GTM Live – Details, episodes & analysis

Chris joined Ishaan Shakunt, founder @ Spear Growth, on the TLDR podcast to talk about outbound marketing, offering a stark contrast to traditional high-volume approaches. Chris emphasizes the importance of strategic, personalized outreach over sheer quantity, focusing on the sender's credibility, the specificity of the offer, and the optimal timing of outreach. He breaks down the tools and methodologies he employs, including LinkedIn Sales Navigator and RB2B for identifying potential leads and outlines the manual, thoughtful process he follows to ensure each interaction is meaningful and impactful.

Chris also highlights the significance of crafting compelling, unique offers that are closely aligned with the needs of the ideal customer profile (ICP). He shares his personal outreach strategy, which remarkably boasts a 60% message-to-meeting conversion rate, and underscores the necessity of having a deep understanding of one's product and market to achieve such success. By illuminating his hands-on, data-driven approach, Chris provides invaluable insights that challenge conventional outbound practices and offer a blueprint for more effective and efficient lead generation.

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The next Expert Session, featuring Malin Wijenayake will take place on September 17 at 11am central. Register here. 

If you want to have a conversation with Chris and present your current questions, roadblocks, or projects you’re working through, make sure to attend this weekly event every Tuesday at 12 central. Register here.

Can’t make the event but have a question for Chris? Submit it here.

In this week’s live event, Chris covers revenue planning for 2025, the fundamental differences between KPI metrics and attribution, and the importance of clear segmentation in go-to-market strategies. Chris highlights the crucial distinction between key performance indicators (KPIs) and attribution metrics in business planning. He offers actionable advice on identifying revenue inefficiencies, understanding unit economics, and aligning go-to-market efforts with company-wide objectives. Chris advises against the segmentation of responsibilities by attribution sources, such as marketing or sales, and instead promotes a holistic approach to evaluating performance metrics. For businesses grappling with complex revenue models, Chris's insights serve as a roadmap to achieving a more streamlined and effective sales funnel.

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The next Expert Session, featuring Malin Wijenayake will take place on September 17 at 11am central. Register here. 

If you want to have a conversation with Chris and present your current questions, roadblocks, or projects you’re working through, make sure to attend this weekly event every Tuesday at 12 central. Register here.

Can’t make the event but have a question for Chris? Submit it here.

Chris was joined by Tom Wentworth, CMO @ Recorded Future, to talk about GTM programs and Marketing ROI. Their discussion focused on guiding marketers aspiring to senior roles, offering rich insights into account selection, demand creation, and the relationship between marketing and finance.

Tom emphasizes the importance of narrowing down account focus, even for large enterprises, suggesting that a smaller, targeted set of accounts can yield better results. They dig into practical challenges and solutions in demand creation, attributing their lower cost per opportunity to a more strategic allocation of marketing spend. Tom’s advocacy for direct mail as a unique, effective tactic highlights an often-overlooked channel. Moreover, the value of robust financial relationships, notably with the CFO, and the innovative use of a news organization to drive engagement and brand authority are discussed in depth.

Then, they spent time on listener questions, going into the specifics of Direct Mail tactics and messaging. 

If you want to have a conversation with Chris and present your current questions, roadblocks, or projects you’re working through, make sure to attend this weekly event every Tuesday at 12 central. ⁠Register here⁠.

Can’t make the event but have a question for Chris? ⁠Submit it here⁠.

Chris Walker hosts weekly Private Coaching Events for Vault Subscribers, which opens with covering important and timely industry observations. 

First, he highlights the shift in the market from growth at all costs to efficient growth and the need for companies to adjust their strategies accordingly. He also emphasizes the importance of looking at metrics such as CAC payback period rather than CAC to LTV ratios for evaluating marketing ROI. Additionally, he explains the difference between demand capture and demand conversion and the need to consider all revenue channels, not just inbound, when assessing marketing performance.

Key Takeaways:

-Companies need to shift from growth at all costs to efficient growth in order to align with changing market dynamics.

-CAC payback period is a more appropriate metric for evaluating marketing ROI than CAC to LTV ratios.

-Demand capture refers to capturing the intent of potential buyers, while demand conversion involves converting that intent into sales meetings or pipeline.

-It is important to consider all revenue channels, not just inbound, when evaluating marketing performance.

Chris sat down with Cameron Evans for a half hour consultative session to provide valuable insights and strategies for a real estate brokerage firm looking. Chris emphasizes the importance of focusing on agents who can generate revenue and have a higher lifetime value. Chris suggests collecting qualitative data from top-producing agents to understand why they choose to work with the firm and using that information to create a unique value proposition. He also recommends leveraging social media platforms like TikTok and Facebook to reach a wider audience and boost engagement. Additionally, Chris advises adding a secondary content creation pillar, such as consulting calls or expert interviews, to further enhance the marketing strategy.

Key Takeaways:

-Focus on attracting real estate agents who can generate revenue and have a higher lifetime value.

-Collect qualitative data from top-producing agents to understand why they choose to work with the firm.

-Create a unique value proposition based on the insights gathered from top-producing agents.

-Leverage social media platforms like TikTok and Facebook to reach a wider audience and boost engagement.

-Consider adding a secondary content creation pillar, such as consulting calls or expert interviews, to enhance the marketing strategy.

Chris Walker hosts weekly Private Coaching Events for Vault Subscribers, which opens with covering important and timely industry observations. 

First, he highlights the abundance of information available in the digital age and the need for individuals to discern between opinions and data-driven insights. He draws a parallel to the medical field's transition to evidence-based medicine in the 1940s and suggests that the go-to-market space should also prioritize science and data over personal experiences and opinions.

Next, Chris shares a real-life example of a company's misalignment between their perceived pipeline and the actual pipeline based on historical win rates. By analyzing the data, he reveals that the company inflated their pipeline by almost $90 million, leading to inaccurate forecasting and missed targets. He emphasizes the importance of defining pipeline based on objective performance criteria to improve sales and marketing alignment.

Finally, he introduces his company's approach of using science and data to help companies make informed go-to-market decisions. He believes that breakthroughs can be achieved by analyzing large datasets and applying scientific principles to create confidence and clarity in future strategies.

Key Takeaways:

-Information has become a commodity, and individuals must discern between opinions and data-driven insights.

-Companies often inflate their pipeline by not accurately defining qualified pipeline based on historical win rates.

-Science and data should drive go-to-market decisions to improve alignment and achieve breakthroughs.

Chris was invited onto the inaugural episode of Donuts and Demand, hosted by Lindsay McGuire and joined as well by LaShanda Jackson. They discuss the definition of demand gen, share tips for success, and highlight their favorite campaigns. Chris emphasizes the importance of always-on programs and taking risks with one-time campaigns. They also discuss strategies for boosting conversions and the differences between creating demand and capturing demand.

Key Takeaways:

-Demand generation should be focused on creating demand, capturing demand, and converting demand.

-Metrics and attribution systems dictate marketing strategies, so it's important to align them with revenue goals.

-Third-party intent data can be unreliable, and marketers should focus on first-party data and Facebook's advertising algorithm for better targeting.

-Always-on programs are essential for building brand affinity and familiarity, while one-time campaigns allow for creative risks.

-Optimizing for closed-won revenue and qualified pipeline is more effective than optimizing for conversion rates or lead generation.

Chris joined Ricky Sevta and Sean Diljore on the Sassy Talk podcast to share his insights on demand capture, demand creation, and revenue operations for early-stage B2B companies. He emphasizes the need for a data-driven approach to marketing and go-to-market strategies, highlighting the importance of using large-scale aggregated data to inform decision-making. 

Chris also discusses the disadvantages of the traditional MQL hamster wheel model and the need for a new operating model that is continuously updated based on data and insights. He explains how the traditional MQL SQL model is subjective and lacks data-driven decision-making, and suggests that companies should focus on performance-based objective data to determine the stages of the revenue process. Chris highlights the challenges faced by companies as they scale and the importance of finding efficient and effective ways to drive growth. He also emphasizes the need for early-stage founders to prioritize marketing and demand creation in order to accelerate growth and reach their target market. Additionally, Chris discusses the importance of pricing and how it should be listed on the website based on customer preferences and feedback.

Key Takeaways:

-The traditional MQL SQL model is subjective and lacks data-driven decision-making.

-Companies should focus on performance-based objective data to determine the stages of the revenue process.

-The current influenced revenue model often leads to analysis paralysis and hinders strategic decision-making.

-Early-stage founders should prioritize marketing and demand creation to accelerate growth and reach their target market.

-Pricing should be listed on the website based on customer preferences and feedback.

Chris Walker hosts weekly Private Coaching Events for Vault Subscribers, which opens with covering important and timely industry observations. 

First, he highlights the common problem of understaffed and reactive revenue operations functions in B2B companies. He emphasizes the need for executives to prioritize and invest in this function to drive strategic changes and growth. Chris also discusses the lack of prioritization and investment in revenue operations, despite companies claiming to be data-driven. He suggests that companies should challenge their current practices and frameworks to ensure the effectiveness of their revenue operations function.

Key Takeaways:

-Revenue operations functions in B2B companies are often understaffed and reactive, hindering their ability to drive strategic changes.

-Companies need to prioritize and invest in their revenue operations function to achieve growth and success.

-Executives should challenge existing practices and frameworks to ensure the effectiveness of their revenue operations function.

Chris was invited onto the Nex6 Project, hosted by John Ghiorso, to discuss Dark Social and Demand Generation in the context of B2B marketing. Chris emphasizes the need for a holistic revenue team approach, breaking down demand generation into three core categories: creating demand, capturing demand, and converting demand. He highlights the underappreciation of these concepts in B2B marketing and the flawed measurement models used by companies. Chris also emphasizes the importance of understanding customers deeply and leveraging platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook for effective marketing. He challenges traditional marketing practices and encourages companies to think differently to drive better results.

Key Takeaways:

-Demand generation should be viewed as a holistic revenue team approach, focusing on creating, capturing, and converting demand.

-Dark social, including platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook, is an underappreciated channel in B2B marketing.

-Companies should shift their budget allocation to focus more on digital marketing, including Facebook and Instagram ads.

-Personal brands are often more effective than corporate brands in driving engagement on social media platforms.

-Thought leadership strategies should involve subject matter experts who provide objective insights and help customers across their entire job spectrum.