C-Suite Sales & Marketing Perspectives (Steven MacDonald)

Eric Steele, the CRO at Source Advisors and a 15-year veteran at Forrester, stresses that the future of the B2B revenue engine lies in total alignment and strong brand equity. As B2B buyers become more empowered and knowledgeable, it is essential for companies to create a seamless alignment between sales, marketing, and customer success. This alignment not only ensures a consistent and valuable customer experience but also drives growth and success for the business as a whole.

Eric discusses one of the most important subjects impacting the B2B companies today: the future of the B2B revenue engine. Eric also draws upon his insights from 15 years at Forrester and explains the increasing importance of total alignment and brand equity in a company's growth. He highlights the necessity of understanding and serving the customer at a higher level, the role and importance of revenue operations, and the significant role people, leadership, and personalities play in aligning a unifying vision.

"The future of the B2B revenue engine is total seamless alignment with sales, marketing, and customer success as one team, one dream, common metrics, common goals, and a common vision.” - Eric Steele

Total alignment in the revenue organization means having one customer and one vision for serving, retaining, and growing that customer. It requires breaking down silos and eliminating competing agendas. The revenue engine should operate as one team with common metrics, goals, and vision. This alignment is crucial in meeting the high expectations of B2B buyers who expect sales reps to be knowledgeable about their business, lead with insights, and understand the outcomes their business can achieve by working with the company, strengthened by the brand.

Follow Eric Steele on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericcsteele/

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensmacdonald/

In this interview, 2x CMO and former CRO Dayna Rothman discusses her insights from her time as CMO at OneLogin, where she learned from the failure of three previous CMOs due to their inability to benchmark and track the business impact of marketing and report it all the way up through the board. 

Dayna states, "Making those connections and ensuring that the organization understands marketing's impact on the business is crucial."

Dayna also believes that data-driven content is key to thought leadership and advisory roles in sales. She highlights the importance of leveraging internal research and unique data to create valuable content that educates and nurtures prospects throughout the buyer's journey. Dayna advises CMOs and CROs to understand each other's businesses, respect each other's contributions, and work together towards the common goal of revenue generation.

Follow Dayna Rothman on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

In this interview, Neil Morrison, Global Head of Measurement at Signal AI, discusses key advancements in AI as discriminative AI, which allows for the identification of specific concepts within unstructured data. Morrison explains that discriminative AI enables companies to track their brand mentions, identify relevant topics, and measure their performance against competitors. Companies can gain insights into their brand expertise and trust score by analyzing media coverage. Morrison emphasizes the importance of understanding the full scope of AI capabilities and distinguishing between discriminative AI and generative AI.

Neil also talks about the importance of tracking brand reputation and thought leadership content in today's media landscape. He explains how discriminative AI can identify key topics and sentiments to help companies establish trust and expertise. Businesses can effectively forecast and target their thought leadership content by analyzing data, leading to better decision-making and financial impact.

"If you think about trust, it is a key element of reputation, and reputation has a financial element to it. One of our consulting clients has put a financial figure on how much trust impacts their business—and it goes into the billions." - Neil Morrison

Neil eloquently demonstrates the power of thought leadership in shaping brand reputation and how trust cannot be underestimated. He explains why companies must track their brand mentions, measure their trust score, and strategically target thought leadership topics to stay ahead of the competition.

Follow Neil Morrison on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡Jaume Ayerbe, Chief Revenue Officer at Nalanda Global, shares insights about the critical role of trust in B2B sales. Jaume sheds light on the importance of cultivating trust with prospects and customers across different cultural landscapes. He also delves into the complexities of trust, its decline in B2B sales, and how organizations can navigate these challenges to build lasting relationships.💡

" Trust is something that needs to be led from the senior management down to the organization.  Trust is with customers, but trust is within the company as well.  I cannot be building credibility, building trust with my prospect customers if I'm not having trust back at home, back at the office, back at the workshop, I need to build that trust. This needs to be part of the company culture, this is a never ending game." - Jaume Ayerbe

With Jaume's vast experience in international business, focusing on trust as a cornerstone for success in B2B markets, he shares insights into various strategies for establishing trust, such as understanding customer challenges, being a trusted advisor, and leveraging emotional selling over product specifications. Both Steve and Jaume uncover the intricacies of creating a genuine connection with clients, emphasizing that in competitive industries, emotional connections often outweigh technical specs in driving purchase decisions.

Follow Jaume Ayerbe on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Sebastiano Pistritto, Chief Marketing Officer at ParcelShield, shares invaluable insights on how to shift the sales perspective from pushing products to building relationships based on trust and understanding. By emphasizing the importance of listening, asking the right questions, and offering solutions rather than sales pitches, Sebastian outlines a strategic approach to sales that focuses on customer-centricity and rapport building.💡

"Build trust and go out not thinking you want to sell someone—go out thinking that you want to build a relationship with someone." - Sebastiano Pistritto

Sebastiano Pistritto's insights, drawn from his experience as a four-time B2B tech CMO, emphasize the crucial role of building credibility, delivering value, and nurturing industry connections. He advocates for sales professionals to position themselves as trusted advisors by consistently offering valuable insights and fostering meaningful relationships with potential clients, ultimately establishing a foundation of trust that can significantly influence purchasing decisions.

Follow Sebastiano Pistritto on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡Efrat Ravid, Chief Marketing Officer at Quantum Metric, talks about her inspiring journey from software engineering to becoming a marketing leader. She highlights the critical importance of aligning executive teams to drive strategic growth. Efrat shares practical strategies for CMOs to leverage customer insights, reduce churn, and build lasting success.💡

"The most important thing for any chief is alignment. The best companies are aligned—the CROs, CPOs, chief customer officers, and CMOs all sing the same song so the entire team can work in harmony. This alignment helps them perform well and move in the same direction." - Efrat Ravid

Efrat Ravid’s insights underscore the CMO's critical role in fostering alignment among executive teams and ensuring the customer’s voice is central to strategic decision-making. She emphasizes the importance of balancing day-to-day execution with forward-thinking innovation to stay competitive in dynamic markets. Additionally, she highlights the need for CMOs to address challenges like customer churn while consistently driving measurable value across the organization. 

Follow Efrat Ravid on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Mark Walker, Co-founder and CEO at Revved Up, dives into the enduring challenges of B2B lead nurturing. He explores why many companies still rely on outdated tactics despite the availability of new tools and data. He shares insights on the power of brand-building, customer alignment, and elevating sales conversations. His perspective underscores the importance of bridging the gap between strategy and execution for sustainable growth. 💡

“Lead nurture gets overlooked because everyone's focused on stuffing the top of the funnel. They chase more leads while ignoring the middle: moving leads through the funnel more effectively. You are sitting on a gold mine in your lead nurture that you are not touching.” – Mark Walker

This episode examines the impact of uniting sales and marketing on growth strategy. Mark’s experiences guide listeners toward a holistic revenue approach, helping them see how seamless collaboration fuels pipeline health and accelerates business outcomes. By uncovering real-world insights on aligning both disciplines, executives can equip their teams with a roadmap for long-term success.

Follow Host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Follow Mark Walker on LinkedIn

Anita Tulsiani, a 2x CMO with a background in high tech, explains how CMOs must foster strong relationships with product, finance, and sales leadership to excel, moving beyond their functional roles. Marketers can align their strategies and drive revenue by understanding the customer, profitability, and pain points better than anyone, giving them a voice at the table in the C-suite. Collaboration is key! 

"As the CMO, fall in love with your product and carve out a voice at the table from a different lens than others in the C-Suite." - Anita Tulsiani

Anita stresses that having a unified internal and external narrative and fostering a genuine passion for the products being marketed and the customers being served is essential. She also emphasizes creating a unique value proposition as critical for marketing, ensuring alignment with sales and allowing for a consistent story and differentiation in a crowded market. She reminds us not to underestimate the power of a well-crafted value proposition.

Follow Anita Tulsiani on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Jamie Walker, CMO of Keyfactor, and Dan Michael, CSO of Keyfactor, share how a strong company culture drives growth, retention, and performance. They explore their synergistic leadership and strategies for building unicorn companies. Additionally, they discuss the Chief Transformation Officer's role in aligning strategy and process. 💡

"Culture is about showing up day to day. It’s how you show up, how you ask your people to show up, and what you stand for. You want your people, who live and breathe your core values, to be in front of your customers, ensuring they speak on behalf of your company." - Jamie Walker

Cultivating a strong company culture aligned with performance goals is crucial for success. Jamie and Dan emphasize engaging employees in cultural design, promoting core values, and the role of a Chief Transformation Officer in managing change. This highlights the deep connection between employee and customer experience as a driver of growth.

Follow Jamie Walker on LinkedIn

Follow Dan Michael on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Nidhi Daga, SVP of Marketing, Growth, and Digital Experiences at JPMorgan Chase, explores how customer experience (CX) is becoming the key differentiator for businesses. She shares insights from her journey in engineering, product building, and marketing, highlighting the importance of empathy and curiosity. She also offers a roadmap for leveraging CX to align marketing, product, and customer success for sustained growth. 💡

"I strongly believe CX is paramount for any company to be successful and it has gotten even more interesting because of customers working through omnichannel experiences. Now, you have to connect those experiences in online, in-person, and virtual settings while maintaining a common data layer." - Nidhi Daga

Nidhi emphasizes the importance of digital-first strategies combined with empathy and personalization to foster meaningful customer relationships. She highlights the CMO’s role in driving customer experience innovation and leading the shift toward customer-first strategies. Embracing customer experience as a dynamic journey ensures lasting business success.

Are you struggling to create content marketing that impacts revenue? Having a hard time justifying growing your content budgets? Want to know how to overcome the biggest content marketing fail?

In this podcast interview, Mary Keough, the Head of Marketing at Map My Customers, sheds light on the Top 10 challenges faced in content marketing in the B2B sector. According to Mary, content holds the utmost significance and should be the focal point of any marketing strategy.

During the discussion with Steve MacDonald, Mary Keough delves into the major internal and skillset obstacles encountered in content marketing. She places great emphasis on securing support from the C-suite or leadership for any content marketing initiative. Additionally, Mary highlights a common oversight in content marketing regarding the selection of appropriate distribution channels. She believes that many B2B companies fail to make the necessary effort to ensure their content is disseminated across the right channels, such as organic social media, email, paid social, and more. Mary underscores the importance of actively selecting and promoting the right content to reach the intended target audience effectively.

Specifically, Mary shares insights into how her B2B company leverages podcasts to produce its highest-quality content. For starters, podcasts serve as a platform for interviewing customers and creating case studies, as well as conducting interviews with prospects to foster relationships. She discusses how podcast creation not only helps her company solidify its product-market fit and go-to-market strategy but also enables them to maintain connections with prospects who may not be ready to make a purchase yet. Finally, Mary emphasizes the significance of broadening perspectives in order to contribute value to the industry and shares her tips on how to grow your content budget that will blow you away.

Learn how Mary overcomes all the most important challenges content marketers face:

• Setting the stage for overcoming challenges to creating great content marketing
• Overcoming the greatest internal challenges
• Overcoming skillset challenges
• Overcoming the biggest content marketing fail
• Overcoming the challenges around content quality
• Overcoming sales challenges
• Putting perspective around content marketing challenges
• Addressing the challenge of how much to spend on content marketing
• The challenges of measuring and reporting on content marketing
• The overall takeaway around the challenges to running successful content marketing
• Overcoming the challenges of growing the content marketing budget

Follow Mary Keough on LinkedIn

Follow Steve MacDonald

 on LinkedIn

Despite being bootstrapped, Kenneth Burke, the VP of Marketing at TexRequest, discusses the value of content marketing as a cost-effective strategy. While it required time and effort, it allowed them to build a reputation, attract qualified traffic, and serve as sales enablement tools.

"Look at your startup, resources, or time limitations as opportunities and reframe them." - Kenneth Burke

Kenneth emphasizes the importance of putting oneself in the customer's shoes and creating content that would be genuinely helpful to them, even beyond the solutions surrounding your company.

Follow Kenneth Burke on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

In this interview, we dive into the challenges and strategies of being a one-person marketing department. Our guest, Ken Lempit from the Austin Lawrence group, shares his wealth of knowledge from serving over 100 B2B SaaS clients.

Ken emphasizes the importance of setting expectations, negotiating resources with the CEO, and benchmarking budget allocations. He also highlights the value of thought leadership and credible content in reaching the 97% of potential customers who are not actively searching for a solution.

"All of us are going after the 3%, and you're only going to get your share. The place where you're going to get more than your fair share is up in the funnel a little further, and that's the domain of thought leadership." - Ken Lempit

Follow Ken Lempit on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Jeremiah Glodoveza, SVP and Global Head of Marketing and Communication at NIUM, discusses how B2B marketing can learn from the entertainment industry’s storytelling techniques. He highlights the importance of emotional engagement, experiential content, and character development in captivating audiences. He also explores AI’s role in personalizing content and balancing emotional and rational marketing. 💡

"In B2B, the reference point is becoming the entertainment space because they do an exceptional job in many areas of marketing. From storytelling and creating experiences to building anticipation for products and how they heroize characters in their productions, there’s much we, in marketing, can learn from the entertainment industry." - Jeremiah Glodoveza

Jeremiah highlights that B2B marketing is shifting towards entertainment strategies to cut through the noise of content overload. He emphasizes the power of dynamic storytelling to engage customers emotionally and intellectually, positioning them as heroes in relatable narratives. He also points out how AI is transforming B2B marketing by personalizing content, enhancing engagement, and fostering stronger connections.

Follow Jeremiah Glodoveza on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Ryan Torresan, CMO at Peak Dental Services, shares his journey from a focus on research and analytics to leading marketing departments in the dental industry, highlighting the pivotal role of data in shaping successful marketing strategies. He delves into the challenges of marketing in an intentionally overloaded economy and explores innovative ways to capture the attention of decision-makers. Ryan emphasizes the importance of understanding and addressing the specific pain points of target audiences, especially in highly competitive B2B environments. 💡

“To market in an attention-overloaded economy, you need to go back to being a little old-fashioned while also leveraging modern strategies. Bringing those two approaches together, combined with authenticity, can go a long way.”- Ryan Torresan

Ryan Torresan’s insights highlight the evolution of B2B marketing and the indispensable role of LinkedIn as an underutilized platform for reaching decision-makers. His perspective on how dental marketing can inform B2B marketing strategies provides valuable insights for listeners across industries. Ryan also underscores the significance of building authentic relationships and maintaining transparency to foster trust with potential clients.

Follow Ryan Torresan on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

The alignment between marketing and sales is a perennial challenge for B2B companies. However, Shawn Conahan (CRO of the Year) and Tristan Barnum (CMO) have shown that overcoming this challenge and creating a successful partnership is possible. They have built a high-performing team committed to their client partners' success by fostering trust, collaboration, co-ownership, and a shared vision.

"We have a culture of freedom and responsibility. Not every company has that, but we tell our entire team on a periodic basis, remember that you have the freedom to do whatever it is that you want within the constraints of what we're trying to accomplish here." - Shawn Conahan, CRO of the Year

The unique compensation structure at Wildfire, which focuses on long-term incentives, has helped to create a culture of collaboration and a commitment to the ongoing success of their clients, whom they call partners. This, combined with their open communication, daily standups, and a POV that the real work with clients only starts at the close of a deal from sales, is all part of the unique perspective that drives their success.

Follow Shawn Conahan on LinkedIn

Follow Tristan Barnum on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Ramya Kumaraswamy, Vice President of Growth and Demand at TaskUs, addresses the identity crisis that many CMOs face in today’s fast-paced environment. She explores why marketers struggle to gain respect within their organizations and how technology complicates that issue. She highlights the value of genuine customer advocacy as a path to trust. She also underscores that aligning with customers’ needs can reinvent a company’s go-to-market approach. 💡 

"There’s nobody else within an organization who knows how to be an advocate for your customer better than marketing. We’re the ones who are always talking about it. Our customer is the reason we’re in business. Their business is our business in so many ways." - Ramya Kumaraswamy

This conversation dives into the complexities of marketing’s role in modern organizations, revealing how tech optimists like Ramya see both challenges and opportunities. She explores the power of customer advocacy as a way to rise above the noise. By delving into why trust is breaking down and how marketers can reconnect with their audiences, this episode provides tangible steps to drive real growth.

Follow Host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Follow Ramya Kumaraswamy on LinkedIn

💡 Michael Zalle, CEO of YellowBird, discusses his journey as an entrepreneurial leader, emphasizing the critical role that foundational core values play in driving not only internal company culture but also client relationships and overall business success. He shares insights drawn from his extensive experience founding and leading tech startups, focusing on the essential distinction between values and principles. 💡

“The numbers reflect the outcome and the output, which ties back to core values. It involves asking oneself if they can sleep at night, knowing they handled the situation with humility while staying true to what they stand for.” - Michael Zalle

Michael, as the CEO of YellowBird, which upholds a core value framework centered around authenticity, ownership, lifelong learning, and the unique concept of being ‘spicy,’ shares insights on how these principles drive decision-making, enhancing internal dynamics, client satisfaction, and growth. He highlights that staying true to these values fosters trusted client relationships and strengthens company culture.

Follow Michael Zalle on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Shaun Rowan-Popoff, SVP of Marketing at Green Dot Corporation , shares insights on bridging B2C lessons into the realm of B2B marketing to foster impactful growth partnerships. She delves into the significance of aligning with business partners’ goals, maintaining brand relevance, and elevating executives as thought leaders within their respective industries.💡

"B2B partnerships are important because there is the relevance of your brand that you want to continue to elevate, and the right partnerships can position and move your brand with a specific company to the next level." - Shaun Rowan-Popoff

Shaun Rowan-Popoff’s insights delve into how critical it is to cultivate strong B2B partnerships. She emphasizes that building these relationships can significantly boost brand relevance and drive long-term success. She also highlights the importance of aligning business strategies with a solid brand foundation, which is key to achieving sustainable growth. 

Follow Shaun Rowan-Popoff on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡Sunita Kishnani, Chief Marketing Officer at Softude, discuss innovative strategies in account-based marketing (ABM) and go-to-market approaches for B2B companies. Sunita dives into the transformation and elevation of marketing roles within businesses and the critical shift towards chief growth officers. In an industry characterized by extreme competition, understanding the new landscape of ABM and being a strategic advisor to clients are pivotal.💡

" There are no shortcuts, so be consistent in what you're doing. You should have a razor sharp focus on what your ABM strategy is going to be, and once you have that, you have to be consistent with your efforts." - Sunita Kishnani

Sunita sheds light on the importance of deeply understanding client needs in the ABM context, how buyer journeys are evolving, and the necessity of personalized approaches. She emphasizes the role of intent-based tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator in building a precise understanding of potential clients. Moreover, Sunita highlights the increasing relevance of customer experience as the main differentiator, with McKinsey & Co.'s report cited as backing for this claim. She also reflects on integrating technology, such as AI, into business processes to maintain a competitive edge and the essential roles dedicated to domain expertise within teams.

Follow Sunita Kishnani on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡Lee Grunnell, CMO at Womble Bond Dickinson (UK), sheds light on the critical examination of the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and the necessity of being uncomfortable with traditional marketing concepts to achieve growth and customer satisfaction. He advocates for a market-oriented approach, urging businesses to see the world through their customers' lenses rather than their own. This marketing podcast episode is filled with insights on customer focus, market orientation, and the ever-evolving roles of sales and marketing in understanding customer needs.💡

‘ Don't find customers for your products, find products for your customers. I suppose my provocative nervousness is that, maybe the ICP starts from the wrong, the wrong perspective and we need to flip it around." - Lee Grunnell

By underpinning the conversation with real-world examples from his professional experience, Lee Grunnell provides strategies to help companies broaden their perspective on potential client bases and align their marketing strategies with genuine customer needs. Topics such as the importance of understanding customer experiences, using direct customer feedback to enhance business strategies, and the evolving importance of customer journey mapping are thoroughly discussed. This episode is a must-listen for CMOs and marketing leaders striving for excellence in customer engagement and long-term organizational growth.

Follow Lee Grunnell on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Felix Bartels, CMO of the Serviceplan Group, shares his journey from medicine and sports science to marketing. He explores blending emotional engagement with AI, automation, and big data while maintaining authenticity. This episode highlights storytelling, trust, and human connection as keys to B2B marketing success. 💡

"For companies nowadays, go-to-market strategies are complex. I think the solution is to leverage technology to manage this complexity. However, the real secret is adding an emotional touch—being human, real, and transparent. It's not just about being the first to use the best technology." - Felix Bartels

Felix presents a transformative perspective on modern B2B marketing, emphasizing a human-centric approach, storytelling, and consultative strategies. This shift moves businesses from traditional product-focused messaging toward an integrated experience that prioritizes authenticity, emotional connectivity, and innovation. By adopting these insights, companies can strengthen relationships and enhance brand loyalty in an evolving market.

Follow Felix Bartels on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Ryan George, the Chief Marketing Officer of DocuPace Technologies, boasts more than two decades of experience in the realm of marketing communications. His expertise lies in cultivating an all-encompassing and unified marketing strategy. He achieves this by initially deriving value from and integrating insights across all company departments into his blueprint for success. 

"Don't be fooled into thinking that your job description or your specific role is where you add the most value to the organization. CMOs should be the glue that connects different departments and helps them understand their role in the company's success." - Ryan George

Ryan underscores the significance of harmonizing external and internal priorities, fostering interdepartmental connections, and assuming the role of cohesive force within the organization. He supports his insights with tangible instances of successfully implementing these approaches.

Follow Ryan George on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡Stephen McCarney, CMO at The Merlin Group, shares his extensive experience in scaling businesses and turning around stagnation by forming robust ecosystems. He delves into his professional journey, reflecting on his role in areas like cybersecurity, secure access services, and FedRAMP compliance. This episode sheds light on the Merlin Group's structured approach to fostering collaboration within and outside the organization to drive business growth.💡

" The best technologies aren't the most successful in sales. It's not about the technology, it's all about the people and their relationships. It's really all about, first and foremost, establishing the relationship. Number two, it's being authentic." - Stephen McCarney

He emphasizes the importance of creating ecosystems based on trust and authentic relationships, a growing necessity in sectors like cybersecurity. Stephen narrates how understanding the intricacies of business ecosystems can lead to substantial value creation and increased wallet share. As trust continues to be a critical factor, especially with declining trends in customer confidence, Stephen elaborates on how businesses can use genuine engagement experiences to fortify their brand's reputation. He also highlights practical steps companies can implement to build effective partner strategies, aligning them with a go-to-market approach for exponential growth.

Follow Stephen McCarney on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Tom Venable, Chief Commercial Officer at Aprios Customer MFG, delves into how businesses need to realign their go-to-market strategies to fit the digital age. He shares his extensive knowledge of how the buying journey has shifted over the years and why understanding this change is crucial for B2B companies aiming to remain competitive.💡

"Keep your content relevant. Keep it fresh, new, entertaining, and fun. Give your target market content they can use to improve their lives and build trust." - Tom Venable

Tom highlights the transformative impact of digitalization on B2B buying, driven by the internet and evolving customer needs. He stresses the importance of a seamless, self-service experience like B2C, requiring strategic content development. Building trust through valuable, industry-relevant content is essential. The episode offers insights on adapting to change, leveraging AI, and staying competitive in a dynamic market.

Follow Tom Venable on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Introducing Daniel Christian, the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Tradesmen International. Daniel is a proficient bridge builder between marketing strategy and profitability. His distinctive perspective stems from his leadership experience in marketing, running customer support, and the incorporation of insights from all internal departments. This collection of experiences forms his unique approach, termed "internal thought leadership.” By bringing together external perspectives with internal teams and anchoring them to the company's vision and mission, marketers can become thought leaders, propelling growth. Daniel aligns the company's internal focus with customer needs through the concept of a common unit of measure, effectively closing the gap between customer desires and corporate profitability.

"Because of the absolute focus on the customer and extensive internal touchpoints across departments, marketing has a unique opportunity to establish internal thought leadership by aligning the external and internal strategies of the company into a roadmap that the team can take to stay one step ahead of the competition.” - Daniel Christian

Topics covered:

• Establishing internal thought leadership
• Visualizing the story for internal teams
• Customer KPIs in a new light
• Filling the marketing gap
• When done right, content is more than vital
• The one measure that moves the P&L

Follow Daniel Christian on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Maureen Power Sweeny, Chief Revenue Officer at RapidScale, introduces the Growth Helix framework, which intertwines strategy, execution, and organizational DNA. She explains how companies that co‑evolve these helixes stay aligned with market and customer needs. She also draws on her 30‑year career shaping global business models to illustrate each component. 💡 

“Strategy without execution will fail, and an operating model that has no vision of where it’s going will also fail. When strategy and execution co‑evolve and stay aligned with the market, that’s when success occurs.” – Maureen Power Sweeny

Maureen emphasizes that long-term success hinges on integrating vision with action. She offers practical insights on how to anchor strategic direction while building flexible, high-performing operating models. Her approach encourages organizations to adapt as markets shift and customer expectations evolve continuously. Through real-world examples and leadership experience, she demonstrates how this framework drives lasting and accelerated growth.

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Follow Maureen Power Sweeny on LinkedIn

💡Sheel Gupta, Fractional CMO/CGO and Co-Founder of 1to10, dives into the critical agenda for CMOs in their first 60 days, focusing on leveraging customer insights to drive comprehensive marketing strategies. Sheel shares her journey from a marketing operations specialist to a strategic leader managing sales, marketing, and customer success, offering listeners a wealth of knowledge on aligning marketing initiatives with corporate growth objectives.💡

" When you join a company, it's so important to do 50-50. Think about the long term things that are going to make the biggest impacts that take longer to do, that take more resources. The other 50 percent has to be short term wins because you have to prove your worth, you have to show that you could execute quickly." - Sheel Gupta

Unfolding the intricacies of creating a customer-centric approach, Sheel emphasizes the importance of understanding the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) through direct conversations, rather than solely relying on data. Among the discussed themes, the prioritization of customer experience, brand development, and short-term wins to establish credibility and long-term success are paramount. Throughout the episode, Sheel provides tactical insights on how marketing leaders can efficiently contribute to the overall business health by advocating for a holistic, data-informed, and intuition-driven approach.

Follow Sheel Gupta on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Ron Carson, a CMO, former founder, and Forbes Communications Council member with 25+ years of experience, shares his perspective on the critical role of a CMO and the importance of "just asking" customers for insights. He emphasizes the need for marketing departments to stay connected with customers and non-customers to understand their needs, motivations, and preferred channels of communication.  

"Without having regular customer conversations, you risk being untethered from our customer base." - Ron Carson

By having direct and ongoing conversations, marketing can align their content and messaging with the customer journey, uncover blind spots, and ensure a positive customer experience that directly impacts renewals, referrals, cross-sells, and upsells. Ron encourages CMOs to prioritize customer conversations that drive success at all levels. 

Follow Ron Carson on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Introducing Morgan DiGiorgio, the Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at DirectMail 2.0. Morgan is directly responsible for capitalizing on the potential of aligning the sales & marketing functions. Her results? An impressive 152% growth over three years. Despite a challenging market environment for her Ideal Customer Profiles (ICPs), her strategies have helped lead the company to secure a spot on the Inc. 5000 list for the past three consecutive years. Learn from her successes during this in-depth interview.

“My sales team heavily relies upon us to put out that content marketing so that they can take advantage of it on their sales lines. So, without it, they would be screaming at me. Hey, where's our marketing? Where are our leads? What are you guys doing over there?” - Morgan DiGiorgio

Click through to learn more about Morgan's POV on serving her industry, providing valuable content, and integrating it into the sales process.

Follow Morgan Digiorgio on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Introducing Bruno Trimouille, the CMO of Littera. Bruno shares his insights on managing a major transformation after acquiring twelve different brands. He stresses the importance of aligning marketing and sales in an Account-Based Marketing (ABM) world where value-added selling requires the focus of a single brand and the thought leadership content to drive a new level of market expertise emerging from the company.  

"I really look at it as, I mean, first and foremost is the people, you know, do we have the right people on the team?" - Bruno Trimouille

He discusses the challenges and opportunities of a company's growth and acquisition and how to create a cohesive marketing engine. He also highlights the importance of having a North Star and keeping things simple in the midst of a transformation.

Follow Bruno Trimouille on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡German Ramirez, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at Bitcoin Suisse AG, emphasizes the overlooked importance of human-to-human (H2H) connections in B2B marketing. Drawing from his extensive background in marketing and technology, he stresses that behind every business decision is a person seeking trust, understanding, and authenticity. As digital interactions increase and sales cycles lengthen, investing time in personal connection becomes more crucial than ever. German encourages professionals to move beyond transactional conversations and focus on truly understanding the individuals they engage with.💡

"It’s very difficult to measure how much someone trusts you or believes in your abilities. So in every conversation, forget everything that has to do with the business, and try to understand and focus on who that person is." - German Ramirez

Reframing B2B as fundamentally human interactions, German argues that emotional connection and genuine interest are powerful drivers of successful relationships. While data and automation play a growing role in marketing, they cannot replace the trust built through authentic engagement. By integrating personal storytelling and empathy into business exchanges, companies can foster lasting relationships that drive loyalty and long-term success.

Follow German Ramirez on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Alex Shevelenko, CEO of RELAYTO, a content experiences company, discusses how content experiences can revolutionize how businesses engage with their customers. By transforming static content into dynamic and interactive experiences, businesses can create a more immersive and personalized journey for their audience. 

"In the world of modern consumerism, people want to interact. They don't want to hear a lecture. The interesting thing is how do you use AI? How do you use digital tools to create an interactive experience for your customers that makes them experience emotions, move forward with ideas, implement something, and make it their own?" - Alex Shevelenko

In this podcast interview, Alex explains how businesses can enhance credibility and engagement by including multimedia elements and authentic voices. Content experiences are crucial in creating differentiation and delivering impactful messages. The future of marketing lies in the ability to create compelling and interactive experiences that resonate with customers and drive meaningful outcomes.

Follow Alex Shevelenko on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald

 on LinkedIn

In this episode, fractional CMO Michael Baer argues that a strong brand and a comprehensive understanding of the customer are prerequisites for sustainable growth. Companies can create content that fosters meaningful interactions with their brand only when they truly comprehend their customers and their needs. By leveraging this understanding, businesses can develop a compelling and attractive differentiating factor that resonates with their target audience.

Michael goes on to emphasize that content acts as the lifeblood or 'oxygen' for any B2B brand. It catalyzes customers to engage with the company and begin envisioning it as a potential solution to their problems. By consistently providing valuable and relevant content, businesses can establish themselves as industry leaders with a unique POV and build trust among their audience.

Tune in to this enlightening episode as we explore the significance of content marketing in the B2B landscape and unravel the secrets to creating impactful and engaging content that captivates customers. Join us as we gain valuable insights from Michael Baer and Steven MacDonald on becoming a content-driven powerhouse in the B2B world.

Watch the podcast on YouTube.

Follow special guest Michael Baer on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡Will Milano, Principal of Paramount Professional Services Marketing, delves into the often-overlooked internal challenges that B2B businesses face in their growth journeys. He also unpacks why these internal hurdles exist and how organizations can overcome them. The conversation explores the lack of marketing experience among C-level executives and the critical role of internal education to align marketing strategies with business goals.💡

" Your brand strategy and your demand strategy are not at odds with each other. They are not mutually exclusive. They have to be working in conjunction with each other so that you're absolutely doing things from a marketing strategy standpoint to help." - Will Milano

Will emphasizes the vital interplay between brand and demand in marketing strategies, highlighting that branding is not a secondary concern but a foundational element that can significantly impact business success. As they stress the importance of integrating customer insights and the role of marketing in bringing the customer's voice into strategic discussions, eloquent insights and key strategies are shared on fostering collaboration between sales and marketing. The episode is a treasure trove for marketers aiming to elevate their strategic roles within organizations and navigate internal dynamics effectively.

Follow Will Milano on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Denis Scott, CMO at CharterUP, shares invaluable insights on the intricacies of marketing and selling in new categories. With extensive experience across various industries, Denis has honed his expertise in crafting marketing strategies that reshape customer perceptions and redefine industry challenges. His deep knowledge in building categories from the ground up helps businesses navigate uncharted markets effectively. 💡

"As a CMO, you have to come in and understand what a growth trend looks like and what we desire it to look like. You need to determine how we're going to go about achieving that growth. It's crucial to take other business leaders and the board on the journey of why you're going to invest in the way you're going to invest." - Denis Scott

Denis also reflects on his current role at CharterUP, where he is revolutionizing the group transportation industry by introducing a digital booking solution for charter buses. He emphasizes the importance of defining customer profiles and leveraging account-based marketing, combining business acumen with creative marketing strategies to achieve success. His journey highlights the power of innovation in marketing, particularly when transforming traditional processes through digital solutions.

Follow Denis Scott on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

In this podcast, join Marc McNamara, Founder and CEO of The Enablement Group, and Brian Cleary, a former CMO and Chief Strategy Officer, as they delve into the crucial topic of sales enablement and the significant role of content in this process. The discussion centers around the vital importance of providing salespeople with well-curated and organized content that is readily available to them.

Throughout the conversation, they shed light on the challenges that arise in content management and stress the significance of measuring content utilization, attribution, and engagement and how these indicators help sellers easily serve and engage with potential buyers. Notably, they underscore the value of thought leadership content, which is pivotal in establishing trust and credibility with buyers while positioning sellers as experts in their domain.

A key theme that emerges is the necessity for seamless collaboration between the marketing and sales teams to effectively leverage content, ultimately driving sales success. By synergizing efforts and aligning strategies, both departments can empower salespeople with the tools they need to succeed, enhancing overall business performance.

“Content is the lifeblood of modern organizations. It needs to be curated, organized, and served up to sales reps in a way that guides them to success. The key is to provide relevant content that is ready to be used in the context of the buyer's journey.” - Marc McNamara

Follow Brian Cleary on LinkedIn

Follow Marc McNamara on LinkedIn

Follow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡Anna Albinsson, CEO of Gridly, underscores the pivotal role of content in accelerating global B2B growth and building digital trust. With a strong background in data analytics and SaaS, she presents a strategic approach that calls for tighter alignment across the C-suite—connecting sales, marketing, and product development to deliver customer-centric, impactful messaging. In an increasingly crowded digital environment, she stresses the importance of authenticity and thought leadership to break through the noise and create lasting connections.💡

"I think that content is the currency in digital marketing and sales today, and the brand is the trust that gives that currency its value. So in a world where we have sales cycles taking a longer period of time, your content is like the product experience that you bring out to the market; the content is the relationship builder." - Anna Albinsson

Albinsson highlights that content today acts as both a relationship builder and a stand-in for the product experience, particularly as sales cycles grow longer. Trust, she explains, is not just rooted in data, but in consistent, human-centered storytelling that reflects a brand’s expertise and values. By moving beyond transactional communication, companies can position themselves as strategic partners, using well-crafted, insight-driven content to drive credibility, deepen engagement, and achieve sustained success.

Follow Anna Albinsson on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Jamie Gier, a three-time B2B CMO, discusses the challenges faced by B2B CMOs and why they often fail quickly. She emphasizes the difficulty of creating a brand and generating high-quality content in a B2B environment with elongated sales cycles and multiple decision-makers. 

"Today's brand is tomorrow's demand, and CMOs must balance immediate results with a strategic focus on brand building and content creation. Content plays a key role in building trust and influencing purchasing decisions." - Jamie Gier

Jamie also explains the need for a content strategy to remove friction points in the sales process and provide valuable educational content. Jamie stresses the significance of customer voices in content creation and the role of relationships in building trust. She concludes by emphasizing the importance of setting expectations, getting early wins, and building a long-term marketing engine.

Follow Jamie Gier on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald

 on LinkedIn

💡Kady Srinivasan, Chief Marketing Officer at Lightspeed Commerce, discuss the challenging and ever-evolving role of a CMO in today's business landscape. With vast experience across different market strategies, Kady delves into the mental state of modern CMOs, particularly focusing on the role's stressors and expectations. She also touches upon the dynamic nature of the marketing landscape over the past 15 years and the imperative for constant adaptation.💡

"The one thing that I found very useful in my life is having a very strong support system. And I'm not just talking about family and friends outside of work, but even mentors, other fellow CMOs." - Kady Srinivasan

As businesses find themselves amidst data overload and heightened performance pressures, Kady discusses the multifaceted nature of the CMO role, likening it to juggling multiple full-time jobs simultaneously. She emphasizes the critical nature of understanding and aligning with the customer voice and staying ahead of data trends. Moreover, she provides insights into the transformation process she undertook at Lightspeed, highlighting the importance of conviction, strategic alignment, and robust internal communication. Through these reflections, Kady offers a roadmap for surviving and thriving in today's corporate environment, urging CMOs to maintain strong support systems and clear executive relationships.

Follow Kady Srinivasan on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Introducing Melissa Sargeant, a four-time CMO with 25+ years of experience in tech marketing. Melissa understands that content is the key to the company's success, rating it a 25 on a scale of 1-10. Across all marketing channels, Melissa leverages data to measure content attribution, revealing true pipeline velocity drivers. This data is shared weekly with her team, the C-suite, and sales, fostering trust, respect, and collaborative relationships across teams and the organization. Skillfully using content and marketing attribution data is key to her success, which is why she isn’t a CMO failing quickly—but thriving.

How do you measure the impact of marketing on pipeline and revenue? Melissa Sargeant shares her insights.

"As part of the total data set, we look at the win rate differentials between deals that close that have five or more marketing touches from an attribution perspective. They close at twice the rate of those that have less than that." - Melissa Sargeant

Click to gain insights from Melissa's expertise, spanning her best marketing strategies and how she leverages data for revenue generation—fostering internal team consensus, promoting collaboration, and executing successful go-to-market initiatives.

Follow Melissa Sargeant on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Dave Rigotti, Co-Founder and Head of Marketing at Inflection.io, underscores the critical significance of net revenue retention (NRR) and advocates for a shift in focus among marketers toward this metric. He states that tapping into revenue streams from existing customers is more straightforward and cost-efficient.💡

He emphasizes that marketing should focus on customer expansions and driving product usage to improve NRR. He also advocates channeling greater attention and resources into customer marketing efforts and enhancing customer engagement with the product. By doing so, marketers can substantially enhance NRR and consequently drive revenue growth.

“CEOs need to have a real conversation with their CMOs about how important NRR is. CEOs need to change the metrics for marketing that marketing signs up for NRR because once you get to 100% NRR, you start to become unstoppable. It's really hard for even macro-economic headwinds to slow you down.” - Dave Rigotti

Net revenue retention (NRR) measures revenue growth from existing customers, which is critical for SaaS companies aiming for over 100% NRR. CEOs and CMOs should prioritize NRR, focusing on customer expansions and tailored onboarding to boost revenue. By emphasizing customer-centric strategies, marketing can drive NRR and sustainable growth, prompting dialogue between leadership for dedicated plans.

Follow Dave Rigotti on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Lori Stout, CMO of Bigleaf Networks, discusses the intricacies of a B2B company turnaround. Drawing from her extensive background in customer experience and marketing, Lori provides insights into the role of marketing in a corporate transformation, with a keen focus on “customer obsession.” As a distinguished leader navigating through significant change, she delves into how businesses can authentically engage both their internal teams and external partners to foster growth.💡

"Times of high growth can be challenging, so be open and honest with your colleagues and the entire employee population. Be willing to fail, apologize when you do, and monitor how your culture and customer approach is working for you, and success will follow." - Lori Stout

Lori shares her career as a marketing executive, emphasizing the importance of aligning business growth with a customer-first approach. She highlights the challenges of a B2B turnaround, focusing on internal culture change, strong partnerships, and cross-team collaboration. She also stresses that delivering authentic customer experiences is key to driving sustainable growth and gaining a competitive edge.

Follow Lori Stout on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Staci Firios, a 3x B2B CMO with over 25 years of marketing experience, discusses the challenges of the non-linear buyer's journey and the need for a multi-channel strategy. She also highlights the importance of combining "book smart" marketing theory with "street smart" customer insights to create an optimal buyer experience. 

"Nothing interesting happens in the office. Get out of the office, have conversations, know your customers, understand their challenges." - Staci Firios

She emphasizes the role of content in the buyer's journey and its impact on revenue growth. She shares examples of how analyzing the buyer's journey and optimizing content can significantly increase conversions and revenue.

"We were able to get a 20 percent increase in conversions from fixing two drop-off points in the buyer's journey." - Staci Firios

Follow Staci Firios on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Aric Bandy, CEO of Applied Value Technologies, talks about building high-performance teams by focusing on a relatively uncharted area in business dynamics—attachment theory. He provides a unique and valuable perspective on creating high-performance teams that significantly contribute to company growth. He also shares insights from his experiences in the IT and SaaS industries, shedding light on the necessity of cultivating secure environments where team members can thrive. 💡

"Go back and think about the inside of the organization. Consider whether they are their teams or if they are being themselves. Start with yourself by reflecting on your attachment style. Then, think about the people around you and how to break down barriers to create an environment where security leads to creativity and encourages people to open up." - Aric Bandy

Aric introduces the concept of attachment theory in the workplace, describing how it can be leveraged to bridge silos and enhance collaboration among senior leadership teams. This episode navigates through the intricacies of varying attachment styles, such as secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized attachments, and their implications in a professional setting. By fostering a culture of security and openness, leaders can encourage creativity and risk-taking, ultimately driving better business outcomes.

Follow Aric Bandy on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Introducing Anne Gherini, CMO at Sierra Ventures, as she shares her insights on building marketing foundations for startups and the importance of customer obsession. With a background in B2C and B2B marketing and deep experience in the startup and venture capital space, Anne has a wealth of knowledge to share. As the CMO at Sierra Ventures, she works closely with early-stage founders, helping them build a strong foundation for marketing and go-to-market strategies.

"The best founders we see are obsessed with those customers. They're obsessed with the customer problem. It's really about what are the problems they face and really diving in deep to understand, and then building content around that to try to draw them in." - Anne Gherini

Anne recommends that founders resist the temptation to spend their way out of marketing challenges by hiring expensive consultants or agencies without a solid foundation, which can be a major waste of resources. Instead, she recommends focusing on building the right marketing team and understanding your market.

Follow Anne Gherini on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald

 on LinkedIn

💡 Mareo McCracken, CRO at Movemedical, shares insights on scaling businesses through genuine customer care and building trust. He emphasizes focusing on customer needs, not just closing deals, to drive growth. Mareo also highlights the role of branding in shortening the sales cycle by fostering trust.💡

"Those with a growth mindset, who aimed to expand their sales and marketing teams, genuinely cared about their customers and that care was proven through their actions." - Mareo McCracken

Mareo also shared his views on the stages of sales processes in scaling companies, from founder-led beginnings to matured team-led strategies, an in-depth look into defining Ideal Customer Profiles (ICP), understanding customer problems, and how these elements are crucial in creating a successful go-to-market strategy. The episode wraps up with Mareo’s insights on maintaining integrity in sales and how honesty fosters long-term success.

Follow Mareo McCracken on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Jessica Zall is the Chief Marketing Officer of Percent, a company that has created a private credit marketplace. With over 20 years of experience in the financial services and financial technology industry, Jessica has worked with big names such as JP Morgan, Thomson Reuters, and Refinitiv. She brings a mix of corporate organization and entrepreneurial spirit to her role, focusing on client acquisition, nurture, retention, and overall company growth.

"Marketing is sales. It's a different type of sales that people can self-select into." - Jessica Zall

Learn more about how marketing will continue to evolve and play an even greater role in driving growth and retention. Chief Marketing Officers are becoming Chief Growth Officers, highlighting the increasing responsibility and importance of marketing in today's digital landscape. As buyers continue to self-select into the customer journey, marketers must adapt their strategies and content to meet their evolving needs. By staying agile, creative, and customer-centric, marketers can continue to steal time from buyers and drive business success in the years to come.

Follow Jessica Zall on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Annie Wissner, VP of Marketing at Choozle, shares tips for new VPs or Heads of Marketing. She emphasizes relationship building, understanding existing initiatives, and conducting a listening tour. Annie highlights the need to assess marketing functions, analyze the competitive landscape, and identify gaps. She also discusses the importance of a clear content strategy, creating engaging content, and balancing urgent tasks with long-term planning. 💡

"As an executive marketing leader, you can get caught in a tactics trap from listening to input from your peers and your team. That's why it's important to be strategic and balance tactical execution." - Annie Wissner

As a new head of marketing, building relationships and conducting a listening tour are crucial. Annie Wissner’s insights emphasize meeting with a wide range of people in the first 30 days to understand the organization. She also highlights the need for a clear content strategy, creating valuable content, and establishing a publishing cadence to align marketing with business objectives and drive growth.

Follow Annie Wissner on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Are you getting results from your email marketing for just pennies on the dollar? 

Join host Steve MacDonald as he delves into the world of email marketing with renowned expert Chip House. As a three-time B2B SaaS CMO and the CMO of Insightly, a leading marketing automation CRM tool, Chip brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. 

In this episode, they explore successful email marketing strategies, the importance of measuring ROI, and the role of engagement metrics in campaign evaluation. Discover how to create quality content, build trust with your audience, and leverage post-click engagement for optimal results. Whether you're a seasoned marketer or just starting out, this podcast will provide valuable insights to enhance your email marketing campaigns.

“I've heard marketing automation touted before as a time saver—just set it and forget it. But I think if you're approaching marketing that way, you're doing it wrong. You need to be looking at the engagement metrics at every area of the journey and using it to personalize more and more.” - Chip House

💡 Anja Sadock, SVP of Marketing at TrusTrace, shares strategies for scaling a brand and thriving in competitive markets. She highlights the role of branding and thought leadership in building credibility and attracting leads. Anja also discusses how creating a "traceability playbook" boosted brand recognition and success.💡

"The communication challenges change, but if you build your brand early on, the ROI of all your other activities will become so much higher and you won’t burn all your cash on ads that nobody’s going to see or pay attention to." - Anja Sadock

Anja delves into the intricacies of branding and the importance of connecting with industry influencers to enhance a company's reputation. She provides concrete examples from her tenure at TrusTrace, notably the development of their impactful “traceability playbook” that significantly boosted brand recognition and lead generation. By likening marketing to asking someone out on a date while branding serves as the reason for acceptance, Anja effectively illustrates the need for businesses to prioritize strong branding as a foundation for long-term success. 

Follow Anja Sadock on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Kara Smith Brown, CEO/Founder of LeadCoverage, delves into the intricacies of creating a successful B2B go-to-market motion in the supply chain industry. She emphasizes the importance of identifying the ideal customer profile, leveraging intent data for strategic decision-making, and aligning marketing, sales, and customer success efforts to drive revenue growth. By sharing insightful anecdotes and practical tips, Kara sheds light on the key components of a robust go-to-market strategy that resonates with the target audience.💡

"Third-party validation and content play a significant role in the success of a go-to-market strategy. What third party says is a validation of what you do in the market and what sets you apart and different to other companies out there. It’s more important than what you say about yourself." - Kara Smith Brown

With a hyper-focus on the 2 trillion dollar supply chain market, Kara brings extensive experience and expertise. She deeply understands the nuances within the supply chain ecosystem and aims to bridge the gap between traditional supply chain practices and cutting-edge B2B marketing strategies. 

Follow Kara Smith Brown on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡Andrej Krahne, Chief Innovation and Marketing Officer at Hyand Technology, dives into the internal challenges that B2B companies face, which Andrej uniquely identifies as the biggest obstacles to sustainable growth. Using his extensive experience in marketing and innovation, Andrej discusses how aligning communication strategies and focusing on enhanced customer experiences can pave the way for overcoming these roadblocks.💡

" Start doing something and do not hide yourself in theoretical light. Everything has to start and along the way it will get better. But if you never start, you will never end somewhere." - Andrej Krahne

Andrej emphasizes the essential role of trust in B2B relationships. In today's marketplace, trust has become a scarce commodity, often jeopardized by ineffective communication strategies. Andrej explores how companies can better engage prospects by fostering long-term relationships built on trust, transparency, and empathy. He emphasizes the need for authentic experiences that resonate emotionally with prospects and clients, where companies can move beyond mere transactional relationships to becoming trusted advisors in their customers' journeys.

Follow Andrej Krahne on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Introducing Elizabeth Irvine, VP of Marketing and Customer Success at MarketMuse. Elizabeth has a wealth of experience in the marketing industry, having worked at Gartner and led BDR teams. In this interview, we will delve into the importance of content planning and uncover the untapped resources that CMOs can leverage to create thought-provoking and engaging content.

Elizabeth highlights the need for marketers to think beyond traditional content planning processes. By prioritizing customer conversations and leveraging customer data, marketers can create content that truly resonates with their audience. This approach not only enhances the effectiveness of content marketing but also strengthens customer relationships and establishes the company as a trusted advisor.

"The day is full of conversations, and your brain can only process that for a certain amount of time, and when someone's asking you what customers and prospects in these meetings are saying or want, it's hard to recall, let alone how to capture and use it as insights for marketing." - Elizabeth Irvine

Elizabeth shares her secrets to tapping into untapped resources for content planning.

Follow Elizabeth Irvine on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Kathleen Booth, SVP of Marketing and Growth at Pavilion, shares her extensive knowledge and insights into how community-led marketing can serve as a game-changing strategy for businesses today. Kathleen Booth delves into the evolution and significance of community-led marketing, spotlighting how shifts in buyer behavior have catalyzed its rise.💡

"Community has become a cheat code because we can get answers that are often better than what we would find online, just as fast or even faster. The big difference is that we know and trust the source."

With her invaluable background, including running a HubSpot partner agency and leading community marketing at Pavilion, Kathleen discusses why community involvement can surpass traditional SEO and advertising efforts. By emphasizing trust and shared practices, she outlines the distinct advantages of participating in engaged communities to amplify brand presence and foster organic growth.

Follow Kathleen Booth on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Nicolas Deswarte, CMO of Thiga, shares insights on aligning Ideal Customer Profiles with go-to-market strategies. He emphasizes weekly customer engagement to ensure marketing, sales, and customer success efforts resonate with real needs. He also shares his insights that drives alignment, campaign effectiveness, and clarity in organizational communication. 💡

"The people in the company who are facing customers should know the learnings from your customers and apply them immediately. That’s also how we feed the brand with those product learnings, settings, and marketing insights." - Nicolas Deswarte

Nicolas Deswarte emphasizes the value of connecting Ideal Customer Profiles with go-to-market strategies through regular customer engagement. This method strengthens collaboration across teams, especially between sales and marketing, while boosting campaign impact. By representing market insights, marketing leaders inspire trust and shape strategic decisions.

Follow Nicolas Deswarte on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Saverio Russo, Chief Operating Officer at Hemargroup, highlights the critical importance of company culture as a core competitive advantage, particularly within the demanding manufacturing sector. Drawing from his diverse background in engineering, startups, and blockchain, he emphasizes that a well-defined internal culture directly impacts operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. At Hemargroup, this approach is embedded in every facet of the business, ensuring that cultural values like quality, reliability, and openness guide both internal practices and external interactions. 💡

"At the end of the day, it’s really important to choose the right culture before the company, before the brand, before everything. And when you find it, everything will be in place." - Saverio Russo

Despite operating in a highly competitive, price-sensitive market, Hemargroup leverages its Swiss heritage and strong cultural foundation to differentiate itself. Rather than competing on cost, the company prioritizes exceptional service and transparent communication, elements that drive superior customer experience. Saverio’s insights underscore that when culture is aligned with strategic goals and supported by technology, it becomes a powerful engine for sustainable growth and long-term market leadership.

Follow Saverio Russo on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

According to Jill Tygh, VP of Marketing at Data Cubed Health, trust is the key to creating a successful relationship between marketing and sales. Both teams need to understand that they are working towards the same goal and that they can rely on each other for support. Jill's secret sauce is building trust and having sales rely on her and the marketing team.

"Trust with the sales team is required. You're not getting near a customer call with them if they don't trust you." - Jill Tygh

Jill has an uncanny ability to create trust with sales, be welcomed onto sales calls, and, as a non-threatening marketing representative, can provide valuable insights and ask questions that salespeople can't, uncovering hidden challenges or opportunities. How does she build enough trust and respect to sit side-by-side with sales on their calls? Dive into this episode now.

Follow Jill Tygh on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Andy Weiss, Chief Marketing Officer at Ceipal, explores how adaptive frameworks can effectively guide companies through periods of rapid change. He shares his unique career journey and discusses the significance of understanding the fundamentals of business to sustain success in ever-evolving markets.💡

"If you understand what and how your peers operate, boil those down into fundamentals, and then turn them into either the frameworks they're using or the frameworks you're using, your marketing is going to improve." - Andy Weiss

Through the use of SEO-optimized strategies, Andy shares insights on staying ahead of market trends by building robust frameworks grounded in key fundamentals, enabling companies to stay agile in their marketing plans. By emphasizing core essentials like understanding ideal customer profiles (ICPs), leveraging brand marketing, and fostering strong interdepartmental relationships, he guides marketers on how to lead their teams effectively through both growth and challenging times.

Follow Andy Weiss on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Peggy Studer, CMO at Klaxoon, explores the complexities of driving sustainable hypergrowth in B2B. She shares insights on cultural nuances, marketing technologies, and the balance between short-term wins and long-term growth. She emphasizes product marketing, brand building, and data-driven strategies and highlights team dynamics, customer voice, and adaptability as key to success. 💡

"If you want to achieve hypergrowth, you have to be willing to open up and carefully examine things to see what works and what doesn’t. If you’re just going through the motions without a strategy that addresses a problem or need, it’s not really going to work." - Peggy Studer

Peggy Studer highlights the importance of team dynamics, customer voice, and marketing fundamentals in driving hypergrowth. Rather than chasing short-term wins, she advocates for fostering innovation, data-driven decisions, and a customer-centric vision. Companies that embrace these principles achieve immediate success and build a foundation for long-term excellence.

Follow Peggy Studer on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

In this interview, Mariana Just, Vice President of Global Revenue Marketing for Acrolinx, discusses the critical importance of content marketing and how it impacts the overall success of a business in driving revenue. Mariana compares content to oxygen for organizations. She stresses that content is an asset with real, measurable value. Mariana has repeatedly proven that content is essential for demand generation and should not be considered an afterthought. She asserts that content impacts all stages of the buying cycle, serving to educate, sell, and provide a positive customer experience.

Mariana further stresses the importance of developing an opinion and narrative through thought leadership content. She mentions various formats, such as podcasts and fireside chats, that can help create communities and foster trust. Finally, Mariana emphasizes that building trust and becoming a partner to your buyers, rather than just a vendor, is crucial for long-term success.

“There is no demand generation without content. Some organizations say that they need to build their demand generation function and that engine—and want to bring content in later. Absolutely not! You either need to have that content machine going, or you bring them both together at the same time. That is absolutely vital.” - Mariana Just, VP of Global Revenue Marketing at Acrolinx

Follow Mariana Just on LinkedIn

Follow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Matt Klassen, a 2x CMO, explains how adopting an agile development process in marketing can create transparency, accountability, and strong relationships with other departments. It allows for greater flexibility and the ability to pivot based on changing market dynamics.

"By applying agile development practice to marketing, we've been able to remove random acts of marketing from our operations." - Matt Klassen

Through agile marketing, Matt's team focuses on strategic planning and prioritization, reducing random acts of marketing. They commit to a monthly sprint and leave room for ad hoc requests, ensuring alignment with the go-to-market strategy

Follow Matt Klassen on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

James Krouse, CMO of Eastridge Staffing Solutions, emphasizes shifting B2B marketing from product focus to educating and supporting buyers. He demonstrates how his company has successfully challenged the narrative, emphasizing thought leadership, trust, and engagement. Krouse advocates for B2B marketers to adopt innovative approaches and storytelling to highlight their expertise and expedite the sales process.

James discusses how, in today's B2B landscape, capturing the attention of buyers has become increasingly challenging. With the rise of self-service research, buyers are more informed than ever, making it crucial for marketers to reframe the conversation and provide a unique point of view. 

"It is about positioning your company above a commodity, that you are a trusted advisor, that you do know more in-depth about a field than your clients do." - James Krouse

This thought-provoking interview with James explores the importance of reframing the conversation and how it can lead to more meaningful connections with B2B buyers.

💡 Jonathan Metrick, Chief Growth Officer and Partner at Sagard, shares invaluable insights into the importance of focusing on a profitable Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) as a strategic approach to sustainable business growth. This interview emphasizes understanding and doubling down on your most profitable customer segments, especially in changing economic conditions where profitability is prioritized over mere expansion.💡

"  Not having a clear sense of what is our superpower, what are we doubling down on, what are we going to be best in class at, is a really important item to note, because as you scale, you have to continue to get better at that thing and eventually become best in class in the world at it." - Jonathan Metrick

Jonathan delves into the principles of constructing a profitable ICP, stressing the need for companies to analyze their market fit, customer retention, and profitability metrics. He also discusses the critical need for internal alignment within go-to-market teams and how the right data can bridge these gaps. Amidst the ongoing shifts from aggressive growth tactics to more calculated, sustainable strategies, Jonathan provides a roadmap for companies looking to navigate this change effectively.

Follow Jonathan Metrick on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Joanna Nguyen, CMO at Willow, shares her approach to building and scaling marketing teams from the ground up. She emphasizes the value of testing, learning, and adapting strategies like high-velocity sales, product-led growth, and customer engagement. Joanna also explores breaking away from traditional models by incorporating B2C and SMB practices to drive success in new markets.💡

“As a CMO, you have an opportunity to truly break from the mold. You have to continually test and challenge your beliefs, often unlearning things you've learned over time.” - Joanna Nguyen

Joanna Nguyen's insights focus on overcoming both functional and organizational hurdles when building marketing teams from the ground up. She explains how targeted customer marketing can significantly boost revenue and encourages using high-velocity sales and product-led growth (PLG) strategies, especially for small to medium-sized businesses. Joanna also stresses the importance of constant experimentation, data-driven choices, and organizing teams around specific goals to encourage innovation and adaptability.

Follow Joanna Nguyen on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

James Furbush, VP of Marketing and former managing editor,​ explains how B2B buyers are 83% of the way through their research before they want to talk to a company. So, how do you get on their shortlist? It's all about the product before the product - content!

"If you're thinking about your content as a product in and of itself that could stand on its own, then you need to treat it with the respect and care it deserves." - James Furbush

James explains how, as the B2B buying process becomes increasingly self-serve, content is becoming more important than ever. It allows us to enter the conversation early on, establish thought leadership, and differentiate ourselves from the competition. By adopting a journalistic approach, inviting conversations, and focusing on adding value, we can create a content strategy that drives growth and success for our business.

Follow James Furbush on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

David Howard, the VP of Marketing at Buzzboard, talks us through how getting the right stuff done in marketing requires careful planning, alignment with other departments, marketing operations, and a focus on content creation and measurement. 

"You always have time to get organized." - David Howard

David discusses the importance of backward planning and, setting clear goals to avoid missing deadlines, and running from one activity to the next.

Follow David Howard on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Jeff Perkins, a 3x CMO and CEO, shares his insights on achieving hockey stick growth in startups. He emphasizes the requirements of a deep understanding of the customer journey, the ability to adapt strategies to unique circumstances, alignment between sales and marketing, and a focus on high-quality content.

"The key is understanding your buyer, their journey, and where you must be to influence them. Your job as a marketer and marketing leader is to be connected at the hip with your customers." - Jeff Perkins

In this podcast interview, we will delve into the insights shared by Jeff and explore the implications and potential impact of his strategies.

“The playbook can’t be run the same at every different company.” - Jeff Perkins

Follow Jeff Perkins on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Steven Hyde, Chief Executive Officer at Push, delves into the transformative impact of AI on performance marketing, drawing from his extensive experience with major brands. He highlights the significant role AI plays in redefining business strategies, juxtaposing past digital transformations with current and future AI advancements.💡

"Build a roadmap for how you will implement and approach AI in your marketing organization. Try to gain some clarity and measure where you are now and where you could be." - Steven Hyde

Steven Hyde offers valuable insights into the transformative impact of AI technology across various industries, particularly marketing. He highlights the rapid changes similar to past shifts in digital and social media. He also encourages businesses to adopt AI, especially in content generation and customer insights, to stay competitive. The discussion also addresses the challenges C-suite executives encounter when integrating AI into their strategies, emphasizing the need for proactive leadership.

Follow Steven Hyde on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Marie-Laure Carvalho, CMO at Portnox, discussing how Chief Marketing Officers can effectively forecast with confidence for their CFOs. She emphasizes the significance of fostering relationships within the C-suite, especially between CMOs and CFOs, given marketing’s role as a substantial cost center.💡

"As CMOs, we need to ensure that the funnel is defined and quickly aligned with the CFO because we must be on the same page when discussing pipeline opportunities, closed deals, or the steps required to achieve them."- Marie-Laure Carvalho

Marie-Laure shares her expertise on being highly pipeline-focused and revenue-driven, which she believes extends beyond just generating leads. Her proactive approach to understanding every aspect of the sales funnel, from analyzing data to projecting revenue, sets her apart. Highlighting the importance of collaboration and trust among C-suite executives, Marie-Laure sheds light on how integrated planning and detailed forecasting can lead to more informed decision-making and resource allocation.

Follow Marie-Laure Carvalho on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡Andy Stauffer, CEO and Founder of Proofmap discusses a paradigm shift in how companies can leverage content to build trust and scale their operations. Andy shares insights from his career, from his start as a founding account executive to his current role, emphasizing the importance of authentic customer engagement and the power of social proof in transforming B2B marketing strategies. The conversation dives deep into creating impactful content at scale and explores the often-overlooked potential of social proof to drive business success.💡

"You get an hour of a client singing your praises—and most companies waste it on a single case study. They're just checking a box. But if you scale that content across the entire buyer journey, you can double or triple your closed revenue." - Andy Stauffer

Andy presents a compelling narrative on revolutionizing B2B marketing strategies through trust-building, authentic use of social proof, and effective content scaling. By tuning into the customer's voice and aligning it with thoughtful marketing tactics, businesses can not only navigate the complexities of modern B2B sales landscapes but also leave a lasting impact that secures ongoing success and growth.

Follow Andy Stauffer on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Devin Davis, a VP of Marketing with nearly 20 years of experience, explains, "Product marketing is the worst-named function in the world. You should be talking as little as possible about your product and instead talking about the problem area it solves. Once you understand that, it unlocks a new way of reaching your audience in a more effective manner."

"As marketers creating content, we must stay focused on the problem to solve. That's what the people that you're reaching out to, that's what they're thinking about every day." - Devin Davis

Devin's background in journalism has greatly influenced his approach to content creation. He emphasizes the importance of the inverted pyramid concept, where the most important content is presented first to capture the audience's attention. By starting with what matters most to your audience, you can engage them and encourage them to continue reading or exploring your content. This and much more are all part of Devin’s playbook for creating A+ content.

Follow Devin Davis on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡Shuchi Sarkar, Chief Marketing Officer of LTIMindtree, underscores the critical role of branding as both an immediate catalyst and a long-term asset in driving business success. With deep expertise in tech marketing, she explains that a strong brand builds trust, credibility, and directly fuels demand generation. Rather than viewing branding as detached from short-term objectives, Shuchi positions it as a core driver that influences purchasing decisions and contributes lasting value to the business.💡

"Ultimately the long lasting asset—and that’s why you know when a company is evaluated, you always value the power of your brand—because that’s one asset... not like physical property or your furniture or your computers, but is that intangible that makes the difference." - Shuchi Sarkar

She highlights the evolving role of marketers in aligning near-term sales efforts with long-term brand equity. By integrating brand strategy into demand generation, businesses can achieve both immediate impact and sustained growth. Sarkar’s insights stress that brand and demand are not opposing forces but interconnected pillars essential for building customer trust and enduring market relevance.

Follow Shuchi Sarkar on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Tim Hillison, Founder and CMO of Entry Point 1, shares invaluable insights about the intricacies of modern go-to-market strategies. Tim brings a wealth of experience from his background in management consulting and leadership roles at major brands, and he offers fresh insights into what it takes to develop and execute effective go-to-market plans in today’s evolving business landscape. 💡

"Marketing often focuses on developing awareness and customer preference, but go-to-market aims to shorten the distance between our product, service and the customer." - Tim Hillison

Throughout the conversation, Tim emphasizes the importance of a unified GTM strategy that incorporates sales, marketing, customer success, enablement, and revenue operations. He delves into the critical role of alignment within these functions, the nuances of defining and refining the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), and the necessity for marketing to partner closely with sales. Tim also challenges the overreliance on rigid playbooks, advocating instead for adaptive strategies tailored to the specific context and challenges of the business.

Follow Tim Hillison on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Pete Garza, Head of Product Marketing at DealSignal, discusses his journey to becoming a sought-after CMO, known for transforming companies through innovative strategies and data-driven marketing approaches. He unfolds the engineering-based scientific method applied to marketing, focusing on data-driven decision-making, creating emotional market connections, and fostering hyper-revenue growth.💡

"Marketing can play a huge role in driving hyper revenue growth. While sales are needed to close deals, I truly believe that marketing can be instrumental in achieving hyper-growth. Once you embrace this and start working toward it, everything else falls into place." - Pete Garza

Pete unravels the secrets to his success by emphasizing a structured approach to marketing grounded in the scientific method. He crafts detailed growth strategies by maintaining a keen focus on qualitative and quantitative research and forming hypotheses about market challenges. He highlights critical CMO pitfalls, including overpromising and a lack of market pulse, which can thwart success. He also explores his four foundational pillars for hyper-growth and the blueprint for building a perpetual marketing engine.

Follow Pete Garza on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 TJ Waldorf, CMO of 1WorldSync, emphasizes closing the consumption gap between company capabilities and stakeholder perceptions. Amid rapid growth and acquisitions, educating internal and external stakeholders on expanded capabilities is vital. TJ stresses ongoing communication, internal campaigns, and reframing conversations to align understanding. By closing this gap, companies improve client service, drive revenue growth, and establish thought leadership.💡

“There always tends to be some gap between those two things. In our case, it has been accentuated because, over the last three and a half to four years, we’ve transitioned from a single-product company to making nine acquisitions, significantly expanding our capabilities and our platform.” - TJ Waldorf

Closing the consumption gap is a multifaceted endeavor requiring internal and external education. While external marketing efforts are crucial for reaching clients, internal education is equally vital in ensuring that employees understand and can effectively communicate a company’s capabilities. Thought leadership content is essential in educating internal and external stakeholders, reframing conversations, and driving growth.

Follow TJ Waldorf on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Brandon Rhoten, the current CMO of GroundTruth, leverages his rich B2C experience acquired during his time at Wendy's and as the CMO at Papa Johns and Potbelly Sandwiches. In this exclusive interview, discover his unique method of merging B2C and B2B marketing that includes but goes much deeper than grabbing more attention and connecting with the emotional needs of B2B buyers. Explore Brandon's unique fusion of B2C and B2B tactics to fuel innovation at GroundTruth.

After listening for years to the likes of Forbes, Gartner, and Oracle about making B2B more like B2C, it is more than just an interesting notion.

"You're advertising to people in B2B, and they have the same attention issues and fundamental desires as in B2C." - Brandon Rhoten

According to Brandon, the key to grabbing attention in B2B marketing is finding the "hook" - the one thing that solves the problem and gets the target audience interested. It's all about addressing their fundamental needs quickly. This is the opposite of leading with function and features. 

Follow Brandon Rhoten on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Shashwat Ghosh, Former CMO at FieldAssist, discusses CMO Darwinism and its implications on the ever-evolving role of a Chief Marketing Officer. He also unveils the challenges CMOs face today and the pressing need for evolution in marketing strategies to stay competitive. 💡

"The era of CMO Darwinism is here. As a CMO, you need to take ownership of the go-to-market strategy and incremental modifications, while a good CMO will want to utilize the depth of experience from successful experiments." - Shashwat Ghosh

Shashwat discusses CMO Darwinism, focusing on the shorter CMO tenures and pressure for quick ROI. He links Darwinian evolution to evolving organizational roles and adapting go-to-market strategies in the digital era. He highlights the need for incremental GTM evolution, fractional marketing roles, customer insights, collaboration, and community engagement for success using his EPIC framework.

Follow Shashwat Ghosh on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡Nikhil Kalanjee, Founder & Managing Director at Time to First Bite, shares key strategies for thriving in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape. Drawing from his diverse experience across agencies and corporations, Nikhil highlights the importance of aligning marketing with core business values, understanding the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), and balancing short-term ROI with long-term brand growth. He positions the CMO not just as a marketer, but as a strategic leader who must advocate for the customer and steer the organization with insights rooted in real-world engagement.💡

"Skilled marketers obviously have to hold two thoughts in the head at the same time: how do you manage the short and the long term? You have to become a master allocator of resources." - Nikhil Kalanjee

A central theme in Nikhil’s perspective is the CMO’s role in bridging the gap between customers and corporate decision-making. By fostering direct connections with customers and championing their voice within the organization, CMOs can elevate their strategic impact and unify internal efforts around customer needs. Nikhil’s insights underscore the need for B2B leaders to remain agile, insight-driven, and aligned across departments to ensure resilience and relevance in a disruptive market.

Follow Nikhil Kalanjee on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Heidi Lanford is a Chief Data Officer with extensive experience in leveraging data and analytics to solve complex business problems. In this interview, she discusses the importance of data in the growth and success of B2B companies. She emphasizes that data is everywhere and that leveraging it effectively is crucial for making informed decisions, building new products, and engaging with customers. Lanford highlights the role of data in digital transformation and explains how it is the driving force behind business processes and decision-making. She also explores the benefits of data internally, with partners, and in marketing and sales.

"Because the CMO is responsible for helping pipeline development, they will win the hearts and minds of CEOs and CFOs if they partner with them to make the sales forecast more robust and accurate using all the available interactions and touch points. At least bring together something more holistically data-driven than the traditional sales forecast to help prepare for managing expectations, earnings, and setting targets. I'm saying that two forecasts or three forecasts representing slightly alternate views are better than one that's not trusted and based on all of your data inputs." - Heidi Lanford

The world of marketing and sales is evolving, and CMOs need to embrace data-driven strategies to stay ahead. Data is a goldmine. It can help customize content, create personalized experiences, and drive product development. Through data-driven insights, CMOs can further establish themselves as thought leaders within their own companies.

Follow Heidi Lanford on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

In this interview with host Steve MacDonald, Amy Kohl, CEO and Founder of AK Operations, shares the revenue-driving activities that, when improved by just 1%, can have a profound impact on team focus and revenue creation from the top to the bottom of the funnel. Amy emphasizes the importance of the quality of the company’s content and assets. When the leadership team grasps the relationship between content and the ability to drive greater pipeline penetration and revenue impact through the power of 1% changes, they are seeing the results much faster than anyone else.

The interview's main takeaway is the continuous pursuit of 1% improvements in all aspects of the sales and marketing strategy. By focusing on small but meaningful enhancements, such as improving click-through rates, delivering high-quality content, fostering collaboration between teams, and personalizing the sales process, companies can achieve significant boosts in conversions and sales.

“The focus of being 1% better in any capacity of the funnel that you're responsible for has a direct impact on revenue. I see it every day. Across 34 clients, we see the value of having that discipline. We see it accelerate and how it changes the game for the pipeline. I'll tell you, the clients of ours that have the most collaborative mindsets on CONTENT and ASSETS, and let's try this, let's try that. Those are the ones that are figuring it out fastest.” - Amy Kohl

Amy stresses five main areas to focus on to create your own 1% success strategy, starting with just how powerful the “Power of 1%” truly is:

1. Why focus on the top of the funnel?
2. High-quality content that can multiply your conversion rates
3. Doing better than just playing the numbers game
4. Content themes that add value and conversion
5. Why you must be a partner, not a seller

In this interview, Amy also promises a spreadsheet that demonstrates the power of 1% increases on revenue and was also kind enough to put together a short video walking us through the spreadsheet as well.

Follow Amy Kohl on LinkedIn

Follow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Christina Kyriazi, Senior Vice President of Marketing at PhotoShelter, shares her journey from analytics to marketing leadership, emphasizing the importance of ROI in marketing initiatives. She provides insights into customer-focused strategies, understanding the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), and the strategic approach needed to drive genuine pipeline growth and efficiency.💡

 "A big blind side that CMOs have is that they don't think they can slow down to figure out the most efficient way to do less while still efficiently producing the results they need to produce." - Christina Kyriazi

Christina emphasizes the importance of CMOs engaging directly with customers, aligning marketing and sales metrics, and prioritizing activities for success. Her analytical approach offers actionable strategies to enhance marketing efficiency, including reducing pipeline size for better close rates and leveraging customer benchmarking for continuous improvement and thought leadership.

Follow Christina Kyriazi on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Alexa Schritzinger, Head of Marketing at Watershed, shares strategies for thriving in uncertain marketing landscapes. She discusses balancing demand generation with brand-building while rethinking traditional playbooks. She also emphasizes bold, data-driven approaches to market creation and continuous learning. 💡

"Be bold and try new things, especially when facing unknowns. Use uncertainty as your license to take risks. Make a bet, throw your anchor, do something unusual, and see what happens. With more data than ever, it’s a great time to experiment and meet customers in new ways. It might not work, but that's part of the fun. ” - Alexa Schirtzinger

Alexa’s insights emphasize the importance of challenging assumptions, blending brand-building with demand generation, and fostering community-driven education. By looking beyond traditional playbooks, marketers can drive innovation, empower emerging personas, and adapt to evolving industry dynamics for sustainable growth.

Follow Alexa Schirtzinger on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

CMO Fran Wilson has a wealth of experience in B2B software and was involved in the growth of Red Hat from its early stages to its acquisition by IBM for over $4 billion. Fran highlights the importance of focusing on a limited number of growth bets when developing a go-to-market strategy. She advises against spreading resources too thin by simultaneously chasing too many growth opportunities. Fran suggests focusing on three to five growth priorities that align with the organization's goals and capabilities. This approach ensures alignment across the organization and enables effective resource allocation.

"If you try to chase 10 or 8 growth bets, you're going to peanut butter everything, and you're not going to be able to execute in big, meaningful, impactful ways. You really need to enumerate no more than five... growth bets that you're going to execute in your fiscal planning." - Fran Wilson

Fran's insights provide valuable guidance for B2B CMOs looking to deliver successful go-to-market strategies. Her five best practices offer a framework for alignment, efficiency, and growth. 

Follow Fran Wilson on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Manoj Jasra, CMO at Emids, discusses his experience as a B2B CMO and strategist, emphasizing how to create value swiftly within organizations while addressing stakeholder expectations. He highlights critical aspects of launching in new roles, including learning the business, building relationships, and securing budgets, while also discussing the evolving role of AI in marketing and the importance of clear communication. 💡

"Understanding why the company exists in the first place is extremely relevant. It’s the foundation of everything you’re going to do and the basis of your strategy." - Manoj Jasra

Manoj's insights highlight key truths in B2B marketing. He stresses that internal communication is vital for alignment and operational coherence, while clearly defining the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is essential for crafting targeted marketing strategies. Content and thought leadership play a crucial role in engaging potential clients during their self-education journey. By utilizing advanced tools like AI for market insights, firms can develop data-driven strategies that produce quicker results, with effective communication and execution being critical for success.

Follow Manoj Jasra on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Vikram Bhaskaran, VP of Growth Marketing at ThoughtSpot, delves into the concept of the Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT) and its crucial role in contemporary marketing strategies. He also explores how understanding and leveraging ZMOT can help marketers better align their efforts with customer needs, leading to more effective engagement and conversion tactics. Vikram shares his journey from software engineering to marketing and emphasizes the importance of being customer-obsessed to truly address market needs. 💡

 "It's important to go back to the learning and governing dynamics. Can we build a stakeholder map for each if we have a list of target accounts? Are we able to understand why someone would need to come to us? Then, let's determine the distribution tactics for reaching them." - Vikram Bhaskaran

Vikram explores the crucial role of ZMOT in customer journeys, highlighting a study that reveals key business tipping points. He emphasizes account-based marketing, customer obsession, and inflection points as central themes for aligning marketing with customer needs. The discussion also covers how ABM aligns marketing strategies across organizational levels to improve revenue operations.

Follow Vikram Bhaskaran on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Vera Huebner, Chief Marketing Officer at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, discusses re-educating B2B buyers in detail. Her insights explain how reframing challenges creates urgency and builds trust. She underscores the importance of positioning the brand as a trusted advisor before engaging in sales. Her message motivates decision-makers to rethink their approach and seize growth opportunities.💡

“When speaking to a customer, you need to reframe their problem. Show them that they are facing a business risk and that you’re offering an opportunity to avoid it. That’s how you shift their perspective.” – Vera Huebner

Leaning into her experiences, Vera uncovers the transformative power of reframing challenges in both personal and professional settings. Through candid storytelling, she illustrates that adversity can spark reinvention, and that genuine curiosity fuels meaningful growth. Her perspective offers a compelling blend of resilience and leadership, guiding audiences to recognize hidden opportunities in every obstacle.

Follow Host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Follow Vera Huebner on LinkedIn

Introducing Cristy Garcia, the CMO of impact.com and a Chief and Forbes Communication Council member. With almost 20 years of experience in B2B tech marketing, she leads a team of 60 marketers at Impact.com and is a strong advocate for the power of partnerships and influencer marketing.

In this episode, Cristy talks about the rising importance of influencer and partner marketing. She discusses how mature partnership programs drive up to 28% of revenue (23% on average), as found in a joint study between Impact.com and Forrester.  This is the main reason why this channel is becoming increasingly critical for B2B marketers and one that you only pay for when revenue is realized. Cristy shares examples of successful B2B influencer and partner marketing campaigns, including HubSpot and Zenefits. She emphasizes the importance of content in educating and engaging B2B buyers and reaching them at all stages of the buyer's journey.

"Partnerships can be both focused on brand and demand. But what's great about partnerships and influencer marketing is that you're only paying for the desired revenue outcome." - Cristy Garcia

Cristy provides a different perspective on assessing acquisition costs as categorized primarily into brand and demand, with partnerships and influencer marketing falling into both categories. What separates partnerships and influencer marketing is that payment is based solely on achieving the desired outcomes. This contrasts with the uncertainty of allocating a large budget to ads without guaranteed performance. Instead, funds can be channeled towards commissions for partners who generate sales or website traffic, facilitate lead generation, or provide exposure through panels and conferences. These partnership models are gaining in popularity due to their direct ROI.

Topics Covered:

• Referral-based vs. transactional partnerships
• How HubSpot got a 50% lift from partnerships
• Befriend your CFO with low-risk revenue generation
• Growing lead volume through partnerships
• The role of partnerships through the entire sales funnel
• Content to educate the 97% TAM not currently in-market
• Why you need more B2C in your B2B
• Why you must have a third channel: traditional sales and marketing alone is not enough

Follow Cristy Garcia on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald

 on LinkedIn

💡 Izabela Misiorny, Chief Marketing Officer at Siteimprove, discusses the intricate balance involved in proving the value of marketing. She shares her passion for marketing, communication, and her journey across various cultures, emphasizing the importance of resilience and adaptability in today's ever-changing landscape. She also discussed crucial insights into how marketers can effectively communicate their strategic importance both internally and externally.💡

"External value comes from consistent messaging and storytelling. Creating marketing value internally also relies on effective communication. Optimize your communication not based on what you think you’re saying, but on what your audience is actually receiving." - Izabela Misiorny

Izabela explores strategies for CMOs to secure a seat at the executive table, focusing on understanding customer needs and brand differentiation through the ideal customer profile (ICP). She emphasizes the importance of being antifragile, thriving amid change, and demonstrating marketing's value through strategic storytelling. Her insights on marketing’s role in enhancing customer experiences and driving business growth are particularly powerful.

Follow Izabela Misiorny on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Meet Bill Glenn, a veteran in the world of marketing and CMO at Blueboard, an experiential recognition reward company. With over 25 years of experience in B2B marketing, Bill has held multiple CMO positions at Series B and Series C companies.

Bill contends that marketing should provide value in the company's reputation and offerings, as well as an investment in individual salespeople. By helping salespeople establish trust, credibility, and industry expertise, marketing sets them up for success in building long-term relationships with customers. Bill has ideas for creating salespeople’s industry expertise that fall outside of conventional norms, establishing a relationship of reciprocity between marketing and sales.

"One of the most important elements of value that marketing provides is how to bolster the credibility of salespeople such that trust isn't just about a transactional moment in time.” - Bill Glenn

Building a dream relationship between marketing and sales requires a deep understanding of the sales perspective and motivations, and simply listening to sales call recordings doesn't get to the true heart of what sales needs. That understanding won’t come until you do one-to-one interviews with them, just like you would do with a customer, and have a preset list of questions like, How can I make your job easier? Where are you getting stuck? Where are we falling down versus our competition? When you start to aggregate the interviews, common challenges can be addressed, usually with just a few additional trainings or pieces of content to help the sales team do their job better. Bill’s POV is that it’s rarely possible to understand all that by simply listening to sales calls.

Follow Bill Glenn on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡Sanja Gabler, Chief Revenue Officer at Trapets, shares her experience transitioning from CMO to CRO, highlighting the role's strategic demands in unifying marketing, sales, and customer success. She addresses common challenges like sales-marketing alignment and fostering revenue ownership across teams. She also discusses the importance of customer experience as a competitive advantage, emphasizing the need to refine the ideal customer profile and exceed service expectations.💡

"The CRO today focuses on building efficient sales processes and go-to-market strategies, encompassing marketing, sales, and customer success. It’s increasingly focused on technology and data capabilities, much more than it has been before." - Sanja Gabler

Sanja Gabler’s journey from CMO to CRO offers a powerful framework for organizations seeking revenue and operational alignment. Her approach emphasizes cross-functional alignment, fostering a revenue-driven culture, and redefining the CRO role as a unifying force across marketing, sales, and customer success. This holistic model empowers companies to create cohesive strategies, drive sustainable growth, and excel through collaboration in a dynamic market landscape.

Follow Sanja Gabler on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Brynne Tillman, CEO of Social Sales Link, emphasizes shifting from a self-centered, resume-focused approach to a resource-focused one. She helps professionals leverage LinkedIn professionally to position themselves as thought leaders and attract their target audience.

"This is not about pitch. This is about showing up as a thought leader and a resource." - Brynne Tillman

Brynne explains the three legs of content on LinkedIn: curation, engagement, and creation. She provides insights on curating content from prospects and referral partners, engaging with their content to build relationships, and creating valuable content that resonates with the target audience. 

Follow Brynne Tillman on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡Monica Elgemark, Chief Marketing Officer at Oneflow, delves on the challenges companies face in maintaining focus on their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). Monica brings her extensive experience to the table, discussing how internal company issues can sometimes be the biggest roadblocks to sustainable growth. She emphasizes the crucial role of marketing in aligning company-wide strategies with a clearly defined ICP.💡

" Focus in general is very important, and ICP is one of the basestones for companies. It's essential. It's never too early to start with your ICP work. It's not so that you are a startup and say, I'm not going to do that. It's never too early to start with your focus work and your ICP work." - Monica Elgemark

Monica explores the intricate dynamics of defining and maintaining an ICP, which is essential for long-term success. She reveals the surprising statistic that only 16% of companies have alignment between their sales and marketing teams on the ICP. Monica advocates for marketing, particularly product marketing, to take charge in integrating customer insights into organizational processes. Tune in for insights into how CMOs can guide their organizations by deeply understanding and continuously refining their ICP.

Follow Monica Elgemark on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Wendy White, Chief Market Officer at daxko, delves into the reasons why B2B CMOs often face quick turnovers and failures in their roles. She emphasizes the importance of aligning expectations between boards, CEOs, and CMOs, conducting thorough due diligence before accepting a position, and understanding key metrics like pipeline health, product-market fit, and organizational culture. Wendy sheds light on the critical role of data in marketing success and the significance of brand reputation in shaping customer relationships.💡

"A CMO should focus on investing time in the right culture, executive team, and product fit for their career." - Wendy White

As a seasoned B2B marketing executive with over 14 years of experience as a CMO, Wendy unpacks the importance of aligning CEO and CRO expectations for success. She delves into the true essence of a brand beyond logos, explores the vital role of culture in leadership, and shares valuable insights on data, customer experience, and the collaborative relationship between marketing and sales. 

Follow Wendy White on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

In this interview with Aaron Ballew, CMO of Split, he introduces the concept of forced learning and abandoning traditional marketing practices. Aaron shares his journey from engineering to marketing and discusses the challenges faced by high-growth tech companies in today's economy.

He emphasizes the need for companies to shift towards efficiency and lower costs, which requires reevaluating and experimenting with marketing strategies. Aaron provides examples of how he applied forced learning to cut funding for certain marketing activities and the key learning that had never happened before. By going back to first principles and understanding the target audience's needs, Aaron was able to achieve a 40% increase in marketing efficiency.

"By getting a quantifiable and reality-based view of marketing contribution, my CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) has decreased dramatically. I can now grow at not just 15% or so more efficiently but at a 40% more efficient order of magnitude." - Aaron Ballew

See how Aaron prioritizes efficiency and profitability in his willingness to question the status quo and experiment with new strategies.

Follow Aaron Ballew on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald

 on LinkedIn

💡 Megan Howe, Chief Sales Officer at Oversight, explores ways to increase marketing involvement in the sales process. She emphasizes the importance of deeper collaboration between the two teams for faster deal cycles and revenue growth. She also highlights the importance of genuine curiosity about each other's operations and appreciation of the complexities of their respective roles. 💡

“The balance between sales and marketing involves having a genuine curiosity for how the other operates and an appreciation for the intricacies behind each role.” - Megan Howe

Organizations prioritizing sales and marketing alignment are nearly three times more likely to exceed new customer acquisition targets. This statistic from Gartner highlights the critical nature of the relationship between sales and marketing. It's not just about working together better; it's about the company's overall growth and vitality. In today's revenue-driven landscape, this alignment is the cornerstone of success.

Follow Megan Howe on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Vidhya Srinivasan, Chief Product and Marketing Officer at Magnit, discusses how companies miss massive revenue gains by fixating on new customer logos. She emphasizes the urgency of building greater trust with existing clients to expand deals more efficiently. She pinpoints the role of collaboration across sales, marketing, and product in guiding the entire customer lifecycle. She invites leaders to rethink land-and-expand as a long-term growth engine. 💡

“It’s really important that people don’t think only about landing, because the company’s job doesn’t end once you land the customer.” – Vidhya Srinivasan

A thoughtful conversation that delves into how personal passions can fuel professional innovation, bridging multiple disciplines to deliver tangible client outcomes. Through her lens, we explore the synergy between marketing, engineering, and product leadership, highlighting the strategic importance of listening to customers at every step. Expect insights on unifying teams around shared goals and building deeper relationships that drive sustainable growth.

Follow Host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Follow Vidhya Srinivasan on LinkedIn

In this interview, Anil Rege, CMO of Plastic Financial Rewards, discusses the importance of hyper-personalization in B2B marketing. Drawing from his experience in the CPG industry, Anil explains how B2B marketers can learn from B2C strategies to understand better how to engage their customers. He emphasizes the need to consider B2B prospects as consumers and create personalized content that addresses their needs and pain points. Anil also highlights the role of data in personalization and the importance of building credibility through thought leadership content.

In the B2B world, every sale represents a larger portion of a company's revenue and carries a higher risk for the buyer. That's why personalizing your messaging and delivering valuable content is essential to building trust and winning over B2B customers. 

"Content creation takes time, but it's a high risk, high reward strategy in B2B marketing." - Anil Rege

Anil covers the importance of understanding B2B customers as consumers, the role of content in building credibility, and the power of data in personalization.

Follow Anil Rege on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

💡 Thomas McCarthy-Howe, Chief Technology Officer at STROLID, Inc., delves into the transformative power of AI in business communication. He explores how AI-driven conversations, referred to as "liquid gold," can revolutionize customer interaction by mining insights from thousands of daily exchanges. He also shares his experiences and insights into the creation and application of the vCon Standard, a unique framework for capturing and utilizing these rich data sources.💡

"Once you start truly listening to your customers' conversations, you realize they reveal things about your business that you didn’t know." - Thomas McCarthy-Howe

Thomas explores the challenges businesses encounter in using conversational data, from defining conversations to deriving insights. He highlights how AI can scale customer understanding and strategic thinking, while also stressing ethical needs like privacy frameworks. Through his extensive experience, Thomas shows how data transparency and sentiment analysis enable businesses to create hyper-personalized customer interactions. 

Follow Thomas McCarthy-Howe on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Andi Giri, CEO of Softsquare and veteran venture investor, brings decades of experience, from the early days of Y2K through today’s AI frontier, to show how transparent collaboration and strategic adaptability can earn genuine B2B credibility. By putting partners first, optimizing costs fairly, and co-creating solutions with clients, he lays out a practical roadmap for lasting loyalty.

“Know and listen to your customers as they’re our breadwinners. No business thrives without loyal clients. Serve them uncompromisingly, stay honest, work within budget and expertise, and never overpromise. Do that, and we will have success.” — Andi Giri

Andi underscores that real influence springs from honest feedback loops, proactive license audits, and deepening customer perspectives into roadmaps. Instead of relying on polished case studies, he champions authentic conversations, the courage to steer clients toward better fits, and the agility to pivot based on unfiltered input. This human-centered approach, he argues, is what truly cements long-term partnerships and sustainable growth.

Follow Andi Giri on LinkedIn

Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn