In a recent episode of the B2B Marketing Leaders Podcast, Olga Bondareva, founder of ModumUp, talks about B2B marketing metrics and KPIs with experts from different B2B companies:

• Bridget Locke, VP of Strategic Marketing at VitalPath
• Ravi Raj Pareek, Senior Marketing Data Manager at Sage 
• Nick Starikov, Manager, Marketing Analytics and Insights at Sun Life 

The experts talked about what to measure once lead volume alone stops telling you much. Bridget Locke at VitalPath described a three-month campaign for its laser-components business, a shorter-cycle part of a medtech company where full device programs can span three to six years from early engagement to full-scale manufacturing. Quotes in 24 hours and prototypes in two weeks helped generate leads that contributed roughly $500,000 in pipeline over the following six months. Ravi Raj Pareek shared a similar lesson from a previous role: MQL volume was growing, but too few leads were turning into meaningful pipeline until the team started looking at ICP fit, MQL-to-opportunity conversion, opportunity value, and pipeline by channel. Nick Starikov added another example: connecting sales feedback with lead-source data revealed significant differences in conversion by channel and showed where the team could improve.

The speakers also talked about metrics that can create a misleading picture. Ravi pointed to three common problems: measuring results too early, comparing groups that aren’t truly comparable, and aggregating data in ways that hide what is actually driving performance. Nick cautioned against relying too heavily on before-and-after comparisons when a proper creative or targeting test isn’t possible, since outside factors can distort the result. Bridget described an event where VitalPath sent three people and ultimately saw two pipeline opportunities - one sourced directly from the session and another influenced by the broader event activity. For her, those two qualified opportunities mattered more than a much larger top-of-funnel lead count.

On setting targets, all three came back to reverse-funnel math: start with the business goal and work backward through the opportunities, activity, and spend required to reach it. Nick added another reality check - whether the addressable market is actually large enough to support the target. He also argued that KPIs should stay focused on the few outcomes that ultimately define success, while other metrics help explain what is happening along the way. On attribution, Bridget uses the CRM as the source of truth and recognizes that ROI and attribution won’t always be perfectly precise in a long, multi-touch buyer journey. Nick pointed out that a new customer can generate value for years, which can dramatically change the ROI calculation. Ravi uses tools such as Snowflake Cortex and Power BI Copilot, while arguing that people should remain responsible for the final decision layer.

A big thanks to Ravi, Nick, and Bridget for a great and insightful conversation!

You can check out the full episode on the B2B Marketing Leaders Podcast: 

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HqMaR9vJXWg 
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0urmP66UI5x0AN57ZzhJLg 
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/metrics-and-kpis-in-b2b-insights-from-experts-at-sage/id1852582740?i=1000783130880