What Marketers Can Learn from Amazon Freight’s Approach to Lead Operations
- Carolyn Raleigh, Senior Manager of Lead Operations at Amazon Freight
- AI and Automation, Campaign Optimization, Customer Experience (CX), Data Management and Analytics, Digital Transformation, Lead Gen / Lead Mgmt, Managing Org Transformation, Managing Your Career, Martech Stacks, Multi-Channel Journeys, Other Martech, Platform and Data Integration, Sales and Marketing Orchestration, Strategy and Trends
When your funnel touches millions of prospects, how do you make sure every lead, every data point, and every decision actually moves the business forward?
For Carolyn Raleigh, Senior Manager of Lead Operations at Amazon Freight, the answer lies in putting strategy first, processes second, and technology in its place as an enabler rather than a crutch.
In a conversation with the Martechify team, Carolyn shared her unconventional career path, her approach to operating at Amazon scale, and why data discipline and process alignment matter more than any single tool, even in an AI-driven world.
For Carolyn Raleigh, Senior Manager of Lead Operations at Amazon Freight, the answer lies in putting strategy first, processes second, and technology in its place as an enabler rather than a crutch.
In a conversation with the Martechify team, Carolyn shared her unconventional career path, her approach to operating at Amazon scale, and why data discipline and process alignment matter more than any single tool, even in an AI-driven world.
Check out the full interview with Carolyn Raleigh, where she shares her marketing experience and how process alignment aids her success at a Fortune 500 company such as Amazon.
From intern thrown into Marketo, to lead operations leader
Carolyn’s entry into marketing technology was anything but traditional.
Early in her career, she was handed a brand-new Marketo instance as an intern and told to figure it out. At the time, marketing technology was not something taught in college, and formal playbooks did not exist.
Rather than being overwhelmed, Carolyn found her niche. “That’s really where I discovered what I loved,” she said. “Even when I stepped away from marketing technology later, I always found my way back.”
That early exposure shaped a career rooted in systems thinking, experimentation, and a deep appreciation for how technology supports revenue.
Early in her career, she was handed a brand-new Marketo instance as an intern and told to figure it out. At the time, marketing technology was not something taught in college, and formal playbooks did not exist.
Rather than being overwhelmed, Carolyn found her niche. “That’s really where I discovered what I loved,” she said. “Even when I stepped away from marketing technology later, I always found my way back.”
That early exposure shaped a career rooted in systems thinking, experimentation, and a deep appreciation for how technology supports revenue.
What lead operations looks like at Amazon Freight
Today, Carolyn works in lead operations at Amazon Freight, where she owns everything related to the funnel. Before joining Amazon, Carolyn, like many others, associated the company primarily with packages arriving at front doors. Her move to Amazon Freight quickly reshaped that perspective.
Amazon Freight operates across the supply chain, moving goods between warehouses using:
— Full truckload shipping
— Less-than-truckload shipping, known as LTL
— Intermodal options such as rail and other transport methods
The trucks on the highway with Amazon branding are part of a complex operation that supports businesses of all sizes, from enterprises shipping full semis to smaller companies that only need half a truck.
While Amazon Freight is a full-fledged business today, it is still relatively young, having launched in 2019, and continues to grow rapidly within the broader Amazon ecosystem.
Her team manages:
— How leads enter the pipeline
— Lead scoring and lifecycle strategy
— Lead routing and handoff to sales teams
The goal is simple but demanding: Every lead should move through the funnel efficiently, predictably, and in a way that supports sales productivity.
Amazon Freight operates across the supply chain, moving goods between warehouses using:
— Full truckload shipping
— Less-than-truckload shipping, known as LTL
— Intermodal options such as rail and other transport methods
The trucks on the highway with Amazon branding are part of a complex operation that supports businesses of all sizes, from enterprises shipping full semis to smaller companies that only need half a truck.
While Amazon Freight is a full-fledged business today, it is still relatively young, having launched in 2019, and continues to grow rapidly within the broader Amazon ecosystem.
Her team manages:
— How leads enter the pipeline
— Lead scoring and lifecycle strategy
— Lead routing and handoff to sales teams
The goal is simple but demanding: Every lead should move through the funnel efficiently, predictably, and in a way that supports sales productivity.
Why scale changes everything about operations
One of the biggest shifts Carolyn experienced after joining Amazon was the sheer scale of decision-making. At smaller companies, teams often work with limited audiences and smaller datasets. At Amazon, every decision involves millions of people and millions of data points.
That reality forces a different mindset: Strategy must come before tactics, every action needs a clear reason, and alignment across stakeholders is essential. “Without a strong strategy, tactics fall apart,” Carolyn explained. “Strategy is what gets you where you need to go.”
While Amazon Freight operates with startup energy, it also involves far more stakeholders than most organizations. Carolyn found that early alignment, while time-consuming, pays off later by allowing teams to launch initiatives quickly and confidently.
That reality forces a different mindset: Strategy must come before tactics, every action needs a clear reason, and alignment across stakeholders is essential. “Without a strong strategy, tactics fall apart,” Carolyn explained. “Strategy is what gets you where you need to go.”
While Amazon Freight operates with startup energy, it also involves far more stakeholders than most organizations. Carolyn found that early alignment, while time-consuming, pays off later by allowing teams to launch initiatives quickly and confidently.
Data first, AI second, guesswork never
Amazon’s reputation for being data-driven is well earned, and Carolyn sees that as one of the biggest lessons other companies can learn. Decisions based on gut feelings are replaced with decisions grounded in evidence. AI plays a major role in that process. “There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t use AI,” Carolyn said.
At Amazon Freight, AI is embedded across both third-party and internal tools. For example, RingLead is one of the third-party AI tools heavily used by the sales team. And one of Amazon’s own AI tools, Amazon Quick Suite, is available to the general public. “One of the best things that I’ve found to use is creating databases of what you’re doing day to day,” said Carolyn. “The data we have—the conversations I’m having with our chat agents on a regular basis and the documents I’m writing—I keep them in a database knowledge base. So, when I do have these conversations with the chat, it’s more tailored to what I want it to be talking about.”
These tools help with:
— Lead enrichment
— Deeper analysis of incoming leads
— Faster insight generation from large datasets
AI allows sales teams to focus on selling instead of researching and enables marketing and operations teams to act more quickly on reliable signals.
At Amazon Freight, AI is embedded across both third-party and internal tools. For example, RingLead is one of the third-party AI tools heavily used by the sales team. And one of Amazon’s own AI tools, Amazon Quick Suite, is available to the general public. “One of the best things that I’ve found to use is creating databases of what you’re doing day to day,” said Carolyn. “The data we have—the conversations I’m having with our chat agents on a regular basis and the documents I’m writing—I keep them in a database knowledge base. So, when I do have these conversations with the chat, it’s more tailored to what I want it to be talking about.”
These tools help with:
— Lead enrichment
— Deeper analysis of incoming leads
— Faster insight generation from large datasets
AI allows sales teams to focus on selling instead of researching and enables marketing and operations teams to act more quickly on reliable signals.
AI hallucinations and data quality
Despite AI’s power, Carolyn is realistic about its limitations. She has seen firsthand how AI can misinterpret large datasets, such as analyzing only part of a spreadsheet while presenting results as if it reviewed the entire file. The solution is not to abandon AI but to use it responsibly.
Her recommendations include:
— Putting guardrails in place
— Training teams to challenge AI outputs
— Asking follow-up questions when results seem off
For example, Carolyn mentioned that Amazon employees receive training that teaches them to “ask the AI questions back.” “I think the biggest thing I can recommend is making sure that, to prevent hallucinations and ultimately get what you need, you call it out,” said Carolyn.
Most importantly, Carolyn emphasized that AI is only as good as the data behind it. “If you don’t have good data, you won’t get good outputs,” she said. “Sometimes it looks like a hallucination, but it is really a data quality issue.” Ensuring clean, reliable data is a core part of her role in lead operations.
Her recommendations include:
— Putting guardrails in place
— Training teams to challenge AI outputs
— Asking follow-up questions when results seem off
For example, Carolyn mentioned that Amazon employees receive training that teaches them to “ask the AI questions back.” “I think the biggest thing I can recommend is making sure that, to prevent hallucinations and ultimately get what you need, you call it out,” said Carolyn.
Most importantly, Carolyn emphasized that AI is only as good as the data behind it. “If you don’t have good data, you won’t get good outputs,” she said. “Sometimes it looks like a hallucination, but it is really a data quality issue.” Ensuring clean, reliable data is a core part of her role in lead operations.
Building knowledge bases to make AI smarter
One of Carolyn’s most practical approaches to AI is building internal knowledge bases.
By storing documents, workflows, and past decisions in centralized systems, AI tools gain context. That context allows them to provide more relevant answers without constant retraining. This approach helps Carolyn turn what she calls “brain dumps” into structured insights that support her day-to-day work, speed up execution, and improve consistency across projects.
By storing documents, workflows, and past decisions in centralized systems, AI tools gain context. That context allows them to provide more relevant answers without constant retraining. This approach helps Carolyn turn what she calls “brain dumps” into structured insights that support her day-to-day work, speed up execution, and improve consistency across projects.
Why processes matter more than tools
When asked to choose between tools and processes, Carolyn did not hesitate. Processes matter more. Tools are only effective when supported by clear workflows, strong inputs, and shared understanding across teams. Many revenue challenges are not tool problems at all—they are alignment problems.
“Most revenue challenges come down to process and alignment, not technology,” Carolyn said. At Amazon scale, strong processes ensure that tools are used correctly and consistently to drive results.
“Most revenue challenges come down to process and alignment, not technology,” Carolyn said. At Amazon scale, strong processes ensure that tools are used correctly and consistently to drive results.
Using data to align sales and marketing
Carolyn sits on the sales operations team, acting as a bridge between sales and marketing—teams that historically have not always seen eye to eye. Data changed that dynamic. By focusing on metrics such as conversion rates, funnel velocity, inactive accounts, and resource allocation, Carolyn helps teams move away from opinions and toward shared facts.
“When you can prove things with data, you drive better conversations,” she explained. That shared visibility allows both sales and marketing to operate more efficiently and focus on what truly moves revenue.
One of the most compelling examples Carolyn shared involved Amazon Freight’s LTL offering. Many smaller businesses cannot fill an entire truck. In the past, some customers requested LTL options and were turned away.
That feedback did not disappear. When Amazon Freight expanded its LTL capabilities, Carolyn and her teams used historical data to identify those customers and launch reactivation campaigns. The message was simple and powerful. Amazon Freight could now support their needs.
The campaign combined data, storytelling, and strategy, re-engaging past prospects while also opening the door to new ones. While results are still taking shape, the initiative reflects how Amazon Freight continues to grow and diversify its offerings.
“When you can prove things with data, you drive better conversations,” she explained. That shared visibility allows both sales and marketing to operate more efficiently and focus on what truly moves revenue.
One of the most compelling examples Carolyn shared involved Amazon Freight’s LTL offering. Many smaller businesses cannot fill an entire truck. In the past, some customers requested LTL options and were turned away.
That feedback did not disappear. When Amazon Freight expanded its LTL capabilities, Carolyn and her teams used historical data to identify those customers and launch reactivation campaigns. The message was simple and powerful. Amazon Freight could now support their needs.
The campaign combined data, storytelling, and strategy, re-engaging past prospects while also opening the door to new ones. While results are still taking shape, the initiative reflects how Amazon Freight continues to grow and diversify its offerings.
Growing with the business
Amazon Freight employs thousands of people across the supply chain, from warehouse workers and truck drivers to operators and strategists. Carolyn may not drive the trucks, much to her children’s surprise, but she plays a critical role in ensuring the systems behind the scenes work as intended.
Her journey, from intern to senior leader, mirrors the evolution of modern marketing operations itself. It is data-driven, process-oriented, and increasingly powered by AI, but always grounded in strategy and alignment.
For marketers navigating growth, scale, and complexity, Carolyn’s perspective offers a clear takeaway: Technology matters, AI matters, but without strong processes, clean data, and shared strategy, none of it works.
Her journey, from intern to senior leader, mirrors the evolution of modern marketing operations itself. It is data-driven, process-oriented, and increasingly powered by AI, but always grounded in strategy and alignment.
For marketers navigating growth, scale, and complexity, Carolyn’s perspective offers a clear takeaway: Technology matters, AI matters, but without strong processes, clean data, and shared strategy, none of it works.
Related resources
Want more like this resource? Find helpful links below.
