top-down:

    Start with the revenue number → work backward through:

    • ASP
    • Win rate
    • Conversion rates
    • Required pipeline
    • Required opportunities
    • Required demand volume

    Bottom-up:

    Start with actual performance:

    • Channel output
    • Your real conversion rates
    • Capacity limits
    • Operational constraints
    • What’s truly repeatable

    “Bottom-up tells you what’s realistic. Top-down tells you what’s required. You need both.”

    Learn how to build and track your revenue forecast inside Databox using real-time performance data, pacing views, and funnel metrics. This walkthrough from Monise shows you how to create the exact forecasting model Sam describes — one that leadership can trust and the team can execute against.

    Step 3: Build the Plan With Sales and Leadership

    This is where alignment becomes real.
    Sam stresses that no plan works unless sales, marketing, CS, and leadership build it together.

    Key questions to answer as a group:

    • Who owns each part of the funnel?
    • What does “qualified” mean this year?
    • Where are the capacity limits?
    • What conversion rates are reliable?
    • Which KPIs will we monitor weekly?

    “Alignment doesn’t happen in a meeting. It happens when sales and marketing build the plan together.”

    This video from Monise shows how to turn your cross-functional plan into measurable OKRs. It demonstrates how Databox tracks progress toward shared goals, aligns teams around leading indicators, and gives visibility into pacing — helping avoid the finger-pointing Sam warns about.

    Step 4: Fix Leaks Before You Add Channels

    Most teams think they need more channels.
    Most really need fewer operational leaks.

    Sam recommends evaluating:

    • Demo → opp conversion
    • Follow-up speed
    • Qualification criteria
    • Disqualification reasons
    • Funnel throughput
    • Messaging consistency
    • ICP clarity

    “Most teams don’t need more channels. They need to fix the leaks in the ones they already have.”

    Once efficiency improves, then you can layer in new channels with confidence.

    Step 5: Track Pace and Course-Correct Mid-Year

    Marketing plans shouldn’t be static.
    They should adjust as signals shift.

    Track:

    • Revenue pacing
    • Pipeline pacing
    • Conversion changes
    • Channel efficiency trends
    • CAC, payback, ROAS
    • Leading indicators (traffic, demo volume, intent signals)

    If your signals change, your plan should change.

    This is how you maintain leadership trust — not by being perfect, but by being proactively transparent.

    Final Takeaways

    ✔ Start with historicals

    Let data reveal constraints.

    ✔ Combine top-down and bottom-up

    Close the gap with leadership — not after the plan fails, but before it’s approved.

    ✔ Build the plan with sales

    Shared definitions = shared ownership.

    ✔ Fix efficiency first

    Scale only what’s already working.

    ✔ Track and adjust

    Agility > accuracy.

    Marketing plans don’t fail because they’re ambitious. They fail because they’re misaligned.

    marketing metrics side by side. Set revenue goals for each team, and get automated updates to make sure you’re on track.

    Build a Plan Your Leadership Team Will Trust

    Databox gives GTM teams a shared view of revenue pacing, funnel performance, OKRs, and forecasting, all in one place.


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