Attribution is [NOT] Dead: Here’s How to Build it Right This Time

Attribution is one of the most debated and misunderstood topics in B2B marketing and Revenue Operations. That’s why Nadia Davis (VP Marketing at CaliberMind), Eric Westerkamp (CEO at CaliberMind), and Attributa Founder Drew Smith teamed up for a practical deep dive into what’s broken - and how to build attribution right this time.

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Here’s what they covered - and why it's time to evolve your approach to attribution from a rigid model into a flexible, decision-making framework.

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Attribution Is Breaking Because the Buyer Journey Has Changed

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According to a recent poll of marketing ops professionals, 43% said attribution is the most likely place for their reporting to break down. The reason? The modern buyer journey is more fragmented than ever.

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• B2B buyers want to research on their own and engage on their terms.
• The average CaliberMind customer uses 12–15 different data sources to track the buyer journey.
• Attribution breaks when we try to force a single "golden path" through the chaos.

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“There is no golden path,” said Drew. “If you’re still trying to force buyers into a perfect funnel, you’re going to miss how people actually buy today.”

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Instead of chasing a mythical single buyer journey, focus on identifying groupings of high-impact activities that tend to correlate with movement down the funnel. These patterns vary by persona, industry and product.

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For more on why traditional attribution can’t keep up, read CaliberMind’s What is Marketing Attribution.

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Start With the Question - Then Choose the Right Model

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When it comes to modeling, most companies start with the wrong question: “Which attribution model should we use?”

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That’s backwards.

• First, ask what question you’re trying to answer. (e.g. “What’s driving MQLs?” “How is marketing contributing to pipeline?” “What’s working at the top of the funnel?”)
• Then, choose the attribution model that fits that question best.

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For example:

• CMOs might care about showing the full impact of marketing. A multi-touch model that includes all sales and marketing touchpoints works well here.
• Demand gen leaders may want to optimize ad spend. A first-touch or U-shaped model that emphasizes early journey activities could be a better fit.

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And don't be afraid to run multiple models in parallel - or even compare them side-by-side in a single report to test hypotheses.

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“Attribution models are like wrenches,” said Drew. “You use the one that fits the bolt. You don’t buy a whole set and throw the rest out.”

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Need help choosing? Read Tips to Choosing Which Attribution Model to Use to align your models to the right questions.

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Yes, First-Touch and Last-Touch Still Have Value

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Single-touch models get a bad rap, but they can be incredibly useful in the right context.

• Use first-touch to understand where awareness starts - especially valuable when testing new channels or looking to expand your reach.
• Use last-touch to pinpoint what nudged a lead into becoming an opportunity - particularly when optimizing your conversion flows.

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The key is clarity. Always define: last touch before what? MQL? Opportunity creation? Contract signing?

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And make sure you automate the assignment of touchpoints - manual entry (like relying on reps to tag the right campaign in Salesforce) introduces bias and inconsistency.

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“Automation is the cure to bad attribution,” said Eric. “You get cleaner data and you remove subjectivity from the system.”

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Explore when single-touch models are still relevant in Attribution Models: First-Touch.

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Multi-Touch Is Powerful - But Only When You Do It Right

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Multi-touch attribution (MTA) is where most teams get stuck. It’s powerful, but it’s also easy to screw up.

• Don’t get bogged down micro-optimizing weights. At the macro level, the patterns will smooth out.
• Use models like W-shaped or even-weighted to surface what’s happening at different stages of the journey.
• Consider chain-based or Markov models to eliminate bias altogether—they’ll automatically learn which touchpoints matter most.

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Remember: attribution isn’t about getting the exact percentage right. It’s about making better decisions with the data you have.

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“You can argue over whether a touchpoint deserves 30% or 10% all day,” said Drew. “But if everything’s playing by the same rules, it’s still useful.”

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If you’re dealing with MTA chaos, read Identifying & Fixing Multi-Touch Attribution Challenges for practical advice.

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Attribution Without Data Hygiene Is Just a Guess

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None of this works without clean, consistent data.

• Be crystal clear on how and when touchpoints are recorded
• Store historical attribution data in a way that doesn't get overwritten when deals cycle or contacts recycle
• Make sure your systems (Salesforce, MAP, data warehouse) are architected to support attribution over time

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“The biggest problem we see with MTA is data inconsistency,” said Eric. “If your attribution report shows more pipeline than Salesforce, your model is broken.”

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Make sure your infrastructure is ready by reviewing How to Know When Your Company Is Ready for B2B Attribution.

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Final Thoughts: Attribution Is a Team Sport

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If you want your attribution model to drive alignment, it has to include touches from sales, marketing and customer success. And it has to be transparent.

• Show your work. Explain how the model works and why.
• Include sales touchpoints so reps feel seen.
• Make sure your CEO and CFO understand what’s in (and not in) the numbers.

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And don’t let “dark funnel” panic derail your efforts. Just because you can’t track everything doesn’t mean you shouldn’t track anything.

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“Use the data you have,” said Drew. “And keep improving. That’s the name of the game.”

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There was a lot of Q&A the panel didn’t get too during the live event - check out this follow up video of panel answering those questions to catch what you missed.

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