The East Coast RVP sent me a Slack message that stung: "Your event recommendations don't make sense for our market. You're not in the field. You don't see what we see."
The West Coast RVP was blunter in our one-on-one: "Honestly, I don't know what you do. Corporate marketing sends us stuff we don't use. How are you different?"
I'd been in the field PMM role for six weeks. Regional sales leaders saw me as another corporate marketing person who'd tell them what to do without understanding their reality.
I didn't blame them. My first moves had been very corporate-marketer:
- Sent them event recommendations without asking what they needed
- Built marketing materials without their input
- Showed up to their deals without understanding the context
I was operating like an order-taker or a dictator—not a partner.
Six months later, the same East Coast RVP said in a team meeting: "She's the most valuable marketing resource we have. She gets the field."
What changed wasn't my skills. It was how I approached the relationship.
Here's what I learned about building trust between field PMM and regional sales.
Why Field PMM ↔ Sales Relationships Fail
Most field PMM roles fail because the relationship model is broken from the start.
The broken models:
Model 1: Field PMM as order-taker
Sales: "We need battle cards for this competitor." Field PMM: "Okay, I'll make them." Sales: "We need to sponsor this event." Field PMM: "Okay, I'll book it."
Problem: Field PMM becomes reactive. No strategy. No partnership. Just doing what sales asks.
Model 2: Field PMM as dictator
Field PMM: "Here's the corporate strategy. Execute it." Sales: "But that doesn't work in our region." Field PMM: "Doesn't matter. This is the corporate priority."
Problem: Sales resents being told what to do by someone who doesn't understand their market.
Model 3: Field PMM as service bureau
Sales: "Can you create these slides for my pitch?" Field PMM: "Sure, when do you need them?" Sales: "Tomorrow."
Problem: Field PMM becomes graphics team, not strategic partner.
None of these work.
The relationship that works is: Field PMM as strategic partner who translates between corporate strategy and regional reality.
The Partnership Model That Actually Works
The role of field PMM in the partnership:
1. Bring corporate strategy AND regional flexibility
"Here's what corporate wants us to focus on (enterprise, new product, specific vertical). Here's how we adapt that for your region where 70% of pipeline is actually mid-market."
2. Translate regional insights back to corporate
"West region is losing 60% of deals to Competitor X. Corporate doesn't know this yet. Let's document it and feed it back."
3. Enable sales with what they actually need
"You mentioned objection handling for pricing. Let me build that. What specific objections are you hearing?"
The role of regional sales in the partnership:
1. Share what's really happening in deals
"We're getting killed by this competitor in healthcare. Here's what they're saying..."
2. Give honest feedback on what marketing provides
"That battle card is too long. Nobody uses it. Can we make it one page?"
3. Commit to using what we build together
"If you build the enablement I need, I'll make sure my team uses it."
This is partnership, not service or dictatorship.
The "Week in Territory" That Changed Everything
Three weeks into the job, I asked each regional sales leader: "Can I spend a week shadowing your team?"
What I did:
- Joined 15-20 sales calls
- Sat in on deal reviews
- Had coffee with every rep
- Asked: "What's working? What's broken? What do you need from marketing?"
What I learned:
East Coast: Competing heavily against Competitor A. Every deal comes down to feature X that we don't have. Current battle card doesn't address it.
West Coast: Mostly selling to startups. Corporate messaging is too enterprise-focused. Prospects don't relate to it.
Midwest: Manufacturing vertical is huge here. Corporate has zero manufacturing-specific content.
Southwest: Partner ecosystem is critical. We're not enabling partner co-selling well.
The breakthrough: I stopped assuming I knew what they needed and started asking.
After those weeks in territory, every regional sales leader said some version of: "This is the first time a marketing person has actually come out here and asked."
The Weekly Regional Sync That Builds Trust
After my territory visits, I set up weekly 30-minute syncs with each regional sales leader.
The agenda (same every week):
10 minutes: Pipeline review
- What's moving forward?
- What's stuck?
- What's at risk?
10 minutes: Competitive intelligence
- What are competitors doing?
- Any new objections emerging?
- Any product gaps causing losses?
10 minutes: Requests and priorities
- What does sales need from field marketing this week/month?
- What events are coming up?
- What enablement gaps exist?
The magic: These syncs gave me:
- Real-time visibility into regional dynamics
- Early warning on competitive threats
- Clear priorities for what to build
- Trust (I'm not disappearing back to HQ after one visit)
And they gave regional sales leaders:
- Direct access to someone who can get things done
- Assurance their needs are being heard
- Updates on what corporate is doing
The "Yes, And" Framework for Requests
Regional sales makes requests constantly. Some are good ideas. Some are terrible ideas. Most are somewhere in between.
How I used to respond:
Sales: "We need to sponsor this $25K event." Me: "That's not in the budget." Sales: "But we need it!" Me: "I can't help you."
Result: Tension. Sales thinks I'm blocking them.
How I respond now (the "Yes, And" framework):
Sales: "We need to sponsor this $25K event." Me: "Yes, I understand why—lots of customers will be there. And we've only got $15K left in your regional budget this quarter. Three options:
- We do bronze sponsorship ($8K) instead of gold
- We pull budget from next quarter (but that limits Q2)
- We find a co-marketing partner to split costs
Which makes most sense?"
Result: Partnership. I'm solving their problem, not blocking them.
The framework:
"Yes" = Acknowledge their need is valid
"And" = Add the constraint or context they might not see
Options = Give 2-3 paths forward instead of just "no"
This turns "You're blocking me" into "You're helping me figure this out."
The Regional Battle Card Program That Proved Value
Early on, I needed a quick win to prove value. I asked each regional sales leader: "What's your biggest competitive headache right now?"
The answers:
- East: Competitor A owns financial services vertical
- West: Competitor B is half our price
- Midwest: Competitor C has manufacturing-specific features
- Southwest: Competitor D has better partner ecosystem
Corporate had battle cards for A and B. Nothing for C and D.
What I built:
Regional battle cards addressing specific competitive dynamics:
East: "Winning Financial Services Against Competitor A"
- Their strengths in finserv (be honest)
- Our advantages in finserv (specific features)
- Objection handling for common pushback
- Customer references in finserv
Midwest: "Competing Against Competitor C in Manufacturing"
- Why they're strong in manufacturing
- How we position (different approach, not inferior)
- Manufacturing case studies
Delivery:
- Created in 2 weeks
- Trained sales teams on how to use them
- Made them 1-page (not 10-page decks nobody reads)
Results:
Within 60 days:
- East win rate vs. Competitor A: 32% → 44%
- Midwest win rate vs. Competitor C: 28% → 39%
Regional sales leaders now believed I could help them win.
The Event Co-Planning Process That Drives Attendance
Initially, I'd recommend events and expect regional sales to help fill them.
What happened:
Me: "We're doing a customer dinner in Boston. Can you invite people?" Sales: "Sure." (Then invites 3 people last-minute) Event attendance: 8 people. Weak ROI.
What I do now:
6 weeks before event:
Joint planning call with regional sales leader:
- What accounts should we target?
- Which customers should we invite?
- Who from your team is attending?
- What topic would resonate with this market?
4 weeks before:
Sales leader assigns specific reps to invite specific accounts. We track commitments in shared doc.
2 weeks before:
Weekly check-in on registration numbers. If behind target, we adjust outreach strategy together.
1 week before:
Final prep: Sales team knows their role, talking points, who they're meeting.
The difference:
Old approach: I planned. Sales showed up. Attendance was hit-or-miss.
New approach: We plan together. Sales is invested. Attendance is predictable.
Results:
Event attendance (Boston dinner):
- Old approach: 8 attendees
- New approach: 22 attendees
And quality improved (more VPs, fewer juniors) because sales targeted the right people.
The Win/Loss Feedback Loop That Informs Strategy
Every two weeks, I run a win/loss review with each regional sales leader.
The process:
Step 1: Pull closed deals (won and lost) from past two weeks
Step 2: For 2-3 notable deals, ask:
For wins:
- Why did we win?
- What messaging resonated?
- What content was most valuable?
- What can we replicate?
For losses:
- Why did we lose?
- What objection couldn't we overcome?
- What did competitor do better?
- What would have changed the outcome?
Step 3: Document patterns and feed back to corporate
Example insights that influenced strategy:
Pattern from East: "Lost 3 deals this month because Competitor A has a mobile app and we don't."
Action: Fed back to product. Got mobile app prioritized on roadmap.
Pattern from West: "Won 4 deals by showing [specific feature] in demos. Prospects love it."
Action: Made that feature the hero in regional messaging.
Pattern from Midwest: "Lost 2 deals because our pricing jumped 40% at renewal. Prospect concerns about future increases."
Action: Fed back to pricing team. Built messaging around pricing transparency.
This feedback loop shows sales that their insights are valuable and acted upon.
The Metrics That Make the Partnership Measurable
Initially, I reported on marketing activities:
- Events attended
- Content created
- Campaigns launched
Regional sales leaders didn't care about activities. They cared about outcomes.
What I report now (monthly):
Pipeline contribution:
- Pipeline generated from regional field marketing
- Pipeline influenced (where field marketing touchpoint appeared)
- Goal: X% of regional pipeline has field marketing attribution
Win rate impact:
- Win rate overall
- Win rate in competitive deals (with vs. without field marketing support)
Sales enablement usage:
- % of reps using regional content
- Most-used assets
- Feedback scores
Event ROI:
- Cost per opportunity by event
- Pipeline generated per event
- Attendance rates
The conversation shift:
Old: "We ran 5 events this quarter." New: "Field marketing contributed $480K to East region pipeline this quarter, 18% of total. Win rate in competitive deals improved from 34% to 42% with our new battle cards."
When you speak sales' language (pipeline, win rate, revenue), they listen.
The Mistakes That Destroy Field PMM ↔ Sales Trust
Mistake 1: Showing up without context
Jumping on sales calls without understanding the deal, the customer, or the competitive situation.
Fix: Always brief yourself before joining calls. Ask sales what you should know.
Mistake 2: Over-promising and under-delivering
"I'll have that battle card ready by Friday." Friday comes, no battle card.
Fix: Under-promise, over-deliver. If you say Friday, deliver Thursday.
Mistake 3: Ignoring feedback
Sales says "That content doesn't work." You defend it instead of listening.
Fix: "Tell me more. What specifically isn't working? How can I improve it?"
Mistake 4: Being the "No" person
Every request is met with "we don't have budget" or "that's not in the plan."
Fix: Use "Yes, And" framework. Find creative solutions.
Mistake 5: Disappearing back to HQ
Visiting territory once, then never coming back or going dark.
Fix: Regular cadence. Weekly syncs. Quarterly territory visits.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Field PMM ↔ Sales Collaboration
Most field PMM roles fail because the relationship never gets past transactional.
Sales sees field PMM as order-taker or roadblock. Field PMM sees sales as demanding and ungrateful.
The hard reality: The relationship is hard because you're bridging two worlds with different priorities:
Corporate world:
- Wants scale and consistency
- Prioritizes strategic initiatives
- Measures brand and awareness
- Thinks in quarters and years
Field world:
- Wants tactics that work today
- Prioritizes closing this month's deals
- Measures quota attainment
- Thinks in weeks and months
Field PMM sits in the middle. If you try to force one side's view onto the other, you fail.
The partnership works when you:
- Acknowledge both sides are right
- Translate strategy into tactics
- Feed tactical insights back into strategy
- Show up, listen, deliver
What doesn't work:
- Acting as order-taker who just does what sales asks
- Acting as dictator who enforces corporate mandates
- Staying in HQ and never visiting territory
- Reporting on activities instead of outcomes
- Ignoring sales feedback on what's working/not working
What works:
- Spending a week in each territory to understand regional dynamics
- Weekly syncs with regional sales leaders (pipeline, competitive intel, requests)
- "Yes, And" framework for requests (acknowledge need, add context, give options)
- Quick wins that prove value (regional battle cards, local events)
- Metrics that speak sales language (pipeline, win rate, revenue)
The best field PMM ↔ sales partnerships:
- Built on trust earned through showing up and delivering
- Based on mutual understanding (PMM learns field, sales understands corporate)
- Win together (regional pipeline growth benefits both)
- Feed insights both directions (field to corporate, corporate to field)
- Measured by business outcomes, not marketing activities
Six months in, I don't get "you're just corporate marketing" messages anymore.
I get: "Can you help me with this deal?" and "Want to join our QBR?" and "This is working—can we do more?"
That shift happened when I stopped trying to manage the relationship and started trying to be a partner.
Show up. Listen. Deliver. Repeat.
That's the partnership.