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Results of marketing survey 9 percent have trusted system

Research Report

The Real Barrier
to B2B Growth:
Marketing System Maturity

Meanwhile, 91% of companies are navigating reactive marketing efforts, inconsistent traction, misaligned leadership, and poor visibility into what is working. This results in a limited ability to drive performance across marketing and sales.

System maturity is the problem, not marketing activity. 

Self-Reported System Maturity at a Glance

Ironpaper asked over 300 B2B marketing, sales, and revenue leaders:
How would you describe your current phase of system maturity? 

Here are the results mapped to broad maturity phases:

Low-Traction
51.8%
operate reactively, with limited momentum and inconsistent results.
18.9%
are seeing some growth but not sustainable performance.
Scale-Ready
9.1%
have integrated, trusted systems that directly impact sales.
Visibility
20.2%
lack the visibility to assess their maturity at all.
Takeaways

Three Key Insights From the Data on System Maturity Phases

Low-Traction

Over half of respondents describe their marketing as reactive, inconsistent, or underperforming. Companies in this stage struggle with:

  • Inconsistent lead flow
  • Disconnected reporting
  • Poor forecasting
  • Messaging that doesn't resonate with buyers
The result: leadership lacks confidence to invest because marketing outcomes don’t feel repeatable or measurable.

Scale-Ready

Only 9.1% of respondents describe their marketing as having a clear and intentional impact on sales. Because these organizations approach marketing as one integrated system rather than a checklist of tasks to complete, this enables:

  • Reliable data
  • Clear performance insights
  • Visible ROI
  • Confident investment decisions
These companies manage marketing as part of an integrated growth system tied directly to revenue.

Visibility Void

A fifth of leaders were unable to classify their system maturity phase because they lack the visibility needed to confidently assess what is working and what is not. This shows up as:

  • Fragmented teams
  • Unclear metrics
  • No single source of truth for performance
This structural gap means companies are effectively flying blind. Decisions are driven by assumptions rather than evidence.

From Reactivity to a Scalable, Trusted System

B2B organizations move along a curve from low-traction and reactivity to clarity, from momentum to predictability. Organizations move out into trusted systems when marketing is treated as a core driver of business growth — not as a support function or cost center.

Marketing Maturity Phases

In a time of significant change and increasing sameness — where AI and automation make execution easier but differentiation harder — businesses that align their systems to buyer signals gain a meaningful advantage.

The Maturity Gap

A Leadership Challenge

System maturity determines whether growth is sustainable, and it starts at the leadership level. When leaders focus too much on volume of marketing rather than clarity of systems, scaling becomes guesswork.

For B2B leaders, predictability has become a key differentiator. Here’s what that looks like in practice ->

Strategy
Strategy is tied to revenue, not just awareness.
Alignment
Marketing and sales align on common goals.
Data Analysis
Data explains performance rather than just describing activity.

Consistent growth isn’t about increasing marketing efforts.

Instead, it depends on adaptable, resilient systems that provide visibility across the buyer’s journey, creating the predictability and trust leaders need to make confident decisions in changing market conditions.

Applying Insights

Practical Next Steps

For leadership teams who want to better understand their current system maturity, a short working session can help you:

Benchmark your current system maturity.
Pinpoint breakdowns in alignment or insight.
Set 90-day performance priorities.
 
Create a plan to align disconnected teams.

The session helps leaders assess whether their systems are creating the visibility, predictability, and trust required to scale with confidence.

Find out what clarity looks like in your system, and what measurable progress could mean in your first 90 days.

Schedule a 90-Day Roadmap Meeting
What is this research?

This is original Ironpaper research examining system maturity across B2B marketing, sales, and revenue teams to understand why growth efforts stall despite ongoing activity.

Methodology: We asked 307 B2B leaders in 2025 how they would describe their current marketing maturity phase.

How many participants were included?
The study includes responses from 307 B2B marketing, sales, and revenue leaders.
How should this research be cited?
Ironpaper. The Real Barrier to B2B Growth: Marketing System Maturity. 2026 Market Research Report.
What is “system maturity” in this study?
System maturity refers to how well an organization’s go-to-market systems support consistent execution, visibility, and decision-making across marketing, sales, and revenue teams.