Podcasts about B2B

B2B content creators struggle to measure real impact beyond vanity metrics. Benji Block, founder of Signature Series, shares his framework for building content that drives business results. He reveals his 11-question assessment for evaluating content effectiveness, explains how to optimize YouTube thumbnails through A/B testing, and outlines three core metrics that prove content strategy success: meaningful engagement through comments, high average view duration, and improved click-through rates.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join Justin Forman in Lagos, Nigeria for an inspiring conversation with Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes, founder and Managing Partner of Arura Capital. Adesuwa shares her journey from J.P. Morgan to building the first female-led private equity fund in Nigeria focused on female-founded, female-led, and female-focused businesses across Africa.Key Topics:Why Africa has the highest rate of female entrepreneurship globally (4x more than Europe) yet women receive only 2% of capitalHow Arura Capital's $20M Fund One delivered top-quartile returns above global benchmarks while creating 205,000 jobs and $150M in value chain revenueThe $150 billion capital gap facing African SMEs and the arbitrage opportunity in overlooked foundersDigital transformation as Africa's leapfrog strategy - from embedded finance to B2B commerce platforms serving 150,000 retailersWhy now is the best time to invest in Nigeria despite (and because of) recent policy reformsPowerful Quotes:"To live life where it's only about you is a very, very boring life, I think. You really wanna be able to showcase legacy. You really want to be able to showcase how has it impacted that woman who would have never had access to capital if we didn't show up.""Female founders actually generate more revenue than their male counterpart. For every dollar invested in a startup, a female founder returns 2.5 times more revenue than her male counterpart.""If you're an investor that's allocating capital, you can no longer afford to ignore or avoid the African continent, because this is really where the growth in the next 30 to 50 years is gonna come from."About Adesuwa: Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes is the founder and Managing Partner of Arura Capital, a pioneering private equity fund investing in female-founded, female-led, and female-focused businesses across Africa. After a successful career at J.P. Morgan, she launched Arura in July 2019 to address the massive funding gap facing female entrepreneurs on the continent. Her Fund One raised $20M and has delivered top-quartile returns while creating measurable social impact across Nigeria, Ghana, and Côte d'Ivoire. Adesuwa was the first woman in Nigeria to raise over $10M for a private equity fund and is passionate about using capital redemptively to transform lives across Africa's value chains. 

Episode web page:  ----------------------- Episode summary: In this episode of Insights Unlocked, Nathan Isaacs talks with marketing powerhouse Bill Macaitis—former CMO of Slack, Zendesk, and Salesforce—about how B2B companies can scale efficiently by prioritizing customer experience, building authentic brands, and embracing new go-to-market models. Bill shares lessons from his career and dives into the importance of customer-centric cultures, long-term thinking, and the strategic use of AI in modern marketing. What you'll learn in this episode: Why capital-efficient growth beats “growth at all costs”—and how to build it The playbook for operationalizing customer centricity in a B2B environment How to align teams across marketing, product, and sales with shared metrics What most companies get wrong about attribution models How AI can empower marketers—without replacing them The secret to building a B2B brand people actually love (and talk about) Tips for individual contributors to challenge legacy playbooks and advocate for change About the guest: Bill Macaitis is an executive advisor and board member who has led marketing at some of the most iconic names in SaaS, including Slack, Zendesk, and Salesforce. Known for his customer-first approach and bold brand vision, Bill now advises AI startups on how to build scalable, loved companies from the ground up. Resources & Links: Bill Macaitis on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bmacaitis/) SaaS CMO Pro website (https://www.saascmopro.com/) SaaS CMO Pro newsletter (https://saascmopro.substack.com/) Bill's YouTube videos (https://www.youtube.com/@SaaSCMOPro/videos) Nathan Isaacs on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanisaacs/) Learn more about Insights Unlocked: https://www.usertesting.com/podcast

B2B content creators struggle to measure real impact beyond vanity metrics. Benji Block, founder of Signature Series, shares his framework for building content that drives business results. He reveals his 11-question assessment for evaluating content effectiveness, explains how to optimize YouTube thumbnails through A/B testing, and outlines three core metrics that prove content strategy success: meaningful engagement through comments, high average view duration, and improved click-through rates.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

#304 | AI Buying Shift | This episode is from a recent Exit Five live session where I pulled together Lindsay O'Brien (Head of Marketing & Operations, Predictiv), Tom Wentworth (CMO, incident.io), and Aditya Vempaty (VP of Marketing, MoEngage) for a real talk on how AI is completely rewiring the B2B buying journey. We got into why buyers no longer need your pretty funnel, how AI-powered research changes the sales call, and what that means for your GTM strategy.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro + Dave Sets the Stage (04:07) - – How AI Is Changing B2B Buying (11:07) - – The Big Shift: Taste, Unscalable Work, and Distribution (16:07) - – Getting Exec Buy-In for “Unmeasurable” Marketing (20:07) - – Does the Funnel Still Matter? (24:07) - – Dead Tactics: Gating, A/B Testing, Lead Score Theater (30:53) - – AI That Actually Works (Real Use Cases) (37:53) - – Team Size, Skills, and the New CMO (43:53) - – Authenticity vs AI: Creative, Video, and Brand (58:53) - – Content Attribution + Final Takeaways Join 50,000 people who get our Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterLearn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/***Today's episode is brought to you by Paramark.It's November. 2026 planning is already here. And the stuff you're doing right now will decide how next year plays out. But here's the problem: most teams are still planning next year's marketing strategy based on the WRONG DATA because of broken attribution and a misleading gut feel.  And you can't make smart budget calls if you're just guessing what's working, what's not, and where to put your next dollar.That's where Paramark comes in. They help you replace the guesswork with actual insight backed by $2 billion in analyzed marketing data. They've figured out what actually drives incremental growth across every channel including LinkedIn, Meta, TikTok, Google, CTV, even OOH.And right now, they're offering a private 1:1 consultation with their CEO and CMO, Pranav and Sam, who have led marketing teams at companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Microsoft, and Shutterfly. In this 45-minute strategy session, they'll help you measure the real impact of every marketing dollar, pull insights from your current media mix, and design a 2026 roadmap that's rooted in data, not gut.This is a heck of an offer. And it's real. And will go fast. So if you want to future-proof your marketing strategy for 2026, don't miss out on this offer.Grab your spot at paramark.com/brand-consult.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signuphttps://levelwear.comHyman Ngo, SVP of Product & Marketing at Levelwear, joins us to talk through the brand's evolution from a behind-the-scenes apparel manufacturer to a powerhouse in wholesale and licensing — and now, their pivot into DTC.For brand leaders scaling from golf, wholesale, or licensing into consumer channels.What we cover:The real reason they acquired a customer's brand — and how that changed their whole trajectoryWhy golf was the launchpad: how credibility in elite U.S. clubs unlocked growth back homeHow they scaled to 85 of the top 100 U.S. golf courses (and what that did for their reputation)The role of licensing (MLB, NHL, PGA) in adding growth and brand legitimacyHow they finally built their brand narrative (“Team Over Everything” / “Who's With You”) and why it's now central to their DTC pushWho this is for: Brand operators in wholesale, licensing, or B2B looking to build emotional connection and consumer pullWhat to steal:Build credibility in a “clean” market (no legacy baggage) and use it to reposition back homeTreat brand story as an internal alignment tool — not just external marketingUse licensing as a bridge, but don't lose sight of your brand equityUnlock the BFCM Command Center: https://triplewhale.com/dtcTimestamps00:00 Transitioning from manufacturing to a brand02:15 Buying Levelwear and early operational challenges04:40 Breaking into retail and managing order volume07:20 Slow early growth and breakthrough in the US golf market10:05 How Levelwear entered top golf courses12:40 Evolution of golf culture and apparel trends14:00 Sponsoring pro golfers and athlete partnerships16:00 Expanding into licensed sports apparel18:05 Fanatics partnership and industry comparisons20:00 Crafting Levelwear's brand message and manifesto22:30 Launching the "Who's With You" campaign24:15 Using streaming ads for brand awareness26:10 How the brand story aligns across sports27:40 Message consistency in B2B and retail channels29:00 Levelwear's path toward nine-figure revenue30:30 DTC ambitions and where the brand goes next32:00 Expanding into international golf markets33:00 The future of independent retail in golf34:00 Closing thoughts and next steps for LevelwearHashtags#dtcpodcast #levelwear #golfapparel #sportsbusiness #directtoconsumer #ecommercegrowth #brandbuilding #athleisure #golfindustry #sportsmarketing Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signupAdvertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertiseWork with Pilothouse - https://dtcnews.link/pilothouseFollow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletterWatch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

Cash App & Square roll out Bitcoin payments at 4M+ merchants. Jack Dorsey leverages Lightning Network to compete with Visa/credit card fees. Plus: the controversial Bitcoin denomination change that's dividing the community. We break down Jack Dorsey's massive Bitcoin rollout across Cash App and Square—4M merchants can now accept BTC payments via Lightning and mainnet. We explore how Bitcoin rails are undercutting Visa/Amex fees, the Strike-style settlement strategy, and the controversial BIP 177 denomination debate. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com **Notes:** • 4M Square merchants now accept Bitcoin payments • Credit card fees range from 2-6% per transaction • Cash App uses Lightning Network for settlements • BIP 177 proposes renaming Satoshis to Bitcoins • 100M Satoshis equal one Bitcoin • Jack Dorsey owns Block, Square, and Cash App Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:46 CashApp & Square updates overview 03:52 Bitcoin rails 09:36 Network effects 13:59 150 features 21:08 Bits are BACK -

Free Vs Investment Trials: Why a $1 Trial Can Be More Powerful Than a Free Trial with Favour Obasi-Ike | Sign up for exclusive SEO insights.This Clubhouse audio session focused on marketing strategies, specifically comparing the efficacy of free trials versus investment trials for products and services. Favour discusses how an investment trial, even as low as one dollar, establishes a financial commitment from the customer, potentially leading to better conversion than a completely free offer, though both require nurturing efforts. The conversation also touches on upcoming holiday sales, various email marketing platformslike Flowdesk, and the importance of technical SEO and website development in business growth. 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Book a Complimentary SEO Discovery Call with Favour Obasi-Ike⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠>> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to the We Don't PLAY Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Introduction: The "Free Trial" FallacyOffering a "free trial" is a universal business strategy, especially during peak seasons like Black Friday or the holidays. It's the go-to method for attracting customers by lowering the barrier to entry. But have you ever considered that "free" might not be the most effective path to gaining truly committed customers?This article explores a few surprising truths about customer psychology and commitment by comparing the standard free trial with a powerful alternative: the "investment trial." We'll examine why asking for a small, initial investment can fundamentally change the customer relationship and lead to better results.The Surprising Takeaways from Free vs. Investment Trials1. The Power of a Single Dollar: Shifting from a "User" to an "Investor" MindsetThe core difference between a "free trial" and an "investment trial" is the financial commitment. A free trial has none, while an investment trial requires a small payment, even if it's just $1. This seemingly minor detail triggers a significant psychological shift.When a customer pays—even a nominal amount—their mindset changes. They are no longer a passive user getting something for free; they have become an active investor in a potential solution. This act pre-qualifies them and changes their relationship with the product from the very beginning. Because they have invested, they are more likely to perceive the engagement as a "better experience," reinforcing the value of their decision and anticipating an even greater return on a larger future investment....if you now say, okay, it's $99 or it's $1,000 or it's whatever amount of dollars, the person doesn't feel like they have to think twice about started because they've already financially committed to something that was an investment that they were interested in. That's the difference.This initial commitment dramatically shortens the time it takes to convert a trial user into a full-paying customer. The journey from a $1 investment to a $1,000 purchase is psychologically shorter than the journey from "free" to any paid plan. While a free trial may require 14 to 30 days of nurturing to achieve conversion, an investment trial can convert in as little as 10 minutes or one hour because the primary psychological barrier has already been crossed.2. The Real Cost of "Free" Isn't Zero—It's TimeNothing is truly free. In a free trial, the user isn't paying with money, but with an equally valuable currency: their time and attention.When someone engages with a free product, they are spending time processing information and making a decision. The business's goal is to make that time investment feel so valuable that it leads to a financial one. Think of the common B2B strategy of offering a free 30-45 minute consultation call. The prospect invests their time, and in exchange, the business must deliver enough tangible value in that short window to justify a larger investment. The "free" call becomes a sale because the value demonstrated makes the time spent feel worthwhile. The same principle applies to tasting a free food sample—if it delivers immediate value, it leads to a purchase.So if it's a free trial, yes, get it for free. Sign up for free... it's not really free because they're spending time. That's the exchange.The implication for businesses is clear: the product or information offered in a free trial must deliver immediate, tangible value. You must make the user's time investment feel so worthwhile that they are compelled to make a financial one.3. The $2,000 Anomaly: Why High-Ticket Sales Can Be Easier Than Low-Ticket OnesOne of the most surprising claims is that "it's harder for me to sell a $20 product than a $2,000 product." This paradox defies conventional business logic, but the reasoning behind it is sound.Customers often perceive small, recurring payments as nuisances or minor expenses they'd rather avoid. In contrast, they view large, one-time investments as significant projects with a high potential return. A high-ticket investment is tied to a bigger, more valuable outcome—such as achieving AI SEO, building websites, gaining domain authority, or becoming dominant in your area of expertise—that they can justify more easily as a strategic move.This connects directly back to the "investment trial" concept. A person willing to invest just $1 is already thinking about potential returns, which is the exact mindset needed to make a larger, high-value purchase. They have already crossed the mental barrier from being a passive consumer to an active investor.This should encourage you to reconsider your pricing and offer structure. Instead of focusing only on low-cost entry points, consider how to frame your offerings as high-value investments that solve significant problems for your ideal customers.Conclusion: Your Next MoveThe psychology behind a trial offer is often more critical than the price tag. The ultimate goal isn't just to get sign-ups; it's to cultivate an investor's mindset from the very first interaction. By asking for a small commitment, you attract a more serious audience and prime them for a long-term, high-value relationship.As you plan your next offer, ask yourself this: How can you shift the focus from a simple "free sample" to a meaningful "initial investment" to attract your most committed future customers?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

تواصل معانا وشاركنا افكاركيبدأ كل فوز في مبيعات B2B بسؤال بسيط وشجاع: هل يوجد احتياج حي يمكن قياسه الآن؟ نأخذك خلال رحلة عملية لبيع خدمات مالية للبنوك، من قراءة إشارات الطلب الداخلي إلى بناء حالة استخدام تقنع لجان المخاطر والتكنولوجيا والمالية دون عروض مطولة. نشارك طريقة صياغة قيمة تربط الميزات بنتائج ملموسة مثل خفض التكاليف، تسريع الإطلاق، وزيادة الاكتساب، حتى يتحول النقاش من “فكرة لطيفة” إلى “أثر يمكن الدفاع عنه”.نوضح كيف يغيّر Banking as a Service وPayments as a Service قواعد اللعبة بنموذج دفع حسب الاستخدام يقلل الاستثمار المبدئي ويرفع الثقة. تحكم التسعير الشفاف وحدات محددة ترتبط مباشرة بحجم التشغيل، ما يسهل المقارنة على فرق الشراء ويجعل الجدوى واضحة. ثم ننتقل إلى الاستهداف الذكي: معيار دخول عملي يحدد القطاع، حالة الاستخدام، إشارات الاحتياج، والحد الأدنى للبنية التقنية، مع التركيز على ثلاثة فاعلين داخل البنك يجب كسبهم مبكرا: صاحب المشكلة، أمن المعلومات، وعمليات المنتج أو الدفع.نختم بخريطة بيع قابلة للتنفيذ: أسئلة تكشف من يملك الألم والميزانية، تجربة مصغرة تثبت القيمة خلال أسابيع، وإطار مراجعة يعيد تقييم الملاءمة قبل كل خطوة. إذا أردت دورة بيع أقصر وبايبلاين أنضج وتسعيرا يتنفس مع القيمة، ستجد هنا الأدوات والعقلية اللازمة لتحريك الصفقة من اهتمام إلى التزام. اشترك وشارك الحلقة مع فريقك، واترك تقييمك لتخبرنا: ما الإشارة التي تعتمد عليها لتقول “الوقت مناسب للتحرك”؟Support the showاستمتع بتجربة سماع بودكاست فريدة من خلال ابليكشن بزنس بالعربي واستفيد من محتوى اضافي وحصري في البزنس وتطوير ذات حمل تطبيق من بزنس بالعربي من خلال الرابط: https://m.mtrbio.com/BBA-Application رعاة بودكاست بزنس بالعربي:

Send us a textWe map the new course landscape and show how trust, focus, and thoughtful support turn a crowded niche into an advantage. From onboarding that builds safety to AI-driven upsells, we share practical ways to raise completion and profit without bloat.• market shift post‑2020 and AI making course creation easier• trust recession, proof of expertise, and honest limits• picking support structures that match ideal clients• designing for focus with missions, tracks, and tools• engagement loops, reactivation prompts, and peer recognition• built‑in upsells, AI agents, and shareable wins• common mistakes: non‑actionable content and weak onboarding• mini courses for quick wins vs signature transformations• long game mindset and stair‑step offers before self‑paced• how to work with Jasmine and where to find herYou love all things tiny marketing. Head down to the show notes page and sign up for the wait list to join the tiny marketing club where you get to work one-on-one with me with trainings, feedback, and pop-up coaching that will help you scale your marketing as a B2B service business.Jasmine Jonte helps experts turn braindumps into world-class programs! Her Done-For-You Course Creation agency takes care of everything - from the big picture promise down to the last worksheet download. They're on a mission to make learning simple and fun for 10 Million students while saving 100+ hours for every course creator they partner with!Coupling her teaching experience with business savvy and management skills, you'll want her to do the heavy lifting when building or upgrading your online programs!LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasminejonte/Website: Cre8tion.coYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JasmineJonteCRE8TIONJoin my events community for FREE monthly events.I offer free events each month to help you master your business's growth through marketing, sales, systems, and offer strategy. Join the community here! Are you tired of prospects ghosting you? With a Gateway Offer, that won't happen.Over the next Ten Days, we will launch and sell our Gateway Offers with the goal of reaching booked-out status!Join the challenge here.Support the showApply for the Tiny Marketing Club >>> Join the ClubCome tour my digital home :) >>>WebsiteWanna be friends? >>> LinkedInLet's chat every Tuesday! >>> NewsletterCatch the video podcast on YouTube >>>YouTubeJoin my event group for live events >>>Meetup

What's Next for Outbound Sales? Aaron Ross (Predictable Revenue) & Adem Manderovic (Closed Circuit Selling)Outbound sales is at a crossroads.Automation is everywhere. AI is flooding inboxes. Meetings are harder to book than ever.So we sat down with Aaron Ross, author of Predictable Revenue and From Impossible to Inevitable, to ask one question:What's next for outbound sales?Alongside Aaron, Adem Manderovic (Closed Circuit Selling, CRO School) breaks down why GTM teams misread Predictable Revenue, how outbound drifted into “meetings at all costs,” and what a modern outbound system actually looks like. We dig into market validation, cataloguing timing signals, emotional intelligence, relationship systems, and why AI is forcing teams back to fundamentals.If you sell, market, or run a revenue team, this conversation will change how you think about outbound.Tune in and learn:+ Why Predictable Revenue was never meant to be a “meetings engine”+ How outbound broke – and how to rebuild it around market validation+ Why the future of outbound is more human, not more automatedIf you're trying to fix noisy outbound, align sales and marketing, or build a modern revenue system, this episode is a must-watch.-----------------------------------------------------

Te dejo aquí todos los recursos del episodio: – La guía de Cómo vender cuando tu cliente prefiere no cambiar: https://eticacomercial.com/como-vender-cuando-tu-cliente-prefiere-no-cambiar – La Biblia de la Prospección B2B: https://amzn.to/42UZWIl – La página de recursos gratuitos de Ética Comercial: https://eticacomercial.com/recursos/ – La newsletter diaria, donde cada mañana comparto una idea práctica para vender más: https://eticacomercial.com/recursos/ Hoy te hablo de algo que bloquea decisiones todos los días, aunque no siempre lo veamos tan claro: el sesgo que hace que tu cliente prefiera no cambiar, incluso cuando el cambio es lo mejor para él. En este episodio te cuento: – Por qué tu cliente se queda en la inacción aunque lo tenga todo a favor – Cómo reconocer ese freno en su lenguaje – Qué activa seguridad y qué activa miedo – Y qué tres movimientos concretos ayudan a que dé el paso Tu cliente no necesita más información. Necesita menos incertidumbre. La guía descargable te ayudará a aplicarlo directamente en tus oportunidades. ¿Vamos a por ello?

Je vous présente Tatiana, VP Product de Mirakl.Depuis des mois, on nous parle d'IA dans le Product.Mais entre la hype et la réalité, il y a un monde.Car quand l'IA est mal utilisée, elle devient un gadget :Elle génère du contenu génériqueElle fait perdre du temps aux équipesElle crée de fausses attentesElle n'apporte aucune valeur businessElle finit aux oubliettes après 2 semaines.Chez Mirakl, c'est différent.Ils ont intégré l'IA dans leurs process produit.2 personnes sur 3 ont créé leur propre agent IA.Je voulais comprendre leurs usages concrets de l'IA.Du coup j'ai proposé à Tatiana de discuter.Pour m'expliquer leurs cas d'usage réels.Bonne nouvelle : elle a tout partagé sur Le backlog.Prépare-toi à découvrir comment l'IAAide à prioriser le backlog (sans remplacer le PM)Valide ta roadmap avec des simulations client IAExtrait les insights de tes calls clientsBooste la productivité des PMEst utilisée dans des agents IA par 2/3 des équipesAide les Sales à mieux vendreHébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

In this episode, Shiv is in conversation with Mike Maynard, the Managing Director/CEO of the Napier Group, a PR firm.Mike shares his unconventional career journey from electronics engineering to marketing and recounts his initial interest in mathematics and eventual pivot to electronics engineering, sparked by a school project. Despite enjoying engineering, he realized his strengths lay in explaining technical details rather than executing them, leading him to roles in technical support and eventually to marketing. Mike discusses the lack of planning in his career and how opportunistic decisions led him to buy a tech agency just before the dot-com crash in 2001. He elaborates on the challenges and importance of bridging the empathy gap between engineers and marketers, emphasizing communication as a crucial factor. The episode also explores the impact of regulatory processes on hardware companies, the importance of diligent marketing in the age of AI, and the evolving landscape of B2B podcasts. Mike wraps up by offering career tips for those transitioning to marketing, underscoring the value of data analysis skills over traditional creative skills.00:00 Introduction and Welcome00:27 Mike's Journey into Technology01:54 Transition to Marketing04:22 Challenges in Marketing and Engineering09:00 Bridging the Gap Between Teams13:27 Handling Hardware and Software Delays18:56 Lean Approaches and Reputation Management21:45 The Hype and Reality of Tech Products22:10 The Silicon Valley and Bangalore Comparison23:07 The Importance of Perseverance for Founders24:51 Product-Led Development vs. Marketing27:11 The Role of Gen AI in Marketing34:20 The Future of Podcasting in B2B Marketing38:47 Career Tips for Aspiring Marketers42:31 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsNote – above timings are approximate; exact timing may be off by a minute or sohttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemaynard/

The best B2B brands don't just tell a story. They live it across every team, channel, and touchpoint.  But how do you get everyone aligned — from sales to customer success — without the story getting lost in translation (or buried in features)?  That question sits at the center of this conversation, as Drew talks with Marca Armstrong (Sensera Systems) and Caitlin Cassady (Beyond) about how to build a team of company-wide storytellers. From capturing customer language to coaching teams on how to use it, they reveal how to make your story stick—and scale. In this episode:  Marca starts with a simple headline story ("build with confidence") and ensures it shows up consistently in every GTM motion.  Caitlin turns real customer stories into marketing fuel, using a "so what?" filter to connect features to real outcomes.  Together, they treat storytelling as everyone's job, so marketing, sales, and CX all carry the same story.  Plus:  Measuring story-led work vs. feature blasts  Spotting what moves pipeline  Keeping language sharp so customer phrasing shows up in deals  Making storytelling a team sport across the company If you want a story your customers instantly recognize—no matter who they talk to—this episode gives you the moves to make it happen.  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Francie Jain is the founder and CEO of Terawatt, a B2B coaching marketplace on a mission to make professional development scalable, affordable, and accessible across every level of an organization. With a career spanning hedge fund marketing, entrepreneurship, and leadership development, Francie brings a unique blend of strategic insight, business acumen, and deep commitment to human potential.Before launching Terawatt, Francie founded Nxt Chptr, a community designed to supportindividuals navigating career transitions. Her first venture, West River Partners, was a third-party marketing consultancy through which she raised nearly half a billion dollars in institutional capital for emerging markets-based hedge funds.Francie's transition from high-stakes finance to human-centered development was sparked by a realization: high-achieving professionals often lack the coaching and support necessary at pivotal moments in their careers. Through Terawatt, she's changing that narrative—empowering businesses to reduce turnover, improve performance, and build resilient teams through targeted group coaching and expert-led development.A graduate of Princeton University (A.B.) and The University of Chicago Booth School ofBusiness (M.B.A.), Francie is passionate about reframing leadership, democratizing access to learning, and helping organizations invest wisely in their most valuable resource: their people.

Bill opens up his coaching playbook to share three real goals from new clients—and what he's going to do about them. From comfort zones to expertise, from undervaluing yourself to finding confidence, these objectives represent what 90% of B2B sales teams struggle with. Listen as Bill breaks down the first goal: how to move from being the expert to being the transformational partner your clients actually need.12 Bold Moves - Audiobook: Want to break free and soar to new heights? "12 Bold Moves" the Audiobook, is your gateway to a fearless reinvention of self and unlocking unprecedented sales success. Get your FREE copy now at http://12boldmoves.com/audiobook.Have a question for Bill or a topic you'd like him to discuss in a future episode? Email him at listener@caskeytraining.com.Schedule a Call: If you'd like to learn more about how Bill can help you or your team reach your potential, schedule a call at http://scheduleacallwithcaskey.com.

Send us a textStories change the way we work, but meetings change what we do next. That belief runs through our conversation with Sarah Braley (aka Sally), managing editor at Northstar Meetings Group and a veteran journalist whose passport and notebook have shaped how planners think about destinations, incentives and experience design. We trace Sally's path from early magazine days to becoming a trusted voice at Meetings & Conventions and Incentive, and we explore how the shift from monthly issues to daily digital reporting transformed the job—and the industry.Sally breaks down why experience design matters more than ever, offering practical ways to build programs that engage attention, respect budgets and deliver outcomes attendees can use. We dive into inclusive F&B strategies, from allergy-aware registration to vegetarian-first menus that improve quality and reduce waste. She also makes a compelling case for rethinking destination strategy: while mega-conventions draw headlines, most gatherings host under 100 people, and smaller cities like Burlington, Toledo and Knoxville can deliver outsized impact with walkability, character, and value. For incentive travel, bucket list markets such as Australia and New Zealand still shine when authenticity and access are thoughtfully planned.If you work in PR, you'll get clear guidance on what makes a pitch land: B2B relevance, access to the planner, strong visuals and a crisp angle that helps readers do their jobs better. And for editors and planners alike, Sally's on-the-ground role at Northstar events offers a rare view into how content, logistics and attendee experience feed each other.Through downturns and disruption, one truth remains: when the world shifts, people meet to solve problems. Join us to hear what's new, what works and what's next for meetings, conventions and incentives—and how to tell better stories about all three. If this conversation helped you think differently about events, subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a quick review so others can find the show.You can connect with Sally via email at  Please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe to the Media in Minutes podcast here or anywhere you get your podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/media-in-minutes/id1555710662 

2025 was a challenging year for many entrepreneurs selling to corporate clients—but there's so much hope for 2026.  The sales landscape is shifting: AI and social media aren't silver bullets, and relying on content won't cut it. What really matters now is having a best-practice sales process, accountability, and meaningful human connections.  Companies are spending more on external providers, and there are huge opportunities ahead. If you want consistent B2B sales next year, it's time to ditch shortcuts and focus on proven, proactive strategies. 2026 has the potential to be your best year yet if you adapt and take action now!   November is here but before you switch off for Christmas, let's talk about how you can turn 2026 into your best year for landing corporate clients—no matter how turbulent 2025 has felt. Why Was 2025 So Tough?  This year threw lots of curveballs - personal challenges, market surprises, and a general sense that everything took more effort than ever.  Sound familiar?  You're not alone.  But here's the good news: there are real reasons behind the difficulties, and knowing them lets you make smart moves for next year. Big Market Shifts You Need to Know The Complacency Trap: If you coasted on strategies that worked in previous years, you may have hit a plateau. The trick for 2026? Higher accountability, renewed motivation, and getting back to best practice sales activities. It's not about fancy advanced strategies-it's about consistency and nailing the basics. The AI Dilemma: AI was meant to make life easier, but in sales, it's created more problems than it solved-damaging communication skills, critical thinking, and even self-confidence. Companies want real people who offer real expertise, not just AI-generated solutions. For next year, human connection is a premium asset. Social Media Fatigue: LinkedIn reach is down and content alone isn't landing corporate deals. It's time to ditch content-first approaches and embrace proactive, measurable sales activities. If you're tired of posting for engagement that doesn't convert-this is your sign. B2C Burnout & Revenue Squeeze: Selling to individual consumers is harder than ever, especially with incoming tax changes (like the UK's rumored VAT threshold drop). Smart entrepreneurs are moving toward B2B and corporate sales, which means more competition-but also more opportunity for those with the best processes. Here's the Hope for 2026 Permanent headcount in organisations is down, but spend on external providers is up. More companies are looking for outside consultants, trainers, and service providers than ever before—and paying them higher average deal values. Repeat business is rising, and if you can master your sales process now, 2026 has the potential to be your best year yet. What Should You Do? Drop the haphazard stuff and shortcuts. Embrace a best practice sales process—focus on accountability, motivation and measurable lead generation. Be direct and clear in your communications. No more vague networking "chats"- every interaction should demonstrate your value. Don't rely on AI for sales conversations or strategy. Build your expertise and confidence. Get ready for increased competition from B2C entrepreneurs jumping to B2B. The winners will be those who stand out with credibility and process. Need support getting your sales process in shape? Check out the Cold and Sold Bundle - three essential handpicked resources to help you overcome this year's challenges and win big next year.   Key Resources Mentioned in this Episode:   Click here for the direct link to Cold + Sold: https://smartleaderssell.thrivecart.com/cold-and-sold-bundle/   If you want to learn more about The Expert Services Directory, click here: http://bit.ly/4f3ch1I   If you've enjoyed listening to Trends & Insights: How 2025 is changing the way you need to sell in 2026 check out these other episodes that may be of interest.   Top B2B Trends and Insights to set yourself up for success https://bit.ly/SellingtoCorporate060   4 key trends and insights for selling to corporate clients (without overwhelm) https://bit.ly/SellingToCorporate118   The #1 2025 trend that has secretly stopped your sales growth (and what to focus on instead!) https://bit.ly/SellingToCorporate160   Converting Corporates is the B2B sales event of the year for service based entrepreneurs, if you want to join the waitlist for 2026 click the link https://smartleaderssell.vipmembervault.com/cc2026waitlist   If you would like to sign up for our weekly newsletter to stay in touch with the latest B2B sales tips and techniques click https://sellingtocorporate.com/newsletter/   Content Disclaimer The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article, video or audio are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article, video or audio. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article, video or audio. Jessica Lorimer disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article, video or audio.  

In this episode of The Ross Simmonds Show, Ross breaks down why B2B marketers need to rethink their bottom-of-funnel strategies. Traditional review sites like G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius are losing ground in high-intent search queries—and Reddit is stepping up to take their place. Ross explores how Reddit outperforms review platforms in organic reach, how it's shaping AI results, and exactly how brands can build a strategic, valuable presence on the platform. If you're still spending five figures a quarter on legacy review listings, this episode is your wake-up call to adapt or fall behind. Key Takeaways and Insights: 1.  The Changing Buyer Landscape - The death of traditional review sites: G2, Capterra, and others are losing organic influence. - Buyer behavior has evolved: Reddit is becoming the go-to source for real, unfiltered reviews. 2. Reddit Is Now Dominating High-Intent Search - Keywords like “best X software” are now leading to Reddit threads. - Reddit is outperforming review sites on SERPs and AI-generated insights. 3. How AI Tools Are Using Reddit for Context - LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity reference Reddit threads for information. - Partnerships with Reddit make it a key AI content source. 4. Why Reddit Comments Are More Trustworthy - Real debates and discussions offer depth that polished reviews lack. - Even negative experiences can influence AI answers and user perception. 5. The New B2B Buyer Journey - Traditional buyer path (→ G2 → demo) is being replaced by Reddit-informed decisions.Example: Users choose tools based on multi-comment threads and user anecdotes. 6. The 3-Step Strategy for Brands to Navigate Reddit - Create a Brand Subreddit (or claim existing ones via moderators). - Establish an Official Reddit Account (use Reddit Pro). - Build a Branded Persona who engages in other subreddits as a real user. 7. Tactical Tips for Reddit Marketing - Repurpose content: Post blog entries in the subreddit with keyword-rich, helpful commentary. - Host conversations: Ask customers for Reddit reviews.  - Build a safe space with consistent value. 8. Balancing Risk & Authenticity - Reddit is not just SEO; it's a community with a low tolerance for corporate spin. - A well-managed presence drives pipeline—but failure to engage authentically can backfire. Resources & Tools:

Gaurav Bhasin is the founder and managing director of Allied Advisers, an M&A advisory firm whose principals have completed over 100 sell-side transactions for software and tech founders. After two decades in investment banking and tech M&A, Gaurav is a sell-side advisor to B2B software founders who have built successful businesses and want to explore selling their companies. Allied Advisers typically works with founders selling their businesses for $20M–$200M, helping them prepare materials, run a competitive process, and negotiate terms. We discuss how today's M&A market looks very different from the 2021 bubble. Valuations have normalized, deal timelines have increased, and buyers are more disciplined. But the demand for profitable, steadily growing SaaS companies is stronger than ever. Gaurav breaks down strategic and private equity buyers, what metrics matter most, how AI influences valuations, and why most founders underestimate the emotional and operational effort required to sell. For practical founders thinking about an exit in the next few years, this episode provides clear expectations and tactical guidance. Key Takeaways Profitable Growth Wins — Buyers prefer SaaS companies growing 20–50% with real profits over faster revenue growth fueled by burn. Metrics Drive Valuation — Net retention above 110%, gross retention above 90%, and >75% gross margins increase valuation and buyer interest. Run a Real Process — A single buyer gives you no leverage. Multiple qualified buyers improve pricing, terms, and closing certainty. AI Is Lipstick — But Real — You don't need to be AI-native. Practical AI that improves product, margin, or GTM still increases buyer interest.   Quote from Gaurav Bhasin, founder and managing director of Allied Advisers "The good news for SaaS founders is that the private equity community has raised about $1.5 trillion of capital, and more is being raised. And they also have access to debt. So there's $7 trillion of dry powder to do deals. Private equity is not paid to sit on the cash. And they love recurring revenue software.  "Private equity investors will typically move much faster than strategic buyers. Strategics will take a while. You need a business unit sponsor to buy into the vision, and then they will push the corporate to do the deal. But with the private equity, they will look at your financial metrics and if you fit in, they can move pretty fast.  "The one caveat with private equity compared to strategic is they generally pay a little bit less than the strategics because strategics have established distribution and GTM for higher growth, so private equity will index more on the financials." Links Gaurav Bhasin on LinkedIn Allied Advisers on LinkedIn Allied Advisers website 2025 Vertical SaaS Report - Allied Advisers Podcast Sponsor – Fraction This podcast is sponsored by Fraction. Fraction gives you access to senior US-based engineers and CTOs — without full-time costs or hiring risks. Get 10 to 30 hours per week from vetted and experienced US-based talent. Find your next fractional senior engineer or CTO at fraction.work. You can start with a one-week, risk-free trial to test it out. The Practical Founders Podcast Tune into the Practical Founders Podcast for weekly in-depth interviews with founders who have built valuable software companies without big funding. Subscribe to the Practical Founders Podcast using your favorite podcast app or view on our YouTube channel. Get the weekly Practical Founders newsletter and podcast updates at practicalfounders.com. Practical Founders CEO Peer Groups Be part of a committed and confidential group of practical founders creating valuable software companies without big VC funding.  A Practical Founders Peer Group is a committed and confidential group of founders/CEOs who want to help you succeed on your terms. Each Practical Founders Peer Group is personally curated and moderated by Greg Head.

Podcast Episode 56 (Made In Miami Mix 28) B2B with Luca Di Napoli

Runway is building FP&A software that solves what Siqi Chen calls "the impossible problem"—matching Excel's speed and flexibility for thinking while functioning as an enterprise finance platform. In this episode of The Front Lines, wew sat down with Siqi to unpack Runway's mischief marketing playbook, why they enriched hot sauce pre-orders for lead gen, and how they're implementing AI as a coworker rather than a copilot. Topics Discussed: The unit economics behind the Burn Rate hot sauce campaign: $40K spend, 5K pre-orders, millions of views  How Siqi justifies creative marketing spend as CEO and CFO: downside scenarios must break even, upside gets uncapped returns  Naval's prescient 2020 advice: don't call it CFO AI because "everything's going to be AI anyway"  Why finance buyers completely flipped on AI in 24 months—from indifferent to requiring it  The three emotional triggers that drive FP&A tool adoption: frustration, resentment, anxiety  Runway's approach to competing with Excel by changing abstraction layers, not features  Building AI as a coworker (Ari) that lives in Slack, email, and comments—not a sidebar  Why proof-of-human marketing compounds in value as AI slop becomes the baseline GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Model creative campaigns like venture bets with downside protection: Siqi's framework: $40K for 200 hot sauces wrapped with $100 bills equals 1.5 deals to break even at mid-five-figure ACVs. But the real play was generating 5,000 pre-orders, enriching the top 200, and converting ICP matches at "well above 1%" into pipeline. The math ensures you don't lose money in downside scenarios while creative execution delivers uncapped upside. For B2B founders: calculate your break-even deal count, then structure campaigns where lead gen mechanics provide a safety net under the brand play. Hire for proof of work, not creative credentials: When Cal (Taika co-founder) cold-emailed Siqi with designed mockups of Burn Rate hot sauce and Runway jerseys, that was the interview. Siqi was already a Taika customer who remembered the 415 phone number branding on the can. His advice: "There's no better resume than someone saying 'hey, I submitted a pull request' or 'here's some designs.'" For creative roles especially, evaluate the artifacts directly rather than filtering through credentials or pitches about what they could do. Sell to emotion-driven active searchers, not satisfied users: Runway identified three specific emotions that trigger FP&A software searches: frustration (manually pulling from 20+ data sources monthly, copy-pasting QuickBooks exports), resentment (department heads treating finance requests as "the stupid form" and ignoring deadlines), and anxiety (one error in 10 million Google Sheets cells breaks the entire model). These aren't rational pain points—they're emotional breaking points that drive active solution-seeking. Don't build go-to-market around convincing satisfied Excel users. Instead, optimize for discovery when these specific emotions converge. Treat abstraction changes as category creation opportunities: Siqi explains Airtable's success came from changing Excel's abstraction from cell to row, enabling databases and applications. Runway's insight: business planning requires abstraction changes that Excel can't provide—specifically treating the model as a "game engine" or "simulation of a business" rather than a spreadsheet. The category emerged from that technical insight, not from marketing positioning. For technical founders: identify where your abstraction layer change creates fundamentally new capabilities, then let category definition follow from customer language around those capabilities. Time creative marketing to buyer perception shifts: Two years ago, Runway demoed AI features to leads who "didn't care at all." Today, buyers "don't care what the AI feature is, they just care that it's AI"—a complete flip. Meanwhile, Runway's competitors use .ai domains while Runway uses .com, creating unexpected differentiation. The lesson: buyer perception of emerging technologies follows unpredictable curves. Creative marketing that feels early can land perfectly if timed to perception inflection points. Track not just technology maturity but buyer discourse and demand signals to time creative bets. // Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. www.GlobalTalent.co // Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM

Anthony Lye joined Quid 14 months ago to lead a complete business model transformation. With three decades in Silicon Valley including executive roles at Palantir, NetApp, Oracle, and Siebel Systems, Anthony has operated through every major technology disruption. At Quid, he's dismantling the traditional SaaS playbook—eliminating seat-based pricing, collapsing the software/services separation, and refocusing the entire company on delivering measurable business outcomes rather than analytics tools. In this conversation, Anthony explains why most SaaS companies will fail in the AI era, how Palantir's forward-deployed engineering model creates defensible value, and the specific mental models founders need to reimagine their businesses before disruption makes the decision for them. Topics Discussed How Silicon Valley's technology oligopolies turn over every five years  Why AI shifts technology from features to benefits for the first time  Quid's transformation from social listening SaaS to outcome-based insights delivery  The separation of software and services as a structural flaw in SaaS economics  How forward-deployed engineers at Palantir and Quid collapse the services layer  Why SaaS failed knowledge workers while email remained dominant Discontinuity theory and how oligopolies resist then capitulate to disruption  The "fired tomorrow, compete with yourself" thought experiment for strategy clarity  How to build executive teams as custodians rather than functional heads GTM Lessons For B2B Founders Collapse software and services into outcome delivery: Quid eliminated seat-based pricing and module sales, shifting from IT budget to labor budget by selling insights, trends, and actionable information directly. This repositioned the product from a tool requiring sophisticated data scientists to a team augmentation service protecting brand health and driving commerce decisions. The business model change fundamentally altered buyer, buying process, and deal economics. When your product requires customization or professional services to deliver value, you've identified a structural opportunity to collapse both layers. Deploy the "fired and competing" thought exercise: Anthony's mentor advised imagining your board fires you tomorrow and you immediately compete against your own company. List the three things you'd do on day one to win. Then ask why you're not doing those things now. This exercise cuts through organizational inertia and reveals the obvious strategic moves you're avoiding. The discomfort in your answers indicates where you need to act. Match decision velocity to execution needs, not comfort: Tom Brett at Menlo Ventures told Anthony to increase from 3-4 decisions weekly to 50. The forcing function prevents overthinking and eliminates "second guessing paralysis." Organizations need clarity and direction more than perfect decisions. Write down every decision, communicate it clearly, and publicly reverse course when wrong. This builds a culture where being decisive and correctable beats being slow and theoretically optimal. Recognize when your hypothesis expires: Quid's social listening thesis was correct initially, but markets evolved while the company didn't. The problem remained valid (understanding brand health, shopping trends, product innovation signals), but the SaaS tool-based solution became untenable as data complexity demanded sophisticated users, shrinking addressable market. Founders must distinguish between persistent customer problems and expired solution approaches. Your original hypothesis has an expiration date. Identify the ox that gets gored: Every deal requires customers to stop spending elsewhere. You must be 10x faster or one-tenth the cost to overcome status quo bias. Explicitly identify which vendor or budget line you're displacing, then validate your value proposition can actually displace it. Most startups fail this calculus and wonder why proof-of-concept success doesn't translate to procurement approval. Start with blank canvas, fail backwards to SaaS: When reimagining for AI, don't bolt features onto existing architecture. Begin with first principles about what customers actually want to accomplish, design that solution using current capabilities, then fall back to SaaS components only where necessary. Anthony warns that additive approaches preserve structural constraints that prevent you from capturing the full opportunity. // Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. www.GlobalTalent.co // Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM

Wisdom AI sells to enterprise data teams, empowering them to deploy AI data analysts that automate analytics functions traditionally handled by human analysts. As a former Rubrik co-founder and Google search ranking engineer, Soham identified the analytics problem firsthand while scaling Rubrik from intuition-driven to data-driven operations. In this episode of Category Visionaries, Soham shares how four Rubrik alumni are building a category-defining solution in the data analytics space, the tactical insights from targeting mid-market accounts to optimize deal velocity and onboarding experience, and how AI buying committees shifted from experimental budgets in 2024 to gatekeepers requiring departmental champions in 2025. Topics Discussed: Leveraging mid-market focus to compress sales cycles while refining onboarding as core product differentiation The transition from gut-based decisions to data-driven operations and why analytics remains unsolved Taming LLMs for precision and explainability requirements in enterprise analytics contexts Strategic navigation of the data ecosystem following the FiveTran-DBT merger and positioning against Snowflake, Databricks, and cloud providers Overlaying product-led trial motions on enterprise sales to maintain momentum during extended procurement cycles AI committee evolution from 2024's experimental phase to 2025's security-focused consolidation mandate Pursuing 10x productivity gains versus incremental improvement in established analytics markets GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Use mid-market to build onboarding velocity as moat: Rubrik deliberately targeted mid-market accounts despite being an enterprise product that closed eight-figure deals. This served two strategic purposes: compressed sales cycles enabled faster learning loops, and the necessity of quick onboarding forced the team to build exceptional admin experiences that became their primary differentiation. For B2B founders, mid-market isn't just easier logos—it's a forcing function for product refinement that creates competitive advantages when moving upmarket. Find problems through operational scar tissue, not market research: Wisdom AI originated when Soham tried moonlighting as engineering's data analyst during Rubrik's scaling phase and discovered he couldn't do it effectively. This wasn't a customer interview insight—it was firsthand recognition that even sophisticated technical leaders with dedicated focus couldn't wrangle data for operational decisions. The problem proved ubiquitous across every business leader optimizing top line, bottom line, and operations. B2B founders building for enterprises should prioritize pain points they've personally hit in operational contexts where existing solutions demonstrably failed them. Engineer time-to-value in minutes for PLG overlay on enterprise sales: Wisdom AI's experiential quality—users get excited when they try it, not when they see slides—creates PLG opportunity despite enterprise positioning. The critical difference: sales-led motions tolerate weeks to first value and build confidence through process, but self-serve requires hook-to-value in minutes with zero support. Soham's insight is using PLG not for credit card swipes but to maintain champion enthusiasm during lengthy procurement processes. B2B founders should architect trial experiences that deliver standalone value pre-data connection, creating internal advocates who sustain momentum through AI committee reviews. Treat ecosystem navigation as first-class GTM workstream: Wisdom AI's success depends on partnership execution with Snowflake, Databricks, and cloud providers—all potential competitors with their own AI initiatives. The FiveTran-DBT merger created immediate dynamic shifts requiring repositioning. Rather than viewing partnerships as business development, Soham frames ecosystem navigation as core GTM infrastructure requiring dedicated strategy and repeatable playbooks. B2B founders in platform-adjacent spaces should staff for partnership complexity early, recognizing that integration points and co-selling motions often determine market access more than direct sales capacity. Architect for AI committee gatekeepers with departmental executive sponsorship: The market fundamentally shifted from mid-2024's "experimental AI budgets, try everything" to 2025's centralized AI committees focused on security, tool consolidation, and preventing organizational wild west scenarios. Soham's tactical response: secure champions owning specific important departments who can navigate approval hierarchies while trial experiences maintain grassroots excitement. The implication for B2B AI founders—assumption of longer cycles, security scrutiny as table stakes, and explicit strategies for climbing from individual enthusiast to organizational deployment become non-negotiable enterprise sales requirements. // Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. www.GlobalTalent.co // Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM

A viral tweet calling entrepreneurship "just a lottery" hit my feed last week, and I had to respond. The author claimed successful entrepreneurs are lucky players who pretend their success was skill, and thousands of people ate it up. In this episode, I share my original reaction, but more importantly, I break down a powerful story from Alex Hormozi's $100 Million Leads about "The Many-Sided Die" that reframes the entire conversation. Yes, luck exists—some people roll green faster than others. But the real insight is this: you win by continuing to play. Every roll improves your odds, builds your skills, and gets you closer to success. The only guaranteed way to lose is to quit and blame your failure on everyone else getting lucky.//Welcome to Repeatable Revenue, hosted by strategic growth advisor , Ray J. Green.About Ray:→ Former Managing Director of National Small & Midsize Business at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where he doubled revenue per sale in fundraising, led the first increase in SMB membership, co-built a national Mid-Market sales channel, and more.→ Former CEO operator for several investor groups where he led turnarounds of recently acquired small businesses.→ Current founder of MSP Sales Partners, where we currently help IT companies scale sales: www.MSPSalesPartners.com→ Current Sales & Sales Management Expert in Residence at the world's largest IT business mastermind.→ Current Managing Partner of Repeatable Revenue Ventures, where we scale B2B companies we have equity in: www.RayJGreen.com//Follow Ray on:YouTube | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Christine Göös is a marketing leader and B2B creator who lives at the intersection of brand, culture, and the internet. She's helped tech and creative agencies tell stories that drive growth, working with companies like Smartly, Celtra, Billion Dollar Boy, and more. She currently runs US marketing for Croud, an independent media, data, and creative agency group.A two-time Young Lions contestant turned LinkedIn creator, Christine co-hosts House of Content, a podcast exploring the creator economy, viral marketing, and internet culture. Her work has been recognized by Cannes Lions, The One Show, and Top Women in Marketing, and she's part of the Hero100 Creator List and AWNewYork Big Creator Challenge shortlist.

In this episode of Demand Gen Studio we sat down Chris Silvestri, founder of Conversion Alchemy, to discuss the intersection of AI and marketing.Chris shares his journey from software engineering to founding Conversion Alchemy, emphasizing the importance of research and understanding customer behavior.The conversation explores synthetic research, the challenges of traditional customer research, and how AI can enhance marketing strategies. Chris also provides insights into effective tools for customer research and the role of positioning in marketing.00:00 Background & Career Journey05:45 Conversion Alchemy09:36 Leveraging AI for Synthetic Research13:48 Practical Applications of Synthetic Research21:10 Tools for AI Customer Research25:10 Using AI for Positioning30:15 Structuring Research for AI43:14 Advice for Using AI in Copywriting

Peter Pinfold is Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer at Darabase, a London-based prop-tech platform pioneering “digital property rights” and augmented reality media networks. He leads commercial strategy and expansion into new markets, including recent growth into Canada. With a background in innovative digital media and technology, Peter is focused on helping advertisers, property owners and cities unlock value by layering digital experiences over physical space.Paula Chiocchi is the President and Founder of Outward Media, Inc. (OMI), a Los Angeles-based marketing firm specializing in high-quality, multi-channel B2B data and campaign execution.They are the sponsor of today's show.

Chet Pipkin, former CEO and founder of the electronic goods company Belkin International, joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage entrepreneurs. Plus, Chet and Guy drill into why solving problems for consumers is the key to success.First, we hear from Daniel in Toronto, who's wondering how to educate customers about his company's plastic-free, dissolvable shampoo and conditioner tablets. Then Meredith in Long Island asks how to manage inventory for her booming backpack organizer business that keeps selling out to female athletes. And Ryan in San Diego asks for strategies to grow the B2B side of his therapeutic massage tool company.Thank you to the founders of EarthSuds, Sideline Bags and Rolflex for being a part of our show.If you'd like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode, leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you'd like answered. Send a voice memo to hibt@id.wondery.com or call 1-800-433-1298.And be sure to listen to Belkin International's founding story as told by Chet on the show in 2019.This episode was produced by Katherine Sypher with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Andrea Bruce. Our audio engineer was Cena Loffredo.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Live from Morgan Stanley's European Tech, Media and Telecom Conference in Barcelona, our roundtable of analysts discusses tech disruptions and datacenter growth, and how Europe factors in.Read more insights from Morgan Stanley.----- Transcript -----Paul Walsh: Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. I'm Paul Walsh, Morgan Stanley's European Head of Research Product. Today we return to my conversation with Adam Wood. Head of European Technology and Payments, Emmet Kelly, Head of European Telco and Data Centers, and Lee Simpson, Head of European Technology. We were live on stage at Morgan Stanley's 25th TMT Europe conference. We had so much to discuss around the themes of AI enablers, semiconductors, and telcos. So, we are back with a concluding episode on tech disruption and data center investments. It's Thursday the 13th of November at 8am in Barcelona. After speaking with the panel about the U.S. being overweight AI enablers, and the pockets of opportunity in Europe, I wanted to ask them about AI disruption, which has been a key theme here in Europe. I started by asking Adam how he was thinking about this theme. Adam Wood: It's fascinating to see this year how we've gone in most of those sectors to how positive can GenAI be for these companies? How well are they going to monetize the opportunities? How much are they going to take advantage internally to take their own margins up? To flipping in the second half of the year, mainly to, how disruptive are they going to be? And how on earth are they going to fend off these challenges? Paul Walsh: And I think that speaks to the extent to which, as a theme, this has really, you know, built momentum. Adam Wood: Absolutely. And I mean, look, I think the first point, you know, that you made is absolutely correct – that it's very difficult to disprove this. It's going to take time for that to happen. It's impossible to do in the short term. I think the other issue is that what we've seen is – if we look at the revenues of some of the companies, you know, and huge investments going in there. And investors can clearly see the benefit of GenAI. And so investors are right to ask the question, well, where's the revenue for these businesses? You know, where are we seeing it in info services or in IT services, or in enterprise software. And the reality is today, you know, we're not seeing it. And it's hard for analysts to point to evidence that – well, no, here's the revenue base, here's the benefit that's coming through. And so, investors naturally flip to, well, if there's no benefit, then surely, we should focus on the risk. So, I think we totally understand, you know, why people are focused on the negative side of things today. I think there are differences between the sub-sectors. I mean, I think if we look, you know, at IT services, first of all, from an investor point of view, I think that's been pretty well placed in the losers' buckets and people are most concerned about that sub-sector… Paul Walsh: Something you and the global team have written a lot about. Adam Wood: Yeah, we've written about, you know, the risk of disruption in that space, the need for those companies to invest, and then the challenges they face. But I mean, if we just keep it very, very simplistic. If Gen AI is a technology that, you know, displaces labor to any extent – companies that have played labor arbitrage and provide labor for the last 20 - 25 years, you know, they're going to have to make changes to their business model. So, I think that's understandable. And they're going to have to demonstrate how they can change and invest and produce a business model that addresses those concerns. I'd probably put info services in the middle. But the challenge in that space is you have real identifiable companies that have emerged, that have a revenue base and that are challenging a subset of the products of those businesses. So again, it's perfectly understandable that investors would worry. In that context, it's not a potential threat on the horizon. It's a real threat that exists today against certainly their businesses. I think software is probably the most interesting. I'd put it in the kind of final bucket where I actually believe… Well, I think first of all, we certainly wouldn't take the view that there's no risk of disruption and things aren't going to change. Clearly that is going to be the case. I think what we'd want to do though is we'd want to continue to use frameworks that we've used historically to think about how software companies differentiate themselves, what the barriers to entry are. We don't think we need to throw all of those things away just because we have GenAI, this new set of capabilities. And I think investors will come back most easily to that space. Paul Walsh: Emett, you talked a little bit there before about the fact that you haven't seen a huge amount of progress or additional insight from the telco space around AI; how AI is diffusing across the space. Do you get any discussions around disruption as it relates to telco space? Emmet Kelly: Very, very little. I think the biggest threat that telcos do see is – it is from the hyperscalers. So, if I look at and separate the B2C market out from the B2B, the telcos are still extremely dominant in the B2C space, clearly. But on the B2B space, the hyperscalers have come in on the cloud side, and if you look at their market share, they're very, very dominant in cloud – certainly from a wholesale perspective. So, if you look at the cloud market shares of the big three hyperscalers in Europe, this number is courtesy of my colleague George Webb. He said it's roughly 85 percent; that's how much they have of the cloud space today. The telcos, what they're doing is they're actually reselling the hyperscale service under the telco brand name. But we don't see much really in terms of the pure kind of AI disruption, but there are concerns definitely within the telco space that the hyperscalers might try and move from the B2B space into the B2C space at some stage. And whether it's through virtual networks, cloudified networks, to try and get into the B2C space that way. Paul Walsh: Understood. And Lee maybe less about disruption, but certainly adoption, some insights from your side around adoption across the tech hardware space? Lee Simpson: Sure. I think, you know, it's always seen that are enabling the AI move, but, but there is adoption inside semis companies as well, and I think I'd point to design flow. So, if you look at the design guys, they're embracing the agentic system thing really quickly and they're putting forward this capability of an agent engineer, so like a digital engineer. And it – I guess we've got to get this right. It is going to enable a faster time to market for the design flow on a chip. So, if you have that design flow time, that time to market. So, you're creating double the value there for the client. Do you share that 50-50 with them? So, the challenge is going to be exactly as Adam was saying, how do you monetize this stuff? So, this is kind of the struggle that we're seeing in adoption. Paul Walsh: And Emmett, let's move to you on data centers. I mean, there are just some incredible numbers that we've seen emerging, as it relates to the hyperscaler investment that we're seeing in building out the infrastructure. I know data centers is something that you have focused tremendously on in your research, bringing our global perspectives together. Obviously, Europe sits within that. And there is a market here in Europe that might be more challenged. But I'm interested to understand how you're thinking about framing the whole data center story? Implications for Europe. Do European companies feed off some of that U.S. hyperscaler CapEx? How should we be thinking about that through the European lens? Emmet Kelly: Yeah, absolutely. So, big question, Paul. What… Paul Walsh: We've got a few minutes! Emmet Kelly: We've got a few minutes. What I would say is there was a great paper that came out from Harvard just two weeks ago, and they were looking at the scale of data center investments in the United States. And clearly the U.S. economy is ticking along very, very nicely at the moment. But this Harvard paper concluded that if you take out data center investments, U.S. economic growth today is actually zero. Paul Walsh: Wow. Emmet Kelly: That is how big the data center investments are. And what we've said in our research very clearly is if you want to build a megawatt of data center capacity that's going to cost you roughly $35 million today. Let's put that number out there. 35 million. Roughly, I'd say 25… Well, 20 to 25 million of that goes into the chips. But what's really interesting is the other remaining $10 million per megawatt, and I like to call that the picks and shovels of data centers; and I'm very convinced there is no bubble in that area whatsoever.So, what's in that area? Firstly, the first building block of a data center is finding a powered land bank. And this is a big thing that private equity is doing at the moment. So, find some real estate that's close to a mass population that's got a good fiber connection. Probably needs a little bit of water, but most importantly needs some power. And the demand for that is still infinite at the moment. Then beyond that, you've got the construction angle and there's a very big shortage of labor today to build the shells of these data centers. Then the third layer is the likes of capital goods, and there are serious supply bottlenecks there as well.And I could go on and on, but roughly that first $10 million, there's no bubble there. I'm very, very sure of that. Paul Walsh: And we conducted some extensive survey work recently as part of your analysis into the global data center market. You've sort of touched on a few of the gating factors that the industry has to contend with. That survey work was done on the operators and the supply chain, as it relates to data center build out. What were the key conclusions from that? Emmet Kelly: Well, the key conclusion was there is a shortage of power for these data centers, and… Paul Walsh: Which I think… Which is a sort of known-known, to some extent. Emmet Kelly: it is a known-known, but it's not just about the availability of power, it's the availability of green power. And it's also the price of power is a very big factor as well because energy is roughly 40 to 45 percent of the operating cost of running a data center. So, it's very, very important. And of course, that's another area where Europe doesn't screen very well.I was looking at statistics just last week on the countries that have got the highest power prices in the world. And unsurprisingly, it came out as UK, Ireland, Germany, and that's three of our big five data center markets. But when I looked at our data center stats at the beginning of the year, to put a bit of context into where we are…Paul Walsh: In Europe… Emmet Kelly: In Europe versus the rest. So, at the end of [20]24, the U.S. data center market had 35 gigawatts of data center capacity. But that grew last year at a clip of 30 percent. China had a data center bank of roughly 22 gigawatts, but that had grown at a rate of just 10 percent. And that was because of the chip issue. And then Europe has capacity, or had capacity at the end of last year, roughly 7 to 8 gigawatts, and that had grown at a rate of 10 percent. Now, the reason for that is because the three big data center markets in Europe are called FLAP-D. So, it's Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Dublin. We had to put an acronym on it. So, Flap-D. Good news. I'm sitting with the tech guys. They've got even more acronyms than I do, in their sector, so well done them. Lee Simpson: Nothing beats FLAP-D. Paul Walsh: Yes. Emmet Kelly: It's quite an achievement. But what is interesting is three of the big five markets in Europe are constrained. So, Frankfurt, post the Ukraine conflict. Ireland, because in Ireland, an incredible statistic is data centers are using 25 percent of the Irish power grid. Compared to a global average of 3 percent.Now I'm from Dublin, and data centers are running into conflict with industry, with housing estates. Data centers are using 45 percent of the Dublin grid, 45. So, there's a moratorium in building data centers there. And then Amsterdam has the classic semi moratorium space because it's a small country with a very high population. So, three of our five markets are constrained in Europe. What is interesting is it started with the former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The UK has made great strides at attracting data center money and AI capital into the UK and the current Prime Minister continues to do that. So, the UK has definitely gone; moved from the middle lane into the fast lane. And then Macron in France. He hosted an AI summit back in February and he attracted over a 100 billion euros of AI and data center commitments. Paul Walsh: And I think if we added up, as per the research that we published a few months ago, Europe's announced over 350 billion euros, in proposed investments around AI. Emmet Kelly: Yeah, absolutely. It's a good stat. Now where people can get a little bit cynical is they can say a couple of things. Firstly, it's now over a year since the Mario Draghi report came out. And what's changed since? Absolutely nothing, unfortunately. And secondly, when I look at powering AI, I like to compare Europe to what's happening in the United States. I mean, the U.S. is giving access to nuclear power to AI. It started with the three Mile Island… Paul Walsh: Yeah. The nuclear renaissance is… Emmet Kelly: Nuclear Renaissance is absolutely huge. Now, what's underappreciated is actually Europe has got a massive nuclear power bank. It's right up there. But unfortunately, we're decommissioning some of our nuclear power around Europe, so we're going the wrong way from that perspective. Whereas President Trump is opening up the nuclear power to AI tech companies and data centers. Then over in the States we also have gas and turbines. That's a very, very big growth area and we're not quite on top of that here in Europe. So, looking at this year, I have a feeling that the Americans will probably increase their data center capacity somewhere between – it's incredible – somewhere between 35 and 50 percent. And I think in Europe we're probably looking at something like 10 percent again. Paul Walsh: Okay. Understood. Emmet Kelly: So, we're growing in Europe, but we're way, way behind as a starting point. And it feels like the others are pulling away. The other big change I'd highlight is the Chinese are really going to accelerate their data center growth this year as well. They've got their act together and you'll see them heading probably towards 30 gigs of capacity by the end of next year. Paul Walsh: Alright, we're out of time. The TMT Edge is alive and kicking in Europe. I want to thank Emmett, Lee and Adam for their time and I just want to wish everybody a great day today. Thank you.(Applause) That was my conversation with Adam, Emmett and Lee. Many thanks again to them. Many thanks again to them for telling us about the latest in their areas of research and to the live audience for hearing us out. And a thanks to you as well for listening. Let us know what you think about this and other episodes by living us a review wherever you get your podcasts. And if you enjoy listening to Thoughts on the Market, please tell a friend or colleague about the podcast today.

Industrial Talk is talking to Danny Gonzales, CEO and Host of Industrial Sage about "The power behind industrial storytelling". Scott Mackenzie hosts the Industrial Talk podcast, celebrating industrial professionals and their innovations. In this episode, he discusses the importance of storytelling in the industry with Danny Gonzales, founder of Industrial Sage. Gonzales emphasizes the need for compelling narratives to change perceptions of manufacturing and inspire the next generation. He highlights various storytelling methods, including podcasts, documentaries, and internal communications. They also discuss the challenges of innovation, the impact of AI and automation, and the necessity of human interaction in the workplace. Gonzales encourages leaders to communicate effectively and involve frontline workers to foster a culture of innovation and improve retention. Action Items [ ] @Scott MacKenzie - Review your internal communication strategies to ensure leadership is actively engaging employees and fostering a culture of innovation.[ ] @Scott MacKenzie - Implement a feedback loop to involve frontline workers in identifying areas for process improvements and technology implementations.[ ] Reach out to Danny Gonzales at Industrial Sage to discuss how to effectively tell the story of your manufacturing or industrial company. Outline Introduction to Industrial Talk Podcast Speaker 1 introduces Scott Mackenzie and the Industrial Talk Podcast, emphasizing its focus on industry professionals and their innovations.Scott MacKenzie welcomes listeners to the podcast, highlighting its global reach and celebrating industrial professionals for their boldness and innovation.The podcast aims to help industrial professionals tell their stories in an engaging way, emphasizing the importance of storytelling in the industry.Scott encourages listeners to connect with him on the podcast platform to discuss their stories and experiences. The Importance of Storytelling in Industry Scott MacKenzie stresses the need for industrial professionals to step out of their comfort zones and tell their stories boldly and radically.He believes that storytelling is crucial for inspiring the next generation of industrial leaders and motivating them to join the industry.Scott introduces Danny Gonzales, an industrial sage who creates compelling video productions to tell the story of the manufacturing industry.He expresses his admiration for industrial professionals and their work, urging them to appreciate and elevate their contributions. Danny Gonzales' Background and Industrial Sage Danny Gonzales shares his background, starting a video production company called Optimum Productions and later founding Industrial Sage in 2017.He explains his passion for storytelling, which began during his time as a missionary in Mexico, and how he transitioned to creating videos for B2B and industrial purposes.Danny discusses the mission of Industrial Sage to change the perception of the manufacturing industry, highlighting its innovation and impact on daily life.He emphasizes the importance of great storytelling in showcasing the true nature of the manufacturing industry and its significance. Storytelling Techniques and Content Creation Danny explains the various storytelling techniques used by Industrial Sage, including podcasts, news content, mini-documentary series, and bi-weekly shows.He shares examples of their content, such as the "Industries of the Future" series with Schneider Electric and the "American Makers" podcast.Danny highlights the importance of targeting different audiences,...

When it comes to assessing practice success, understanding various returns on investment is critical. Kiera and Kristy explain what the Dental A-Team is looking for when it comes to understanding the success (or lack thereof) of various investments. They specifically touch on the power of five different KPIs that'll keep your practice in line. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: K iera Dent (00:00) Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kiera and today it's the KK podcast. Kiera and Kristy hanging out today. Kristy, how you doing today?   DAT Kristy (00:10) Good, it's a good day.   Kiera Dent (00:12) It's a great day. you like, I feel like I want to like KK. I mean, it's not, it's only two K's everybody listening, but I feel like it's like the Kit Kat. I don't know. It feels kind of like that between you and me. don't know why, but yeah, double the, or we could be like double mint, like double the flavor, double the fun. It's Kieran Kristy on the pod. Like there's just the two of us cause there's no other K names in the consultant world. It's just Kieran Kristy. So I mean, we got   DAT Kristy (00:36) That's right.   Kari and Kristy, you got it.   Kiera Dent (00:40) Kiera and Dana, so that could be my initials, cute. Then there's Kiera and Trish, but there's Trish and Tiffanie. Then there's Kiera and Brittany, no BS, Britt, she's on her own realm. And then we've got Monica. So, see, it's the two Ks, it's the double the, like, we're just gonna have fun here. Like, you get two of us, two brilliant brains. And believe it or not, Kristy and I actually might just be rivaling for like some of the biggest gains this quarter, so.   DAT Kristy (00:55) Yes, it does.   Kiera Dent (01:07) ⁓ not that we're here just for gains on clients, but Kristy does give me a run for my money, which all the consultants do. And Kristy's just like, she's, she's coming on hot this, this quarter. So I thought it'd be really fun, Kristy, for us to kind of dig into. Like either quarterly or twice a year annual reviews that we kind of do with clients and how you assess it. And we show the ROI that clients are getting, just cause I think it's important for clients to see like, what should you be assessing in your practice quarterly or two times a year?   How's the practice going? And Kristy, I think you're really, really strong in this. And I think you're really talented at looking at the practice and about their numbers and about, like, you love that. You and I will geek about numbers all day long, which is why it's the KK club, the KitKat club. Like we're here for the numbers. We're here for the fun. ⁓ But yeah, Kristy, kind of take it away of how do you set this up? What do you look at with clients when you're assessing their practices? Because always client style is like, I want ROI on consulting. And you do like,   amazing job at showing that ROI. So kind of take it away of what do we look at? How do we determine ROI? And I know this is your jam. This is what you love to do.   DAT Kristy (02:15) I love it. You're right. I do. You know, we all.   Kiera Dent (02:18) Do hear that little   giggle? I hope everybody heard that. Like that's Kristy's like. Kristy lives for this stuff and it makes me so happy because I do too. Like it's fun. It's fun to get the gains.   DAT Kristy (02:28) Yeah,   absolutely. Well, you and I have talked about this before. So many doctors just look   their bank account to see if they're on track or off track. And it's such a false sense of security looking at or lack of security, one of the two. with that being said, ⁓ there truly is like five   Kiera Dent (02:36) you   Mm-hmm.   DAT Kristy (02:48) KPIs that we're going to look at. And a couple of them are lag measures. A couple of them are lead measures.   ⁓ first view would be production net production collections. Yeah.   Kiera Dent (03:01) Yeah, don't even get into that gross. We don't want gains that are fake all y'all, okay? Like get   out. ⁓ Jason and I were talking the other day about guys, there's this, okay, Kristy, I'm gonna go on Tanger for a second. There's this really attractive actor on this show we're watching and I'm like, truly I was so disappointed when they kind of cut him from a couple episodes. I was like, no, she's gotta get back together with this guy because he's so good looking. And my husband and I, we look, because he looks pretty short.   DAT Kristy (03:13) you   Kiera Dent (03:28) So I like scoped him and I was like, how tall is this guy? And he says he's six foot and Jason's like, there's no way he's six foot. He's like, but do you ever hear some guy come in and they're like, yeah, I'm like 5'11". He's like, no, they all push them to the six foot. And I feel like that's what gross production is. It's like all of us are like, yeah, like I'm basically six foot. Yeah, I'm basically like a millionaire. Yeah, I'm basically there. Like, so we're talking, no, get out. We're here for like actual gains that you're actually getting net production.   my little side tangent, it's okay. It's okay if you're 5'10". It's okay if you're 5'9". It's okay if you're 5'11". We in production want to know the real number that we can actually collect, not the artificial one that makes you feel good when you're chatting with friends. You can fluff your height, but don't fluff your production.   DAT Kristy (04:15) love that 100%. So we got the net production and then the collections,   Kiera Dent (04:16) you   DAT Kristy (04:22) dollar for dollar percentage. Obviously we want them to be 98 % or higher. And then on the flip side, where are we diagnosing? What's our case acceptance? And so many people just look at the percent of case acceptance, but I also want to look at the dollars of what you're diagnosing because is it enough to reach your goal?   you know, where's your profit point at and what do we need to hit? Because we can celebrate 100 % case acceptance, which I don't think anybody ever has 100%, but you know, if you're getting 50 % case acceptance, which is still a very good percentage, 50 % of what? If we need to hit 150 every month and we're only hitting 100, it's not enough to get us there. So those would be the main five KPIs that   ⁓ tell us the health of your practice, right? And go ahead, care.   Kiera Dent (05:18) I   was gonna say, and Kristy, as you said that, diagnosing, don't think people realize is as important as it is. For whatever goal you wanna hit, there's a industry standard that you need to diagnose three times what you wanna produce. So if you wanna produce 100 grand, you need to be diagnosing 300,000 minimum to be able to get there, and you better hope you've got a great treatment coordinator who can close. And this is actually like...   I'm gonna like give a little secret away that we'll see if people are smart enough to pick up on in future years. This is the number one thing I actually look for in a consultant. I look to see, do an interview, we give them some stats and if a consultant cannot pick up this practice like without fail, they come in and they wanna talk block scheduling, they wanna talk other things. But I need a consultant to be able to see that a lot of times the reason a practice is not hitting their goals is due to a lack of diagnosis. And another reason we do that is because   Kristy and I are not dentists and we're not here to tell you how to diagnose. We're just here to help you see that based on industry standards and what you should be diagnosing of a healthy practice. If you're not getting enough diagnosis and doctors, you've got to hear this. If you are not diagnosing enough, this is a doctor issue and we're not saying to overdiagnose, but you have to diagnose enough. If you're not diagnosing enough and there's not enough treatment coming through, your practice will not grow. And that's not your team's fault. That's a you problem.   And so making sure that you, your hygienist, you use AI, but Kristy, I'm so glad you brought that up because production collections are always easy. But what impacts that, like you said, is the diagnosis, then the case acceptance, the new patients. And that's where it says lead and lag. Like everybody's looking at the lag of production collection, but it's like, what did we do to get there? And Kristy, I love that you bring these five things up every single quarter, every single, like twice a year with your clients, because people don't realize your bank account is a lag measure.   of what you've been doing in the practice. And then like another one is your overhead and what are you spending? Because if those things are in check, but we're spending everything we're making, we're not saving for taxes. Well, yeah, that's a real fun moment. Your bank account's really gonna look bleak, even if everything's working in the practice. So I really hope people take note because it's such a good thing for people to be aware of.   DAT Kristy (07:09) .   Absolutely. to that point, Kiera, like so many people think if that number isn't where they want it, let's go get more new patients. And then they want to spend more money on more new patients. And nine times out of 10, this is exciting time of the year because we're halfway through the year. Take a look at what you did treatment plan. I mean, I see a lot of practices, you know, let's for easy math, they're diagnosing a million dollars and we've closed 500,000. Holy cow. Even if you captured, you know,   percent of that difference like what would that mean to your bottom line and this is a perfect time to take a step back and go my gosh we have five months left in the year what would that look like break it down chunk it down to simple   pieces that your team can digest and you guys have fun with it. It's all about getting patients healthier. Let's face it, you're not diagnosing things patients don't need. So let's go get it. Let's get our patients healthy and gamify it. See one more crown a day or one more implant a month. What is it? Right?   Kiera Dent (08:35) Yeah. And Kristy, I think something you do so well that I hope people heard is you're not going for the big gains. You're going for the little like squeeze the juice, like get the last bit of toothpaste out of the tube of toothpaste. And I don't think people like that's not sexy. It's like, hey, I heard this podcast that I'm supposed to like go look at these small things versus we're getting all these new patients and we signed up for marketing. Well, but like this is where the elite practices shine. This is where the like really superior   Practices go people are like here. How do you do it? How do you guys like add? 20,000 40 that I Kristy I was looking at some of your stats girl. You're like, like I said, I love a good hustle and some of your practices you're adding like 50,000 a month to their practices and that's Incredible and people like how you do it Kristy's literally telling you it's through squeezing the tube of toothpaste in these small little moves that actually are not that hard going and getting new patients and signing up for marketing and all that that to me is actually hard fixing your diagnosis   getting your whole team on board, looking to see at what our production collections are, making sure our collections are tight. Those things are way easier. They're not as fun, they're not as sexy, but way easier than having to go like hunt and fish for new patients, even though it's way more fun to tell people you signed up for marketing. It's not fun to be like, yeah, we got a new billing thing in place. Like we got our AR fixed. That's not fun to admit, but it's way fun on the bank account and the profitability side too.   DAT Kristy (09:58) Yeah,   100%. And again, ⁓ so going back to the new patients, they want to spend more money to get it. But then have you looked at like, how are we answering the phone? How are we capturing the patients that are calling? Maybe you really don't need to spend any more money to cap, you know, they're coming in, we're just not capturing them, you know, and I'm always a fan of, you know, there's the internal marketing and external.   everything Fred Joyle said it best right everything is marketing we are marketing so get real intentional and get in relationship with your patients figure out what they want and tie their care back to it you know   Kiera Dent (10:39) Mm-hmm.   Yeah, I think it's brilliant. And I think it's like you said, everything we do is marketing. And so if we realize that and so many people want external marketing, and I think to me, the reason people want external marketing, and I'm not here to say not to do external marketing, I think it's a, it is a piece and a part of it. But I think it feels like a diet pill sometimes, like, let's just let's just throw money over there. And let's hope it fixes our problems. Let's out produce our problems rather than fixing our problems. And I really want people to realize like,   elite business ownership and being part of the elites, and we're not talking big practices, there's no right size to it. That all comes actually from doing these small little things and internal marketing, once again, is so good. These patients already love you. You already have a base of people that love you. And if you treat those people really well, rather than constantly going to try and swoop and get more people in, those people then refer, they refer better people to you.   It's easier. I have a practice and it was wild. They're like, Kiera, we signed up with marketing and we're trying to get it. And again, this is not a bash on any marketing companies. It is definitely necessary. ⁓ but they're like, but we're just not getting more, more new patients. Talk to another client. They're like, we, we just signed up with a marketing company and it's actually gone down. And I'm like, well, tell me what were you doing before to get patients? And they're like, we were at the church, we were in this magazine. And I'm like, well, get back in that because it was, it was showcasing the good things you're doing. It was being this like,   more B2B, it was being more connected rather than just trying to go for the masses and it's wild because internal marketing can be so much more effective if done right. And like you said, be in a relationship with your patients and know what they want. And great Google reviews, great Google reviews are your fastest, easiest marketing. So pay with Swell, like let's throw another plugin for Swell. It's been a few months since I put them in.   Go to Swell, SwellCX.com. Tell them Dental A Team sent you. Literally Zeke and I met when he founded the company. So you still get like founding prices, because that was the promise he and I made that you guys would get that. But honestly, just get your Google reviews up. Save the money. I don't know. Kristy, you and I are such birds of the same feather. That's why we're KitKat over here. We just think very similarly. And I think that's why we get very similar results as well.   DAT Kristy (12:55) Yeah, I think that the other big thing here is to recognize so many people are afraid of numbers. The members just start to tell a story and what we fail to realize is there's a system behind every one of those numbers. And if the number isn't where we want it, we need to pull up that system and figure out the system's a recipe, right? It's our cookbook. If it's not where we want it, then let's go back and figure out, did we mess up the recipe? You know, or   is the recipe, we're following it to a T and we just need to change up and find a new recipe because it's not getting the result. So ⁓ I love digging into those numbers because that tells us where we need to focus on this quarter to get the results we want.   Kiera Dent (13:40) And I really love that you said numbers just tell a story and there's a system behind the number and this makes it so much easier like going back There's a podcast I did a little while ago where I talked about the yes model and Dental A Team to help you say yes to more It's focusing on you as a person your vision which Kristy alludes to like are we on track or not for that vision and then E stands for earnings and profitability and S stands for systems and if you put them in that order So you've got your vision then we look at the numbers just like Kristy said   then you put into place the systems based on what those numbers tell you, it becomes a much more manageable and easier to digest process rather than being like, I need all the systems. And it's like, no, no, no, you just need the systems based on what the numbers tell you because I'm sure you're doing a lot more right than you think you are.   DAT Kristy (14:25) Absolutely. And I also think, you know, it's a good time to take a step back and evaluate where you are on the culture scale too, right? Happy team creates happy patients and happy patients pay and refer. So it all goes hand in hand.   Kiera Dent (14:39) Good   thoughts on there. Okay, so what else do you go? You go through the production collections, diagnosis, case acceptance, new patients, lead lag measures. Then you move into, we on track, off track for our goals of where we're at this year? What are the things that we could do now to get there by end of year? Are they still relevant? Are we still on track? What else do you look at with your clients when you're doing these assessments, Kristy?   DAT Kristy (15:02) Yeah, well, I always like to start the year off with projecting where we're going. And so also calculating back to that. And you and I talked about overhead. If we take what our average overhead is for the year, are we on track for meeting that or not?   Right? Because we can project all day long. I can want to make $3 million, but this $3 million cover overhead expenses and our savings for the year. So always measuring back to that. And if we're off track figuring out how can we get on track, right? Did doctor take off more time or do we need to add in a Friday to get to goal? You know, those types of things. Or are you, ⁓   okay with where we're projected to land and you feel confident about that. You know, once in a blue moon, well, I shouldn't say once in a blue moon because you and I do get them up there, but you know, it also relieves them and they can maybe even take an extra week off or a few days off because they're ahead of goal. Yeah.   Kiera Dent (16:06) Totally.   And those are the fun ones. That's what we want. We want to be ahead. We don't want to always be behind. And I agree with you, Kristy. The offices that are ⁓ diligent and consistent at looking at these, we look at these monthly, we look at these quarterly, we look at these annually, we assess, we redirect. It's like, I don't know. I feel like what you do is there's a plane. I just flew back from Greece, which was a very long flight. And it was very fun. This is where I watched.   DAT Kristy (16:13) Mm-hmm.   Kiera Dent (16:35) so many of these shows of this very good looking actor. I thought I was like, how tall is this man? While my husband's sitting next to me, it's okay, it's all right. We're allowed to have a few celebrity crushes. ⁓ But on our flight back, it was like a 12, 13 hour flight home. And I think about if that pilot would not have checked to see if we were a few degrees off, I could have easily ended up somewhere else. And that's just by a few degrees. And so what I feel you're doing, Kristy, on these quarterly, these monthly, these annual check-ins is making sure   that we're still navigating towards Greece or towards wherever we're trying to get. And are we on track or like you said, do we need to do a small navigation at a Friday, change this, look at our spending to be able to end up there at the end of the year or like, are we so far off course? So we need to like correct a little bit and then get back on track for next year. But the hope is that we catch that soon enough because we're never gonna go in a straight line. It will never be perfectly across. There will always be hiccups, there will be turbulence, there will be.   things that you gotta go around, you gotta redirect places. But if we're constantly looking at it, we stay much more on course and charter to where we want to go rather than like hoping and wishing we end up where we actually set out to go.   DAT Kristy (17:43) Yeah, 100%. And sometimes it's also looking, where are we spending? Right? Is there something that crept in there? We talked about this before too, with, you know, the subscriptions or, I mean, it's funny because the very first doctor that   I remember him telling a story about an airline and I was just sharing this recently with a client. I think it was like American, you guys could probably Google it and find it, but it's back in the day when they would serve meals to everybody and this airline decided that they could cut one olive.   Kiera Dent (18:17) Hmm?   DAT Kristy (18:17) and it cut their bottom line by a ton. Like what is the cost of one olive? So where can we tighten the ship a little bit? Those things are kind of, again, have fun with it, gamify it. Get your team involved. Let them be part of the solution.   Kiera Dent (18:37) Yeah,   and Kristy, I love that because we talk about this olive, the FedEx trucks and then chicken nuggets. And going back to it, the black olive airline cut, it was one olive, saved them $40,000 annually. I just pulled it up to sea and it was on American Airlines. And Tiff and I talk about the chicken nugget, like they used to serve five chicken nuggets, which was the right amount. Well, they dropped it to four. Four is not enough, so now you...   Upsell to 10 and I'm like that's one chicken nugget. This is one olive and I agree with you Kristy for me This is the fun of business like how can I go find that one olive or that one chicken nugget Tim and I get really excited when we find a whole chicken farm. Like that's a good one I'm like, wow, that was that was like a really good idea or a whole salad But again, it's to cut costs but improve patient care. Like what are they? mean even today Kristy, Shelbi, Britt and I were going through our expenses in dental a team   DAT Kristy (19:25) Mm-hmm.   Kiera Dent (19:30) and we looked and we have Adobe and we still use Adobe for contracts. But Shelbi looked at it, we're paying 65 and we use Canva and our marketing team doesn't need all the entire suite of Adobe anymore. But that was something we put into place like five years ago. We've been paying 65 bucks every single month when we only need to be paying 19. Not that that matters. And so many people are just like, well, here it's 40 bucks. And I'm like, okay, you want to play a game with me? I'll play a game. It's 65 minus 20.   DAT Kristy (19:57) me.   Kiera Dent (20:00) Okay, so 45 times that by 12 times that by five years is 2,700 bucks that I've been overpaying just on a subscription that's doing nothing for our company that I could have cut. And I'm like, I know you might not get out of bed for 2,700 bucks, but I'm like, you find that subscription, you find this subscription, you find that one, all those little, do you think someone really was excited on American Airlines to save $40,000 when it's a multi-billion dollar business? But 40,000 here, 20,000 there.   DAT Kristy (20:26) Right.   Kiera Dent (20:29) 50 bucks here. also think Kristy, to me, it's the discipline of auditing, of looking. It's more than I think the olive or the Adobe subscription or the chicken nugget. It is the constant innovation to look, to be the most savvy business that we can possibly be. And then we flip to the other side and give the best service that we can as well.   DAT Kristy (20:51) 100 % I agree with you, Kiera. Yeah, it's just those small incremental things. And it's about being intentional versus doing it by default, right? Let's do it intentionally so that when we get to the end, there's no surprises.   Kiera Dent (20:52) you   love that because I hate surprises in December as a business owner. Oh, I used to dread December's like and it's a great time to travel. It's a great time to hang out with family. But I used to cry like beginning of December, it was tears every single year. And then by the end of the year, I was exhausted. had nothing left for family and it's supposed to be such a fun time that I agree with you, Kristy. It's like no tears. The projections are there we were prepared. I don't know there really is a saying like if you are prepared, you will not fear and I'm like, it really is that case and also   Like CPAs, I'm gonna rag for a second. They rag on consultants. This is a love relationship we have with CPAs and consultants. I get so annoyed that like CPAs don't tell you till December. And I'm like, no, have the meeting in July. Have the meeting in October. Figure it out because you still have time to pivot. And that's what Kristy and I wanted to come on today is there's still time to pivot if you look at these items, you look at the things we're discussing, you look to see what can we do. There's still time. It's like, we're not at the 11th hour.   hoping to try to make up time in such a short amount of time. call your CPAs, find out where you're at on your tax liabilities. Are you on track for saving that? There's so many times that we have our meeting with the CPA and he's like, Kiera, I need to up and increase and start cutting. And I'm just annoyed every time, but I'd rather do that over the course of six months rather than one month, because I still have time to make that correction with it, not hurting as much as it could.   DAT Kristy (22:30) It's so true, so true. And the efforts to get there are a lot smaller when we can dilute it over five months versus two weeks, because we didn't look till the end of the year.   Kiera Dent (22:42) especially the two weeks in December where we're not producing so we're not even collecting and we have to pay more. It's just a really like nasty path. So I'm like, no, no, no, just don't plan for December. Have that be your gravy slush time. Get it all done in 11 months. But like even that kind of thinking, Kristy, I don't think is common. I think it's very abnormal to think, well, if my December is only going to be two weeks, why am I banking on that as a full month? Why don't I bank on? And this is back to mine and Kristy, like we love the projections. We love to think of like   DAT Kristy (22:59) No.   Kiera Dent (23:12) How could I get this done in 11 months? How can we give you vacations? How can it be done in this many weeks? And that's something, Kristy, I really do feel like it's the Kit Kat Club over here. Like we really do think in such a similar way, but I want you to realize like this is how Kristy and I are able to throw gains. We're able to help practices get to where they want to be, but also with it being easy, happy teams, happy culture, not a lot of stress, ⁓ and just kind of doing the small minutiae things that actually make insane gains.   for a practice. We help find the olives, Kristy. Every so often we might get a tomato, but it's the small olives that actually make the huge impact for a practice.   DAT Kristy (23:42) Right? Yeah, let's get the olives. Yeah.   100%, 100%. And hopefully we can show it's easy. It's not hard. It truly isn't hard. It's one patient at a time and just capturing a little bit more.   Kiera Dent (24:03) Yeah. And then Kristy, I think it's really fun what you do for your clients too, is you show them the ROI that you brought to them through AR, through production, through overhead savings. So that way a client, regardless of their bank account saying, can literally see that in the course of working together, this is what we've been able to accomplish together. Because I think as a business owner, it is so easy to forget like what it felt like when I couldn't lift 20 pounds, now that I'm lifting 50 pounds.   Like it's so easy because 50 pounds becomes your new normal, but you're like, no, no, no, no. Remember how we started and you couldn't even lift like five pounds. Then you got up to 20, then you got up to 50. I think it's very easy for clients to forget where they started because their new norm is where we've grown them to.   DAT Kristy (24:48) Yeah, it's so true. mean, you know me, I love analogies and it's almost like your periopatient that's been coming in every three months and now they're healthy and so they want to push it back out and it's like you forgot it's this effort coming every three months that's gotten you healthy and the minute we change it, things start to slide, you know, so. ⁓   Yeah, mean, hopefully, hopefully we can always show that value in it. They still have to do the boots on the ground hard work, but you know.   even Tiger Woods has a coach, right? And that coach can see around corners to see things a little bit faster maybe when things aren't moving the same. You your swing's off, what's happening, what's going on, you know, and to keep you back on track. it's fun, it's fun partnering with clients and being able to see that and course correct and help them achieve their goals.   Kiera Dent (25:43) ⁓ I love it. Kristy, I agree with you. And I think that that's why we have the passion for consulting. We have the passion for practices. We have the passion for wanting you to strike. It's crazy because like, I don't know, we have a tagline, which marketing told me I need to get rid of because it's more about me than it is about you. And it does not make sense to me. ⁓ where it says like your success as a practice is truly Dental A Team's passion. Like this is what gets me and Kristy up out of bed. This is what makes us want to get on a podcast and share with you is   you being successful, you getting your dreams, you hitting these goals is what we are obsessed and so passionate about. So I think it's so fun. So I'd say, Kristy, if practice is listening right now, what would be kind of like your bow on our podcast today that you'd say like, okay, from everything we've talked about, what do they take away? What can they go implement? ⁓ Because sometimes it can feel like, well, what's my first step to be able to get on this path of slight course corrections to get to my final destination with ease.   DAT Kristy (26:42) Yeah, well first off, if you haven't figured out your goal, maybe look at what you finished at last year and at least strive for 10 % above that because we know that that's at least keeping up with inflation. Again, I don't know if that's meeting your overhead needs, but at least it's a good point. And then reverse engineer it. See how far you're off track from that for the year.   and ⁓ what's one more day or one more thing every day. Hopefully you're doing some sort of morning huddle and ⁓ inside of the morning huddle, everybody has a part to play, right? So admin, look, is there any balances that need to be collected?   ⁓ patient wise in doctor's schedule, is there anybody that could come back in through hygiene? Hygiene, if we have undiagnosed treatment and we know there is, because we see those numbers every day in morning huddle and it's almost like crazy alarming the amount. Usually it's more than what you're even producing for the day. So, gamify it and try to turn those patients into healthy patients by converting their treatment. ⁓   know just those simple things right there is going to make a big difference to your year end.   Kiera Dent (27:55) I that. I love it, Kristy, so much. And I love that you have the passion and the love. I love that you will also sit down with your clients. And I think that that's the discipline and maybe like the fast track of using a consultant is, Kristy, you prepare these for your clients. You think about it. You're looking down the line of things they're maybe not even considering doing. They're not thinking about midway. How are we doing? What are our projections? Are we on track? Are we off track? Where are we at? And I think having a consultant, like you said, with even Tiger Woods,   looking around the corner, looking down the line. Kristy and I are both like, we're watching the clock. We know we only have so many more months in the year. Where are you at? How can we make sure that we're constantly keeping you on track to get to your goals? Where maybe you're just having a fun summer vacation or you're just coming back. Like we know that that's our job is to be looking down the line for you, watching out for you, projecting for you, course correcting with you. ⁓ Even when you're in the day to day problems. And I think Kristy, that's just a   a shout out to you and a shout out to consultants because this is why we do what we do. So if you, if you are like most business owners, including myself, when I first started and you hate numbers, that's why there are people like Kristy and myself that exist because we love to get into the nitty gritty. We love to look for those olives. We love to help you go do the dentistry and we're going to sit here and help make sure your business and your team and your practice is flourishing. So that way the hard work you put into being a dentist pays off for you in the end. So Kristy love this, love what you do for our clients.   Love being the, the KK Kit Kat, whatever we want to be over here. mean, it might stick. We might be Kit Kats for Halloween. You never know, but Kristy just super appreciate you and all that you do for our clients and for our company and you as a human being, you're just a gem. And I'm so freaking lucky to work with you.   DAT Kristy (29:28) Yeah.   Thank you. It's my honor and you know what? We're stronger as a team, I have to say. So no matter what consultant you have in our company, you get all of us. So we collaborate, we cheer each other on, just like hopefully you're cheering your team on. So happy to help.   Kiera Dent (29:49) Bye.   Kristy,   you said that so well and it is true. I see you and all the consultants like have little meetings on your calendars of connecting and chatting and I do agree. We all help each other out. We want all of our clients to succeed no matter who you're working with. So for all of you, if you're struggling or you're like, gosh, I really would love that help or just having someone, I'll just put our arm around you and like, we're here to help you. We're here to support you. We're here to guide you. We're here to look around that corner. Reach out, Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. And as always, Kristy, thanks for being with me. Thank all of you for listening.   and we'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.  

Sara talks about the transition out of corporate, challenges in B2B sales, making human connections, and much more!

Filipe Castro Matos is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Altar.io, where he helps founders go from idea to MVP with clarity and speed. With over a decade of experience across B2C and B2B startups—including an early exit, viral growth experiments, and advising dozens of founders—Filipe specializes in helping teams find their first customers and build Go-to-Market strategies that actually work. His work today centers on solving one of the biggest problems in early-stage startups: the gap between building and growing. He's quietly building something new to bridge that gap.In This Conversation We Discuss: [00:00] Intro[01:19] Learning ecommerce by evolving with companies[02:50] Avoiding guesswork through real user engagement[04:57] Avoiding costly guesses in early channels[07:24] Finding people who match your avatar[08:23] Returning to basics for direction clarity[08:51] Distinguishing buyers from friendly critics[11:29] Starting small when validating ideas[14:36] Simplifying business ideas through existing tools[15:29] Stay updated with new episodes[15:40] Capturing insights for go-to-market[17:36] Separating problem discovery from solutions[19:55] Going where the market is active[21:10] Introducing payments only after solutions[22:24] Digesting conversations into ICP[23:17] Pulling branding assets from real conversations[24:56] Testing organically before paid ads[27:04] Building a brand as key differentiatorResources:Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on YoutubeDigital products for entrepreneurs and business leaders: altar.io/us/Follow Filipe Castro Matos linkedin.com/in/filipecastromatosIf you're enjoying the show, we'd love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

LLMs are already “deciding” your brand for buyers. Are you shaping that story or letting the machine write it? If your marketing still sounds like everybody else's, congratulations: you've trained the models to ignore you.This week we rip into the hottest B2B reality: AI Engine Optimization (AEO) meets human-only brand. Ari Yablok, head of brand at Island, shows how to beat sameness by sending clear “this is new” signals, building experiential brands that people feel (not just read), and using unreasonable hospitality to make products and events feel theirs, not “yours.”We also cover:AEO is the new SEO: how to show up inside LLM answers and make people prefer you before they ever ask a bot.Signals over slogans: designing booths, visuals, and copy that telegraph “category shift” without a single bullet point.Unreasonable hospitality in B2B: turning product nuance and in-person moments into retention (and reputation) machines.The “feeling of knowing”: why brand confidence shortens deals—even when buyers can't explain why.Human as the counter-trend: embracing curated flaws and analog touchpoints to stand out as AI perfects the average.

Refine Labs CEO Megan Bowen joins Evan Kirstel for a deep-dive into how B2B marketing must evolve for the AI era. The conversation covers modern go-to-market models, buyer-centric strategies, and how Refine Labs helps companies drive measurable pipeline growth through data, experimentation, and cultural excellence.1. Speakers and RolesMegan Bowen – CEO of Refine Labs. With 20 years in B2B SaaS at companies like Zocdoc, Grubhub, and WeWork, she brings deep expertise in modernizing go-to-market strategy and redefining marketing measurement.Evan Kirstel– Host and interviewer. Brings over 30 years in tech sales and marketing leadership.2. Topics CoveredThe evolution of B2B buying and selling from the analog to the AI era.Why traditional MQL-based marketing is outdated.The “Brand, Demand, Expand” model for full-funnel growth.Refine Labs' AI strategy and benchmarking methodology.Alignment between sales and marketing in 2025.The future of content creation and human creativity in an AI-driven market.Building company culture around people-first principles.The Refine Labs Vault: democratizing growth frameworks and insights.3. Questions This Video Helps AnswerWhat's fundamentally broken about traditional B2B marketing models?Why is the MQL metric no longer a reliable measure of success?How should marketers adapt to buyer-led decision-making?What is the “Brand, Demand, Expand” framework, and how does it work?How is AI transforming marketing operations and customer acquisition?How can companies build a people-first culture that drives performance?4. Jobs, Roles, and Responsibilities MentionedCEO, CMO, VP of Marketing, Sales teams, Customer Success and Account Management, Marketing Operations and Creative roles, Content strategists and paid media managers5. Frameworks and Concepts MentionedBrand, Demand, Expand (three-pillar GTM framework)Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)Buyer-centric marketingAI-powered benchmarksRevenue funnel analysis and pipeline conversion optimization6. Related ResourcesRefine Labs: https://www.refinelabs.comThe Vault: access to Refine Labs frameworks and community.HubSpot (mentioned as part of inbound marketing evolution)Grandin Holdings (Refine Labs investment partner)

How industrial marketers can use product marketing to drive real sales momentum. What does great product marketing look like inside a manufacturing organization? And how can small teams adopt enterprise-level tactics to drive results? In this episode, Gorilla 76's Peyton Warren and Allen Fennewald sit down with Kelly Cicconi Battaglini — a 13-year product marketing leader at Phoenix Contact — to break it down. You'll learn how to: - Influence sales, even when it feels out of reach - Align marketing and sales through incentives and collaboration - Energize your distributors and channel partners - Craft value propositions that stick - Launch (or relaunch) products that actually move the needle - Manage internal approvals and stakeholders without getting stuck - Adapt big-team strategies for small-team success Whether you're launching a product, supporting sales or managing distributor relationships, this episode is packed with practical advice you can apply right away. RESOURCES

We trust leaders for their authenticity, so what happens when their words are written by AI?In this solo episode, host and Content 10x founder Amy Woods reflects on her recent conversation with Ash Jones, founder of Great Influence and Great Leaders, and explores a new twist in the world of personal branding - the rise of AI tools that promise to “do it all” for you.Shortly after the conversation with Ash, Amy came across a LinkedIn post promoting an AI platform that claims to study a CEO's tone of voice, create their content, and even comment on posts on their behalf.It raised an important question if your personal brand isn't personal anymore… what's left?AI can make content faster. But leadership visibility isn't about speed, it's about sincerity.In this episode, Amy shares her thoughts on where AI fits into personal branding, and where it doesn't, plus how leaders and companies can balance efficiency with authenticity.Find out:Why fully automating your personal brand completely misses the pointThe difference between human-supported and AI-generated leadership contentThe risks of outsourcing your voice completely and how to keep your leadership voice authentic, original, and humanWhere AI can play a useful role in the creative processImportant links & mentions:Blog post: https://www.content10x.com/344Why Smart Companies Are Investing in Their Leaders' Personal Brands with Ash Jones: https://www.content10x.com/343What Should You Use AI in Content Marketing (And When You Should Avoid It)? https://www.content10x.com/when-to-use-ai-in-content-marketing/AI in B2B Marketing: What's Working, What's Failing and What's Next: https://www.content10x.com/340Amy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amywoods2/Content 10x: https://www.content10x.com/Amy's book: www.content10x.com/book (Content 10x: More Content, Less Time, Maximum Results)Amy Woods is the CEO and founder of Content 10x, a creative agency that provides specialist content strategy, creation and repurposing support to B2B organizations.She's also a best-selling author, hosts two content marketing podcasts (The Content 10x Podcast and B2B Content Strategist), and speaks on stages all over the world about the power of content marketing.Join thousands of business owners, content creators and marketers and get the latest content marketing tips and advice delivered straight to your inbox every week https://www.content10x.com/newsletter

Matthew Pollard (Founder, Rapid Growth®), who shares expert insights and proven strategies on how to leverage storytelling for B2B marketing success. Matthew discussed the significance of storytelling and specialization in B2B marketing. He also emphasized the need for differentiation in B2B companies by focusing on a specific niche rather than targeting everyone.

#303 Storytelling | This episode is from Drive 2025, our 2-day in-person event for B2B marketers in Burlington, VT. Harry Dry, creator of Marketing Examples and one of the best copywriters on the internet, shared a masterclass on storytelling, creativity, and writing marketing that actually connects—showing how to find great ideas, turn real stories into memorable campaigns, and make people feel something in the process.Head over to exitfive.com/drive to join the waitlist for Drive 2026 and be the first to know when tickets go on sale.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro from Dave (02:47) - – Harry's background + Marketing Examples origin (05:07) - – What makes good marketing storytelling (08:27) - – How to find and collect great ideas (12:52) - – The power of emotion in copy (17:37) - – Why simple writing wins (22:12) - – Turning real stories into campaigns (29:08) - – The role of curiosity in great marketing (33:53) - – How to write like you talk (39:03) - – Examples of high-performing campaigns (44:13) - – Q&A: writing habits, inspiration, and burnout Join 50,000 people who get our Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterLearn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/***Today's episode is brought to you by Paramark.It's November. 2026 planning is already here. And the stuff you're doing right now will decide how next year plays out. But here's the problem: most teams are still planning next year's marketing strategy based on the WRONG DATA because of broken attribution and a misleading gut feel.  And you can't make smart budget calls if you're just guessing what's working, what's not, and where to put your next dollar.That's where Paramark comes in. They help you replace the guesswork with actual insight backed by $2 billion in analyzed marketing data. They've figured out what actually drives incremental growth across every channel including LinkedIn, Meta, TikTok, Google, CTV, even OOH.And right now, they're offering a private 1:1 consultation with their CEO and CMO, Pranav and Sam, who have led marketing teams at companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Microsoft, and Shutterfly. In this 45-minute strategy session, they'll help you measure the real impact of every marketing dollar, pull insights from your current media mix, and design a 2026 roadmap that's rooted in data, not gut.This is a heck of an offer. And it's real. And will go fast. So if you want to future-proof your marketing strategy for 2026, don't miss out on this offer.Grab your spot at paramark.com/brand-consult.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

Let's be honest, we don't need more AI hype. We need real examples of how teams are using it to work smarter. In this episode, Henrique Cruz of Rows shares how AI is becoming a true creative collaborator — streamlining workflows, accelerating iteration, and unlocking bandwidth for higher-value thinking.After partnering with Focus Lab on a full rebrand, the Rows team didn't shelf the guidelines — they activated them. Henrique shares how they now use AI to generate on-brand creative drafts faster, using the original system as a foundation. The result? More assets, more agility, and more space for designers to focus on what matters most: pushing the work further.What this episode covers:

Most teams move fast, thinking more speed means more sales. But in the rush, they lose the big deals: the ones that actually grow the business.In this episode of Founder Talk, I sit down with Howard Fisher, founder of Hantarra, to talk about why the best sales strategy isn't about more calls, more pressure, or more speed. Rather it's about slowing down. Howard shares how founders can rethink growth by focusing on process, patience, and profit instead of constant hustle.We dive into the dangers of rushing deals, the real reason most companies don't understand sales, and how slowing down can actually accelerate your results. From aligning marketing, sales, and operations into one “business development ecosystem,” to using AI the right way, Howard breaks down what it takes to build a sales culture that lasts.You'll learn: ✅ Why “slowing down to speed up” is the key to sustainable sales ✅ The biggest mistake founders make when scaling their teams ✅ How to fix broken sales processes that kill profit ✅ Why most business owners misunderstand sales ✅ How to build a growth system that actually worksIf you've been searching “how to scale sales,” “why my sales team isn't closing,” or “how to fix broken sales systems,” this episode will shift the way you think about growth.Connect with Howard FisherGuest LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/howardfisherchicagoGuest Website: https://salesxceleration.bullseyelocations.com/salesxceleration/advisors/howard-fisher/33796644If you are a B2B company that wants to build your own in-house content team instead of outsourcing your content to a marketing agency, we may be a fit for you! Everything you see in our podcast and content is a result of a scrappy, nimble, internal content team along with an AI-powered content systems and process. Check out pricing and services here: ⁠https://impaxs.com⁠Want a behind-the-scenes look at how we run the show and the chance to ask upcoming guests your questions? Join the Founder Talk Club in WhatsApp.(it's free): https://chat.whatsapp.com/KDEgJWAH5liFCiWVIU8bIa Timecodes00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome00:27 The Art of Selling: 'Sell Me This Pen'02:30 Qualifying Potential Buyers04:19 Celebrating Mini Wins in Sales07:15 Challenges in Sales and Business Growth11:22 Understanding Sales Misconceptions13:56 The Business Development Ecosystem25:05 The Importance of Go-To-Market Strategy29:59 The Evolution of Sales37:47 The Impact of Content on Sales Conversations38:28 Changes in Sales Dynamics Post-COVID39:18 The Debate: In-Person vs. Video Meetings40:15 The Shift in Entertainment Budgets41:09 The Effectiveness of Cold Calling42:21 Building a Business Development Ecosystem44:46 The Importance of Networking49:04 Measuring Marketing Success56:14 The Role of AI in Sales01:06:32 Navigating Sales Metrics and Proposals01:08:08 The Power of Open-Ended Questions01:08:51 Handling Objections and Pricing Negotiations01:18:48 Transitioning from Law to Sales01:21:24 Building a Business and Networking01:33:57 Leveraging Assessments and Adding Value01:35:25 Conclusion and Contact Information

We are joined by our producer extraordinaire, Alex Giroux the Associate Director of Brand and Customer Experience at Agital to talk all things marketing from the brain of an ad agency leader. From how direct mail is so cool that Kat keeps hers (but somehow is responsible enough to develop disposable camera pictures) to AI content creation, Alex has us covered on the latest and greatest marketing trends for both B2B and B2C. Whether you are in marketing or in business, this episode should resonate for you! And if it doesn't, you can just watch the YouTube with the sound off like Ian. If you enjoy the pod, and want to keep our bosses happy, please click here: https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/solutions/small-business/index.html

Alex Thorn from Galaxy Digital discusses why they revised their Bitcoin price target from $185K to $120K, competition from gold and AI, the stalling Bitcoin Season 2 momentum, stablecoin growth, and Bitcoin's transition into a mature, lower-volatility asset class. Alex Thorn, Head of Research at Galaxy Digital, joins us to talk about why Galaxy revised their Bitcoin end-of-year target from $185K to $120K, the competitive headwinds from gold (up 57% vs Bitcoin's 12%), AI investments, and stablecoins, the October 10th leverage wipeout, Bitcoin's maturation into a lower-volatility asset, whale distribution patterns, the stalled momentum of ordinals and runes, Bitcoin Layer 2 developments, and the ongoing arbitrary data filters debate affecting projects like Citrea and Botanix. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com **Notes:** • Galaxy revised BTC target: $185K down to $120K • Gold outperformed Bitcoin: 57% vs 12% YTD • October 10th leverage wipeout major catalyst • Bitcoin Season 2 momentum has stalled out • Stablecoins creating major market competition • Layer 2s like Citrea, Botanix still early stage Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:49 Gov shutdown? Oh no!!! 03:03 Revising EOY price prediction 07:55 Next price catalyst? 10:50 Longer term price predictions 14:01 Crashing to $100k 16:34 Stablecoins 22:38 Tether & competition 30:11 Backing 33:58 Did we lose the plot? 37:37 Enthusiasm for BTC development -

What if the fastest way to grow your career is to reinvent how you work before the market forces you to? In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Caitlin Clark-Zigmond, a two-time entrepreneur and former CMO for Intel's global software and SaaS portfolio, to map the leap from hands-on operator to AI-powered brand builder, and why clear value translation beats clever slogans every time.Caitlin takes us from scaling a catering business to shipping Comcast Digital Voice, to leading massive B2B portfolios at Verizon and Intel. We dig into how Intel Tiber emerged to make software visible inside a hardware giant, uniting trust and security, AI and ML, edge and cloud, performance optimization, and developer workflows under a narrative customers could navigate. The result: sharper messaging, analyst clarity, and real pipeline acceleration. If your portfolio feels like a maze, her brand framework shows you how to draw a clean map.Then we get practical with AI go-to-market. Forget tool-chasing—start with painful use cases, build on clean, connected data, and let AI amplify what already moves the needle. Caitlin explains why a CDP or an MCP layer unlocks CRM, marketing automation, analytics, billing, and customer success, enabling them to communicate effectively with each other. We cover intent data for account prioritization, conversation intelligence for coaching, predictive scoring for pipeline, and agents that handle repetitive data pulls and weekly reporting so teams can focus on thinking, not tab-hopping.For leaders and modern marketers, the upskilling path is clear: achieve 30% fluency in core AI concepts, measurement, and understanding how your stack—HubSpot, Salesforce, GA, CDPs, and chat systems —actually works. You don't need to code; you need to understand revenue mechanics. We also share Caitlin's strategic networking system—the 5–5–5 method—that turns coffee chats into an operating system for your career, with value-first follow-ups that work even for introverts.We conclude with candid insights on the value of progress over perfection, investing in relationships before you need them, and redefining success in terms of client transformation, sustainable growth, and work-life integration. Subscribe, share with a friend, and tell us: what's the scary move you're finally ready to make?Resources: Website: www.clarkgp.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlinclarkzigmond Upcoming LILive GTM Event: https://www.linkedin.com/events/2026gtmrealitycheck-makemisalig7393722093324107776/Monthly Blog: https://gtmmaven.substack.com/p/why-the-c-suite-must-work-together