Domestique's Demand Council: The Secret to GTM Accountability and Growth
What is the Demand Council?
Domestique’s Demand Council is a structured, cross-functional forum designed to ensure alignment, accountability, and real-time optimization of demand generation efforts across the entire go-to-market (GTM) team. This weekly meeting isn't just another status update—it’s a data-driven decision-making framework that helps businesses hit their pipeline and revenue targets by proactively diagnosing issues and making necessary adjustments in real-time.
At its core, the Demand Council is about:
Holding teams accountable for their pipeline generation targets (MQLs, SQLs, SAOs, Closed-Won deals, etc.).
Breaking down demand by channel, source, and segment to analyze performance.
Identifying bottlenecks in the funnel and quickly resolving them.
Driving continuous optimization of marketing, sales, and outbound efforts.
Why Does the Demand Council Matter?
One of the biggest challenges for GTM teams is the disconnect between marketing, sales, and RevOps. Marketing often claims success by hitting MQL targets, while sales struggles to convert those leads into revenue. The Demand Council eliminates this siloed thinking by forcing all teams to collaborate and own the entire funnel—ensuring that lead quality, follow-up, and conversion rates are continuously optimized.
How the Demand Council Works
The Demand Council operates on a weekly cadence, reviewing the latest performance data and making real-time adjustments. Here’s how a typical session is structured:
1. State of the State (Run by RevOps - The "Switzerland" of GTM)
The meeting starts with a neutral RevOps lead presenting key funnel metrics, comparing actual performance against targets.
Are MQLs, SQLs, and SAOs on track?
Are conversion rates within expectations?
Which sources and channels are underperforming?
2. Deep Dive: Are We On Track or Off Track?
Each pipeline source is examined:
Marketing-Sourced Pipeline (Paid, Organic, Events, Content, etc.)
AE-Sourced Pipeline (Outbound, Referrals, Partnerships)
SDR-Sourced Pipeline (Cold Outreach, ABM, Intent Data)
Expansion Pipeline (Customer Upsells & Renewals)
If targets are being missed, the council investigates why:
Demand Problem? (Not generating enough leads?)
Conversion Problem? (MQLs aren’t turning into SQLs?)
Deal Problem? (Deals are stalling or shrinking?)
3. Real-Time Decision Making & Action Planning
Rather than waiting for quarterly reviews, the Demand Council makes immediate adjustments to GTM strategy:
Marketing Adjustments: Tweaking ad spend, messaging, or audience targeting.
Sales Adjustments: Modifying outbound tactics or refining follow-up processes.
Pipeline Adjustments: Ensuring lead routing and prioritization are optimized.
4. Accountability & Follow-Up
Each session ends with documented action items and owners. The next week’s meeting starts with a review of those action items to ensure execution.
Why This Works: Real-World Impact on GTM Teams
Many companies fail to adapt quickly enough when pipeline issues arise. The Demand Council ensures week-over-week iteration, rather than waiting months to address problems. Here’s what it unlocks:
✅ Marketing & Sales Alignment: Eliminates finger-pointing between teams by focusing on shared targets.
✅ Faster Course Correction: Identifies funnel inefficiencies before they become major issues.
✅ Better Forecasting: Ties directly into capacity planning, allowing GTM teams to adjust demand-gen strategy proactively.
✅ More Effective Budget Allocation: Ensures marketing dollars are spent on the highest-ROI activities.
✅ Consistent Growth & Predictability: Reduces pipeline volatility, making revenue forecasting more accurate.
Who Should Run the Demand Council?
For maximum effectiveness, Revenue Operations (RevOps) should lead this meeting. RevOps serves as the neutral arbiter, ensuring the conversation stays focused on data-driven insights rather than internal politics. The Demand Council should include:
RevOps Lead (Facilitator)
VP/Director of Marketing
Head of Sales/SDR Leadership
Customer Success Leadership (for expansion pipeline)
Finance (as needed for budget discussions)
Conclusion: The Demand Council is Your GTM Control Tower
If you want to increase pipeline efficiency, improve conversion rates, and hit your revenue goals, you need a single forum that holds every demand channel accountable. Domestique’s Demand Council does exactly that.
If your GTM team lacks a structured, data-driven process for tracking progress and adapting in real-time, implementing a Demand Council might be the single biggest unlock for predictable growth.
Ready to Implement a Demand Council?
Domestique has helped numerous companies establish and optimize this process. If you’re looking to improve your GTM strategy, contact us today!
