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Explore every episode of the podcast APAC's B2B Growth Podcast

Dive into the complete episode list for APAC's B2B Growth Podcast. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

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TitlePub. DateDuration
Unveiling the 2026 ABM Pulse: What's Changed in APAC Over the Last Two Years23 Apr 202600:18:36

See the results: https://xgrowth.com.au/reports/abm-pulse/

ABM is evolving fast in APAC, and xGrowth has the data to prove it. In this episode, Shahin Hoda and Alexander Hipwell unpack the findings from xGrowth's latest ABM Pulse benchmark, based on responses from 93 B2B marketers actively running ABM programs across the region.

From a dramatic shift away from one-to-few programs to AI quietly expanding the scale of what a single budget can cover, this episode cuts through the noise and tells you exactly what is actually happening with ABM in 2025. If you are making investment decisions or defending the ABM line item to your CFO, this one is for you.

Key Topics

  • Why one-to-few ABM dropped from 72% adoption in 2024 to around 38% in 2025, and what that signals about market maturity in APAC
  • How strategic (one-to-one) ABM has held steady at around 50% as organisations focus on protecting and expanding existing customer relationships
  • The AI effect on program scale: why nearly a third of respondents are now running programs targeting 100 or more accounts on the same budgets they used for far fewer
  • ABM investment sentiment in 2025: 57% of respondents are holding or growing their ABM budgets, with only 5.2% cutting
  • Why inbound is under pressure from zero-click search and LLM-driven traffic drops, and how this is pushing more organisations toward ABM as a primary pipeline channel
  • Budget planning paralysis: why a significant portion of APAC marketing leaders still had not confirmed their 2026 budgets well into Q1, and what that says about market uncertainty
  • How to use benchmark data like this as social proof when making the case for ABM investment to a CFO or board

Resources & Links

Contact & Credits

Hosts: Shahin Hoda and Alexander Hipwell

Produced by:  Shahin Hoda and Alexander Hipwell

Edited by: Alexander Hipwell

Music by: Breakmaster Cylinder

APAC's B2B Growth Podcast is Presented by xGrowth

Rebroadcast: Building Global Marketing from APAC: Lessons from Airwallex with Jon Stona09 Apr 202600:31:49

Running a global marketing function from APAC sounds like a logistical headache. For Jon Stona, VP of Global Marketing at Airwallex, it's a deliberate competitive advantage. In this episode, Jon unpacks how one of the world's fastest-growing fintechs has architected a marketing org that's globally consistent yet locally authentic - spanning Singapore, San Francisco, London, and regional hubs across Asia, Europe, and Australia.

From making the case for product marketing before performance spend, to using an F1 sponsorship to systematically close a trust gap against legacy financial institutions, Jon brings rare clarity to the strategic decisions that most B2B marketing leaders only talk about in theory. If you want to think bigger about brand, team design, and what marketing can actually own in a scaling business, this episode is worth your time.

Guest Introduction

Jon Stona is VP of Global Marketing at Airwallex, the Australian-founded global payments and financial platform supporting over 150,000 businesses worldwide. Before joining Airwallex, Jon held senior marketing roles at Stripe, Google, and Nike - giving him deep experience scaling marketing across global technology platforms and challenger brands at every stage of growth.

Key Topics

  • Why Airwallex built its global marketing org out of APAC, and why the APAC talent pool - wired for fragmentation and global trade from day one - is a genuine strategic asset
  • How the team is structured across Singapore, San Francisco, London, and regional markets, and why a flat, matrix model is essential when you're this geographically dispersed
  • The case for investing in product marketing before growth marketing - and why getting your positioning, segmentation, and value prop right is the "root" everything else depends on
  • The four truths Jon applies to any market expansion: brand truth, product truth, market truth, and user truth - and how product marketing is the function that calibrates where the variation sits
  • How Airwallex uses its McLaren F1 partnership to build trust at scale, structured around the reliability-credibility-intimacy-low self-orientation framework - and how they actually measure the pipeline and employee sentiment impact
  • Where AI is genuinely delivering efficiency gains in marketing (Writer, Jasper, Profound) and the paradox this creates: as AI levels the playing field on distribution, the non-technical facets of marketing - storytelling, positioning, insight - matter more than ever
  • Jon's advice for B2B marketers who want to take bolder moves: return to first principles, and remember you're marketing to humans who happen to make business decisions

Resources & Links

Books

AI Tools

  • Writer - AI content platform for brand voice consistency and marketing workflow efficiency
  • Jasper - AI platform for end-to-end marketing content creation
  • Profound - Tool for tracking how your brand appears across LLM platforms

Blogs & Publications

People Mentioned

  • Reko Rennie - Internationally acclaimed Kamilaroi artist who collaborated with Airwallex and McLaren on the 'Shifted Perspectives' campaign at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix
  • Dan Ariely - Behavioural economist and author

Companies & Platforms

Contact & Credits

Host: Shahin Hoda

Guest: Jon Stona

Produced by: Shahin Hoda and Alexander Hipwell

Edited by: Alexander Hipwell

Music by: Breakmaster Cylinder

APAC's B2B Growth Podcast is Presented by xGrowth

Don’t Market to the 5% of Buyers Who Are Ready to Buy Today with Jon Lombardo04 Dec 202500:42:54

In this episode, Jon Lombardo, Co-Founder of Evidenza, unpacks the counterintuitive truth about B2B buying behaviour. Drawing on research from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, Jon reveals why most B2B marketers fundamentally misunderstand their audience. The 95-5 rule shows that 95% of potential buyers aren't in the market right now, which means the traditional focus on short-term lead generation is missing the bigger picture. 

Jon also explains how AI-powered synthetic research is transforming market intelligence, why B2B needs more brand building than B2C, and what marketers should do about it. 

If you're stuck chasing in-market buyers whilst your competitors build future demand, this conversation will change how you think about growth.

Guest Introduction

Jon Lombardo is Co-Founder of Evidenza, a synthetic AI market research platform that surveys AI-generated customer copies to build evidence-based marketing plans in hours rather than months. Previously, Jon was Head of Research at LinkedIn's B2B Institute, where he helped establish the 95-5 rule and commissioned pioneering research on how B2B brands grow.

Key Topics

  • The 95-5 rule: why 95% of B2B buyers are out of market at any given time, and why that matters more than the 5% who are ready to buy
  • The 11X rule: how B2B buying cycles are 11 times longer than B2C, making brand building even more critical in B2B than consumer categories
  • The evolution from the 60-40 rule to 95-5: how research with John Dawes from Ehrenberg-Bass Institute challenged conventional wisdom about marketing budget allocation
  • Mental and physical availability in B2B: creating brand-relevant memories that activate when buyers eventually come into the market
  • AI and synthetic research: how Evidenza uses AI to interview synthetic customers, delivering market research in hours that would traditionally take months
  • Bootstrapped growth: how Evidenza launched with paying customers from day one without venture capital, growing to over 100 clients
  • The future of AI in marketing: why AI is underrated and will transform marketing beyond what most people imagine
  • Practical applications: how to use AI for execution whilst keeping strategic thinking human

Resources & Links

People Mentioned:

  • Mark Ritson - Marketing professor, columnist, and founder of Marketing Week Mini MBA
  • John Dawes - Professor at Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science
  • Les Binet - Marketing effectiveness researcher and econometrician
  • Peter Field - Marketing consultant and author
  • Peter Weinberg - Co-Founder of Evidenza
  • Brian Watroba - Co-Founder of Evidenza
  • Jenny Romaniuk - Professor at Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science
  • Rachel Kennedy - Professor at Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science
  • Nicole Hartnett - Professor at Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science
  • Byron Sharp - Professor of Marketing Science at Ehrenberg-Bass Institute

Companies & Organisations:

Key Frameworks:

  • The 95-5 Rule - Research on B2B buying behaviour shows that only 5% of buyers are in market
  • The 11X Rule - How B2B buying cycles differ from B2C
  • The 60-40 Rule - Les Binet and Peter Field's framework for balancing brand building and sales activation

Subscribe to the xG Weekly Newsletter for weekly insights on B2B growth across APAC:https://xgrowth.com.au/newsletter

Contact & Credits

Hosts: Shahin Hoda and Vinnie Romano

Guest Jon Lombardo

Produced by: Shahin Hoda and Alexander Hipwell

Edited by: Alexander Hipwell

Music by: Breakmaster Cylinder

APAC's B2B Growth Podcast is Presented by xGrowth

How Palo Alto Networks Grew in the JAPAC Market01 Mar 202300:36:08

Shahin chats with KP Unnikrishnan “Unni”, Vice President of Marketing (APJ), at Palo Alto Networks, about the basic fundamentals of how to drive growth strategy in your business.

Unni has worked in the technology sector for over 2.5 decades including management roles in marketing, strategy, partnership and sales. He has held senior leadership roles in high-growth environments in both multi-billion-dollar organisations and early-stage companies/ businesses.

Unni was named in the Future B2B CMO 100 in 2022 and the 100 Most Talented Global Marketing Leaders by the World Marketing Congress in 2014. He frequently speaks at industry forums and has been featured in leading publications on areas around marketing strategy, account-based marketing, technology trends, business, culture and leadership.

He holds an engineering and an MBA degree with leadership courses from Kellogg School of Management, Stanford Graduate Business School and Singapore Management University. In his free time, Unni enjoys cycling and yoga, and tries his hand in painting and photography.

The episode covers:

  • Who are Palo Alto Networks?
  • How to build competency.
  • The importance of a growth mindset.
  • The significance of disruption and innovation.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Miss out on our latest webinar? Listen here: https://xgrowth.com.au/blogs/programmatic-abm/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

How to Build Your SDR Team in APAC22 Feb 202300:35:43

Shahin chats with Dan Sutic, a seasoned marketing professional in B2B SaaS space about how to effectively run sales development across the APAC region while recognising the diversity of markets and cultures in the region.

Dan is a seasoned marketing professional with 13+ years of experience. He has worked across ANZ and APJ regions and has held a variety of roles, including individual contributor and leadership positions in people management.

Dan's passion lies in demand generation, and he enjoys working closely with sales teams to drive results.

The episode covers:

  • Managing an SDR team as a Marketer.
  • Approaching different geographies.
  • Advice for expanding into different regions.
  • The common mistakes when building an SDR team.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Miss out on our latest webinar? Listen here: https://xgrowth.com.au/blogs/programmatic-abm/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

How to Humanise Your Digital Customer Experience15 Feb 202300:38:22

Shahin chats with Matthew Robinson, Vice President of Marketing, APJ, at Contentsquare about how to humanise your digital customer experience in 2023.

Matthew Robinson is the Vice President of Marketing, APJ at Contentsquare, a leading digital experience analytics platform. He has over a decade of experience as a tech marketer and his out-of-office status rotates between 'away scuba diving' and 'on the beach' but what he'll rarely admit is most of this time is spent eating pizza.

The episode covers:

  • The trends in digital customer behaviour
  • The successful tactics
  • The differences between small-market and enterprise
  • How to build a customer journey

Resources mentioned in this episode:

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Miss out on our latest webinar? Listen here: https://xgrowth.com.au/blogs/programmatic-abm/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

The Unified Commercial Engine: The Gold Standard of Sales & Marketing Alignment08 Feb 202300:30:17

Shahin chats with Jenna Pipchuk, Chief Sales Officer at 3P Learning, about the Unified Commercial Engine (UCE) and how it can completely transform sales and marketing alignment.

Jenna’s commitment to excellence and innovation is turning heads for good reason. With a reputation for transparent leadership and building great teams, she is an influential force within the tech industry. 

Former CSO of SMART Technologies, her insights and management transformed the SMART organisation to one driven by customer-centric, data-driven decision-making.

Her relationship-driven approach to her role, and emphasis on building better ways of working, earned her the well-deserved title of 2022 Channel Chief by CRN and a feature in the Harvard Business Review.

The episode covers:

Resources mentioned in this episode:

You can access the extended show notes right here!

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report: https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Miss out on our latest webinar? Listen here: https://xgrowth.com.au/blogs/programmatic-abm/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Office Hours: Made Redundant? How to Bounce Back Even Stronger06 Feb 202300:22:37

Producer, Lysa, chats with Shahin Hoda, Director of Growth at xGrowth, all about his experience of being made redundant and the current economic situation.

Shahin is the Founder of xGrowth, a B2B growth agency helping organisations close more mid-market and large enterprise deals. He's making that happen by popularising Account-Based Marketing (ABM) in Australia, working alongside B2B leaders implementing ABM strategies and building predictable revenue engines. 

When he's not busy building ABM campaigns, he's either playing a game of Tennis (which he usually loses) or looking up smoothie recipes (because let's be honest, who doesn't like a nice smoothie).

The episode covers:

  • Advice for those made redundant
  • The importance of a positive mindset
  • Why these redundancies are taking place

If you do find yourself struggling mentally with this topic, please don't hesitate to contact:

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Miss out on our latest webinar? Listen here: https://xgrowth.com.au/blogs/programmatic-abm/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

How Fujitsu Approaches Deal-Based Marketing01 Feb 202300:39:47

Shahin chats with Andrea Clatworthy, former Global Head of Account-Based Marketing (ABM) at Fujitsu about how to approach pipeline acceleration and Deal-Based Marketing (DBM).

Andrea is B2B Tech marketing veteran, currently at Fujitsu leading the Account-Based Marketing and Deal-Based Marketing approach globally.

ABM at Fujitsu is mostly 1:1, some 1:few, and Andrea has been driving the approach across geographies since starting it originally in the UK in the last decade. 

A regular keynote speaker and occasional podcaster, Andrea has a wealth of experience which she generously shares.

The episode covers:

  • How to implement DBM
  • The importance of storytelling
  • What ways DBM can go wrong
  • How to personalise within DBM

Resources mentioned in this episode:

You can access the extended show notes right here!

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report: https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Miss out on our latest webinar? Listen here: https://xgrowth.com.au/blogs/programmatic-abm/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

How to Optimise Your Sales Outreach Sequence25 Jan 202300:33:56

Shahin chats with Mark McInnes, Outbound Sales Trainer and Founder of Sales Development Australia, about how to build a sales development sequence. They talk about calls, emails, LinkedIn, direct mail and how to leverage them in your sequences so you can grab the attention of your prospects. 

A sales trainer and coach with over 25 years of experience in B2B selling environments, Mark helps his clients start new conversations, find new customers and start that first part of the pipeline.

Mark is the author of Tactical Pipeline Growth, host of the Best of Social Selling podcast and was ranked Australia’s # 1 Social Seller by LinkedIn in 2016.

The episode covers:

  • Thoughts on sales and engagement platforms
  • How Mark approaches SDRs
  • Examples of cadences
  • The importance of quality over quantity

Resources mentioned in this episode:

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Miss out on our latest webinar? Listen here: https://xgrowth.com.au/blogs/programmatic-abm/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

How to Build a Marketing Function for B2B Startups18 Jan 202300:33:33

Shahin chats with Nirosha Methananda, VP of Marketing at Influ2, about her experience in growing a marketing function from one person to a full team of 20 people. 

Driven by a strong urge to Always Be Learning (ABL), Nirosha is a proud marketing generalist. With a career spanning close to 15-years, across many marketing disciplines and industries, she’s currently the VP of Marketing at Influ2.

Prior to this, Nirosha was responsible for creating Bombora's distinctive brand and establishing it as the leading global provider of B2B Intent data. She also led marketing for PwC Australia's Tech Consulting practice, dabbled in PR and journalism at Power Retail and gained an interest in digital and data at Experian Hitwise. 

The episode covers:

  • The actions to take as a first marketing hire
  • The common mistakes
  • Advice for those in a startup
  • The importance of self-advocacy

Resources mentioned in this episode:

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Miss out on our latest webinar? Listen here: https://xgrowth.com.au/blogs/programmatic-abm/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Why Attribution Issues Can Ruin Your Relationship with Sales11 Jan 202300:43:28

Shahin chats with Debra Sutton, Regional Vice President of Marketing for Asia Pacific at WalkMe, about how B2B marketers should change their view when it comes to attribution and approach it in a way that will strengthen their position in the organisation and help them build a stronger relationship with the sales team.

Debra is an innovative and creative senior marketing executive with 20 years of experience and a proven track record of achievement with leading technology brands; Adobe, HP, Oracle, ServiceNow and currently WalkMe.

She has won multiple "MVP" awards and was a finalist in the ARN - Channel News Innovation Awards (Marketing Excellence Vendor category) for her WalkMe™ Challenge campaign which has since gone global.

The episode covers:

  • How to implement humanisation in campaigns
  • How to build a relationship with sales
  • What role attribution plays in relationship building
  • Debra's "C words" to maintaining relationships

Resources mentioned in this episode:

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report: https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Miss out on our latest webinar? Listen here: https://xgrowth.com.au/blogs/programmatic-abm/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

How to Prepare Your Marketing Team for the New Year19 Dec 202200:38:30

Shahin chats with Tracy Gawthorne, Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer for Asia Pacific at Capgemini, about how to prepare your marketing team for the new year.

Tracy has more than 20 years’ experience building great brands and great teams, connecting with clients and driving growth in markets across the globe.

She is a passionate advocate for inclusion and diversity; constantly curious about life and leadership; forever grateful for family and friends.

Tracy is involved in many initiatives to advance gender equity and has a long history of supporting women in leadership.

The episode covers:

  • Understanding organisation value
  • The importance of having a core skill
  • How to approach face-to-face interaction
  • The importance of partnerships

Resources mentioned in this episode:

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report: https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Miss out on our latest webinar? Listen here: https://xgrowth.com.au/blogs/programmatic-abm/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

How to Lead Your Marketing Team Through AI Transformation with Leandro Perez20 Nov 202500:57:22

Leandro Perez joins to cut through the AI hype and share what's actually working. With Agentforce handling 850,000 conversations and managing 85% of customer inquiries, Leandro reveals the reality behind the marketing claims and addresses the "SaaS is dead" narrative head-on.

From managing 30,000 weekly customer inquiries with AI agents to transforming his entire marketing team's workflows, Leandro offers a brutally honest look at what it takes to lead through a technological revolution. This isn't just theory: it's a practitioner's guide to implementing AI at scale, including the mistakes, the breakthroughs, and the systematic approach required to bring an entire organisation along for the journey.

Guest Introduction

Leandro Perez is Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Australia and New Zealand at Salesforce, where he guides strategic direction and market positioning for the world's leading AI-powered CRM. 

With a Computer Science degree from UNSW and an Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology, Leandro brings over 20 years of experience combining technical expertise with business acumen. 

He previously led global corporate messaging at Salesforce and partnered closely with CEO Marc Benioff. He's a Fellow of The Marketing Academy, serves on the AANA Board, and is a recipient of the Salesforce Chairman & CEO Award.

Key Topics

  • AI reality at Salesforce: Agent Force handles 850,000 conversations with 85% resolution
  • "SaaS is dead" narrative: Why enterprise software needs governance, permissions, reliability, not just quick AI code
  • Leading transformation: Year-long journey from lone voice to company-wide quarterly Agent Force Learning Days
  • Process mapping first: Document crown jewel processes to identify pain points before introducing AI
  • Systematic change: Company-wide learning days, mandatory training (100% Agent Blazer status), permission to experiment
  • Practical AI adoption: Landing pages, social automation, Slack summaries, 80% email engagement, plus failed experiments
  • Experimentation culture: Identifying early adopters, showcasing wins, balancing air cover with performance

Resources & Links

People Mentioned:

Companies & Tools:

Subscribe to the xG Weekly Newsletter for weekly insights on B2B growth across APAC: https://xgrowth.com.au/newsletter

Contact & Credits

Host: Shahin Hoda

Guest: Leandro Perez

Produced by: Shahin Hoda and Alexander Hipwell

Edited by: Alexander Hipwell

Music by: Breakmaster Cylinder

APAC's B2B Growth Podcast is Presented by xGrowth

How to Build a Data-Driven Customer Onboarding Strategy14 Dec 202200:33:42

Shahin chats with Jon Amery, Head of Marketing at Australian Finance Group (AFG) about building data-driven customer communications and onboarding strategies.

Jon has worked for some of the UK and Australia's biggest brands, including BSkyB, AOL, Virgin Media, VOCUS and now AFG across Executive Marketing, Commercial and Customer experience roles.

He’s been twice recognised by CMO50 in the top 10 Chief Marketing Officers in Australia and spent 5-plus years advising (mostly B2B) start-ups through all stages of growth.

The episode covers:

  • How to build the onboarding process
  • Repurposing research-based content
  • How to refine the onboarding process using customer feedback

Resources mentioned in this episode:

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Miss out on our latest webinar? Listen here: https://xgrowth.com.au/blogs/programmatic-abm/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

How to Make Your HQ Campaigns Regionally Relevant30 Nov 202200:25:49

Shahin chats with Suzanne Pelizzari, APAC Marketing Director at CSG about how, as an APAC marketer, you can take your HQ campaigns and make them relevant for the region.

The episode covers:

  • The challenges faced with international campaigns
  • How to customise campaigns for the region
  • How to approach the different markets within APAC
  • The common mistakes regional marketers make when pursuing personalisation

Suzanne is a proactive, results-focused, global marketing executive who specialises in demand generation and pipeline marketing. She has a track record of achieving results by implementing innovative marketing strategies to help organisations tell their unique story, grow revenue, reach audiences, create communities, build partnerships and deliver experiences - all while building high-performing marketing teams who love to have fun at work.

With her current role at CSG, Suzanne has previously worked at ABB, Amdocs, Ergon Energy and RPM Global.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Miss out on our latest webinar? Listen here: https://xgrowth.com.au/blogs/programmatic-abm/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

How to Retain Your Best Talent for Decades23 Nov 202200:52:02

Shahin chats with Norm Jefferies, Managing Director at Truis about his approach to staff retention.

The episode covers:

  • Having a legacy mindset
  • Norm’s 3 pillars of sustainability
  • How to approach staff retention

Having joined Truis 30 years ago, fresh out of university, Norm now sits as the Managing Director and respected thought leader within the IT space. He is a committed advocate of bringing change and transformation to the IT industry through his thought leadership, always looking for opportunities to work smarter, improve efficiency, and build a better world.

As a leader, Norm’s motto in life and work is to “do something today that makes tomorrow better than yesterday”. He loves that he has helped to grow a business that allows our customers to answer the question, “how can we be better?” and help them solve challenges and improve their systems through impactful and thoughtful technology solutions where people come first.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Miss out on our latest webinar? Listen here: https://xgrowth.com.au/blogs/programmatic-abm/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

How to Build a B2B Acquisition Strategy from Scratch16 Nov 202200:34:28

Shahin Hoda talks with Theo Nasser, Chief Executive Officer at Right-Hand Cybersecurity about how Right-Hand built its customer acquisition channel and managed to land large enterprise customers as a new startup. 

Theo is the CEO and Co-Founder of Right-Hand Cybersecurity. Right-Hand provides a modern and interactive security awareness platform to help organisations quantify and reduce their employee cyber risk, build cyber culture and meet compliance standards. Prior to founding Right-Hand, Theo was a Sales Leader at FireEye and SonicWall, helping them expand their businesses across Asia-Pacific into Singapore, Australia, and Japan.  

_________________

Download your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Miss out on our latest webinar? Listen here: https://xgrowth.com.au/blogs/programmatic-abm/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and

feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

How to Build Your Personal Brand on Social Media09 Nov 202200:32:41

Shahin chats with James Wrigley, Principal at First Financial about his experience growing an audience on both LinkedIn and TikTok.

The episode covers:

  • How to start building a personal brand online
  • The differences between TikTok and LinkedIn
  • Advice for building a personal brand on social media

James has been with the core group at First Financial for over 10 years, and he has worked his way through the planner training system through multiple roles.

He primarily works with two demographics of clients; wealth builders in their late 30’s and 40’s who are looking ahead into the future and those who are at or near retirement.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Miss out on our latest webinar? Listen here: https://xgrowth.com.au/blogs/programmatic-abm/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

What You Should Know About Product-Led Growth (PLG)02 Nov 202200:40:57

Shahin chats with Hamish Grant, Vice President Marketing at SafetyCulture about product-led growth.

The episode covers:

  • The PLG model
  • The importance of company culture in regard to PLG
  • The importance of all customers

Hamish is an experienced marketer, strategist and business leader with a passion for new technologies and hyper-growth companies. He specialises in category-defining growth strategies from startup to enterprise, and has held a number of senior leadership roles in technology companies in Australia and around the world.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

  • Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Miss out on our latest webinar? Listen here: https://xgrowth.com.au/blogs/programmatic-abm/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

How to Roll Out Programmatic (one-to-many) Account-Based Marketing31 Oct 202200:57:00

Programmatic Account-Based Marketing, or one-to-many, is one of three tiers of ABM, the other two being one to few and one-to-one. It is focused on a large number of accounts and tailoring campaigns at scale. 

The key to this style of ABM is having the right balance between personalisation and scale.

Compared to the other tiers, this one-to-many approach is more reliant on technology. This is because a one-to-many campaign can require targeting and delivering a personalised message to a large number of accounts, sometimes in the thousands.

If you are targeting upper mid-market, enterprise companies and government entities this session is tailored for you. 

​🎓 What you will learn in this session:

  • How to start the one-to-many ABM process
  • ​What KPIs you need to have in place
  • How to plan your campaign objectives
  • How to approach account selection
  • How to approach budget allocation
  • Scoring models for programmatic ABM
  • The differences between APAC and other regions

​🎙Who are the speakers?

Like to watch content? You can watch this episode via our xGrowth YouTube Channel

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Daniel McDermott: How Mimecast ANZ Secured Brand Budget from HQ26 Oct 202200:32:06

Shahin chats with Daniel McDermott, Senior Marketing Director, APAC at Mimecast about how the Mimecast ANZ team secured its own brand budget for the region from their HQ in the UK.

With his expert knowledge and insights from 20+ years of experience, Dan drives the highly regarded Get Cyber Resilient blog and podcast. Launched in 2019, he provides specialist advice, threat insights, practical applications and commentary on the brand risks that are associated with cyber-attacks to the local market. Dan is called on for comment on the reputational and financial fallout of such attacks and the preventative and response measures brands can take to protect themselves from and minimise such fallout. 

A B2B marketing expert, who has twice been included in the prestigious CMO50, the strategies Dan leads are designed to position and grow brand value through effective segmentation and communication of integrated value propositions underpinned by the brand promise. 

Dan firmly believes in applying foundational marketing principles while constantly looking at new and innovative ways to engage target markets and grow the business.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

How Narratives Can Help Develop Your Go-to-Market Plan19 Oct 202200:36:46

Shahin chats with Davinia Simon, Head of Sales and Growth Markets at Stax, about the fundamentals of building go-to-market plans. In her role, she is focused on empowering partners and customers to innovate and expanding the Stax offering into new markets.

Davinia is passionate about the power of cloud technology, paving the way for accelerated innovation, helping businesses remain relevant and competitive by lowering costs, and providing the solutions to create and bring services to market quickly. Using research, creativity, and collaboration to reframe customer-focused problems, she loves seeing the impact that great experiences can have on individuals, businesses, and society.

Prior to joining Stax, Davinia held roles at Amazon Web Services (AWS), most recently as the Head of Channel and Alliances, and at Adobe.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Office Hours: How to Build a Successful ABM Campaign17 Oct 202200:25:32

Shahin chats with Dean McGuinness, ABM Strategist at xGrowth, about where to start with ABM and the foundational elements to make sure your ABM is a success for your organisation.

Dean creates, manages and scales ABM programmes for fast-growing companies like Zoom, OutSystems and Commvault. He takes clients on a journey to discover ABM and apply it to their own businesses.

In addition to working on the principles of ABM with clients, Dean also has a strong background and knowledge in sales and marketing activation motions.

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Why Every Marketer Is Already a Prompt Engineer with Rubina Carlson06 Nov 202500:20:53

Marketing at the pace of AI innovation isn't easy, but Rubina Carlson, Head of Marketing at 90 Seconds, has found a way to stay ahead without burning out. In this conversation with host Vinnie Romano, Rubina shares her honest journey from feeling late to the AI party to becoming an AI-first marketer who dedicates one hour per week to systematic experimentation.

This episode is packed with practical wisdom for B2B marketers who feel overwhelmed by the rapid pace of AI evolution. Rubina reveals how she carved out time to test tools like Opus Clip, custom GPTs, and Canva Magic, turning weekly pain points into opportunities for AI-powered solutions. She challenges the myth that prompt engineering requires specialists, arguing instead that it's simply about learning to communicate with clarity.

Whether you're struggling to justify AI experimentation to leadership or feeling paralysed by the sheer number of tools available, this episode will give you a clear framework to start testing, learning, and integrating AI into your everyday marketing workflow.

Guest Introduction

Rubina Carlson is a Certified Practising Marketer and Head of Marketing at 90 Seconds, the global platform empowering enterprise brands to create video content at scale. With over 15 years of experience driving growth across tech, tourism, higher education, and agency sectors, Rubina leads data-driven, growth-focused strategies that fuel brand visibility and revenue. Known for her early adoption of social media platforms and now AI, she's at the forefront of marketing innovation, having built internal GPTs and tested a wide range of AI tools to push marketing performance further. Beyond her corporate role, Rubina serves as Director of Digital Adelaide (South Australia's largest marketing conference) and is a key driver of Adelaide's emerging AI events.

Key Topics

  • Overcoming "late to the AI party" fears: Transform anxiety into systematic learning
  • One-hour-per-week AI testing: Friday afternoon framework for testing solutions
  • Building custom GPTs: Achieve 80% first-draft quality with brand voice
  • Strategic AI tool testing: Compare tools for real problem-solving vs trends
  • Opus Clip for video repurposing: Transform long videos into social clips
  • Rebecca Webber's AI success: Cut assessment time from 60 min to 30 sec
  • Prompt engineering demystified: Clear communication, not specialist role
  • Navigating AI restrictions: Build business cases when IT blocks tools

Resources & Links

People Mentioned

  • Stephen Mayall - Growth marketer focusing on AI and agentic workflows
  • Tim Lillyman - Marketing leader at XPON Technologies Group, active in AI and automation
  • Axel Sukianto - B2B SaaS marketer and growth marketing advisor
  • Christopher Chow - Head of Growth Marketing at Smokeball, LinkedIn video creator
  • Rebecca Webber - Literacy leader at the Department of Education, South Australia, developed an award-winning AI assessment tool
  • Simon Sinek - Author of "Start with Why"

Companies & Tools

  • 90 Seconds - Rubina's company, a global video creation platform
  • Opus Clip - AI video clipping tool for creating viral shorts from long videos
  • Canva Magic - AI features within Canva for design and content creation
  • Custom GPTs - OpenAI's customisable AI assistants
  • Department for Education, South Australia - Organisation where Rebecca Webber developed an award-winning AI assessment tool
  • Social Media Club Adelaide - Early adopter community mentioned by Rubina

Books & Resources

Subscribe to the xG Weekly Newsletter for weekly insights on B2B growth across

APAC: https://xgrowth.com.au/newsletter

Contact & Credits

Host: Vinnie Romano

Guest: Rubina Carlson

Produced by: Shahin Hoda and Alexander Hipwell

Edited by: Alexander Hipwell

Music by: Breakmaster Cylinder

APAC's B2B Growth Podcast is Presented by xGrowth

How Boomi Runs Programmatic ABM in APAC12 Oct 202200:33:37

Shahin chats with APJ Marketing Director, Stephanie Dechamps, from Boomi about running programmatic (one:many) ABM programs in the APAC region.

From Journalism to AdTech to MarTech, Stephanie’s career took a new turn when she decided to explore how performance data can drive revenue. 

Building and leading the APJ marketing team, she also covers all aspects of marketing (events, digital, integrated demand, partner, customer, brand, PR, operations, and product). 

Stephanie believes in the power of a fully integrated and personalised customer journey. She counts on AI and ML to improve targeting and optimisation. “It has never been a better time to be a marketer.”

Resources mentioned in this episode:

For the full transcript and show notes, you can find them here

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://xgrowth.com.au/abm-report/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

How to Turn Webinars Into a Revenue Engine05 Oct 202200:32:42

Shahin chats with Kylie Wing, CMO at ApprovalMax about how they have turned webinars into a primary source of pipeline creation. 

Kylie is an inquisitive and strategic leader with 15 years of marketing insights. Her areas of expertise are encouraging marketing teams to become truly data-driven, understanding funnel metrics, optimising processes, and communicating how marketing is positively impacting business revenue.

She is passionate about creating tighter alignment between Marketing and Sales teams, and fine-tuning strategies and tactics to achieve marketing and business KPIs.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Founder Series: How to Build Your Sales Team28 Sep 202200:28:18

Shahin chats with David Schlosberg, Business Advisor at Ferguson Alliance about how to start building your sales team at your organisation

As a former sales executive for several large family agribusiness companies, he has substantial experience serving on leadership teams and leadership committees - developing the vision and strategic plans for business development and revenue growth.

Most of David’s career experience has been in sales and business development as well as product development and commercialisation.

He has worked directly with owners and investors who are taking the risk, their management teams, and the operations people at all levels within the organisation.

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

How to Market to the Public Sector Like Google21 Sep 202200:32:54

Shahin chats with Scott Combes, Head of JAPAC Public Sector Marketing at Google Cloud about how marketers should think about marketing to the public sector. 

Being a Senior SaaS Marketing Leader who thrives on bringing Sales and Marketing organisations together to deliver results, Scott’s key focus is on using cutting-edge digital campaigns and marketing technology to drive real ROI.

He has extensive experience in B2B marketing throughout Australia and the Asia-Pacific region by leading marketing teams in Dell, Oracle and Temasek backed cybersecurity start up - SHIELD. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

How to Progress into Marketing Leadership Roles14 Sep 202200:43:24

Shahin chats with Nick Flude, CMO at Sekuro about how to plan your career progression as a marketer. 

As CMO, Nick has overall accountability for the company’s marketing strategy and execution; as well as leading and inspiring a talented and motivated marketing team. Prior to his role at Sekuro, Nick was CMO for Secure Code Warrior, a hyper-growth VC funded cyber security start-up, and has held a variety of Marketing roles at vendors, integrators, tech start-ups, and major Telcos in the UK and Australia.

Nick is known as having a ready grasp of new and emerging technologies, and rates highly on the unofficial ‘marketing nerd’ scale due to his passion for all things digital and tech related. He is proud to be an Advisory Board mentor to some of the next generation of CMOs around the world. An extremely rewarding role that teaches him a lot - as well as being able to share some of his insights and knowledge gained over the years.

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

How Micro Changes Can Transform Your Marketing07 Sep 202200:33:20

Shahin chats with Kelly Harvey, Head of Marketing at IntelliHR about how to leverage micro changes to completely transform marketing output and hit your KPIs one after another.

A natural-born storyteller, Kelly knows what it takes to build a B2B brand. Her career spans 15 years driving results across the full gamut of strategic marketing, public relations and communications. Having spent the last ten years working in SaaS she's a big believer in making data-driven marketing decisions and putting the customer at the forefront of everything she does. She is passionate about building high-performing teams that deliver tangible results.

Today, Kelly heads up the marketing team at IntelliHR, the people platform, which was born out of the market's need for technology that provides deep people insights and empowers HR leaders.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Karina Guerra: Conversations You Need to Have With Your CFO31 Aug 202200:32:00

Shahin chats with Karina Guerra, Global Group GM - Customer Intelligence & Marketing at Xref about how marketing leaders should set themselves up for success when dealing with the Chief Financial Officer of their company in regards to showing ROI, asking for budget, and more. 

With over 20 years of experience across multiple industries, Karina has always adopted a hands-on approach to reaching audiences with meaningful messages. She has also developed great analytical skills that have become key to her data-driven decision-making. Prior to joining Xref, Karina spent almost four years with Cochlear APAC, where she led digital transformation marketing and analytics.

Karina holds an MBA with a major in Business IT (UTS), and most recently she completed a Business Analytics Diploma at The Wharton School.

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda, Allysa Maywald & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Oren Cohen: How to Calculate Your Lifetime Value (LTV)24 Aug 202200:41:56

Shahin Hoda chats with Oren Cohen, COO at Voyantis, about how marketers in SaaS companies should calculate the lifetime value of their customers and what pitfalls they should avoid.

Using ML to activate zero- and first-party data, and target the right customers from the onset, Voyantis have shown some remarkable success with substantial players such as Miro and Notion, and as Oren attests, this is just the beginning.

Before joining Voyatis, Oren was the VP of Demand and Operation at Iron Source. He is an optimistic vegan, excited about solving growth challenges using AI.

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

What can Account-Based Marketers in APAC learn from other regions17 Aug 202200:58:50

Listen to our second session further unpacking the State of Account-Based Marketing in APAC Report — the first in-depth study focusing on ABM in the APAC region.

Get your copy here to find out how APAC's top B2B growth teams approach Account-Based Marketing.

You will learn:

  • What are the top APAC countries ABM is being rolled out
  • What are the top industries being targeted with ABM
  • How is ABM being deployed in APAC and what is the most popular style
  • What can APAC marketers learn from EMEA and North America

​We are joined by special guests Leanne Chescoe from Demandbase and Ljubica Radoicic from Autodesk to dive into ABM learnings from other geographies APAC marketers can use – what works, what doesn’t and what needs to be tweaked to succeed in APAC.

​​Our panel will discusses the results from the report, the best practices for rolling out ABM in APAC, how to optimise, and how to deal with the biggest pain points in the region.

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Tim Rowell: The Challenges Facing the Publishing & Media Sector03 Aug 202200:34:30

Discover the State of Account-Based Marketing in APAC with xGrowth's State of ABM in APAC Report.

Get your copy here to find out how APAC's top B2B growth teams approach Account-Based Marketing.

_________________

Shahin chats with Tim Rowell, General Manager, APAC at Piano.io about what is happening in the media and publishing industry and the challenges the sector is facing.

Tim has worked in and around the digital media business for 20 years. He began his career as a business journalist in the UK contributing to titles such as Management Today, Campaign and Marketing and then moved into the technology/product side of the journalism business for The Telegraph where he led product development, oversaw a number of major website relaunches and led data analysis for the MPs Expenses investigation.

Tim has spent the last 10 years advising media businesses on their subscription and identity management initiatives and joined Piano 4 years ago to run their UK operations, working with Piano clients including, The Economist, The Telegraph, The Independent, DMG Media, Tortoise Media, Motorsport, JPIMedia, Newsquest and The Spectator.

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Become the Most Known and Trusted Brand in Your Market With Marcus Sheridan23 Oct 202500:52:23

Marcus Sheridan reveals why most businesses are failing to win trust in an AI-disrupted world, and exactly what to do about it. The bestselling author of They Ask You Answer and Endless Customers breaks down the four pillars of becoming the best-known and trusted brand in your market: saying what others won't say, showing what others won't show, selling differently, and being more human than your competition.

From publishing service call data that manufacturers begged his client to hide, generating over $35 million from a single pricing article, Marcus shares real-world case studies that prove radical transparency isn't just good ethics, it's exceptional business. This episode is essential for listening for any founder or marketer who refuses to play it safe.

Guest Introduction

Marcus Sheridan is a world-renowned communication expert, author, and keynote speaker who has delivered over 750 transformational presentations across dozens of countries. Called a "web marketing guru" by The New York Times and named by Forbes as "1 of 20 Speakers You Don't Want to Miss", Marcus is the author of They Ask You Answer (named "One of the 5 Best Marketing Books of All Time" by BookAuthority) and Endless Customers (a USA Today national bestseller). He saved his swimming pool company, River Pools, from the 2008 crash through radical content marketing, transforming it into the most-visited swimming pool website globally. With over $1 billion in economic impact generated for companies worldwide, Marcus is also the co-founder of PriceGuide.ai, IMPACT, Marcus Sheridan International, and Question First Group.

Key Topics

  • The four pillars of trust and why almost no companies consistently say, show, sell, and act more human than their competitors
  • The Yale Appliance case study: How CEO Steve Sheinkopf became the most trusted voice in his industry by publishing service call data that threw major manufacturers under the bus
  • The Big Five content topics: Why cost content is the number one traffic and sales generator, and the five levels of pricing transparency
  • The pricing estimator revolution: Why companies see 300-500% increases in qualified leads overnight, including the Scottish shed company that saw 500% more leads in one weekend
  • AI's massive impact on search: How over 60% of Google searches don't result in clicks, and why YouTube will become more important than your website
  • Building a personal brand: Why trying to look smart destroys credibility, and why knowing who you are is not more important than knowing who you are

Resources & Links

People Mentioned:

Companies & Tools:

Books & Resources:

Subscribe to the xG Weekly Newsletter for weekly insights on B2B growth across

APAC: https://xgrowth.com.au/newsletter


Contact & Credits

Host: Shahin Hoda

Guest: Marcus Sheridan

Produced by: Shahin Hoda and Alexander Hipwell

Edited by: Alexander Hipwell

Music by: Breakmaster Cylinder

APAC's B2B Growth Podcast is Presented by xGrowth

Paul Gibson from Demandbase: How to Recession-Proof Your Marketing Strategy With ABX27 Jul 202200:36:40

Discover the State of Account-Based Marketing in APAC with xGrowth's State of ABM in APAC Report.

Get your copy here to find out how APAC's top B2B growth teams approach Account-Based Marketing.

_________________

Shahin chats with Paul Gibson, Vice President International at Demandbase about how to recession-proof your marketing strategy with ABM and ABX.

Paul is passionate about helping businesses harness the power of technology. With over 15 years in the digital martech space and a proven track record of entering a new region, building teams, exceeding goals and delivering strong revenue growth.

Paul was the first Demandbase employee in EMEA, with a mission to evangelize ABM, define a go to market strategy, and build a world class team. 

Prior to Demandbase, Paul held roles at Microsoft, AgilOne, StrongMail Systems and several other martech companies.

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Ronan Bray from Drift: The Role of Conversational Marketing in ABM20 Jul 202200:30:24

Discover the State of Account-Based Marketing in APAC with xGrowth's State of ABM in APAC Report.

Get your copy here to find out how APAC's top B2B growth teams approach Account-Based Marketing.

_________________

Shahin Hoda chats with Ronan Bray, Head of Marketing (APAC) at Drift about the role of conversational marketing and ABM.

With over 15 years of experience in B2B tech with a focus on growth, automation, digital and strategy, Ronan has founded three companies, two of which he sold, with the third still operating, where he delivers marketing strategy, websites, lead generation campaigns, and marketing automation solutions for start-ups and SMEs. 

Ronan was awarded with a Smart 30 Under 30 award and has been featured in the Australian Financial Review, Sydney Morning Herald and SmartCompany.

_________________

For your copy of the State of ABM in APAC Report (2022): https://abm.xgrowth.com.au/report/

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Roey Balbus: What You Need to Know About Marketing Operations13 Jul 202200:31:18

Shahin chats with Roey Balbus, Chief Operations Officer at TradeSquare, about everything marketing operations.

Known for his unrelenting passion for people, marketing and strategy, Roey connects industry professionals, specifically in retail and healthcare, with Australia’s biggest brands through learning, collaboration and strategic partnerships.

With years of experience in brand development, operations, strategy, partnerships, sales and people management, it has led Roey to do what he loves while growing his career.

_________________

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Greg Nutter: How Marketers Should Approach Complex Sales06 Jul 202200:28:51

Shahin chats with Greg Nutter, Principal Consultant and Founder of Soloquent Inc., about Marketing in complex sales environments and what marketers should know from the sales side of the equation.

Greg helps business owners and senior sales and marketing executives solve revenue growth problems through direct, indirect, or multi-channel sales models. With over thirty-five years of experience, he has worked with a wide range of companies to develop strategies, programs, processes, and tools to grow revenues, enter new markets, increase sales consistency, and develop skilled sales, channel, and management personnel.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Greg has read and was impacted by SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham.

His book P3 Selling focuses on the powerful and proven strategies for today's B2B seller.

______

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Tim Beveridge: How to Choose Between an Agency or Client-Side Role29 Jun 202200:45:49

Shahin chats with Tim Beveridge, Founder and CEO of Modern Marketing Group and CMO of Versent about whether you should choose an agency role or work on the client side.

Tim is an innovative and commercially focused marketing consultant with 20+ years of experience helping deliver consumer centric and profitable growth. His experiences include leveraging his skills through digital experience agencies, creative advertising agencies, MarTech businesses, media agencies, and client-side roles across almost every category of B2B and B2C marketing.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

For starting out in your marketing career, Tim recommends:

Midway through your career:

  • Get an MBA at a good school (MBS or AGSM) - don’t let the finances scare you away

OR

Later in your career:

  • Network - the best resource you could have

Although there is no set playbook, they can still be helpful as long as you don’t get distracted by the tactics, focus on strategy. Tim recommends:

Some of Tim’s influencers in the marketing space include:

Join the Slack channel: https://growthcolony.org/slack

Hosted & Produced by Shahin Hoda & Alexander Hipwell, from xGrowth

We would love to get your questions, ideas and feedback about Growth Colony, email podcast@xgrowth.com.au

Soumyajit Dey from Thoughtworks: How to Phase Out Regional Silos22 Jun 202200:39:02

Shahin chats with Soumyajit Dey, Global Head, Digital Experience Optimisation at Thoughtworks, about how marketing leaders can eliminate regional silos.

With over 19 years of experience in marketing and communications, Soumyajit is passionate about digital marketing in the technology B2B space.

He's worked with leading global technology companies such as Google, Accenture, IBM and Amazon, and has been responsible for working on and spearheading various digital marketing projects, building teams, strategising and delivering end-to-end digital experience for users.

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Vincent Cotte: How to Plan Your GTM Strategy the Salesforce Way15 Jun 202200:33:29

Shahin chats to Vincent Cotte, Senior Director Go-To-Market Marketing ANZ at Salesforce about how the team at Salesforce approaches designing go-to-market strategies and what other marketers can learn from the process.

Vincent is responsible for Salesforce’s sales, analytics and platform go-to-market across the Asia-Pacific. Working to ensure an open line of communication between customers and product management, as well as educating the market on the opportunities possible using Salesforce’s capabilities.

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Daniel Priestley: How to Get Oversubscribed for Your Next Campaign08 Jun 202200:35:26

Host Shahin Hoda chats with Daniel Priestley, Co-Founder of Scoreapp, about how B2B marketers can create campaigns that will generate interest from their target audience, sustain that interest and then turn it into business metrics.

Starting with nothing, Daniel has built valuable and scalable businesses in Australia, the UK, the US, Canada and Singapore. Daniel’s Mission is to develop entrepreneurs who stand out, scale-up and make a positive impact in the world.

Daniel Priestley is the Founder of Dent Global and has just won Entrepreneur of The Year 2022, is a 4x best-selling author, speaker and leading authority in scaling businesses.

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Rebroadcast | EP#41 Eric Wittlake: How to Sell Account-Based Marketing to the Sales Team01 Jun 202200:36:42

In this episode, Shahin is in discussion with Eric Wittlake, Senior Analyst at TOPO about how marketing should go about selling account-based marketing to the sales team to get full buy-in from them.

Eric Wittlake leads TOPO’s account-based strategy research and works directly with revenue and marketing leaders to drive growth through repeatable best practices that increase customer value, improve customer acquisition, and drive expansion.

Read the show notes: https://xgrowth.com.au/blogs/sell-abm-sales/

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Rebroadcast | EP# 51 Malcolm Hamilton: Why IT Businesses Are Getting Serious About Marketing25 May 202200:46:44

In this episode, host Shahin Hoda chats with Malcolm Hamilton, Global Marketing Director at SAP, on why IT businesses worldwide are now taking marketing very seriously. Malcolm talks about the importance of having marketing at the leadership table, guiding decisions about what accounts and prospects to target. 

He also highlights the importance of having a strong understanding of the overall buyer’s journey and encourages IT leaders to be patient while expecting ROI from marketing initiatives.

Read the show notes: https://xgrowth.com.au/blogs/it-business-marketing/

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Turning Local Wins into Global Influence with Kitty Zhao09 Oct 202500:29:54

In this insightful conversation, Kitty Zhao, Head of Marketing for Adhesive Technologies at Henkel ANZ, shares her proven strategies for putting Australia and New Zealand on the global marketing map. 

Working for a global organisation with headquarters far from the region, Kitty reveals how she's successfully gained executive visibility, built internal advocates, and implemented innovative marketing approaches that have been adopted across the Asia-Pacific region.

This episode is essential listening for any B2B marketer working in a regional market who wants to move beyond execution mode and become a strategic contributor whose voice is heard at the highest levels of their organisation.

Guest Introduction

Kitty Zhao is a seasoned B2B marketing leader with over 14 years of experience across the manufacturing, mining, automotive aftermarket, and scientific sectors. Kitty brings a strategic lens to every initiative, combining deep expertise in OEM and distribution models with a collaborative leadership style that empowers teams to deliver marketing programs that resonate with customers and drive meaningful business results.

Key Topics

  • Why Australian and New Zealand markets risk being overlooked in global decision-making, and how raising your profile ensures local needs are considered proactively.
  • Common mistakes regional marketers make and why you should treat new initiatives like a sales pitch with evidence-based proposals.
  • Pioneering account-based marketing in the mining sector and how this Australian initiative became the pilot program for the entire APAC region.
  • Building internal advocates across technical teams and sales forces, and developing co-branded campaigns with customers.
  • Creating strategic alliances with global colleagues across marketing functions to ensure two-way communication.
  • Leveraging the Australian Institute of Packaging partnership that led to speaking opportunities across Asia-Pacific conferences.
  • How locally-developed initiatives expanded from Australia to Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, and Malaysia.
  • Building trust, demonstrating small wins, and confidently proposing innovative approaches.

Resources & Links

People Mentioned:

Companies & Organisations:

Courses:

Subscribe to the xG Weekly Newsletter for weekly insights on B2B growth across

APAC: https://xgrowth.com.au/newsletter

Contact & Credits

Host: Shahin Hoda

Guest: Kitty Zhao

Produced by: Shahin Hoda and Alexander Hipwell

Edited by: Alexander Hipwell

Music by: Breakmaster Cylinder

APAC's B2B Growth Podcast is Presented by xGrowth

Rebroadcast | EP# 13 Nick Morgan: The Future of Video Marketing18 May 202200:25:17

Shahin Hoda chats to Nick Morgan, Co-Founder & Joint CEO of Vudoo, which specialises in pioneering interactive video.

Shahin & Nick dive deep into the current state of video, and how the 2nd wave of digital video is emerging. They discuss how the fundamental ways organisations create video and how consumers interact with said video are changing.

Nick is an entrepreneur, an experienced strategist, and a product guy, Nick believes in the power of technology to elevate business success and enhance people’s lives. With an extensive track record delivering enterprise solutions across the public and private sectors, Nick has channelled this experience into developing market-first tools to transform digital engagement.

Read the show notes: https://xgrowth.com.au/blogs/online-video-marketing

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Alex Colvin: How to Stop Relying on NPS11 May 202200:36:06

Shahin Hoda chats with Alex Colvin, CEO at Pendula, about why marketers should stop looking at NPS as the holy grail of metrics when it comes to customer retention and what to do instead.

As Pendula’s CEO, Alex creates and manages both the vision and mission of the business. Never one to shy away from a challenge, he takes great pride in showcasing how the company can signal a gear change to new and prospective customers. Alex believes that Pendula is primed to be a benchmark platform, and the business focus on customer retention has been transformative for many of the company’s clients

Starting his entrepreneurial career early on, Alex founded the tutorial business Student Seek the year he graduated high school. Once he’d completed his University of Sydney degree in Commerce and Engineering he entered management consulting with Bearing Point, then Pactera which allowed him to split his time between Sydney, Australia and Silicon Valley in the US.

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Marcella Larsen from Salesforce: What's in Store for Retail?04 May 202200:37:47

Shahin Hoda chats with Marcella Larsen, Senior Director, Retail Advisor at Salesforce about some of the recent developments in the retail sector and what you should know if you're selling into this space.

Marcella is the Retail Industry Market Development Executive for Australia. Marcella is responsible for leading platform-agnostic cloud and mobile Focused Growth Strategies in the industries of Retail, Travel, Hospitality and Consumer Goods. Marcella brings almost 22 years of deep customer, vertical technology, sales and marketing experience to this role. 

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