Economic uncertainty ‘tops list’ of B2B pipeline challenges

By
The Editor
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Two people sit at a table with a laptop, notebook, and phone, discussing B2B pipeline challenges during a meeting in a modern office setting.

B2B marketers are navigating mounting pressures in 2025, with economic uncertainty cited as the biggest challenge to pipeline growth this year, according to new research from Pipeline360.

The global survey of more than 500 B2B revenue marketers found that 45% named economic instability as their top obstacle, ahead of unrealistic internal expectations (36%) and declining engagement (33%). The findings reflect wider concerns about stagnating budgets, under-pressure sales targets, and shifting buyer behaviours.

Despite these headwinds, the report identifies six core traits that distinguish high-performing revenue marketing teams. These include superior data-handling practices, streamlined tech stacks, and stronger sales-marketing alignment.

Infographic showing results from a B2B marketer survey on pipeline growth, highlighting top challenges, key strategies, and actionable insights for high-performing teams in 2023.

Key traits of top-performing B2B marketing teams:

  • Effective data-handling: 73% of respondents said data accuracy and compliance were top priorities, rising to 90% among high performers. The performance gap on data practices between high and low performers is 65 percentage points.

  • Streamlined tech stacks: A 60-point performance gap highlights the importance of integrated, efficient tools.

  • Consistent buyer engagement: 55% of all companies expressed dissatisfaction with their ability to reach and influence buying groups, with a 60-point gap between high and low performers.

  • Superior lead nurturing: 59% of teams report underperforming nurturing capabilities.

  • Content quality: Only 53% of respondents rated their content as good or exceptional—an area flagged as a major opportunity for AI-enabled improvement.

  • Sales-marketing alignment: High performers are six times more likely to be fully aligned, with a 51-point performance gap noted between leading and lagging teams.

Among other key insights, the report warns that content effectiveness remains a critical capability gap across the board. It also notes that marketers are increasingly seeking partners who prioritise performance outcomes over tools, and that alignment between sales and marketing is still proving difficult for many.

The full 2025 State of B2B Pipeline Growth report is available to download from pipeline-360.com.

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