How to Fix a Broken Inbound Funnel: Lessons from a Live Executive Roundtable

The phrase fix broken inbound funnel isn’t just jargon. It’s a daily frustration for revenue leaders. 

Marketing spends time and budget generating leads. Sales promises to follow up. But somewhere between marketing campaigns, sales calls, and customer engagement, the funnel leaks. 

Leads are logged in CRMs, but never touched. SDRs are busy chasing outbound targets while inbound sits idle. Marketers hit MQL targets, but Sales dismisses the quality. Meanwhile, Customer Success sees missed opportunities to influence the buyer journey. 

At durhamlane, we see it again and again: inbound funnels break not because one team fails, but because teams aren’t aligned. Revenue is a team sport.

Inbound is in decline across industries. HubSpot’s State of Marketing Report shows the average lead-to-customer conversion rate has dropped below 2%. That means 98 out of 100 inbound leads never turn into revenue. 

For businesses, that’s a painful leak. Paid ads cost more than ever, organic reach is shrinking, and content saturation is at an all-time high. When inbound demand does show up, you cannot afford to waste it. 

That’s why we hosted a live executive roundtable with GTM leaders: 

• Matt Reuter – Sr. Director of Sales Development, RealPage 
• Alex Gray – VP Customer Success, Ebsta 
• Alan Gonsenhauser – CEO, DemandRevenue 

Together, we stepped into the shoes of an exec team to debate the inbound conversion problem and create a practical playbook to fix broken inbound funnels.

1. Define What a Good Lead Really Is 

Alan kicked things off with a point most marketers and sales leaders quietly know: not all leads are created equal. Too many companies rely on outdated MQL scoring models that prioritise volume over fit. 

When Sales and Marketing don’t agree on what a “good lead” looks like, handoffs become a blame game. 

How to fix it: 

• Build a shared Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) across Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success. 
• Go beyond demographics – use behavioural and intent data to qualify. 
• Revisit your definition quarterly. Markets shift fast, and so should your lead criteria. 

When you align on ICP, you reduce friction, improve handoff quality, and increase trust between teams

2. Create Accountability for Follow-Up 

Matt spoke from experience leading large SDR teams: even the best inbound leads fail without consistent follow-up. Too often, inbound leads are deprioritised because reps are chasing outbound quotas or focusing on bigger opportunities. 

Plays to implement immediately: 

1. Set SLAs for response times. Every inbound lead should be contacted within 24 hours. 
2. Track conversion rates by rep. Transparency creates accountability. 
3. Automate reminders and alerts. Don’t let follow-ups get buried in the CRM. 

Companies that respond to inbound leads within an hour are 7x more likely to qualify them, according to InsideSales. 

When inbound is left idle, the funnel breaks. Accountability plugs the leak. 

3. Involve Customer Success Earlier 

Alex brought a critical angle: Customer Success knows which accounts grow, renew, or churn. That knowledge can dramatically improve lead scoring and inbound conversion. 

By using NRR (Net Revenue Retention) and churn data, CS can help Marketing target the right accounts and give Sales stronger talking points. 

Plays to involve CS: 

• Feed customer data back into lead scoring and qualification. 
• Involve CS in early conversations with high-value inbound accounts. 
• Use customer insights to adjust ICP targeting. 

This shift turns inbound from short-term pipeline into long-term, customer-led growth. 

4. Map Plays Across the GTM Team 

During the roundtable, we simulated an exec team meeting and mapped out what each department should do to fix the funnel. 

• Sales: Prioritise inbound, enforce SLAs, and build accountability. 
• Marketing: Tighten ICP filters, improve lead scoring, and reduce “noise” in handoffs. 
• Customer Success: Share retention data and help establish early trust. 

The conclusion? Fixing a broken inbound funnel isn’t about pointing fingers. It’s about designing systems that keep Sales, Marketing, and CS moving in sync. 

Here are the pitfalls to watch for when you fix broken inbound funnels: 

• Don’t chase vanity metrics. 100 leads mean nothing if they don’t convert. 
• Don’t overwhelm Sales. Passing unqualified leads creates friction and burnout. 
• Don’t assume tech solves the problem. Automation helps, but broken processes can’t be “tooled” away. 

Don’t blame one department. Inbound leakage is a GTM problem, not just Sales. 

nbound may be in decline, but it isn’t dead. The real issue is not a lack of leads – it’s funnel leakage. 

To fix broken inbound funnels, GTM leaders must: 

1. Align on lead quality definitions. 
2. Enforce accountability for follow-up. 
3. Involve Customer Success early. 
4. Map responsibilities across Sales, Marketing, and CS. 

As our roundtable showed, when GTM leaders debate openly and collaborate like one exec team, the solutions are practical, actionable, and immediate. 

Inbound will only get tougher. Budgets are tighter, buyers are busier, and competition is fiercer. But by aligning your teams and plugging leaks, you can turn inbound from a headache into a reliable revenue engine. 

Watch the full video here: From Stalled Inbound to Revenue – Live Webinar