In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education, host Elana Leoni sits down with Dan O’Reilly, founder of FuelK12, who brings over 35 years of sales experience—half of that in EdTech. Having led both sales and marketing teams, Dan offers a unique perspective on why these two functions often struggle to work together—and what it takes to truly align them.
Dan unpacks the biggest barriers between sales and marketing, from siloed goals to misaligned expectations. He shares why shared goals (not just aligned goals) are the key to breaking down silos and fostering real collaboration. The conversation covers tactical steps to build a culture of alignment, including regular communication, journey mapping exercises, and using data to eliminate the blame game.
This discussion is especially relevant as EdTech companies navigate long sales cycles, shifting budgets, and increasing pressure to drive measurable results. Dan offers practical advice on how marketing and sales teams can move beyond tension and toward a shared revenue mindset. Whether you're a CMO, head of sales, or EdTech leader looking to improve cross-team collaboration, this episode provides actionable insights to strengthen your go-to-market strategy.
Questions asked:
Why do sales and marketing teams struggle to collaborate, and what best practices help them align on shared goals?
How can organizations foster a culture of collaboration and accountability instead of blame?
What practical steps—like journey mapping, regular check-ins, and shared metrics—help bridge the gap between sales and marketing?
How can attribution models, lead tracking, and trend-based reporting improve decision-making?
What’s the best way for marketing and sales to collaborate before, during, and after industry events like conferences?
What are the biggest mistakes teams make when working in silos, and how can they reset and rebuild trust?
If nothing else, what’s the one thing every sales and marketing team should do to improve alignment?
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Demystifying EdTech Sales: A Conversation with Dan O'Reilly: Dano’s past appearance on our podcast, exploring the intricacies of selling to schools and districts and emphasizing the mission-driven nature and the collaborative culture within the education space.
Get in touch with Dano: LinkedIn
Elana Leoni, Host
Elana Leoni has dedicated the majority of her career to improving K-12 education. Prior to founding LCG, she spent eight years leading the marketing and community strategy for the George Lucas Educational Foundation where she grew Edutopia’s social media presence exponentially to reach over 20 million education change-makers every month.
Dan O’Reilly, Guest
With over 30 years in sales, Dan has a love for the profession. He also has become very committed and passionate about the education space, specifically the K12 EdTech market. Working with and selling into school districts is unlike any other B2B sales process. While leading the sales and marketing departments of a local EdTech company called Netchemia, Dan really connected to the overarching mission to improve student achievement and loved working with people who are truly trying to make an impact in this world. It has now become his mission to share that experience by helping other EdTech companies in the K12 market to create more scalable and predictable demand for their offerings.
About All Things Marketing and Education
What if marketing was judged solely by the level of value it brings to its audience? Welcome to All Things Marketing and Education, a podcast that lives at the intersection of marketing and you guessed it, education. Each week, Elana Leoni, CEO of Leoni Consulting Group, highlights innovative social media marketing, community-building, and content marketing strategies that can significantly increase reach, relationships, and revenue.
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