It's an exhilarating time to be in marketing. Here at Cisco, we're on the precipice of transforming marketing from what has often been seen as a cost center into a revenue generating center. And, we're taking our partners with us on this journey.

By now, you've probably heard the term "revenue marketing." It's a somewhat new phrase, but its implications will change the face of marketing forever. In a nutshell, revenue marketing means that marketing strategies and campaigns align with sales and business objectives to generate a measurable ROI to the bottom line. Nowthatis pulling up a seat to the table.

There are some fascinating trends today contributing to this seachange. The business to business (B2B) buying behavior has changed, and roughly 70 percent of the B2B buying process happens before sales even makes contact with the customer. That digital buying journey data can be integrated with customer relationship management (CRM) for amazing insight and the ability to connect with our customers throughout their purchasing journey.

So what does all this mean to our partners? Just a few short months ago at our Partner Summit, we made the commitment to generate$1 billion worth of qualified leads in midmarket for partners this fiscal year. One of the ways we'll accomplish this is through marketing-sourced sales qualified leads (SQL), or leads accepted by sales that have been deemed as sales opportunities and therefore included in the sales pipeline. This is an integral part of the demand generation waterfall and our revenue marketing journey.

There is no better time to connect and collaborate as we embark on this mission and continue our commitment to help you succeed. It's our goal to help you position your business for this winning future through our partner tools, resources, training, and events. I invite you to join me as I share revenue marketing best practices. I'd love to hear your perspectives in the comments section below. You can also continue the conversation on twitter @sherriliebo.