Podcasts about bdrs

Jacqueline Cheong is the Co-founder and CEO of Artie.Artie moves data across your systems in real-time, and we talk about why that's so important in the age of AI.It's a lot harder than you'd think, as less than 5% of real-time data streaming projects are successful.I talked to a dozen people to prepare for this conversation, including Jared Friedman who worked with Jacqueline during YC, her sales coach Ras, and numerous Artie employees like A-nee-rud, Ryan, Sarah, Shangbing and Jacqueline's co-founder Robin.We talk through how Robin built real-time data streaming at OpenDoor and Zendesk before they started Artie, and Jacqueline shares the sales playbook she learned going from hedge fund analyst to software CEO, including asking customers for their hardest problem and then solving it with the product.Artie just announced a $12 million Series A a few weeks before we published this episode. We talk about how they landed all of their early enterprise customers through cold outbound, how they structure and automate their prospecting with AI so they have no BDRs, and why they're seeing customers switch to Artie even after building their own multi-million dollar real-time streaming projects in-house.I also asked Jacqueline what it's like working with Standard Capital. They're a new fund started by a group of YC partners, and it was fascinating to hear about the things they've borrowed from YC when investing at the Series A stage.Try Numeral, the end-to-end platform for sales tax and compliance: ⁠https://www.numeral.com⁠Sign-up for Flex Elite with code TURNER, get $1,000: https://form.typeform.com/to/Rx9rTjFzTimestamps:(4:08) Artie: Real-time data streaming(5:13) Why moving data is so hard(9:14) Evolution of data warehouses(12:47) AI needs real-time data(18:44) Build vs buy in data streaming(22:51) How to build in a crowded market(26:26) Early focus on a specific hard problem(30:33) Acquiring enterprise customers from cold emails(32:51) Onboarding their first customer with no UI(35:46) Solving compliance and implementation(38:50) How to automate internal engineering, marketing, and ops(44:01) Building an AI-powered GTM pipeline and motion(53:00) Starting Artie to solve their own problem(59:25) Discovering YC through a friend(1:02:20) Everything Jacqueline learned about sales(1:06:29) How to improve your sales discovery calls(1:10:08) Inside Artie's $12m Series A(1:16:44) What its like working with Standard Capital(1:22:59) Jacqueline's favorite bookReferencedTry Artie: https://artie.comCareers at Artie: https://www.artie.com/careersClay: https://www.clay.comPodcast with Tommy @ Alloy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7i8Wxklu-YYCombinator: https://www.ycombinator.comStandard Capital: https://www.standardcap.comFounding Sales: https://www.foundingsales.comThe Score Takes Care of Itself: https://www.amazon.com/Score-Takes-Care-Itself-Philosophy/dp/1591843472Follow JacquelineTwitter: https://x.com/JacquelineSYC19LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-cheongFollow TurnerTwitter: https://twitter.com/TurnerNovakLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnernovakSubscribe to my newsletter to get every episode + the transcript in your inbox every week: https://www.thespl.it/

Gabe Lullo is the CEO of Alleyoop, a sales development agency working with industry giants such as ZoomInfo, Salesloft, and Adobe.   He has trained over 8,000 salespeople across diverse businesses and, during his tenure in Alleyoop, he has personally hired and managed more than 1,500 BDRs.   With over two decades of experience in sales, marketing, and executive recruitment, his strategies have significantly driven Alleyoop's growth and shaped its corporate culture.   Beyond his career accomplishments, Gabe graduated from the Barney School of Business at the University of Hartford, and his leadership ethos is rooted in cultivating environments that prioritize both professional development and individual success.   Socials: linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lullo/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabelullo/ Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL61t3M6geW84XNxsfKI5iARqa6_M9MuSy   Episode Summary:   In this episode, host Lyndsay Dowd talks with Gabe Lullo, the CEO of AlleyOOP, a sales-as-a-service company that specializes in helping businesses scale through effective outreach. Gabe shares his unique journey from recruiting to running a company that makes over 11 million cold calls a year.   The conversation dives deep into the realities of building high-performing revenue teams that last. Gabe and Lindsay discuss the difficult but necessary decision to fire toxic top performers to protect company culture. They also explore how to keep Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) motivated in a grueling role, the critical importance of a "video-on" culture for remote teams, and why LinkedIn is no longer optional for modern executives.   Key Takeaways:   - Culture Over Revenue - Mindset is 50% of Success - Video is Essential for Remote Trust - LinkedIn is a Must-Have   Episode Chapters:   00:00:00 – Intro to Gabe Lullo and AlleyOOP 00:02:17 – Gabe's background: From fundraising at 11 years old to recruiting 00:06:00 – The three pillars of success: People, Process, and Technology 00:07:40 – Why you should fire your toxic top performer 00:10:14 – Culture as a KPI and the "shadowing" interview process 00:13:19 – What is AlleyOOP? (The "unsung hero" of sales) 00:18:18 – The SDR Mindset and daily "Power Up" videos 00:21:26 – Why a "camera on" culture matters in remote work 00:24:05 – What inspires Gabe and his legacy 00:26:43 – Why leaders and employees must be on LinkedIn 00:31:26 – Where to find Gabe and his podcast, Do Hard Things

How Performance-First B2B Marketing Drives Better Results Traditional B2B marketing and advertising are undergoing a major transformation in the age of AI and rapid technological advancement. With shifting market dynamics and budget cuts across B2B organizations, marketing teams are under pressure to do more with less and prove their impact on business performance and revenue growth. How can B2B marketers quickly adapt, demonstrate ROI, and establish a strategic role within their organizations? That's why we're talking to Keith Turco (CEO, Madison Logic), who shares insights and proven strategies on how performance-first B2B marketing drives better results. During our conversation, Keith explored the evolving B2B marketing landscape and explained why performance-first strategies are crucial in times of market changes and budget cuts. He emphasized the importance of data-driven insights to measure ROI, optimize media plans, and tailor messages to specific target audiences. Keith also highlighted the need for a full-funnel approach that leverages AI-powered personalization at scale, and integrating new channels like audio and video. Additionally, he elaborated on why understanding both personal and professional interests of buyers to shorten sales cycles and build brand affinity are essential. Keith stressed the value of creativity in performance marketing to maintain loyalty and differentiate top marketers. Tune in as he also shared some key findings of research conducted by Madison Logic and The Harris Poll on the future of advertising and the impact of AI on B2B marketing. https://youtu.be/DAYcJf7AlIs Topics discussed in episode: [2:09] How macroeconomic shifts and budget cuts are creating a “performance-first” approach. [6:12] Embracing AI: Moving from a reactive to a proactive stance in advertising.  [9:50] The consumerization of B2B: Why your next lead might come from a podcast or TikTok.  [13:15] The full-funnel advantage: Moving beyond fragmented tactics to a more unified data strategy.  [17:34] Communicating with the C-Suite vs. managers: Tailoring content for different “states of mind”. [22:27] Research insights: Why 73% of leaders see AI as the future of creative production. [32:12] Why abandoning brand for “just the facts” performance marketing is a mistake. Companies and links mentioned: Keith Turco on LinkedIn Madison Logic Transcript Keith Turco, Christian Klepp Christian Klepp  00:01 In the age of rapid technological developments in AI, traditional B2B, marketing and advertising are witnessing monumental changes with shifting market dynamics and budget cuts across B2B organizations, marketing teams will have to do more with less. So how can they achieve this and still be instrumental to organizational success? Welcome to this episode of the B2B Marketers on a Mission podcast, and I’m your host, Christian Klepp, today I’ll be talking to Keith Turco, who will be answering this question. He’s the CEO of Madison Logic, which leads global account based marketing initiatives to help revenue driven marketers accelerate buying journeys with targeted, measurable strategies. Tune in to find out more about what this B2B marketer’s mission is. Okay, and here we are. Mr. Keith Turco, welcome to the show. Keith Turco  00:50 Thank you, Christian. Good to see you. Christian Klepp  00:53 Likewise, likewise. We had a great pre-interview conversation, and I’m really looking forward to this conversation. We got to buckle up a little bit, because there’s a lot to cover. There’s a lot to cover, but I think it’s going to be really interesting, relevant and pertinent to all those B2B marketers out there. So let’s, let’s dive right in. Keith Turco  01:11 Great. Excited to be here. Christian Klepp  01:12 All right, so Keith, you’re on a mission to help B2B companies succeed by delivering performance-first strategies across the full marketing funnel and performance-first, I think, is going to be a word or a term that we’re going to hear throughout this conversation, but for this conversation, let’s focus on a topic and unpack it from there, so it’s how B2B marketing teams can rapidly adapt to market changes and contribute to organizational success. So let me set this up a little bit, because that sounds like. that sounds a little bit generic. But you know, after after the description, I think people will understand what I’m talking about. So your company, Madison Logic, helps clients own the buying journey by creating lasting impact at every interaction with high value buying groups through data driven ABM. So let’s start off with this question, how have shifting macroeconomic conditions and budget cuts forced B2B marketing teams to do more with less? Keith Turco  02:09 Well inherent in the conversation, or the question is you’ve got less budget. You’ve seen lots of cuts come through either from a staff cutting perspective, you’ve got less people to help you execute against things, as well as less budget to spend on marketing. So what does that mean, and what are the implications? And how does our technology and our approach to market help. Everything from a performance first perspective allows things to be measured, and because you can measure, you can quickly calculate ROI, you can quickly optimize your your media plans, and you can also take a look at what your creative is and isn’t working and what’s working through from a content based perspective. So when you take a performance-first approach to your marketing initiatives, you have all the data at your fingertips to give you the insights and intelligence you need in order to hit the right targets and the right buying groups with the right message at the right time, and give you what you need to actually, really measure the impact and optimize on a regular basis to to prove the ROI that you’re trying to prove for the organization and support sales. Christian Klepp  03:19 Yeah, no, absolutely. And you touched on a lot of things there, which I think are going to be a to be things that are going to come up throughout this conversation. So things like calculating ROI, being able to measure. I mean, who doesn’t want to do that in the world of B2B, right? But how do you see a performance based approach? And I suppose that’s the next question. How does a performance based approach help companies to adapt to, well, a lot of these market changes, and I know that’s a bit of an understatement, because market changes, it’s so broad and multifaceted, but how does it help to address these changes? Keith Turco  03:51 First and foremost, I think access to data allows you to test and learn, what’s working, what’s not, against what buying groups. I kind of mentioned it a couple of minutes ago. But if you’re looking at what’s working against which target segment, what messages make the most sense, what content are they looking for? And then on top of that, you have a buying group. Each of those groups contain multiple levels of executives and employees. So are they all consuming the same message. Can you sub segment that buying group into different categories that consume different content, that allow them to actually understand the full picture that you’re trying to communicate? And then obviously prove out ROI? I think the other thing prove out ROI is a big statement. What does that mean? What are the KPIs? They’re different for each customer that’s out there, right? So what does ROI mean to one organization versus the other? And by allowing yourself to test and learn and gain the insights that you you’re looking for, you can prove out ROI in different ways. Ultimately, the ultimate ROI is reflected in sales, right? But. Some clients will work with us on visits to website. Other clients will work with us on appointment setting. Other clients will look at, you know, number of interactions. And then lastly, of course, looking at ROI from a sale based perspective and what they’re selling, Christian Klepp  05:18 Absolutely, absolutely. And we’re certainly going to talk about the buying committee a little bit later on in this conversation. The time of this recording is at the end of 2025 and you know, I have to ask you the question about AI, and I know you your company has done some research about that, and we will look into that a little bit further on. But because you’re talking about accessing data and analyzing and aggregating data, and how does, how has technological advancements, also in the form of artificial intelligence, perhaps help that process, but also threatened B2B marketing in a way? Keith Turco  05:56 I don’t think I ever view it as threatening. I’ll always look at AI as a form of enhancement and allowance to optimize and go to market. I think probably a future question you’re going to ask, I might actually jump to it as well from an AI perspective. Keith Turco  06:12 But the impact of AI on advertising and marketing, and how is it playing a role in performance marketing? AI allows itself and lends itself to really impact performance marketing, having been and being been at, and being a fan of and student of advertising. To me, I think that AI allows us to lean in a bit more. I think we should continue to ask ourselves those questions. But the core approach from the creative side of things will still be there. What AI will allow us to do in the performance marketing world is lean into what I was referring to earlier, which is test and learn. What messages based on which audience. How do I sub segment, buying groups? How do I sub segment, even some of those additional segments, and in an effort to not spend so much time adapting creative to those sub segments or geographies or different business units inside an organization, right so each of those things allows, or would benefit from having a much more tailored approach to communications and AI should be leveraged from that perspective to lean into those kinds of things, helping you with testing and learning, helping you with sub segmenting, helping you with geographical segmentation, business unit segmentation, those kinds of things, you know, there’s multiple BU’s that are buying groups inside of a large technology organization, right? So to message them all the same would kind of be silly. Christian Klepp  06:12 Please, please. Christian Klepp  07:48 Absolutely, absolutely. Yeah, perhaps the better. But the better term, as opposed to saying threatening, is, how is it impacted B2B marketing might be a might be a better way of looking at it. Keith Turco  07:57 Yeah, I think, I think exactly that point, right? It’s impacting everything. But what I challenge everybody, when they say, oh, AI is going to threaten or kill or do, is like, Well, how do you embrace it, and how do you give it a hug, and how do you leverage it to evolve your approach from a marketing perspective, versus to get nervous about it and be more proactive instead of reactive in your approach to AI? Christian Klepp  08:23 Absolutely, absolutely so based on what you’ve said, like, what would you say are some of the key pitfalls that B2B marketing teams should avoid, and what should they be doing instead? Keith Turco  08:32 Really understanding what their ROI is, who the buying groups are? I know we keep coming back to that, right? But I think B2B marketers are also really focused on what their BDRs are up to and what kind of lead generation they can they can provide to their sales organizations. And I’d say go a bit further than that, right? It’s not just lead generation from a content syndication perspective, it’s a full funnel multimedia approach. We talk about this also, I think, in upcoming questions Christian because we prepped for the meeting, but the buying group is 7 to 10 people, and are you hitting the right people at the right time with the right message? So I think it’s important to take a look back at certain aspects of how you’re approaching your your marketing initiatives as you really unpack the strategy and look at things I don’t know if I answered the question though. Christian Klepp  09:38 Yeah. I mean, it’s basically about like, you know, these are the things that B2B marketers should be paying attention to. These are some of the things that they should be avoiding, right? And keeping the conversation constructive, as it were. Keith Turco  09:50 Yeah, and I think it’s important to set the KPIs for campaigns, optimize your media plans, and then multimedia, when I talk about that, specifically, multi-format. We’ve talked about what channels in the B2B space that might not have been tapped in the past, should be tapped, right? Some of the research we’ve done with with Harris poll also talked about the consumerization of the B2B space. So what mediums working in the B2C space that we can move over to the B2B space, which is why you’ll see that we launched audio earlier this year in our platform. But video is obviously a big play as well. So the B2B space is leaning into the TikToks and YouTubes of the world as well as audio. So video and audio are also mediums. I think it’s important for the B2B landscape to take a look at. I guess we’ve dubbed it B2B2C. Right at the end of the day, we’re all people that are consuming media, making business decision. Christian Klepp  10:54 Absolutely, absolutely. And I’m sure you’ve come across this camp, because I certainly have that basically, really want to draw that line in the sand and say, No, you know, that’s not transferable. You can’t use those same tactics in B2C, I tend to disagree, because it, like you said, like, it really, it really depends. It really depends also on the vertical you’re talking about. And going back again to who are we targeting with this, right? And that might be also you brought it up, one of the pitfalls is, like, you know, the lack of understanding of who you’re targeting. Because in B2B, it tends to be people in that buying group, right? Keith Turco  11:30 I think it’s important to recognize, you talked about tactics. Which tactics are people consuming and in a previous life, in a previous world, we called it the at work state of mind. And I think in the post covid era, you don’t work nine to five anymore, right? So when we talk about tactics and understanding your target and bringing those two things together, I might be on the treadmill in the morning listening to a podcast, still thinking about work, right? It’s not because I’m not at a desk or in the office anymore. Where should I hit them and why? And I think it’s important as we look at firmographics, we should also look at personal demographics of the buyers and the business decision makers. And, you know, marrying both demographics and firmographics will help figure out what the optimal media mix is. So on the drive to work, on the treadmill or the elliptical right, watching a video, listening to a podcast, you know, multi screen. So obviously, I’m sitting here with you with my phone in one hand, a big screen to the right on the other, and looking at my laptop. So, you know, people that multitask and/or consume different ways on different screens at different day parts. So it’s a combination of consumer and B2B, and the melding of the two come together, understanding that it’s not just a tactic B2B tactic play, but it’s a it’s a personal demographic in that decision maker and where they are. Christian Klepp  13:01 Yeah, yeah. No, that’s absolutely right. In our previous conversation, Keith, you talked about how the full funnel approach is critical in the B2B space. So please share with us what you would like more people to understand about this approach. Keith Turco  13:15 Yeah, I think I’ll talk about it from a Madison Logic perspective in particular. So from an activity based perspective, full funnel activity allows us to measure holistically and easier. You can absolutely measure it in a… there could be full funnel, but fragmented full funnel versus one system full funnel, which is Madison Logic’s full funnel, we partner with agencies and clients alike, to do some tactics in our funnel and some tactics outside of our funnel. Either way, full funnel is critical, because you need to hit 7 to 10 times to 7 to 10 buyers. So that’s a minimum of 50 communications that go out there, whether it’s inside a single platform, like Madison Logic or in combination with other platforms outside. So we can do both, and we work with both. The reason why we like full funnel in in our platform is that, again, it comes down to insights, intelligence and data. We’re not saying that your entire media spend should be spent in our funnel, but showing a full funnel activity of audio, display, CTV, content syndication allows us to gather the insights that you’re looking for, the data that you’re looking for, that then allows you to optimize your media mix, either inside of our funnel or next to our funnel in conjunction with it. Some of our clients will, you know, leverage our content syndication only. Others will do content syndication and display, but still by audio and video outside of it, and then others will do all for what we’re being leveraged for specifically is inside of a smaller subset, which is a test and learn, we can show which media mix works optimally against which segments and which targets by client, and then our agency partners, or our clients in particular, will take that media mix and then apply it to their entire media spend. So that’s what when we talk about full funnel, it’s also guaranteeing overlap at the account level and the individual level inside of our funnel. So it’s important that data is collected and then leveraged in a larger way. Christian Klepp  15:31 I hope I’m not trying to oversimplify what you just explained. But the way that I understand also like full funnel approach, the reason why you recommend that approach is also because of the way that people consume content differently and meeting them where they’re at, and also because we know that the buying committee, and we’ve all seen the diagrams, right? Like the diagrams of how the B2B sales envision, the target audience to assume to consume the content and the way they really do. And it’s really a haphazard diagram, isn’t it? Keith Turco  16:00 It’s no longer linear, right? Christian Klepp  16:04 No. Keith Turco  16:04 I think we approached it that way, but we’re finally admitting that it’s not. And I think your point’s really great in so much as you know, full funnel and buying groups, and again, there are groups, but each each group consists of 7 to 10 people that have different media consumption habits, so it’s important to hit them where where they are, and understanding that, and allowing, if you do a multi channel approach with us and we collect the data, we can say these sub segments of your buying group are consuming media on video, display and email. This sub segment is consuming on display video and content syndication, right? So it allows us to really provide the insights and intelligence needed to optimize the reduced spend that you have to better garner the ROI that you’re looking for.   Christian Klepp  17:02 Yeah, yeah. No, exactly, exactly. You’ve talked about it a little bit already, but like we know that in B2B, we’re mostly dealing with, as you said, a buying committee consisting of anywhere between 7 to 10 people. They all have different roles and responsibilities, different motivations for either using or not using said service provider or said approach. So how can teams implement, I would say B2B marketing initiatives that strategically address the buying committee’s concerns and questions. Keith Turco  17:34 It’s really gaining… I keep on going back to the same two words, and I apologize if I sound repetitive, right? But the insights and intelligence are critical to understand the buying groups, what they’re looking for. Let’s dissect it a little bit, right? So if you were to look at the top of the buying group chain, you’ve got C suite executives. Those C suite executives consume media in very different ways because they have very different schedules and are on the road quite a lot, so they’ll be listening to podcasts more than they’ll be watching a CTV kind of application that most will probably want to watch on a bigger screen versus a smaller screen, right? So it’s understanding which businesses decision makers are interested in what categories, right? So you’ve got C suite that sit across multiple views. You’ve got manager levels that are really focused on one specific business unit that will play very differently than, and the messaging to them will play very differently than a C suite person that is across multiple and then they tend to consume media in very different ways, both as individual people as well as from a professional standpoint. The more busy road runner type consumes media and snippets. And you know, we also talk about thumb stopping creative and thumb stopping messaging, because we know that they’re on their phones more than they are on an iPad or a laptop. So the insights that you get from that and the intelligence that you get from that data collection will help you be that much more effective when targeting different individuals inside of a buying group. Christian Klepp  19:16 And it’s also, I would say, about trying to close that trust cap, right? Because there is especially B2B, there’s this whole notion of like, people tend to trust slower, for lack of a better description. So there’s that effort, through that approach, to try to like, build that trust, build that credibility. Because it does take time. This isn’t something where you know they have to make a decision in 48 hours, right? It takes, it takes much longer. Keith Turco  19:42 And I think important, when you close the trust gap, you shorten the sales cycle. So when you shorten the sales cycle, it’s much quicker route, quicker route to ROI, that’s proven by both the marketing and sales team. So the quicker the trust gap is closed, the quicker the cycle happens. Christian Klepp  19:59 Exactly, exactly so. And based on that, like, what role does a performance based approach play in winning over the different members of the buying committee? And you’ve touched on some of these aspects already. Keith Turco  20:13 Again, that the knowledge that you gain from performance based approaches. Everything is measurable, right? Let’s pause for half a second there when we talk about performance marketing, which is obviously next gen of… it started as database marketing and then went into one to one marketing, and then it went into digital marketing, and now it’s performance marketing, because everything is measurable, the insights you collect from that absolutely make a difference, whereas traditional old school advertising of the 70s, 80s and even somewhat 90s was, let’s just hit them with a big message, right? I think it’s important to talk about performance marketing being branded response. Everything you do should both build a brand and elicit a response. So we’re not saying performance marketing at the risk of neglecting branding. We’re saying performance marketing inclusive of branding in the marketplace, so the loyalty and familiarity come to play. Christian Klepp  21:17 Yes, yes, exactly. I was going to say, if you were going to throw a brand out the window like Don Draper would come back and say, Hey, man… Keith Turco  21:25 Absolutely not. Brand is critical, because you are obviously to your point play on the loyalty side, right? And you know, affinity plays a big role in previous experience with existing brands, and people are loyal to certain brands, so we’re not throwing all of the traditional advertising metrics out the window either, but everything that, everything that we put in the marketplace, should play a dual role of building a brand and eliciting a measurable response. Christian Klepp  21:54 Yeah, that’s it. That’s it. So for this next question, not trying to scare anybody, but you guys did conduct a lot of research together with Harris Poll, and you came back with some really interesting figures, right? So one of them that you did together with Harris poll was shows that nearly 73% of marketing decision makers believe AI generated creative will define the future of advertising. So how will that fact alone replace traditional advertising as we know it? Keith Turco  22:27 I don’t think it replaces. I’ll go back to the same answer that we started at. I think it enhances, right? So 73% of the respondents absolutely see AI playing a role in their marketing and advertising, and it allows them to learn from the data that they collect, adapt and make changes quickly. It allows them to take into consideration geographical differences and business unit focused differences. It also allows you to take on the demographic insights, not just the firmographic insights, right? So if I know that Christian is living in Europe and is focused on certain business functions, but in his personal life, also likes to ski or golf, I’m oversimplifying it, right? But AI allows you to say, Oh, well, this visual will appeal to Christian. This cultural nuance and difference will appeal to Christian, and it allows you to hyper target in a much different way. That is we’ve advanced to that, had advanced to that pre AI, but it was a bit more manually intensive than it will be and is today from an AI based perspective. Christian Klepp  23:40 Now that you’ve explained it that way, that hopefully puts some of these doubts or fears a little bit to rest, because it’s an it’s an enhancement, or it should be viewed and treated as an enhancement mechanism, rather than a complete like disruption. Keith Turco  23:53 Absolutely, and that’s where, when I started, there is still a world where creativity is paramount, and that’s at the original conceptual stages, right? But what would take us months to make international adaptations and/or having three or four different pivot tables come together to say this creative with this copy block against this target audience with this message, so it’s the confluence of data that allows for easier output, from an AI perspective, to make it much more tailored to the desired consumer of that content. Christian Klepp  24:34 This same report that I mentioned previously, it also mentions that about 90% of companies are exploring new ways to reach audiences, and you did talk about that so but again, what are some of these channels and how will they impact the B2B marketing moving forward? Keith Turco  24:48 Yeah, first and foremost, you’re looking at social as a new avenue beyond the B2B LinkedIn social perspective, which plays a significant role in the B2B campaigns, but it’s also figuring out where Christian or Keith are consuming in their personal lives. So it’s not shocking that if you’re on Tiktok or Instagram or on our YouTube channel, that you’ll see some B2B messages that are out there. Early on, we knew from an event based perspective, that lots of business decision makers were watching golf, watching tennis. So sports has always and will continue to play a role, even in the B2B space. But it’s a good example of finding your consumer interests and where they overlap with your business interests. And it’s the same kind of thing from from that perspective, as well as understanding. I keep going back to the same message of Right place, right time, right audience, right segment. But so when you look at the new mediums, or the consumer based mediums, you know it’s understanding that where the personal interests come together with professional interests, and are they on Facebook? Are they on Instagram? Are they on YouTube? Are they on X and where are they playing, and how are they playing in those spaces, and where can I get the overlap? And, you know, from a business and personal perspective, also going back to day parts, right? Are they exercising on the treadmill at 5am, 6am, seven, 7am? Are they doing it in the PM? Are you catching them on their drive to and from the office? Maybe not five days a week anymore, but three days a week, right? Understanding, it’s funny, but you know, even dissecting the day of the week and how you you you buy media and how you serve it, right? So we know that if people are hybrid, they’re most of the time, they’re in the office Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and not necessarily in the office on Mondays and Fridays. So you might catch them in different aspects of different parts of the week as well, day parts days of the week. Christian Klepp  26:56 It’s really interesting that you bring that up, because I had a gentleman on a little bit earlier this year that spoke about what he called Time of Day Marketing, and what he meant by that is like, is Keith the same person, or does he consume the same content, as an example, right at lunchtime, in the afternoon or or in the evening, before it goes to bed? And knowing that, and it’s going back to your ability to analyze and aggregate that data and spot these trends, right? That will help people to determine, Okay, so based on this time of the day when this person is consuming that content, what would be the best and most effective channel to use to reach out to said person? Because it could be a different channel. Keith Turco  27:35 Yeah, definitely. And I think looking at, we called it day parts, right? It’s what day part makes the most sense against which target audience. And it’s it is especially now, because we can gather that information and see when they’re consuming so going back to your earlier questions around performance marketing. Used to be, let’s just run it and see. You know that you would, we would always buy media in day part, and you could even buy it, obviously, from a program based perspective, so you’re but really dissecting and understanding which day parts individuals from the buying group consume media to your point, am I during lunchtime? Am I toggling off of my business channels and onto my personal channels. And that’s where I think to the point you made, and the point I made, that’s where it comes together, is personal demographics associated with firmographics and business decision makers, and where we can find them in their personal lives, not just their professional lives. You don’t just work between the hours of nine and five anymore, and you don’t just think about work between the hours of nine and five. Christian Klepp  28:44 That’s it. That’s it. Yeah, Keith, I had one follow up question for you, and I know that this isn’t really social media, per se, but what’s your take on Reddit, and how significant Do you think that is to B2B? Keith Turco  28:52 I think it’s it’s making, it’s making a play in the B2B space, absolutely. And I think we’d be remiss not to understand the impact it has on the B2B space. Finally, I have just asked the team to double click on Reddit, literally in the last couple of business days, to see what you know, what the impact of Reddit can be, and can it be measured in the B2B space. So I definitely think. Man, I don’t know if I would classify it as a social channel, but it’s kind of a publishing social. It’s kind of a little bit both. Christian Klepp  29:29 It straddles that those worlds, as I like to call it, right, like, it’s a little bit. Yeah, it’s hybrid. There you go. There you go. Absolutely. Okay. So again, in our previous conversation, you mentioned that the most effective B2B campaigns will be ones that combine AI driven insights with creativity and multi channel orchestration to deliver personalization at scale. So that’s a slightly different take to what you said earlier. So could you. Please elaborate on that a bit. Keith Turco  30:01 The personalization at scale, I don’t know that I view it as different. I kind of view it same, right? Christian Klepp  30:08 Same, okay. Keith Turco  30:09 Because it allows you to personalize based on the different data points that you collect and information that you collect from performance marketing, right? So personalization at scale allows me to say, okay, Christian is different than Keith, who’s different than Joe, who all work in the same organization might make might overlap with 80% of their business decisions, and 20% will be standalone. So performance marketing is, if done properly, is personalization at scale. It allows you to scale on a much bigger level, to ensure that you can have the sub segments be personalized, and have the information that you serve up to them resonate based on their personal interests and business interests. Christian Klepp  30:56 Yeah, absolutely, I guess the trick. And you’ve probably seen this happen to this, there’s companies out there that are using the personalization at scale, or they’re approaching it the wrong way. I would say they try to go in under the guise of personalization, but what actually is a bit more of a veiled sales pitch. Keith Turco  31:13 I agree, and I think that if you, if you can really tap into where the world comes together, of personal and professional interests and apply that to the individual customer or consumer. You can truly personalize on what makes it tick, and I think personalization at scale isn’t just a creative comment, it’s a media comment, right? It’s I can personalize the media journey based on how I know Christian is consuming media throughout the day, so it’s where content and creativity match media consumption. Christian Klepp  31:49 Absolutely, absolutely okay. I’m going to ask you a soapbox question, if that’s okay with you. So let’s zero in on the topic of performance marketing, because that is your area. What is the status quo in performance marketing that you passionately disagree with, and why? Keith Turco  32:12 From a B2B performance marketing perspective, I think we talk about right place, right time, right message. And I think the status quo is that creative doesn’t matter, because if you serve the right message to the right person at the right time, creative won’t make an impact. And I’ll go back to branded response. I think the status quo is creative doesn’t play as big of role as it used to, and I would disagree, I talked about thumb stopping. You have to get people to stop, right? Because people are constantly scrolling and they’re being barraged with message after message after message. So what will resonate? And I do think that, you know, building a brand that has integrity, that creates loyalty. So to me, it’s the proper balance of brand and demand, or branded response that should be looked at again. I think we’ve probably taken a 10 year hiatus from that, and it was just about right message, right time. And it worked because it was thumb stopping at the time. But given the overload of messages, and exactly what we’re talking about, Christian of hitting people in their personal lives with professional messages, there’s an overload of messages that happen. So it’s kind of bringing all of your the soapbox questions, bringing all of your questions together, right? Which is what it’s intended to do. So it’s funny, because you you know you can absolutely understand that you can shorten the sales cycle by creating brand affinity. You talked about, is AI a threat to advertising. Actually, it’s an enhancement, because brand, to me, in my mind, still plays a significant role. And it’s bringing the two worlds together that will differentiate the top notch marketers of tomorrow. Christian Klepp  34:08 Absolutely, absolutely. And it goes back to something that you said earlier. I mean, this whole ecosystem is in a constant state of evolution, so marketers better learn to quote what you said, to embrace it, rather than to push back at it, right, or to push back on it, right? Keith Turco  34:24 I think the key is evolution. It’s not abandonment, right? And net new activities, right? So email was an evolution of direct mail. This display was an evolution of, you know, the 15 second video kind of thing, right? It’s how do we evolve, leverage what we’ve, what we know and what worked, and evolve it to make it better? It’s not necessarily, in my mind, a replacement of, sure, will it take the place of certain aspects of things, absolutely, but how can you use it to enhance and add versus feel threatened by it? Christian Klepp  35:03 Absolutely, absolutely. Keith, this conversation was dynamite. Thank you so much for coming on and for sharing your experience and expertise with the listeners. Quick introduction to yourself and how folks out there can get in touch with you. Keith Turco  35:15 Sure. Keith Turco, CEO of Madison Logic, you can find me on LinkedIn. Would love to talk to you about your business needs and how we can help you from ABM perspective. Christian Klepp  35:27 Fantastic, fantastic. Once again, Keith, thanks so much for coming on the show. It was a pleasure. Keith Turco  35:33 Thank you, Christian. You have a great day. Christian Klepp  35:34 Thanks. Bye bye.

In this episode, we welcome Steve Rog, CRO at Cyera, one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the world. Steve opens up about his journey from a technical networking background to becoming a high-impact leader in cybersecurity. We unpick how he landed one of the industry's most sought-after CRO roles and why Cyera's culture of humility and teamwork keeps them winning. Steve shares profound lessons on seeking out mentors, the critical importance of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) in delivery, and why he views leadership as a responsibility to help others reach their "ceiling".

Jason Lemkin is the founder of SaaStr, the world's largest community for software founders, and a veteran SaaS investor who has deployed over $200 million into B2B startups. After his last salesperson quit, Jason made a radical decision: replace his entire go-to-market team with AI agents. What started as an experiment has transformed into a new operating model, where 20 AI agents managed by just 1.2 humans now do the work previously handled by a team of 10 SDRs and AEs. In this conversation, Jason shares his hands-on experience implementing AI to run his sales org, including what works, what doesn't, and how the GTM landscape is quickly being transformed.We discuss:1. How AI is fundamentally changing the sales function2. Why most SDRs and BDRs will be “extinct” within a year3. What Jason is observing across his portfolio about AI adoption in GTM4. How to become “hyper-employable” in the age of AI5. The specific AI tools and tactics he's using that have been working best6. Practical frameworks for integrating AI into your sales motion without losing what works7. Jason's 2026 predictions on where SaaS and GTM are heading next—Brought to you by:DX—The developer intelligence platform designed by leading researchersVercel—Your collaborative AI assistant to design, iterate, and scale full-stack applications for the webDatadog—Now home to Eppo, the leading experimentation and feature flagging platform—Transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/we-replaced-our-sales-team-with-20-ai-agents—My biggest takeaways (for paid newsletter subscribers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/i/182902716/my-biggest-takeaways-from-this-conversation—Where to find Jason Lemkin:• X: https://x.com/jasonlk• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmlemkin• Website: https://www.saastr.com• Substack: https://substack.com/@cloud—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Jason Lemkin(04:36) What SaaStr does(07:13) AI's impact on sales teams(10:11) How SaaStr's AI agents work and their performance(14:18) How go-to-market is changing in the AI era(19:19) The future of SDRs, BDRs, and AEs in sales(22:03) Why leadership roles are safe(23:43) How to be in the 20% who thrive in the AI sales future(28:40) Why you shouldn't build your own AI tools(30:10) Specific AI agents and their applications(36:40) Challenges and learnings in AI deployment(42:11) Making AI-generated emails good (not just acceptable)(47:31) When humans still beat AI in sales(52:39) An overview of SaaStr's org(53:50) The role of human oversight in AI operations(58:37) Advice for salespeople and founders in the AI era(01:05:40) Forward-deployed engineers(01:08:08) What's changing and what's staying the same in sales(01:16:21) Why AI is creating more work, not less(01:19:32) Why Jason says these are magical times(01:25:25) The "incognito mode test" for finding AI opportunities(01:27:19) The impact of AI on jobs(01:30:18) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• Building a world-class sales org | Jason Lemkin (SaaStr): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-a-world-class-sales-org• SaaStr Annual: https://www.saastrannual.com• Delphi: https://www.delphi.ai/saastr/talk• Amelia Lerutte on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amelialerutte/• Vercel: https://vercel.com• What world-class GTM looks like in 2026 | Jeanne DeWitt Grosser (Vercel, Stripe, Google): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/what-the-best-gtm-teams-do-differently• Everyone's an engineer now: Inside v0's mission to create a hundred million builders | Guillermo Rauch (founder and CEO of Vercel, creators of v0 and Next.js): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/everyones-an-engineer-now-guillermo-rauch• Replit: https://replit.com• Behind the product: Replit | Amjad Masad (co-founder and CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/behind-the-product-replit-amjad-masad• ElevenLabs: https://elevenlabs.io• The exact AI playbook (using MCPs, custom GPTs, Granola) that saved ElevenLabs $100k+ and helps them ship daily | Luke Harries (Head of Growth): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-ai-marketing-stack• Bolt: https://bolt.new• Lovable: https://lovable.dev• Harvey: https://www.harvey.ai• Samsara: https://www.samsara.com/products/platform/ai-samsara-intelligence• UiPath: https://www.uipath.com• Denise Dresser on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denisedresser• Agentforce: https://www.salesforce.com/form/agentforce• SaaStr's AI Agent Playbook: https://saastr.ai/agents• Brian Halligan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianhalligan• Brian Halligan's AI: https://www.delphi.ai/minds/bhalligan• Sierra: https://sierra.ai• Fin: https://fin.ai• Deccan: https://www.deccan.ai• Artisan: https://www.artisan.co• Qualified: https://www.qualified.com• Claude: https://claude.ai• HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com• Gamma: https://gamma.app• Sam Blond on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-blond-791026b• Brex: https://www.brex.com• Outreach: https://www.outreach.io• Gong: https://www.gong.io• Salesloft: https://www.salesloft.com• Mixmax: https://www.mixmax.com• “Sell the alpha, not the feature”: The enterprise sales playbook for $1M to $10M ARR | Jen Abel: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-enterprise-sales-playbook-1m-to-10m-arr• Clay: https://www.clay.com• Owner: https://www.owner.com• Momentum: https://www.momentum.io• Attention: https://www.attention.com• Granola: https://www.granola.ai• Behind the founder: Marc Benioff: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/behind-the-founder-marc-benioff• Palantir: https://www.palantir.com• Databricks: https://www.databricks.com• Garry Tan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrytan• Rippling: https://www.rippling.com• Cursor: https://cursor.com• The rise of Cursor: The $300M ARR AI tool that engineers can't stop using | Michael Truell (co-founder and CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-rise-of-cursor-michael-truell• The new AI growth playbook for 2026: How Lovable hit $200M ARR in one year | Elena Verna (Head of Growth): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-new-ai-growth-playbook-for-2026-elena-verna• Pluribus on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/pluribus/umc.cmc.37axgovs2yozlyh3c2cmwzlza• Sora: https://openai.com/sora• Reve: https://app.reve.com• Everything That Breaks on the Way to $1B ARR, with Mailchimp Co-Founder Ben Chestnut: https://www.saastr.com/everything-that-breaks-on-the-way-to-1b-arr-with-mailchimp-co-founder-ben-chestnut/• The Revenue Playbook: Rippling's Top 3 Growth Tactics at Scale, with Rippling CRO Matt Plank: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3eYtzBpjRw• 10 contrarian leadership truths every leader needs to hear | Matt MacInnis (Rippling): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/10-contrarian-leadership-truths—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com

David Stifter spent 20 years as head of technology at Colony Capital, managing systems for a $60 billion private equity real estate firm. When a longtime AP specialist retired, the company lost its institutional knowledge for coding complex invoices across thousands of entities and tenant relationships. After a year evaluating RPA, template-based approaches, and early OCR solutions, David recognized that structured historical data—invoices paired with their coding—could train AI models to capture implicit business rules. Five years ago, at 40 with young children, he left his executive role to build PredictAP. The company now processes tens of thousands of invoices monthly for firms including Bridge Investment Group, demonstrating how operational expertise combined with AI can solve problems that pure technology approaches miss. Topics Discussed Identifying AI use cases with structured annotated data and human feedback loops  Moving from CTO buyer to vendor founder and discovering which networks actually convert  Building repeatable sales motion after exhausting warm introductions  Technology adoption barriers in real estate and the domain expertise requirement for vertical SaaS  Hiring sales leadership to scale from founder-led to systematic pipeline generation  Solving complete workflow integration challenges beyond isolated technical problems GTM Lessons For B2B Founders Match technical approach to problem structure, not trend: David identified three critical elements for his AI application: structured annotated data from historical invoice coding, recognizable patterns in implicit business rules, and human review as a feedback mechanism. He notes many founders "try to shove AI, the AI hammer to smash any nail, but they're not always the best use case." Six years ago, before modern LLMs, he used historical invoice-coding pairs as training data—solving the annotation problem that plagued early machine learning. Founders should evaluate whether their problem has the structural characteristics that make a given technology approach viable, rather than applying trending solutions to force market fit. Network quality reveals itself when you need something: David contrasts two early investors: a former acquisitions executive who promised extensive connections but delivered "not a single callback" after leaving their role, versus an asset manager who generated "hundreds" of leads through genuine relationships. The acquisitions person experienced "an existential crisis" realizing "my network was based upon my ability to have a massive checkbook behind me." Founders should recognize that network strength isn't tested until you're asking rather than giving—those who built relationships through consistent helpfulness rather than transactional power will see different response rates when they launch. Architect the founder-led to systematic sales transition: After two years of founder-led sales, David "hit that wall" and brought in Steve Farrell, prioritizing experience scaling from $3-5M to $20M ARR over industry-specific expertise. He notes warm intro calls are "very to the point" while cold outreach "starts hostile or skeptical"—requiring entirely different trust-building approaches. The shift required adding BDRs, AEs, and systematic content generation. Founders should hire sales leadership with specific stage experience before network depletion forces reactive hiring, and expect to rebuild positioning for skeptical buyers who lack pre-existing trust. Integrate solutions into existing workflow infrastructure: David emphasizes the failure mode of optimized point solutions: "They have a perfect solution from the technical problem but it's not going to work for this firm because it's not going to fit into their workflow." He maps the complete experience including integration with existing systems, training requirements, user experience, consistency, and speed. Technical superiority in isolation leads to "problems with adoption and retention." Founders should map every system, process, and stakeholder their solution touches, designing for workflow integration rather than isolated problem-solving. Sequence customer sophistication as you scale beyond innovators: David's initial customers were "leading edge folks" from his technology network who understood AI potential. As PredictAP matured, sales cycles became "much longer" with more conservative firms requiring higher proof thresholds. He learned that "initial sales have to be very successful and you have to have customers that advocate for you" because mainstream buyers need extensive social proof. Founders should recognize that early adopter ICP differs fundamentally from mainstream buyers—what closes innovators (technology potential) differs from what closes pragmatists (proven ROI and references), requiring distinct positioning and sales approaches for each segment. // 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

If you've got a BDR setting appointments and an outside sales rep closing deals, here's a question that comes up constantly with MSPs: Should your AE also be generating their own pipeline? In a perfect world, here's the ideal setup: your setter fills a third to half of the AE's calendar, and the AE fills the rest themselves. Why not just have marketing and the BDR handle it all? Multiple reasons. BDRs turn over—it's often an entry-level role with higher volatility, and you don't want your pipeline to have that same volatility. Different channels work at different times, and you need consistency when one isn't performing. But here's the bigger reason most people overlook: when your outside rep is hunting, they're doing R&D for your entire business. They're hearing objections, questions, what competitive offers look like, what prospects say at the beginning of the cycle. Sales is a massive source of research and development if you just listen. Plus, I want my reps to stay hungry—Andy Grove said "success leads to complacency, only the paranoid survive." If appointments just show up on their calendar, they'll complain about lead quality and take it for granted. This episode breaks down why consistency, redundancy, hunger, and real-world intel make this approach essential for building a sales machine that doesn't rely on any single channel or person.

A flexibilização das regras de acesso aos BDRs e o aumento do interesse por ativos internacionais mudaram o cenário do investimento de forma expressiva nos últimos anos. Confira os detalhes no #MinutoB3#Investimentos #BDRs #MercadoEste conteúdo foi gerado por inteligência artificial #PraTodosVerem: você pode ativar a legenda automática deste vídeo.

In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, our hosts John Kaplan and John McMahon are joined by Dan Fougere, a venture partner at Index Ventures and former CRO of Datadog. Dan shares insights from his extensive sales career, emphasizing the importance of developing adaptive and context-specific sales playbooks. He discusses the evolution of PLG (Product-Led Growth) strategies, the integration of AI in sales processes, and the critical need for continuous learning and adaptability. The episode also touches on Dan's philanthropic efforts, including his involvement with Homes for Our Troops and other charitable initiatives.ADDITIONAL RESOURCESConnect and learn more from Dan Fougere.Connect with Dan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfougere/Support Homes For Our Troops: https://www.hfotusa.orgSupport Imagine Reading: https://imaginereading.com/Support No Person Left Behind Outdoors: https://www.nplboutdoors.orgRead the Guide on Six Critical Priorities for Revenue Leadership in 2026: https://hubs.li/Q03JN74V0Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT[00:02:24] Advice for New Sales Leaders[00:02:52] Adapting Sales Playbooks[00:03:27] The Importance of Flexibility in Sales Strategies[00:03:54] Understanding Product-Led Growth (PLG)[00:06:44] Case Study: Datadog's Sales Evolution[00:07:57] Challenges in Scaling Sales Strategies[00:08:51] Building a Sales Organization for the Future[00:12:14] The Role of a CRO in Modern Sales[00:14:48] Adapting to Market Changes[00:26:23] Traits of Effective Sales Leaders[00:34:03] The Tip of the Spear: Leading from the Front[00:34:16] Medallia: Building a Sales Process from Scratch[00:36:58] Profile of a Successful Sales Leader[00:37:47] Recruiting and Building a High-Performance Team[00:39:25] The Importance of High Standards in Hiring[00:52:41] AI's Impact on Sales and Forecasting[01:02:07] Giving Back: Charitable EndeavorsHIGHLIGHT QUOTES[00:03:21] “A big mistake is trying to force fit a playbook from a previous company into a new company.”[00:06:01] “Approach it with a beginner's mind… it's actually an advantage you only get once.”[00:10:55] “Build your outbound before you need it, because at some point you're going to need it.”[00:13:33] “98.5% of companies realize, ‘I wish I had a great sales organization to go with this great PLG motion.'”[00:19:07] “The thing that tops people out is the inability to adapt and collaborate—they become too rigid.”[00:22:25] “If you know in your heart your team is mediocre, you're never going to be great. Raise those standards.”[00:31:36] “Don't just assume you can get rid of BDRs and have AI do it. I don't see anybody telling me that's working yet." Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this comprehensive session, SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin dives into the latest trends and developments in AI, particularly in the go-to-market (GTM) sector. The session outlines how innovative AI tools are transforming businesses, from AI SDRs and BDRs to forward-deployed engineers. Leaders in the industry are pushing the boundaries, showing higher growth rates and superior marketing efficiency. We also discuss the importance of hands-on deployment and training of AI tools to achieve success, and analyze the current and future impact of AI on B2B companies. Tune in for detailed insights and learn how to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving world of AI. --------------------- 

This episode is Sponsored in part by Salesforce:

 Connect data, automate busywork and empower teams like nobody's business with the one platform that grows with you, every step of the way. Learn how Salesforce works for Startups at salesforce.com/smb.   --------------------- This episode is Sponsored in part by Intercom:
 Fin is the #1 AI Agent for resolving complex queries like refunds, transaction disputes, and technical troubleshooting—all with speed and reliability. See how Fin can deliver the highest resolution rates and highest-quality customer experience at fin.ai/saastr.  --------------------- If you're serious about B2B and AI, you need to be in London this December.   SaaStr AI London is bringing together more than 2,000 leaders and founders for two days of practical advice on scaling into the new year.    We'll have speakers flying in from OpenAI, Wiz, Clay, Intercom, and all your favorite SaaS companies, including yours truly with Harry Stebbings for a live 20VC podcast. It'll be fun, and it's all in the heart of London.    Don't miss out: get your tickets with my exclusive discount by going to podcast.saastrlondon.com   ---------------------   Hey everybody, the biggest B2B + AI event of the year will be back - SaaStr AI in the SF Bay Area, aka the SaaStr Annual, will be back in May 2026.    With 68% VP-level and above, 36% CEOs and founders and a growing 25% AI-first professional, this is the very best of the best S-tier attendees and decision makers that come to SaaStr each year.     But here's the reality, folks: the longer you wait, the higher ticket prices can get. Early bird tickets are available now, but once they're gone, you'll pay hundreds more so don't wait.    Lock in your spot today by going to podcast.saastrannual.com to get my exclusive discount SaaStr AI SF 2026. We'll see you there.

Send us a textIn this episode we interview Molly Evola, Senior Content Marketing Manager at Customer.io. She shares a practical, system-first approach to turning everyday work into clear, consistent content. What you'll learn in this episode:How to unify product, marketing, sales, and lifecycle voices into one brand story—and keep it human to human. A simple hub-and-spoke plan: publish a guide, then repurpose it across email, blog, LinkedIn zero-click posts, and sales outreach. The operating system: an editorial Notion plan, a content request form that starts with “why” and “where,” and a quarterly roadmap. Editorial syncs with product to weave feature releases and larger themes into a single narrative. SME capture that respects schedules: 10–15 minute interviews, quick voice notes, and light editing that preserves personality. Fast workflows with transcripts from Zoom/Gong/Riverside and LLMs for outlines, pull-quotes, and structure. Sales-led content that drives pipeline: customer stories, tactical how-tos, and assets AEs and BDRs can send today. Internal promotion that actually gets seen: Slack callouts, an enablement newsletter, and Monday standups. 

Ashley Lewin has audited 30+ companies in her career and seen the same pattern: marketing teams stuck chasing MQLs while revenue stalls. In this episode, Carolyn and Trevor dig into Ashley's perspective on why MQLs keep organizations trapped in short-term thinking, and how she's applying those lessons now as Head of Marketing at Aligned.We talk through what it takes to stand up a marketing function from scratch at a hybrid PLG + sales-assisted company, why implementing HubSpot's Lead object was a foundational bet, and how “fail fast” disqualification changed the way BDRs and sales managers manage their pipeline. Ashley also shares her playbook for winning executive buy-in: showing CEOs a predictable growth equation that replaces lead volume with qualified pipeline and product activation.What You'll Learn:Why 30+ audits taught Ashley that MQLs create waste, not growth.How to split the funnel: PLG activations vs. sales-assisted pipeline.The power of clean infrastructure: standing up a true lead object in HubSpot.Why “fail fast” leads to better conversion, stronger feedback loops, and less waste.How to navigate culture change so sales isn't afraid to close lost.Why exec scorecards (not dashboards) determine whether change sticks.If your growth plan still relies on lead math, you're running on outdated assumptions. Ashley shows how to build a system that actually scales revenue, not just reporting.

In this episode of GTM Live, Carolyn joins the Growth Activated Podcast as a guest to unpack one of the biggest blind spots in GTM today: what actually happens before an opportunity is created.99% of GTM teams still can't see this stage clearly. It's the “grey area” where SDRs and BDRs are grinding—sending emails, making calls, chasing signals, running sequences—all in the hope of booking a meeting that turns into pipeline.The problem? None of this activity is tracked in a clear, causal way. Leaders only see pipeline “sources” (marketing, sales, SDR), which hides the bigger story. Pipeline isn't a source—it's a chain reaction. A trigger sparks sales work, a series of events unfolds, and only some of those reliably convert to opportunities. Most of it? Invisible. That's why pipeline creation still feels like guesswork.Carolyn explains why source-based reporting and last-touch attribution keep teams stuck, and how to instrument the pre-opportunity “factory floor” with simple metrics that expose what's really working. Key Topics in this Episode:[00:10] Carolyn's journey: 4x Head of Marketing → CEO of Passetto[07:30] The Pipeline Black Box: why pre-opp activity is invisible[09:20] Using triggers to understand what really starts sales work[14:00] Inside the factory: connect rate, time-to-meeting, qual rate, DQs[22:40] Client insight: MQLs drain resources[27:50] KPIs to rethink: drop department-source, own pipeline as a system[30:45] For marketing leaders: accountability over defense[41:55] Annual planning: fight inertia, build visibility first[44:50] Where to find Carolyn & learn more about Passetto—This episode is powered by ⁠Passetto⁠, a GTM advisory and instrumentation software company with a solution that eliminates the Pipeline Black Box™, the critical data hidden inside every GTM engine where leaders are flying blind when it matters most.

Investir fora do Brasil pode parecer complicado, mas existem caminhos simples e acessíveis para diversificar sua carteira. Neste episódio do Momento Sicredi Conexão, o analista de investimentos Fernando César Lemos explica como funcionam os BDRs (Brazilian Depositary Receipts) e os ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds), e de que forma eles podem aproximar você do mercado internacional.Para mais conteúdos sobre economia e investimentos, acompanhe também o Canal Conexão Econômica, no WhatsApp.

This episode of the OnBase Podcast features a compelling discussion with Nick Webb on the power of a modern go-to-market strategy. Host Paul Gibson and Nick explore the challenges of navigating organizational change and the critical shift from high-volume, low-quality lead generation to a targeted ABM/ABX approach. Nick shares the story of how CloudPay transformed its pipeline by moving from "net fishing" to "spear fishing," a move that quadrupled its sales pipeline.The conversation reveals why sales and marketing alignment is non-negotiable and how data-driven decisions provide the confidence needed to make bold changes. Nick details the hurdles, the mindset shifts, and the specific KPIs that were essential to driving this monumental transformation. This episode is a masterclass for any B2B leader looking to build a scalable and effective growth engine.Key TakeawaysQuality Over QuantityGenerating thousands of leads is meaningless if it doesn't translate to pipeline. Focusing on an agreed-upon ICP is the foundation of a successful GTM strategy.Shared KPIs Drive AlignmentShifting marketing's core KPI from lead volume to dollar-value pipeline ensures both sales and marketing are working toward the same goal.Data is Your Ally in ChangeUse data to prove the need for change and validate new strategies. Data-backed insights overcome resistance and build trust across teamsIt's a Partnership Not a HandoffThe old model of marketing throwing leads over the fence is broken. A modern GTM requires genuine collaboration where sales and marketing are fully integrated.Rethink Your TerminologyCalling leads "signals" reframes the follow-up process, shifting focus from pursuing an individual to understanding account-level interest.Quotes"Gone are the days where marketing people could get away with not knowing their numbers. We have to carry a number just like sales people do."Best Moments (07:22) – The Damascene Moment Nick details the realization that generating 3x more leads was actually causing the sales pipeline to fall.(09:38) – From Net Fishing to Spear Fishing The core analogy that drove CloudPay's strategic shift to a targeted ABM/ABX model.(14:25) – The New Playbook How CloudPay revolutionized its operations by changing KPIs, moving BDRs into marketing, and renaming leads to "signals."(20:00) – Overcoming Resistance Nick outlines the three groups of people in any change scenario and how to build momentum with advocates and data.(33:27) – Stopping the Attribution Wars The decision to stop attributing leads to specific departments and why it immediately ended internal friction.Shout-OutsKate Cox - CEO, Bray Leino.Tim Johnson - Field CTO, Gaming, Databricks.Andy McFarlane - VP of Marketing, Morse Micro.About the GuestNick Webb has more than 25 years of Marketing experience in world-class technology and fintech organisations, including Vodafone, Microsoft and WorldFirst. Now, as Chief Marketing Officer of CloudPay, Nick leads the Marketing team to build market awareness and drive business growth through the creation of a pipeline of leads and prospects for the Sales teams.Connect with Nick.

Should you hire BDRs or full cycle sales reps? Mark Niemiec, CRO of Salesloft thinks companies are shifting budgets away from BDR teams. At Salesloft, they already made the switch from sales engagement platform to what they call revenue orchestration.Mark's perspective: AE-generated pipeline converts 3-4x better than BDR pipeline. He predicts the BDR role that became popular around 2012 may not exist by 2026. The economics that created the BDR boom - cheap money and abundant VC funding - are gone.Mark runs revenue for a company that serves 5,000+ customers. Salesloft has captured 5-6 billion sales data points over time. When he talks about fundamental changes in B2B sales process, you listen.Mark answers the questions sales leaders are asking: Should you cut your BDR team? How does AI account planning actually work? What's the difference between sales engagement platforms and revenue orchestration? And why do most cold pitches to CROs fail?What Mark covers:

In this episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, Clinton James (CMO, Water Restoration Marketing) sits down with Leah Hanlon (Franchise Sales & Business Development, 1-Tom-Plumber & Icon Property Rescue) to unpack exactly how restoration companies can land more commercial contracts in 2025.If you've struggled to break into the commercial market or you're ready to scale past residential feast-or-famine work, this conversation gives you the blueprint. Clinton and Leah walk through the traits of successful business development reps (BDRs), why professionalism and persistence win in commercial sales, and how your digital presence can make or break your outreach.What You'll Learn in This Episode:How to hire and train BDRs that build real trust with commercial decision-makersProven sales practices that open doors and keep you top-of-mindWhy your website, Google Business Profile, and reviews are credibility checks you can't ignoreHow to feature your BDRs online and build social proof with past commercial workThe growth system that happens when sales and marketing work togetherThis isn't theory it's the exact playbook top restoration companies are using right now to win long-term, high-value commercial contracts.Learn More About Adding a 1-Tom-Plumber Franchise with Leah:https://www.1tpfranchise.com/water-restoration-marketing/Want Personalized Help?Schedule a Free Discovery Call with Clinton (Water Restoration Marketing):https://waterrestorationmarketing.com/discovery-call/

Have you wondered why military teams have crystal clear expectations while business teams often operate in a "fricking void" of clarity? In this episode (complete with surprise appearances from Matt's son), Cam and Otis dive deep with Matt Granados, founder of Life Pulse Inc., on the missing link between expectations and performance."You have to articulate what the expectations are," Matt explains, "but then the key is you have to properly equip your people to be able to live up to them." It's this combination that's often missing in business leadership.From the fascinating distinction between high performance (unsustainable pace) and optimal performance (sustainable excellence) to the provocative question of whether we're forcing growth on people who don't need it, this conversation challenges conventional wisdom about team development. Matt even shares the four levels of performance that transform how leaders view their teams: lazy, unaware, high potential, and the elusive optimal performance.Whether you're leading a team that's struggling with clarity or you're wondering if your own "high performance" might be burning you out, Matt's practical insights offer a refreshing alternative to the "microwave theory" of leadership development.Special Link for 10x Your Team Listeners: https://www.lifepulseinc.com/coMore About Matt:Matt Granados is the founder and CEO of Life Pulse Inc., where he teaches organizations how to stop treating symptoms and finally fix their people problems—for good. A two-time #1 international bestselling author and in-demand speaker, Matt's work is grounded in real-world results, not theories. His proprietary Life Pulse Methodology fuses structure with mindset to create “Perpetual Development”—a practical, scalable system that builds high-performing individuals and teams from the inside out. Matt first proved his power by turning a Craigslist-hired crew into a $40 million sales force. Today, clients like Google, Twitter, and the U.S. Air Force use his system to improve performance, reduce burnout, and transform culture at every level. Whether he's working with executives or entry-level employees, Matt helps people take ownership of their growth and leaders build teams that run on purpose—not pressure.#10xYourTeam #TeamClarity #LeadershipDevelopment #HighPerformanceTeams #OptimalPerformance #TeamGrowth #BusinessLeadership #EmployeeDevelopment #PerformanceCulture #SustainableExcellence #LeadershipInsights #TeamEquipping #PurposeDrivenLeadership #LifePulseMethod #TeamTransformation #NextLevelLeadershipChapter Times and Titles:Setting Clear Expectations [00:00 - 18:52]Introduction to Matt GranadosThe importance of articulating standardsProperly equipping people to meet expectationsThe Military-Business Disconnect [18:53 - 25:00]"Why is it a fricking void in the business world?"Otis's experience with written expectations in the ArmyThe transition challenges for military leaders entering businessThe "All Boats Rise" Philosophy [25:01 - 42:00]Creating a culture where everyone improvesThe "microwave theory" of leadershipBuilding sustainable growth systemsA Family Interruption (and Proud Grandpa Moment) [42:01 - 43:05]Matt's son makes a surprise appearance"It's a family show!"The human side of leadership conversationsThe Four Levels of Performance [43:06 - 46:09]Lazy, unaware, high potential, high performanceThe critical fifth level: optimal performanceWhy do we force unnecessary growth on peopleHigh Performance vs. Optimal Performance [46:10 - 50:38]"High performers: high output, unsustainable pace"The subtle but drastic differencesFinding the sustainable sweet spotElevating the Whole Team [50:39 - End]The Salesforce example of valuing BDRs and SDRsTreating entry-l

A ampliação dos tickers aumentam as possibilidades de estratégias dos investidores no Mercado a Termo. Confira os detalhes no #MinutoB3 de hoje.#MercadoaTermo #Investimentos #BDRsEste conteúdo foi gerado por inteligência artificial

We sat down with sales legend Leslie Venetz and CRO School co-founder Adem Manderovic to untangle why outbound is still stuck in 2011—and how modern SDRs and BDRs can fix it fast.Outbound targets have never been tougher, yet teams keep blasting buyers with the same tired sequences. In this no-fluff chat, we unpack a buyer-first framework that swaps brute-force tactics for trust-led outreach and market validation.Tune in and learn:+ The “earn the right” test Leslie uses before every email or call+ How to rebuild SDR metrics around market validations - fast+ Why AI tools like Clay help only when you start with real buyer insightThis episode is a must-watch if you're serious about building a profit-generating pipeline without burning trust (or your team).-----------------------------------------------------

Would you like access to our advanced agency training for FREE? https://www.agencymastery360.com/training Ever wonder what separates a $1M agency from a $30M agency? It's not just better SEO or more employees. It's how you run the business behind the scenes. We sat down with today's featured guest to dig into what's powered his insane growth from barely crossing seven figures back when we first met… to now staring down $35–$40 million in pure service revenue. He's sharing some great advice on the evolution of his role as CEO, his new-found love for podcasting, and all kinds of golden nuggets for agency currently in the “no man's land”. Chris Dreyer is the CEO of Rankings.io, a law firm marketing services agency that delivers exceptional results for attorneys without compromising on customer service. He'll discuss his agency's substantial growth from under a million to over $30 million in revenue, his reliance on data and key performance indicators (KPIs), the transformative role of AI in various aspects of his operations, the importance of in-person client meetings for building relationships, and much more. If you're still guessing your numbers or putting off tracking your team's time — you'll want to pay attention. In this episode, we'll discuss: The CEO's true job. Hidden agency growing pains. The key to client happiness. In-person hustle and outbound sales. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources This episode is brought to you by Wix Studio: If you're leveling up your team and your client experience, your site builder should keep up too. That's why successful agencies use Wix Studio — built to adapt the way your agency does: AI-powered site mapping, responsive design, flexible workflows, and scalable CMS tools so you spend less on plugins and more on growth. Ready to design faster and smarter? Go to wix.com/studio to get started. Why Data Became Like a Religion Back when Chris and I first locked ourselves in a tiny Atlanta room for a workshop, Rankings.io was barely peeking over the $1M mark. He was still deciding who to serve and how. Fast forward about 8-9 years to today, and he says there's no bigger reason for his success than his top-to-bottom data obsession. Most agency owners track just enough to feel busy: a few pipeline numbers, maybe close rates if they're fancy. But Chris tracks everything. He knows the lifetime value of a client paying $5K a month versus $10K a month. He knows exactly how each account manager's retention rate impacts revenue. He even scores sales reps like a fantasy football league. And it's not just vanity metrics. If an account manager is great at keeping clients but terrible at preserving the original retainer size, they fix it. If time tracking shows poor utilization? They fix it. It's relentless. The big unlock for him was getting a real CFO to build this machine — and shifting from QuickBooks to more robust systems like Sage. No more flying blind or hoping for the best. If you don't know your LTV, churn, win rates, and retention by the exact dollar, you're leaving growth up to luck. How AI Became His Secret Weapon (and Why You Should Care) Most agency owners dabble in AI: a blog here, a few prompts there. Chris has gone full cyborg. Every single month, his team uploads their entire reporting package into ChatGPT. They don't just glance at dashboards — they get an AI board of advisors that points out trends, flags issues, and even suggests campaigns based on sales funnel leaks. If they have clients applying but not booking, the AI says: launch a re-engagement sequence. If they're not sure why the expense spike looks off, the AI will cross-check it with your event calendar. Chris used to hate looking at financials — now AI does the heavy lifting. When it comes to AI agents, they're not doing as much and prefer to use AI assistants for content, link building, and optimization. He even has an AI board of advisers with different personalities. This isn't replacing people. It's leveling them up. It's like strapping a rocket to every role — so you can do more without burning out your team. If you're not leaning on AI for context and next steps, you're probably making slower (and worse) decisions than your competitors. The CEO's True Job: Gotta Catch ‘em All Now that he's running an agency pushing $40M in service revenue (not pass-through, real revenue) Chris defines his role as: “Playing people Pokemon. Gotta catch ‘em all. I get the clients, and my president keeps them.” He sets the vision, runs point on marketing and sales, hosts the podcast, and stays the face of Rankings.io. Meanwhile, his right-hand man, Stephen, owns retention and delivery. This split lets Chris hunt big opportunities without getting bogged down in fulfillment fires. It's the perfect example of how an owner's role must evolve. If you're still stuck in the weeds, wearing every hat, and calling that “leadership” — you're capping your agency's growth. The goal isn't to do everything. It's to build a team that does everything better than you ever could alone. And Chris's story is living proof. The Hidden Growing Pains Nobody Warns You About Ever heard of the dreaded “no man's land” for agencies? For Chris, it began after he crossed the $8M to $10M mark and things got painfully awkward fast. In this stage, you're forced to hire the roles that don't directly bring in revenue: HR, finance, middle managers. Suddenly, your once-scrappy margins start leaking everywhere. It feels counterintuitive, all these new salaries, and yet no extra billables. But here's the catch: this is the awkward but necessary step that'll set you up with the infrastructure to move from $10M to $15M, $20M or beyond. This is generally the zone where you feel like an imposter CEO — one foot in the hustle, one foot in the corporate world you swore you'd never build. The truth is, every growing agency owner faces this inflection point. And if you get it right, you build a structure that can handle scale. If you get it wrong, you risk staying stuck at the same revenue ceiling year after year. You Can't Turn It Off — And Maybe That's Okay Most founders agree they find it difficult to turn their business brain off, and honestly, they don't want to. Business is the hobby. While their kids are at soccer practice, their brain is rewriting the service agreement or tweaking a proposal. Sure, there's a cost. Vacations come with podcast episodes in the car. Weekends sometimes mean scanning P&L spreadsheets. But, as Jason and Chris admit: the key to staying sane isn't to “balance it perfectly” — it's to have the right partner who gets the obsession. Because when you're building a business that supports dozens, even hundreds of families, switching it off just isn't realistic. So you find the support system that lets you go all in and come home for dinner. Why Core Values Actually Matter Early on, you might roll your eyes at “company core values.” Chris admits he did and saw it as just a lot of fluff. But once you're managing 50, 100, or more people, vague values don't cut it — you need a shared language to protect the culture. His agency now runs on three non-negotiables: Excellence (do great work, always) Execution (don't just talk, get it done) Grit (stick with hard things for the long haul) While he used to rely on platitudes like “team player” — he sees now that the wrong person will be weeded out fast as long as the core values are clear. He also bails at the mention of “work-life balance” in an interview. Because for this team, the culture is built for people who like working hard. The Surprising Key to Client Happiness Think your killer case studies will keep clients happy forever? Think again. Client happiness is very subjective and your biggest churn risk isn't bad work — it's bad relationships. Sure, you can track Net Promoter Scores all day. But real retention comes from catching early warning signs, which Chris calls “saves”. A client going quiet, missing calls, or hinting they're not vibing with an account manager should be signs to take action, if you start tracking them, as he has. And here's the overlooked move more agencies need to revive: visit your clients in person. Everyone's got Zoom fatigue. Booking a flight and breaking bread goes a long way toward making you not just a vendor, but a trusted partner. How In-Person Hustle and Outbound Hunting Keep You on Top Even with all the fancy dashboards, AI copilots, and mega forecasting tools, Chris and his president still jump on planes to shake hands with clients. They even budget for it. When you're running a high-ticket service where each client can be worth $125,000 or more over their lifetime, dropping a couple grand to show up in person is a no-brainer. It's how you show you care more than the next guy who's sending templated emails and hiding behind Slack. Chris's take is simple: Want to stand out? Do what you say you're going to do. Show up. Make your clients look like heroes. When a big-name CEO flies out to see you — even if you didn't sell them the deal — you remember that. Big relationships should get the handshake treatment. Using AI for Confidence in an Agency Acquisition Chris didn't buy another agency until he was already pushing $30 million, while most owners pull that trigger way earlier to leapfrog plateaus. Why wait? According to Chris, he didn't have the confidence to do it. Until AI changed that. He used ChatGPT to run diligence questions, draft the LOI, check for financial holes, and sanity-check the entire earnout structure. Sure, he has a great CFO — but that AI second brain made the whole thing faster and way less intimidating. Now that he's got the first deal under his belt, he's hungry for more. That's how scale works: get clarity, take the shot, rinse and repeat. Pro tip: If you're scared to buy, partner, or hire, dump your numbers into AI. Ask it what it would worry about if it were buying you. It'll show you every skeleton in the closet — so you can fix them now. Why Outbound Sales is Your Insurance Policy Chris used to be very resistant to doing outbound but now it is saving him from the Google rollercoaster. Inbound is sexy when it works. But we all know it can be feast or famine. Algorithms change. Referrals dry up. And you're stuck hoping this month's pipeline looks like last month's. After getting tired of hoping, Chris built an outbound team that's now about 30 people deep. He's got BDRs making 50 high-quality calls a day, sending out handwritten notes with books, running multi-channel outreach, and gifting prospects to cut through the noise. Each practice area has its own sales enablement rep feeding lists, building sequences, and arming the closers with context. It's consistent and it means Rankings.io can hunt, not just fish. Big lesson: if you don't control at least three lead sources (inbound, outbound, and strategic partners), your agency's growth is on borrowed time. Don't put all your eggs in Google's basket. Outbound is insurance. Do You Want to Transform Your Agency from a Liability to an Asset? Looking to dig deeper into your agency's potential? Check out our Agency Blueprint. Designed for agency owners like you, our Agency Blueprint helps you uncover growth opportunities, tackle obstacles, and craft a customized blueprint for your agency's success.

show notes

This week on Revenue Rehab, Brandi Starr is joined by Sherry Grote, creator of the Harmony Hero framework and a B2B marketing leader with 25+ years transforming brands and driving revenue. Sherry believes marketing and HR hold untapped power as revenue accelerators—but only if their voices are amplified beyond traditional roles and given real influence in the boardroom. Challenging the status quo that sidelines these functions, Sherry argues that true revenue growth hinges on aligning people, brand, and culture—not just products and pipelines. If you're ready to rethink where brand power really drives the bottom line, tune in—and decide if Sherry's perspective changes your mind.  Episode Type: Problem Solving - Industry analysts, consultants, and founders take a bold stance on critical revenue challenges, offering insights you won't hear anywhere else. These episodes explore common industry challenges and potential solutions through expert insights and varied perspectives.  Bullet Points of Key Topics + Chapter Markers: Topic #1: Marketing & HR—The Undervalued Revenue Drivers [04:44]  Sherry Grote boldly argues that marketing and HR are essential drivers of revenue and brand but are consistently marginalized in executive decision-making. She challenges the conventional belief that marketing is a “faucet you can just turn on” and spotlights how HR's influence on culture is chronically overlooked—particularly damaging “in an artificial everything world.” Brandi Starr echoes the misalignment, noting most companies pigeonhole this partnership as “marketing giving HR tchotchkes,” prompting a debate on the true strategic potential of these functions when united.  Topic #2: Boardroom Influence—Turning Up the Volume on Brand Voices [07:14]  Sherry argues that the boardroom routinely sidelines marketing and HR, relegating them to after-thought status in favor of sales, finance, and product updates. “HR, we really don't have time for you to talk, so just put your slide in there and we'll just make sure that the board has that.” She proposes a radical change: marketing and HR should proactively demonstrate their impact on revenue, culture, and pipeline to win advocates among CFOs, CROs, and CPOs—shifting from self-promotion to integrated business influence.  Topic #3: Rethinking Compensation and Collaboration for Revenue Alignment [17:50]  Sherry challenges revenue leaders to recognize compensation misalignment as a core driver of inefficiency and discord between marketing, sales, and HR. She critiques the “rip and replace” approach to CMOs, tying it to systemic incentive problems: “It's often the head of marketing that really sees this breakdown and challenge and having that real relationship with HR could be an opportunity to help to influence that.” Brandi pushes for actionable solutions, leading to a discussion about moving BDRs into marketing and partnering with HR to overhaul incentive structures for true revenue team alignment.  The Wrong Approach vs. Smarter Alternative  The Wrong Approach: “A leader before they've had a time to actually make an impact in the business.” – Sherry Grote  Why It Fails: Swapping out marketing or HR leaders too quickly disrupts momentum and undermines strategic initiatives before they can take hold. This short-sighted turnover prevents teams from making the incremental changes necessary for lasting impact and damages organizational culture and continuity.  The Smarter Alternative: Instead of jumping to leadership changes, companies should focus on building strong alignment and rapport between sales, marketing, and HR, giving leaders the space and support needed to drive meaningful, long-term business results.  The Most Damaging Myth  The Myth: “Marketing is a faucet that you can just turn on and you will get instant results.” – Sherry Grote  Why It's Wrong: This belief leads organizations to expect immediate impact from marketing efforts, creating unrealistic timelines and frustration when quick results don't materialize. As Sherry explains, marketing is actually more like a well that requires consistent pumping—building effective campaigns takes time, ongoing effort, and a systems approach. When companies operate under the “faucet” myth, they make disruptive changes or swap out talent prematurely, undermining long-term progress and ROI.  What Companies Should Do Instead: Treat marketing as an engine that needs sustained investment and incremental improvement. Allow marketing leaders time to build momentum, focus on developing processes, and foster strong cross-departmental relationships—especially with HR—to build a people-first culture that supports brand and revenue growth.  The Rapid-Fire Round  Finish this sentence: If your company has this problem, the first thing you should do is _ “Ensure that you have built rapport with sales, marketing and HR to be in total alignment.” – Sherry Grote  What's one red flag that signals a company has this problem—but might not realize it yet? “If your employees don't have psychological safety, then you do not have a culture that is going to have a positive brand influence.”  What's the most common mistake people make when trying to fix this? “Changing out a leader before they've had time to actually make an impact in the business.”  What's the fastest action someone can take today to make progress? “Know what your 5% is—be clear on what makes you different from everyone else doing your type of job, whether you're in HR, marketing, finance, or sales.”  Buzzword Banishment: Sherry's buzzword to banish is "amplify." She dislikes this term because in today's environment—where it's applied to everything—the word has been overused and lost its impact and meaning. Sherry notes that while "amplify" once described increasing awareness or engagement in a meaningful way, its ubiquity now renders it ineffective and even frustrating to encounter.  Links:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherrygrote/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theharmonyhero  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Harmony-Hero/61568386591394  Website: https://www.theharmonyhero.com  Subscribe, listen, and rate/review Revenue Rehab Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts , Amazon Music, or iHeart Radio and find more episodes on our website RevenueRehab.live  

AI, BDRs & Building a GTM Team of the Future – with Rachel Truair, CMO at Simpro Group Episode Title: How to Scale GTM with AI Agents, Digital Twins & a Growth Mindset Still wondering how AI fits into go-to-market? This episode delivers a masterclass in what actually works—from real AI SDR deployments to digital twins for execs. If you're leading a GTM team, Rachel Truair's playbook is required listening. What We Talk About: AI SDRs that actually convert: Rachel shares how Simpro's AI BDRs (like Daniella and Sam) are handling warm leads, executing playbooks, and integrating with human reps—cutting "no contact" rates by 80%. Workforce planning in an AI era: Learn why Rachel's biggest surprise wasn't in sales, but marketing ops. Autonomous strategy, not just execution: She breaks down the shift from AI as a tool to AI as a co-pilot for market insights, segmentation, and campaign direction. Digital twins for leadership scale: How Rachel created a digital twin of herself to scale comms, culture, and visibility across global teams—including writing her monthly team updates. How to evolve your org without boiling the ocean: Practical tips on building a maturity model for AI and where to start with lean teams. AI and culture change: Why adoption isn't a tooling problem, it's a hiring one. And what questions she now asks in interviews. Rapid Fire Round: Best AI tip: Don't boil the ocean. Favorite workflow: Digital twin board members for scenario planning. Go-to AI trend source: Simpro's exec Slack. Hidden gem tool: Peak AI for search visibility. Tool Spotlight: Ken and Erin demo Eleven Labs' conversational AI agent builder and walk through creating a journalist-style interviewer bot that captures SME insights for content, enablement, and more. Call to Action: Not using AI yet in GTM? Let us know. We want to talk to you. Reach out for a chance to be featured on a future episode. Subscribe, Rate & Share: If you got value from this episode, hit subscribe and leave a review—it helps more GTM teams learn how to lead (not lag) with AI. Connect: Simpro Group: https://www.simprogroup.com ElevenLabs: https://elevenlabs.io Six Sense Conversational Email: https://6sense.com Subscribe, give us a rating and share with a friend! It helps us get the word out. FutureCraft is where GTM gets built, not just discussed. Let's keep crafting the future together.  

  Wow, did you know that the secret to Nooks' sales success is a surprising ratio of BDRs to AEs? They're breaking the mold and it's paying off big time. But how are they doing it? Find out in this podcast episode and prepare to be amazed. Stay tuned for the unexpected twist that's revolutionizing their sales strategy. Want to transform your outbound sales game and see genuine connections with prospects? Discover the solution that will boost your productivity and help you achieve these results. Let's dive in and revolutionize your outbound sales strategies. AI and Human Touch: The New Sales Edge Hannah Willson, CRO at Nooks, reveals how blending advanced AI tools with genuine human engagement is transforming outbound sales. By leveraging intent signals and AI-driven prospecting while maintaining authentic connections, sales teams can build stronger pipelines and accelerate growth. This is Hannah Willson's story, this week's special guest: Hannah Willson's introduction to the world of leveraging AI in outbound sales strategies stemmed from her role as the CRO at Nooks. It was her hands-on experience in coaching sales teams and her deep understanding of the challenges in pipeline development that propelled her towards exploring modern shifts in sales tactics. Witnessing the evolution of intent signals and the potential of AI-driven approaches, Hannah recognized the immense impact of integrating advanced technology with human-to-human engagement in sales. This realization kindled her commitment to embracing innovative sales techniques, positioning her as a trailblazer in navigating the dynamic sales landscape. Hannah's journey serves as an inspiring example for sales leaders, encouraging them to adapt and thrive in the ever-evolving sales domain through strategic utilization of AI and cutting-edge sales methodologies. Sales is changing so much right now. We have technology that we never had before. It's the organizations that are really leveraging that technology and still leveraging the human element that are the ones that are really accelerating over others. - Hannah Willson About Hannah Willson Hannah Willson, the Chief Revenue Officer at Nooks, boasts an impressive 20-year sales career, with a decade at a major publicly traded company and another decade at startups in the Bay Area. Her current role sees her driving outbound sales strategies using Nooks' comprehensive AI platform, including parallel dialers, AI bots for sales coaching, and AI prospector tools for automated list building and research. With her transition from being a long-time customer to now leading Nooks' sales team, Hannah brings a unique blend of firsthand experience and strategic leadership to the table. Her expertise in modern pipeline development and the fusion of technology and human touch in sales makes her a sought-after voice in the outbound sales landscape. In this episode, you will be able to: Master AI for outbound sales in order to revolutionize your approach and skyrocket your results. Cultivate a thriving calling culture that can transform your sales team's performance and boost morale. Embrace the human element in modern sales, a key to forming genuine connections and closing more deals. Harness intent signals for pipeline development that can supercharge your lead generation efforts and drive conversions. Unveil social selling best practices for B2B sales that can unlock new opportunities and expand your client base.   The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:00 - Challenges in Pipeline Development 00:03:16 - Hannah's Background and Nooks 00:05:10 - Hannah's Athletic Experience 00:07:21 - Shifts in Modern Pipeline Development 00:12:29 - Building a Calling Culture 00:13:34 - Importance of Building a Calling Culture in Sales Teams 00:15:34 - Importance of Sales Channels and BDRs 00:17:22 - Human-to-Human Engagement in Sales 00:18:22 - The Future of Sales and AI 00:21:55 - Evolution of Intent Signals and AI-Driven Approach 00:26:05 - Importance of Preparation for Sales Calls 00:26:56 - Addressing Pipeline Development Issues 00:28:53 - Leveraging LinkedIn for Pipeline Development 00:32:33 - Social Engagement Challenges and Solutions 00:38:12 - Reimagining SDR-to-AE Ratio 00:39:02 - Importance of Hiring the Right Model 00:39:53 - Connecting with Hannah 00:41:03 - Favorite Movie and Personal Insight 00:41:44 - Podcast Closing and Call to Action Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:00 - Challenges in Pipeline Development Hannah discusses the difficulties in modern pipeline development, emphasizing the changing landscape and the need for organizations to leverage technology and the human element to accelerate their pipeline building efforts. 00:03:16 - Hannah's Background and Nooks Hannah shares her sales background and her recent role as CRO at Nooks, a comprehensive AI platform for outbound sales. She highlights Nooks' capabilities and her personal experience as a customer before joining the company. 00:05:10 - Hannah's Athletic Experience Hannah reveals her collegiate swimming experience and draws parallels between swimming and sales, emphasizing the importance of repetition, practice, and continuous improvement in both disciplines. 00:07:21 - Shifts in Modern Pipeline Development Hannah discusses the evolving strategies in modern pipeline development, highlighting the ineffectiveness of traditional methods and the increasing reliance on technology. She emphasizes the importance of leveraging technology while still maintaining the human element in sales efforts. 00:12:29 - Building a Calling Culture Hannah addresses the challenges of building a calling culture within sales organizations, emphasizing the time-consuming nature of cold calling and the reluctance of reps. She highlights the benefits of technology in simplifying the cold calling process and the importance of setting a productive and efficient calling culture. 00:13:34 - Importance of Building a Calling Culture in Sales Teams Hannah reflects on the fun and camaraderie of sales teams in the past and emphasizes the need to continue fostering a positive and engaging work environment, especially with remote teams. 00:15:34 - Importance of Sales Channels and BDRs Hannah discusses the importance of utilizing multiple sales channels and the role of BDRs in self-sourcing deals. She emphasizes the need for a combination of different channels based on the organization and buyer preferences. 00:17:22 - Human-to-Human Engagement in Sales The discussion delves into the significance of real human-to-human engagement in sales, particularly at events, through cold calls, and on social media. The emphasis is on genuine connections and meaningful interactions. 00:18:22 - The Future of Sales and AI Hannah highlights the importance of human-assisted AI in the sales process, where technology assists in gathering data and providing suggestions, but the human touch remains essential for meaningful engagement. 00:21:55 - Evolution of Intent Signals and AI-Driven Approach The conversation delves into the shift from old-school intent models to modern AI-driven approaches, emphasizing the depth and richness of intent signals and their impact on generating high-quality pipeline for sales teams. 00:26:05 - Importance of Preparation for Sales Calls Preparation is key before a discovery call or cold call to prevent hang-ups. Having all information in one place helps customize emails and improve engagement. 00:26:56 - Addressing Pipeline Development Issues New CROs should prioritize pipeline assessment. Looking at inbound and outbound segments helps identify and fix pipeline issues. 00:28:53 - Leveraging LinkedIn for Pipeline Development Consistent LinkedIn engagement and authentic, personalized posts from SDRs and customers can drive inbound leads and improve sales engagement. 00:32:33 - Social Engagement Challenges and Solutions Many reps struggle with posting and commenting on social media. AI tools like Flypost help streamline content creation and humanize engagement with prospects. 00:38:12 - Reimagining SDR-to-AE Ratio Nooks has a unique SDR-to-AE ratio based on pipeline generation and conversion rates, challenging traditional ratio-based structures. Tailoring team size to pipeline economics has been successful for Nooks. 00:39:02 - Importance of Hiring the Right Model Hannah discusses the importance of hiring the right model for their organization and how they constantly monitor and replicate successful models. They focus on investing in SDR organization to make them more productive using technology. 00:39:53 - Connecting with Hannah Mario asks Hannah the best way to connect with her. She suggests reaching out to her on LinkedIn and emphasizes the importance of a personalized connection request referencing the podcast. 00:41:03 - Favorite Movie and Personal Insight Hannah shares her all-time favorite movie, Elf, and how it always makes her laugh. Mario highlights the importance of mentioning Elf when reaching out to Hannah, providing a personal touch in sales interactions. 00:41:44 - Podcast Closing and Call to Action Mario thanks the audience for listening and encourages them to leave a 5-star rating and review for the podcast. He also promotes the use of FlyMSG to increase productivity. Reimagining Team Structure for Results Nooks challenges traditional sales models with a unique SDR-to-AE ratio, tailoring team size based on pipeline generation and conversion rates. This innovative approach, combined with a focus on hiring the right talent and investing in productivity tools, has fueled their sales success. Building a Winning Sales Culture The episode emphasizes the importance of cultivating a vibrant calling culture and using multiple sales channels. Consistent preparation, personalized outreach, and embracing technology like AI-driven coaching and content tools empower teams to create genuine connections and drive better results. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Connect with Hannah Willson on LinkedIn and mention specific insights from the Modern Selling podcast to start a meaningful conversation. Download FlyMSG at flymsg.io to save 20 hours or more in a month and increase productivity with a free text expander and personal writing assistant. Give the Modern Selling Podcast a five-star rating and review on iTunes to show support and help others discover the valuable content. Reach out to Nooks for more information on their comprehensive AI platform for outbound-related activities, such as parallel dialer, AI bots for coaching, and AI prospector tool for automated list building and research. Watch the movie Elf for a good laugh and a fun time. Enjoy unlimited access until May 30th     Enjoy unlimited access until May 30th     Enjoy unlimited access until May 30th  

This week on GTM Live, Carolyn sits down with Nick Flamini, host of the Sales Architecture Podcast, to explore the real reasons most go-to-market teams are still struggling—despite all the headcount, tools, and budget. They dig into the myth of “more BDRs = more pipeline,” and why most organizations are missing the data, architecture, and cross-functional alignment required to scale efficiently.Carolyn explains why “go-to-market bloat” is a symptom of deeper system issues, not bad people. She shares how Passetto is helping companies rethink how they connect marketing, sales, finance, and RevOps through a unified GTM data layer. Nick challenges the hype around AI in outbound, and the two unpack why trust, process, and measurement (not volume) are the levers that matter most.If you've ever questioned whether your CAC is actually sustainable, or felt stuck trying to prove marketing's impact, this episode is your blueprint.Key topics in this episode:Why most CRM data is unusable, and what to do about itThe epidemic of go-to-market bloat and over-hiringHow AI is flooding outbound and eroding trustWhy finance must own more of GTM efficiencyThe trap of MQL targets and performance by teamWhat it takes to build a real full-funnel revenue factoryThis episode is powered by ⁠Passetto⁠. We help high-growth and equity-backed companies turn GTM data into better decisions, faster. We unify your GTM and financial data, identify your growth levers, and help you scale. Part SaaS, part advisory. Visit ⁠passetto.com

This episode features an interview with Jen Rapp, CMO at Superside, an AI-powered creative service, trusted by 500+ top brands. Jen has over 20 years of experience developing and executing marketing strategies for high-growth companies, with a particular focus on working alongside entrepreneurial leaders to scale.She discusses selling the vision and how doing good impacts marketing, sharing her lessons from her time at Patagonia and DoorDash. She also discusses winning on meta through quality creative and driving qualified leads through virtual summits. Key Takeaways:Don't sleep on meta ads. If your ICP is on Instagram, those ads can be some of the cleanest and most effective ads to drive pipeline, especially if you have quality creative. Virtual Summits, or essentially a stack of webinars, are a great way to get emails and drive pipeline if you are truly offering great content. Sell the vision, not the product. A focus on features, instead of stories, is rarely the way to go. Quote:“  I would not have said this a year ago, when I first joined the company - number one is our meta, paid meta spend. I came to this company and I saw how much we were spending on Meta, and I was like, whoa, what the hell are these people doing? They're making mistakes left and right. Nope. We drive a majority, or a lot, I shouldn't say a majority, a lot of our qualified pipeline through our Meta spend. Our Meta spend also acts as our top of funnel awareness driver.  When we turn off meta, we basically turn off the ability of our SDRs and our BDRs to convert people to SQLs. It is invaluable. So number one, my marketing team is like rallied around creating incredible creative for Meta.”Episode Timestamps: *(03:51) The Trust Tree: Making sure customers have confidence in you*(12:12) The Playbook: The power of Meta ads*(33:10) The Dust Up: Standing up to brilliant founders*(41:01) Quick Hits: Jen's Quick HitsSponsor:Pipeline Visionaries is brought to you by Qualified.com. Qualified helps you turn your website into a pipeline generation machine with PipelineAI. Engage and convert your most valuable website visitors with live chat, chatbots, meeting scheduling, intent data, and Piper, your AI SDR. Visit Qualified.com to learn more.Links:Connect with Ian on LinkedInConnect with Jen on LinkedInLearn more about SupersideLearn more about Caspian Studios

The CEO's Strategic Growth Edge: A Go-To-Market System That Scales“You don't need more leads—you need clarity. Clarity on where your business can grow the most, the fastest, and at the highest margin. That's what a real go-to-market system delivers. It's not about volume anymore—it's about alignment, focus, and making sure every team—marketing, sales, and customer success—is executing toward the same outcome. That's how CEOs scale with confidence.” That's a quote from Sangram Vajre, and a sneak peek at today's episode.Welcome to Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast. I'm your host, Kerry Curran—revenue growth expert, industry analyst, and relentless advocate for turning marketing into a revenue engine. Each episode, we bring you the strategies, insights, and conversations that help drive your revenue growth. So search for Revenue Boost in your favorite podcast directory and hit subscribe to stay ahead of the game.In The CEO's Strategic Growth Edge: A Go-to-Market System That Scales, I'm joined by bestselling author and GTM expert Sangram Vajre to discuss why go-to-market isn't a marketing tactic—it's a CEO-level growth system. In this episode, you'll learn the three phases every business must navigate to scale, why alignment beats activity in every growth stage, how CEOs can drive clarity, trust, and margin-focused decisions across teams, and why AI is only a threat if you're still riding the demand-gen horse.If you're a growth-minded CEO or exec, this episode gives you the roadmap and the mindset to scale faster, smarter, and stronger. Be sure to listen through to the end, where Sangram shares three key tips—his ultimate advice for any leader ready to level up their go-to-market strategy. Let's go!Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:00.77)So welcome, Sangram. Please introduce yourself and share a bit about your background and expertise.Sangram Vajre (00:06.992)Well, at the highest level, I feel like I've had the opportunity to be in the B2B space for the last two decades and have had a front-row seat to categories that have shaped how we think about go-to-market. I ran marketing at Pardot. We were acquired by ExactTarget and then Salesforce—that was a $2.7 billion acquisition. It was a huge shift in mindset, going from a $10 million company to a $10 billion one, and I learned a lot.I became a student of go-to-market, if you will. That was in the marketing automation space. Then I launched a company called Terminus, which has been acquired twice now. Along the way, I've written three books. The one we're going to talk a lot about is MOVE, which became a Wall Street Journal bestseller. That book has created a lot of opportunities and work for us.I walked into writing this book, Kerry, thinking I knew go-to-market because I had two $100M+ exits. But I walked out of the process a student of go-to-market because I learned so much. Writing it forced me to talk to folks like Brian Halligan, the CEO of HubSpot, and partners at VC firms who have seen 200 exits—not just the three I've experienced.It really expanded my vision. Now I lead a company called Go-To-Market Partners. We're a research and advisory firm focused on helping companies understand who owns go-to-market and how to run it at a transformational level. Our clients are primarily CEOs and executive teams. That's our focus.Kerry Curran, RBMA (01:46.094)Excellent. Well, I'm very excited to dive in. I first saw you speak at Inbound last fall, and what really resonated with me was the shift from just an ABM program to a company-wide GTM program—one that includes everything from problem-market fit all the way to customer success, loyalty, and retention. Really making GTM the core of revenue growth.So I'd love for you to dive in and share that framework and background.Sangram Vajre (02:23.224)Yeah. And by the way, for people who've never attended Inbound—you should. I've spoken there for eight years straight and always try to bring new ideas. Each year, they keep giving me more opportunities—from main stage to workshops. I think you attended the 90-minute workshop, right? Hopefully it wasn't boring!Kerry Curran, RBMA (02:48.61)Yeah, it was excellent. I love this stuff, so I was taking lots of notes.Sangram Vajre (02:52.814)That was fun. The whole idea was: how can you build your entire go-to-market strategy on a single slide? Now, people might think, “There's no way—you need way more detail.” But it's not about making it complete; it's about making it clear.So everyone can be aligned. For example, in the operating system we've developed, we write research about it every Monday in a newsletter called GTM Monday, read by 175,000 people. The eight pillars are based on the most important questions. And Kerry, I don't know if you'll agree, but I think I've done a disservice for two decades by asking the wrong question.Like, I used to ask, “Where can we grow?”—which sounds smart but is actually foolish. The better question is, “Where can we grow the most, the fastest, the best, at the highest margin?” That's the true business perspective. So the operating system is built around these eight essential questions.If every executive team can align on these—not with certainty, but with clarity—then they can gain a clear understanding of what they're doing, where they're going, who their ICP is, what bets they're making, and which motions to pursue. I've done this over a thousand times with executive teams, helping them build their entire go-to-market strategy on a single slide. And it's like a lightbulb moment for them: “Okay, now I know what bets we're making and how my team is aligned.” It's a beautiful thing.Kerry Curran, RBMA (04:50.988)Yeah, because that's one of the hardest challenges across business strategy and growth: where to invest, where to lean in. So bring us through the questions and framework.Sangram Vajre (05:01.688)Yeah. So the first one is “Where can you grow the most?” The second one is really about what we call the Market Investment Map. I'll give you maybe three or four so people can get an idea. The Market Investment Map is especially useful for companies with more than one product or more than one segment. This is the least used but most valuable framework companies should be using.You might remember from the Inbound talk—I used HubSpot as an example since I was speaking at Inbound. It's interesting because at my last company, Terminus, we acquired five companies in eight years. So we had to learn this process. The Market Investment Map is about matching your best segments to the best products to create the highest-margin offering.If your entire business focuses only on pipeline and revenue—which sounds right—you're actually focused on the wrong things. You may have seen people post on LinkedIn saying, “I generated $10 million in pipeline,” and then a month later, they're laid off. Why? Because that pipeline didn't matter. It might have been general pipeline, but if you looked at pipeline within your ICP—the customers your company really needs to close, retain, and expand—it might have only been half a million. That's not enough to sustain growth or justify your role.So, understanding the business is critical. It's not just about understanding marketing skills like demand gen, content, or design. Those are table stakes. You need to understand the business of marketing—how the financials work, how to drive revenue, and how to say, “Yeah, we generated $10 million in pipeline, but only half a million was within ICP, so it won't convert or drive the margin we need.” That level of EQ and IQ is what leaders need today.Our go-to-market operating system goes deep into areas like this.Kerry Curran, RBMA (07:31.022)And I love the alignment with the ICP. I'm sure you'll get deeper into that. I also know you talk about getting rid of MQLs because the real focus should be on getting closer to the ICP—on who's actually going to drive revenue.Sangram Vajre (07:45.892)Yeah. John Miller, a good friend who co-founded Marketo, has been writing about this too. I was the CMO of Pardot. Then we both built ABM companies—I built Terminus; he built Engagio, which is now part of Demandbase. We've been evangelizing the idea of efficient marketing machines for the last two decades.We're coming full circle now. That approach made sense in the “growth at all costs” era. But in this “efficient growth” era, everything can be measured. The dark funnel is real. AI can now accelerate your team's output and throughput. So we have to go back to first principles—what do your customers really want?I was in a discussion yesterday with executives and middle managers, and the topic of AI came up. Some were worried it would take their jobs. And I said, “Yes, it absolutely will—and it should.” I gave the example I wrote about recently: imagine you were the best horseman, with saddles, barns, and a generational business built around horses. Then Henry Ford comes along with four wheels. You just lost your job—not because you were bad, but because you got infatuated with the horse, not with your customer's need to get from point A to point B.Horses did that—it was better than walking. But then came cars, trains, airplanes. Business evolves. If you focus on your customers' needs—better, faster, cheaper—you'll always be excited about innovation rather than afraid of it. So yes, AI will replace anyone who stays on their horse. If you're riding the demand gen horse or relying only on content creation, a lot is going to change. Get off the horse, refocus on customer needs, and figure out how to move your business forward.Kerry Curran, RBMA (10:21.708)Yeah. So talk a bit about honing in on the ICP. I know in one of the sessions you asked, “Who's your target audience?” And of course, there was one guy in the front row who said, “Everyone,” and we all laughed. But I still hear that all the time. Talk about how important it is, to your point, to know your customer and get obsessed with what they need.Sangram Vajre (10:45.56)Yeah. So the first pillar of the go-to-market operating system is called TRM, or Total Relevant Market. We introduced that in the book MOVE for the first time. It's a departure from TAM—Total Addressable Market—which is what that guy in the front row was referring to during that session. It was epic, and I think he was a sales leader, so it was even funnier in a room full of marketers.But it's true—and real. He was being honest, and I appreciated that. The reality is, we've all been conditioned to focus on more and more—bigger and bigger markets. That makes sense if you have unlimited funds and can raise money. It makes sense if the market is huge and you're just trying to get in and have more people doing outbound.As a matter of fact, a few weeks ago, we did a session where someone said something profound that I'll never forget. He said, “The whole SDR function is a feature bug in the VC model.” That was fascinating—because the whole SDR model was built to get as many leads as possible, assign 22-year-olds to make cold calls, and push them to AEs.We built this because it worked on a spreadsheet. If we generate 1,000 leads, we need 50 callers to convert them. It's math. But nobody really tried to improve it because we had the money. Now we're in a different world. We have clients doing $10–15 million in revenue with five-person teams automating so much.People don't read as many automated emails. My phone filters out robocalls, so I never pick up unless it's someone I know. Non-personalized emails go into a folder I never open. Yet people keep sending thousands of them, thinking it works.For example, I send our GTM Monday newsletter via Substack. It's free for readers, and it's free for me to send—even to 175,000 people. Meanwhile, marketers spend thousands every time they email their list using legacy tools. Why? Because these people haven't opted in to be part of the journey the way Substack subscribers have.The market has changed. Buying big marketing automation tools for $100,000 is going to change drastically. Fractional leaders and agencies will thrive because what CEOs really need is people like you—and frameworks like a go-to-market operating system—to guide them. You and I have the gray hair and battle scars to prove it. What matters now is using a modern framework, implementing it, and measuring outcomes differently.Kerry Curran, RBMA (14:08.11)Yeah, you bring up such a valid point. In so many of my conversations, I see the same thing. It's been a sales-led growth strategy for years. Investments went to sales—more BDRs, more cold emails, more tech stack partners.Even as I was starting my consultancy, I'd talk to partners or prospects who'd say, “Well, we just hired more salespeople. We want to see how that goes.” But to your point, without the foundational framework—without targeting the right audience—you're just spinning your wheels on volume.Sangram Vajre (15:06.318)Exactly. One area we emphasize in our go-to-market operating system is differentiation. Everyone's doing the same thing. Let me give you an example. Last week, I looked at a startup's email tool that reads your emails and drafts responses automatically. Super interesting. I use Superhuman for email.Two days later, Superhuman sent an email saying they'd launched the exact same feature. So this startup spent time and money building a feature, and Superhuman—already with a huge user base—replicated and launched it instantly. That startup is out of business.With AI, product development is lightning fast. So product is no longer your differentiator. Your differentiation now is how you tell your story, how quickly you grab attention, how well you build and maintain a community. That becomes your moat. Those first principles matter more than ever. Product is just table stakes now.Kerry Curran, RBMA (16:33.878)Right. And connecting that to your marketing strategy, your communication, your messaging—it also sets up your sales team to close faster. By the time a prospect talks to a rep, your marketing has already educated them on your differentiation. So talk more about the stages and what companies need to keep in mind when applying your go-to-market framework.Sangram Vajre (17:07.482)One of the things we mention in the book—and go really deep into in our operating system—is this 3P format: Problem-Market Fit, Product-Market Fit, and Platform-Market Fit. We believe these are the three core stages of a business. I experienced them firsthand at Pardot, Salesforce, and Terminus through multiple acquisitions.If you remember, I always talk about the “squiggly line,” because no company grows up and to the right in a straight line. If you look at daily, weekly, or monthly insights, there are dips—just like a stock market chart. So the squiggly line shows you can go from Problem to Product, but you'll experience a dip. That's normal and natural. Same thing when you go from Product to Platform—you hit a dip. Those dips are what we call the “valleys of death.”Some companies overcome those valleys and cross the chasm, and others don't. Why? Because at those points, they discover they can market and sell, but they can't deliver. Or maybe they can deliver, but they can't renew. Or maybe they can renew but not expand. Each gap becomes a value to fix in the system.And it's hard. I've gone from $5 million to $10 million to $15 million, all the way to $100 million in revenue—and every 5 to 10 million increment brings a new set of challenges. You think you've got it figured out, and then you don't—because everything else has to change with scale.I'll never forget one company I was on the board of—unfortunately, it didn't make it. The CEO was upset because they were doing $20 million in revenue but didn't get the valuation they wanted. Meanwhile, a competitor doing only $5 million in revenue in the same space got a $500 million valuation. Why? Because the $20M company was doing tons of customization—still stuck in Problem-Market Fit. The $5M company had reached Product-Market Fit and was far more efficient. Their operational costs were lower, and their NRR was over 120%.If you've read some of my research, you know I'm all in on NRR—Net Revenue Retention—as the #1 metric. If you get NRR above 120%, you'll double your revenue in 3.8 years without adding a single new customer. That's what executives should focus on.That's why we say the CEO owns go-to-market. All our research shows that if the CEO doesn't own it, you'll have a really hard time scaling.Kerry Curran, RBMA (20:23.992)That makes so much sense, because everything you're talking about—while it includes marketing functions—is really business strategy. It needs to be driven top-down. It has to be the North Star the whole company is paddling toward.I've been in organizations where that's not the case. And as you said, leadership has to have the knowledge and strategic awareness to navigate those pivots—those valleys of death. So talk about how hard it is to bring new frameworks into an organization and the change management that comes with that. As you evangelize the idea that the CEO owns GTM, what's resonating most with them?Sangram Vajre (21:26.456)Great question. First of all, CEOs who get it—they love it. The people who struggle most are actually CMOs and CROs because they feel like they should be the ones owning go-to-market. And while their input is critical, they can't own it entirely.In all our advisory work, Kerry, we mandate two things:The CEO must be in the room. We won't do an engagement without that. The executive team must be involved. We don't do one-on-one coaching—because transformation happens in teams.People often get it wrong. They think, “We need better ICP targeting, so that's marketing's job.” Or, “We need pipeline acceleration—let sales figure that out.” Or, “We have a retention issue—fire the CS team.” No. The problem isn't a department issue—it's a process and team issue.The CEO is the most incentivized person to bring clarity, alignment, and trust—the three pillars of our GTM operating system. They're the ones sitting in all the one-on-one meetings, burning out from the lack of alignment. The challenge is most CEOs don't know what it means to own GTM. It feels overwhelming.So we help them reframe that. Owning doesn't mean running GTM. It means orchestrating clarity, alignment, and trust. Every meeting they lead should advance one of those. That's the job. When the ICP is agreed upon, marketing should be excited to generate leads for it. Sales should be eager to follow up. CS should be relieved they're not getting misaligned customers. That's leadership. And there's no one more suited—or incentivized—to lead that than the CEO.Kerry Curran, RBMA (24:08.11)Absolutely. And the CFO plays a key role too—holding the purse strings, understanding where the investments should go.Sangram Vajre (24:20.622)Yes. In fact, in the book and in our research, we emphasize the importance of RevOps—especially once a company reaches Product-Market Fit and moves toward Platform-Market Fit.If you're operating across multiple products, segments, geographies, or using multiple GTM motions, the RevOps leader—who often reports to the CFO or CEO—becomes critical. I'd say they're the second most important person in the company from a strategy standpoint.Why? Because they're the only ones who can look at the whole picture and say, “We don't need to spend more on marketing; we need to fix the sales process.” A marketing leader won't say that. A sales leader won't say that. You need someone who can objectively assess where the real bottleneck is.Kerry Curran, RBMA (25:17.836)Yeah, that definitely makes so much sense. Are there other areas—maybe below the executive team—that help educate the company from a change management perspective to gain buy-in? Or is it really a company-wide change?Sangram Vajre (25:33.742)Yeah, you mentioned ABM earlier. Having written a few books on ABM and building Terminus, we've seen thousands of companies go through transformation. We now have over 70,000 students who've gone through our courses. I love getting feedback.What's interesting is that ABM has been great for aligning sales and marketing—but it hasn't transformed the company. Go-to-market is not a marketing or sales strategy. It's a business strategy. It has to bring in CS, product, finance—everyone.Where companies often fail is by looking at go-to-market too narrowly—like it's just a product launch or a sales campaign. That's way too myopic. Those companies burn a lot of cash.At the layer below the executive team, it gets harder because GTM is fundamentally a leadership-driven initiative. An SDR, AE, or director of marketing typically doesn't have the incentive—or business context—to drive GTM change. But they should get familiar with it.That's why we created the GTM Operating System certification. Hundreds of professionals have gone through it—including you! And now people are bringing those frameworks into leadership meetings.They'll say, “Hey, let's pull up the 15 GTM problems and see where we're stuck.” Or, “Let's revisit the 3 Ps—where are we today?” Or use one of the assessments. It's pretty cool to see it in action.Kerry Curran, RBMA (27:35.758)Yeah, and it's extremely valuable. I love that it's a tool that helps drive company-wide buy-in and educates the people responsible for the actions. So you've shared so many great frameworks and recommendations. For those listening, what's the first step to get started? What would you recommend to someone who's thinking, “Okay, I love all of this—I need to start shifting my organization”?Sangram Vajre (28:09.082)First, you have to really understand the definition of go-to-market. It's a transformational process—not a one-and-done. It's not something you define at an offsite and then forget. It's not owned by pirates. It's iterative. It happens every day.Second, the CEO has to be fully bought in. If they don't own it, GTM will run them. If you're a CEO and you feel overwhelmed, that's usually why—you're running go-to-market, not owning it.Third, business transformation happens in teams. If you try to build a GTM strategy in a silo—as a marketer, for example—it will fail. The best strategies never see the light of day because the team isn't behind them. In GTM, alignment matters more than being right.Kerry Curran, RBMA (29:27.982)Excellent. I love this so much. Thank you! How can people find you and learn more about the GTM Partners certification and your book?Sangram Vajre (29:37.476)You can go to gtmpartners.com to get the certification. Thousands of people are going through it, and we're constantly adding new content. We're about to launch Go-To-Market University to add even more courses.We also created the MOVE Book Companion, because we're actually selling more books now than when it first came out three years ago—which is crazy!Then there's GTM Monday, our research newsletter that 175,000 people read every week. Our goal is to keep building new frameworks and sharing what's possible. Things are changing so fast—AI, GTM tech, everything. But first principles still apply. That's why frameworks matter more than ever.You can't just ask ChatGPT to “give me a go-to-market strategy” and expect it to work. It might give you something beautifully written, but it won't help you make money. You need frameworks, team alignment, and process discipline.And I post about this every day on LinkedIn—so follow me there too!Kerry Curran, RBMA (30:54.988)Excellent. Well, thank you so much. This has been a great conversation, and I highly recommend the book and the certification to everyone. We'll include all the links in the show notes.Thank you, Sangram, for joining us today!Sangram Vajre (31:09.284)Kerry, you're a fantastic host. Thank you for having me.Kerry Curran, RBMA (31:11.854)Thank you very much.Thanks for tuning in to Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast. I hope today's conversation sparked some new ideas and challenged the way you think about how your organization approaches go-to-market and revenue growth strategy. If you're serious about turning marketing into a true revenue driver, this is just the beginning. We've got more insightful conversations, expert guests, and actionable strategies coming your way—so search for us in your favorite podcast directory and hit subscribe.And hey, if this episode brought you value, please share it with a colleague or leave a quick review. It helps more revenue-minded leaders like you find our show. Until next time, I'm Kerry Curran—helping you connect marketing to growth, one episode at a time. See you soon.

In this short segment of the Revenue Builders Podcast, we revisit the discussion with Matt Nolan, CRO of Redwood Software, to discuss what it really takes to scale a revenue organization beyond the $200M mark. Matt shares what he's learned stepping into the CRO role—shifting from deal-maker to system-builder, navigating cultural integration post-acquisition, managing board dynamics, and building trust through authentic leadership. If you're a sales leader, aspiring CRO, or operating in a private equity-backed company, this candid conversation is loaded with actionable insights.KEY TAKEAWAYS[00:00:30] The shift from deal involvement to systems thinking as a CRO[00:01:40] Navigating complexity: PLG, SLG, and assisted motions in one org[00:02:15] Tackling organizational friction points no one else can move[00:03:00] Building credibility with a board that has a different go-to-market background[00:03:45] The challenge of balancing learning vs. initiating change as a new leader[00:05:00] Why being authentically yourself is the best leadership strategy[00:06:15] How to build trust without gutting legacy teams[00:06:45] Culture wins: no account conflicts, cross-region harmony, and shared mission[00:07:15] Going from “best kept secret” to magic quadrant leaderQUOTES[00:01:45] “My job is to go turn all the ‘what's not working' into ‘what's working.'”[00:02:10] “There are some rocks in the business that only the CRO can move."[00:03:05] “You've got to earn trust to make big moves—especially when your vision differs from the board's.”[00:05:00] “The only way to do it is to be yourself—even if that means being more open than most."[00:06:50] “I'm proud of a very corny thing: no account conflict has ever escalated to me in three years.[00:07:00] “We were the best kept secret in software—now we're in the magic quadrant.”Listen to the full conversation through the link below:https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/navigating-the-cro-role-while-building-a-great-culture-with-matt-nolanEnjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox:https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0Check out John McMahon's book here:Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDCCheck out Force Management's Ascender platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/Force Management is hiring for a Sales Director. Apply here: https://hubs.li/Q02Zb8WG0Read Force Management's eBook: https://www.forcemanagement.com/roi-of-sales-messaging

Leave your commentWhat if your next sales hire wasn't human?In this episode of Mastering Modern Selling, Isabella Bedoya, Co-CEO of Infinite AI, shares how sales teams are evolving by bringing AI “employees” into the mix. We go beyond the hype to explore practical use cases, ethical concerns, and the new skills sales pros must master to stay competitive in this AI-enabled landscape.Whether you're curious, cautious, or already experimenting with AI, this episode will help you think more strategically about the future of your sales team.1. AI Employees Are Not Just Chatbots Isabella defines AI employees as task-performing agents embedded in workflows, not just tools you prompt, but systems that take action automatically across SMS, email, calls, and CRM. Think of them as digital team members handling your follow-ups, reactivations, and more.2. Sales Reps Won't Be Replaced, But They Will Be Repositioned AI handles the mundane and repetitive. Human reps move into strategist roles managing AI workflows, handling complex objections, and owning the emotional intelligence required to close.3. Scaling Outreach Without Scaling Headcount Instead of hiring more SDRs or BDRs, companies are using AI to nurture leads, qualify opportunities, and schedule demos. It's not theory, it's happening now, and Isabella walks us through real-world use cases like post-trade-show follow-ups and digital sales assistants.4. Trust Isn't Lost, It's Rebuilt Through Value AI can build trust when it delivers consistently valuable, fast responses. If it's trained well, it may outperform junior reps. Still, Isabella emphasizes that closing deals and earning emotional buy-in remains a human function for now.5. New Role of the Seller: Coach, Manager, Strategist Sales pros will soon manage a team of AI agents, much like GMs in “Moneyball.” The skills to build prompts, tweak workflows, and analyze data will be key differentiators. Coaching AI and being coached by it will become a real scenario in sales teams.The rise of AI employees in sales isn't about replacing talent, it's about redeploying it. As Isabella says, the reps who win will be the ones who embrace these tools, build systems, and create more space for the kind of selling only humans can do.Sales isn't going away. It's getting smarter. Don't miss out—your next big idea could be just one episode away! This Show is sponsored by Fist BumpYour prospecting partner to authentically fill your pipeline with ideal customers. Check out our Live Show Events here: Mastering Modern Selling Live ShowSubscribe to our Newsletter: Mastering Modern Selling Newsletter

In this Starr-Led solo episode of Revenue Rehab, Brandi Starr brings a But How perspective to the widespread practice of handing qualified leads from marketing to SDRs and BDRs. Challenging the assumption that sales pressure is the next logical step, Brandi argues that most buyers are actually looking for guidance—not a hard sell—during the critical middle of the funnel. She introduces the vital, often-overlooked role of Marketing Development Reps (MDRs) and offers a blueprint for structuring this function to accelerate revenue. CMOs and CROs will find a compelling case for rethinking funnel strategy to close the costly gap between marketing and sales.  Episode Type: Starr-Led   Brandi Starr cuts through industry noise with bold, unfiltered insights on revenue growth. These solo episodes challenge outdated advice, debunk myths, and break down industry reports to reveal what really drives results. Expect sharp commentary, data-backed analysis, and actionable strategies to refine your marketing and sales approach.  Bullet Points of Key Topics + Chapter Markers:  Topic #1: Middle of the Funnel Is the New Battleground [03:31]  Brandi spotlights a massive structural gap in the revenue funnel, arguing that 95% of the buying journey now happens before a buyer ever engages with sales. She insists that traditional automation and nurture flows can only take buyers so far—leaving them stuck, overwhelmed, and underserved. Her message is clear: CMOs and CROs must prioritize MoFu strategies and stop letting this “messy middle” bleed potential revenue.  Topic #2: Marketing Development Reps (MDRs) are Essential, Not Optional [05:43]  Brandi challenges the notion that sales development roles (SDRs/BDRs) can handle the middle-funnel gap, claiming they are “chasing meetings and demos” rather than nurturing. She makes a bold case for MDRs—empathetic, insight-driven professionals who guide engaged but not-yet-ready buyers—arguing that organizations without them are leaving high-value leads to stall. Her advice: pilot or reassign resources now, and build MDR compensation and measurement around MoFu KPIs rather than pipeline quotas.  Topic #3: Rethink Buying Committee Support and Buyer Experience [14:54]  Brandi exposes how complex sales cycles with large committees need a strategic MoFu resource to guide and enable all stakeholders—not just the lead contact. She advocates for a shift from automation-focused nurturing to human-led support that's “not pushy, not looking for a quota”—arguing that this trust-driven approach becomes a competitive differentiator. Her test: if your deals are complex and require consultative education, then building this role is overdue.   Why Should Revenue Leaders Stop Ignoring This Problem Right Now?  Because you're wasting millions generating leads only to watch 60% vanish into a black hole between marketing and sales. Brandi makes it clear: this isn't a lead quality issue—it's a structural gap where overwhelmed buyers stall out, SDRs get misused, and revenue opportunities die in the messy middle. Ignoring it means you're losing deals not due to weak campaigns, but because nobody is actively guiding buyers through their biggest hurdles before they're ready to talk to sales.  What's the First Action Someone Should Take to Apply This Insight Today?  Brandi says: shift your mindset to focus on the middle of the funnel—stop obsessing over top-of-funnel leads or bottom-of-funnel closes, and interrogate what your buyers actually need between those points so you can design support that accelerates their internal decision process. If you're not prioritizing MoFu strategy, that's your urgency—start now.  Takeaway  Brandi challenges revenue leaders to fundamentally rethink the buying journey, pointing out that most of the action—and friction—now happens in the messy middle of the funnel, not at the top or bottom. She urges leaders to shift their mindset away from traditional sales and marketing silos, and start prioritizing buyer enablement and support during that critical middle stage. The key move? Stop neglecting the middle of the funnel—design roles, strategies, and resources specifically to guide buyers through this phase, ensuring you become their go-to partner, not just another vendor pushing a quota.  Subscribe, listen, and rate/review Revenue Rehab Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts , Amazon Music, or iHeart Radio and find more episodes on our website RevenueRehab.live  

In this episode of The HealthTech Marketing Show, guest host Mark Erwich leads a deep dive into pipeline optimization and deal acceleration, featuring expert insights from healthcare tech marketing leaders Amy Swanson and Michael Passanante. They discuss the essential strategies for aligning teams around pipeline goals, the use of collaborative scorecards for performance measurement, effective buyer engagement tracking, and the evolving roles of business development representatives (BDRs). They also explore how marketing teams can influence pipeline acceleration, customer retention strategies, and the importance of brand building as part of a holistic approach to pipeline management.Key Topics Covered:"Introduction (00:00:00)"“Integrating Pipeline Goals with Strategic Planning (00:04:35)”“Measuring Marketing Influence on Opportunities (00:06:21)”“Creating and Utilizing a Collaborative Scorecard (00:07:56)”“Identifying and Engaging the Buying Committee (00:12:13)”“Role of BDRs in Pipeline Generation (00:14:05)”“Marketing's Role in Pipeline and Alignment Across Teams (00:18:11)”“Translating Pipeline Goals into Marketing Metrics (00:19:42)”“Leveraging Technology to Enhance Sales Velocity and Engagement (00:21:06)”“Balancing Customer Retention and Pipeline Generation (00:23:07)”“Marketing's Contribution to Pipeline Acceleration (00:25:35)”“Final Recommendations for Marketing Leaders (00:28:30)”Resources:Sales Enablement Tool: https://www.paperflite.com/Are you interested in learning more about the challenges of pipeline optimization? This detailed blog post explores the topic in greater depth.Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamturinas/Subscribe to The HealthTech Marketing Show on Spotify or watch us on YouTube for more insights into marketing, AI, ABM, buyer journeys, and beyond!

In this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan are joined by John Rowell, co-founder of Pinned Golf, about his transition from a successful career in enterprise sales to entrepreneurship. Rowell shares his invaluable experiences from working at EMC Dell Technologies and Lacework, highlighting the importance of process and preparation. He discusses how these skills translated into building a thriving startup, explains the significance of defining an ideal customer profile, and offers insights into the challenges and rewards of making the leap to start his own company. The episode also delves into Pinned Golf's innovative products, the dynamics of working with friends, and strategies for effective sales and management in both B2B and B2C environments.ADDITIONAL RESOURCESVisit Pinned Golf! Check out their products here: https://pinnedgolf.com/Connect with John Rowell:https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnerowell/Download the CRO Strategy Checklist: https://hubs.li/Q03f8LmX0Read Force Management's Guide to Increasing Company Valuation: https://hubs.li/Q038n0jT0Enjoying the podcast? Sign up to receive new episodes straight to your inbox: https://hubs.li/Q02R10xN0HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT[00:01:39] John Rowell's Career Journey at EMC and Lacework[00:05:21] Advice for BDRs and SDRs: Building Confidence and Authenticity[00:07:37] The Importance of Pre-Call Preparation[00:15:01] Process Equals Speed: Lessons from Lacework[00:19:23] Transitioning to Entrepreneurship: Founding Pinned Golf[00:25:19] Developing and Marketing Pinned Golf Products[00:31:36] The Caddy: Revolutionizing Golf Technology[00:34:17] Pre-Order and Market Gap[00:35:46] Finding the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)[00:38:26] Distribution Strategies[00:41:14] Entrepreneurial Journey and Challenges[00:46:56] Manufacturing and Role Segregation[00:48:30] Partnership Dynamics and Decision Making[00:57:50] Sales and Growth Mindset[01:04:53] Product Customization and Corporate GiftsHIGHLIGHT QUOTES"Process equals speed.""If you're not prepared, you'll figure it out after the call, but then it's too late.""The best way, the best connection you can make is to give that person space to be able to articulate what their challenges or problems are.""If you can get the channel really working for you and selling on your behalf, you can touch so many more people.""You can have three guys in a boat, but if only one's rowing, it's definitely not gonna work."

After 15 years in Technology and Sales (including 15 years at Dell Computers), William Hegmann decided to bring his technological expertise and sales experience to the Real Estate world. Since 2016, William has trained over 73,000 real estate agents across the world (including the US, Canada, New Zealand, Mexico, Australia and South Africa) to generate leads using social media. To date, the Social Agent program has helped agents and lenders generate approximately 22 Million leads and facilitated over $400 million in agent to agent referral business. On top of that, William co-founded Realty Solutions, a residential real estate brokerage based out of Austin, TX, Social Agent University, a lead generation, management, and follow-up service that specializes in helping real estate brokerages leverage lead generation for their agents and now Social Agent Content Hub! In his spare time, William loves spending time with his girls, collecting shoes, and enjoying all the wonderful things life has to offer. What You Will Learn: Who is William Hegmann? How did William Hegmann transition from a successful career at Dell to founding his own company, The Social Agent? What challenges did William face during his initial years in real estate? How did William's experiences with lead generation companies influence his approach to marketing? What are the first three steps a new agent or business owner should take to establish an online presence? How important is social media for agents, and what strategies should they implement? How does William utilize various social media platforms differently based on the industry or target audience? What lessons has William learned from his entrepreneurial journey, including his successes and failures? How does William's current business model support agents in focusing on sales rather than lead generation? What role do business development representatives (BDRs) play in William's real estate team? How can interested individuals reach out to William for his services or training? In what ways has William expanded his client base internationally? What is William's philosophy on engaging new agents versus veteran agents in the real estate industry? How does William recommend using social media for marketing without being overly promotional? What are the benefits of using organic content alongside paid advertising in social media marketing? William shares how everyone can contact him. Additional Resources from William Hegmann: Website: https://www.williamhegmann.com/ Email: william@williamhegmann.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-hegmann-2168118/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesocialagentusa TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@williamhegmann Attention Investors and Agents Are you looking to grow your business? Need to connect with aggressive like-minded people like yourself? We have all the right tools, knowledge, and coaching to positively effect your bottom line. Visit:http://globalinvestoragent.com/join-gia-team to see what we can offer and to schedule your FREE consultation! Our NEW book is out...order yours NOW! Global Investor Agent: How Do You Thrive Not Just Survive in a Market Shift? Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/3SV0khX HEY! You should be in class this coming Monday (MNL). It's Free and packed with actions you should take now! Here's the link to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sNMjT-5DTIakCFO2ronDCg

In this episode of The Long Game Podcast, Alex Birkett interviews Alice Wyatt, a B2B fintech marketing leader with experience at Codat, Bloomreach, and Adyen. Alice shares how her personal journey of building community and maintaining sanity in a fast-paced city like New York connects with her marketing philosophy: agile, people-first, and impact-driven. The conversation explores person-based marketing (PBM), the limits of MQLs, aligning sales and marketing teams, and embracing adaptability in an AI-disrupted world. Alice also reflects on how her approach to building community mirrors how great marketing is done: with empathy, boldness, and a willingness to challenge the status quo.Key TakeawaysFrom ABM to PBM: Moving beyond account-based strategies to person-based marketing creates deeper personalization and stronger alignment with buying behavior.MQLs Are Outdated: Relying on MQLs limits alignment; marketing and sales need shared, outcome-driven goals instead.Adaptability Over Tactics: Successful marketers focus on business outcomes and adapt tactics as priorities shift—agility trumps specialization.AI Is Redefining Roles: AI is reshaping marketing roles, requiring teams to adopt tools while maintaining strategic thinking and creativity.Community as a Superpower: Whether in marketing or life, building and contributing to genuine communities creates long-term value.Hire for Resilience and Curiosity: Non-traditional backgrounds (e.g., comedy, hospitality) often produce standout BDRs with adaptability and EQ.Thought Leadership ≠ Press Releases: Modern thought leadership means leading with perspective, not parroting trends or relying on legacy PR tactics.Show LinksVisit Alice's Forbes Council for Marketing ExpertsConnect with Alice Wyatt on LinkedInConnect with Alex Birkett on LinkedIn and TwitterConnect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or TwitterPast guests on The Long Game podcast include: Morgan Brown (Shopify), Ryan Law (Animalz), Dan Shure (Evolving SEO), Kaleigh Moore (freelancer), Eric Siu (Clickflow), Peep Laja (CXL), Chelsea Castle (Chili Piper), Tracey Wallace (Klaviyo), Tim Soulo (Ahrefs), Ryan McReady (Reforge), and many more.Some interviews you might enjoy and learn from:Actionable Tips and Secrets to SEO Strategy with Dan Shure (Evolving SEO)Building Competitive Marketing Content with Sam Chapman (Aprimo)How to Build the Right Data Workflow with Blake Burch (Shipyard)Data-Driven Thought Leadership with Alicia Johnston (Sprout Social)Purpose-Driven Leadership & Building a Content Team with Ty Magnin (UiPath)Also, check out our Kitchen Side series where we take you behind the scenes to see how the sausage is made at our agency:Blue Ocean vs Red Ocean SEOShould You Hire Writers or Subject Matter Experts?How Do Growth and Content Overlap?Connect with Omniscient Digital on social:Twitter: @beomniscientLinkedin: Be OmniscientListen to more episodes of The Long Game podcast here: https://beomniscient.com/podcast/

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AI-driven email outreach is more than just automation—it's a game-changer for sales and marketing teams. But how do you deploy AI agents effectively while maintaining compliance, preserving inbox health, and ensuring human alignment?In this episode, Chris Dutton, VP of Marketing Operations at 6sense, breaks down how his team has scaled AI email agents over the past three years, long before AI became mainstream. He shares the key lessons learned, the crawl-walk-run approach to implementation, and how AI enhances rather than replaces BDRs.Chris unpacks the metrics that matter beyond vanity stats, the campaigns that work (and those that don't), and the impact of AI on pipeline generation and team efficiency. From reducing BDR workload by 59% to achieving record-breaking pipeline months, this episode is packed with actionable insights on integrating AI into your outbound strategy.In this episode, you'll learn:How 6sense successfully scaled AI email agents without compromising complianceWhy AI email agents complement BDR efforts instead of replacing themThe key metrics that matter when measuring AI-driven outreachBest practices for inbox warming, campaign selection, and maintaining email healthJump into the conversation:(00:00) Introducing Chris Dutton and the AI email revolution(02:16) The importance of AI agents in scaling outreach(04:48) How 6sense started with AI email agents—cautiously(07:24) Key metrics for success beyond open and click rates(10:29) The three most effective AI email agent campaigns(12:48) Common pitfalls and when not to use AI for outreach(15:42) How 6sense centralizes AI ownership and ensures compliance(18:20) The technical crawl-walk-run approach to AI email implementation(22:03) Surprising AI interactions: empathy, engagement, and success stories

Our guest for Episode 67 isChristian Kletzl, CEO of UserGems. Christian co-founded the company in 2018 alongside his twin brother, and since then, the UserGems team has been dedicated to helping companies build bigger pipelines, accelerate sales cycles, and close larger deals.In this episode, Ross andChristian discuss how to drive execution excellence across the entire go to market organization — from BDRs to AEs and CSMs.

This episode features an interview with Niloy Sanyal, CMO at LeanTaaS, a growth-stage company that creates software solutions combining lean principles, predictive and prescriptive analytics, and machine learning to transform hospital and infusion center operations.In this conversation, Niloy and Ian debate the merits of last touch versus multitouch attribution models. They also dive into the potential of AI SDRs and the benefits of ungating the content on your website. Key Takeaways:While reporting last touch attribution may help CMOs establish credibility, there are benefits to thinking in terms of multitouch and how to best determine the next best touch. B2B still has a way to go to fully leverage the capacity of our current LLMs, not to mention the new versions coming out. There is immense opportunity in AI SDRs and BDRs. If you may the CEO fill out a form on your website, you've lost them. Ungating content allows high level prospects to consume the information they need. Quote: I am absolutely bullish on the impact of generative AI in the tactic of, to start with BDR and AE sales motions as part of our broader ABM execution. But very soon our comms execution, and every part of the marketing execution. But right now, early days, so I don't want to oversell it. But, the promise of what this can do without any improvement on the LLM. Like we were having this debate last night with another thought leader and I don't need chat GPT 5 to come out. I think 4. 0 or 4 is good enough and it's actually great. We just haven't caught up in a B2B environment to take advantage of it. And what I'm seeing from our early experiments, we've been at it now for three, four months, is absolutely astounding in what it can do. It's not going to replace BDRs. Let's be clear, you're in the Bay Area. If you  drive from, you know, Peninsula to the city, I almost feel half the billboards these days are on like AI-automated SDR, BDR type of a thing. Not in my space. It's not going to automate that any, replace rather, but it can supercharge. Those individuals and it can supercharge. So I'm very excited about where we are. Episode Timestamps: *(04:00) The Trust Tree: Last Touch Versus Multi-Touch*(30:07) The Playbook: The Potential of Gen AI SDRs and BDRs*(44:05) Quick Hits: Niloy's Quick HitsSponsor:Pipeline Visionaries is brought to you by Qualified.com. Qualified helps you turn your website into a pipeline generation machine with PipelineAI. Engage and convert your most valuable website visitors with live chat, chatbots, meeting scheduling, intent data, and Piper, your AI SDR. Visit Qualified.com to learn more.Links:Connect with Ian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianfaison/Connect with Niloy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niloysanyal/Learn more about LeanTaaS: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leantaas/Learn more about Caspian Studios: https://caspianstudios.com/

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This week we chat to Michael Liller.  Mike is an experienced Sr. Management Leader with a proven track record of developing highly motivated SDR/BDR teams, processes, and ultimately pipeline. With over 5 years experience in leading BDRs through hyper growth, an IPO, and the pandemic there isn't much Mike or his team haven't experienced!  A fantatsic episode full of take aways this week.

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Nadia Davis is the Senior Director of Revenue Marketing and Marketing Operations at PayIt, a government tech SaaS company serving 100 million people across the U.S. and Canada. During her conversation with co-host Klaudia Tirico on the show floor at B2B Marketing Exchange East in Alpharetta, GA, Davis discussed the challenges and strategies for implementing a successful Account-Based Marketing (ABM) program. Specifically, Davis highlighted the importance of operations in ABM success, noting that many organizations underestimate this aspect. She also emphasized the need for alignment across the go-to-market (GTM) team, effective training of BDRs, and the critical role of data attribution. Davis also cautioned against over-reliance on AI for sentiment analysis, stressing the need for a robust technical foundation for ABM.Tune in town to uncover: Challenges in implementing ABM strategies; Gaps between marketing and sales in ABM initiatives; The importance of a business-centric ABM strategy; How to communicate the value of ABM to stakeholders; Methods for reporting and tracking ABM;Tips for training sales team for ABM; andThe future of ABM and the role of AI. RELATED LINKS: Connect with Nadia Davis here. Learn more about the upcoming B2B Marketing Exchange West in Scottsdale, Ariz. Follow us on LinkedIn and X.

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Hiring BDRs isn't hard. But hiring great BDRs? Now that's a whole different game. It's a crucial process that can make or break your sales pipeline. In this episode, 6sense's very own Head of Sales Development Transformation, Ernest Owusu shares how he recruits top talent and builds a team that consistently delivers. Ernest also discusses how AI is transforming team efficiency through the automation of routine tasks and enhanced personalization. He offers valuable career advice for aspiring BDRs looking to stand out from a crowded job market.In this episode, you'll learn:The essential traits of top-performing BDRsHow to tailor your BDR leadership needs based on organizational maturityStrategies for integrating AI effectively into your BDR team's workflowJump into the conversation:(00:00) Introducing Ernest Owusu(05:09) Characteristics of high-performing BDRs(09:50) Ernest's hiring mantra(13:45) Should BDRs be in marketing or sales?(15:31) Using AI to improve BDR efficiency(21:32) For job seekers: treat your interview like a BDR role

I have known Michelle Benfer over the years and it was great to catch up with her in her role as SVP Sales, Business Line Owner at BILL. [Bill is (according to their website) the intelligent way to create and pay bills, send invoices, manage expenses, control budgets, and access the credit your business needs to grow—all on one platform.] Michelle is a sales leader and in our conversation we talked about how things have changed in sales, how there is some "bad behavior" happening more than before due to the tougher economy and some advice for reps about taking control of their destiny and the big job that front line sales managers have.  Fun fact: Michelle's mom was her sales role model, setting up calls like today's BDRs and SDRs do. When her parents started thinking about college for her and her siblings her mom got a job at Boston College so her kids would get free tuition (perk of working at a university). Mom was smart!  More about Michelle Benfer, ex Hubspot, Limited Partner at Stage 2 Capital - now at Bill.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellehughesbenfer/ More from Women Sales Pros - sign up for our 2x month newsletter  https://bit.ly/thewspnews Page on LinkedIn "Women Sales Pros" or connect with Lori Richardson #seeitbeit  https://www.linkedin.com/in/scoremoresales/ https://www.instagram.com/womensalespros/   

  If you're feeling frustrated with your SDR BDR team's results and struggling to increase pipeline creation, then you are not alone! Have you heard the myths about building successful SDR BDR teams? Myth 1: SDR BDR teams can only focus on outbound or inbound, not both. Myth 2: Texting prospects is not effective for SDR BDR outreach. Myth 3: SDR BDR roles are just a stepping stone and don't require long-term commitment. Want to know the truth? Stay tuned for the secrets to building a high-performing SDR BDR team. In this episode of The Modern Selling Podcast, Joey Vendel, the AVP of Sales Development at Seismic, joins host Mario Martinez Jr. to share his insights on building successful SDR/BDR teams. With over seven years of experience in sales development, Joey brings a wealth of knowledge and practical strategies to the table. The conversation delves into the pillars of a successful sales development team, including the architecture, activity optimization, omnichannel presence, and coaching. Joey's emphasis on nurturing SDRs for career growth and his innovative approach to pipeline development at Seismic offers valuable takeaways for sales development leaders and professionals. From discussing the challenges of engaging multiple buying groups to insights about the velocity program and the importance of personalized outreach, this episode provides actionable strategies to enhance pipeline creation and drive career development for SDRs. If you're looking to boost your team's performance and navigate the evolving landscape of sales development, this episode is a must-listen for practical guidance and inspiration. I think the key, Mario, is bringing value, right? That every touch point needs some form of value. And I think that's why we've seen the rise of how many touch points it takes to get ahold of a prospect is because more and more of it has become this, this, more mass message versus a personalized, relevant message for that specific person. - Joey Vendel Joey Vendel, the AVP of Sales Development at Seismic, brings over seven years of SDR experience, from honing his skills as an individual contributor to managing a team of successful SDRs. He has a knack for generating high-quality pipelines and has helped numerous SDRs advance into roles as account executives, sales engineers, and beyond. His passion for sports not only fuels his free time but also provides valuable parallels and practices that he seamlessly translates to the sales field. With a deep understanding of building scalable SDR teams and a commitment to coaching, Joey's insights promise an engaging and insightful conversation on the strategies and pillars essential for successful sales development teams. Skills you will learn in this Episode: Mastering the art of building high-performing SDR BDR teams. Accelerating your career through strategic sales development role progression. Crafting sales email frameworks that captivate and convert. Embracing the power of an omnichannel sales approach for amplified results. Elevating sales outreach with the impact of personalized strategies.   The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:08 - Introduction to Vengreso and FlyMSG 00:01:14 - Importance of Sales Development 00:06:55 - Personalization in Sales Outreach 00:11:33 - The Role of Coaching in Sales Development 00:14:41 - Creating Quality Pipeline 00:16:00 - Multi-Threaded Selling 00:17:33 - Career Development Path 00:20:39 - Bridging the Skills Gap 00:23:09 - SDR Role Duration 00:29:41 - SDRs' Daily Activities and Time Management 00:31:41 - Leveraging LinkedIn Engagement 00:34:15 - Challenges and Solutions in Sales Development 00:36:09 - Leveraging Text Messaging in Sales Outreach 00:41:57 - Adding Value in Sales Touchpoints 00:43:17 - Leveraging LinkedIn for Prospecting 00:46:15 - Successful Reps' Cadence vs. Bottom Performing Reps' Cadence 00:51:47 - Consolidating Inbound and Outbound Sales 00:55:35 - Joey's Favorite Movie 00:57:13 - Conclusion and Farewell 00:00:00 - Introducing Joey Vendel 00:15:45 - Importance of Personalized Selling 00:30:22 - Leveraging Technology in Sales 00:45:18 - Adapting to Changing Sales Landscape Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:00:08 - Introduction to Vengreso and FlyMSG Mario Martinez Jr. introduces Vengreso and FlyMSG, an application to help sales leaders grow their sales numbers at scale. 00:01:14 - Importance of Sales Development Mario Martinez Jr. and Joey Vendel discuss the challenges and importance of sales development, focusing on outbound and inbound strategies in the current sales landscape. 00:06:55 - Personalization in Sales Outreach Joey Vendel emphasizes the importance of personalized outreach in sales, sharing his passion for Minnesota sports as a way to build rapport and connect with prospects. 00:11:33 - The Role of Coaching in Sales Development Joey Vendel explains the key elements of effective coaching for SDRs, including reviewing sales activity, account strategy, pipeline development, and career aspirations to drive success in the role and beyond. 00:14:41 - Creating Quality Pipeline Joey discusses the importance of creating a quality pipeline for outside sales to close deals effectively, especially when targeting enterprise customers with multiple stakeholders and buying groups. 00:16:00 - Multi-Threaded Selling Mario and Joey delve into the concept of multi-threaded selling, which involves bringing in different personas and stakeholders to build a business case for account executives when selling to large organizations. 00:17:33 - Career Development Path The conversation shifts to the career development path for BDRs and SDRs, highlighting the challenges of transitioning to management or AE roles. Joey shares how their velocity program helps SDRs develop closing skills and progress towards AE roles. 00:20:39 - Bridging the Skills Gap Mario and Joey discuss the importance of bridging the skills gap between SDR and AE roles, emphasizing the need for coaching and development to prepare SDRs for handling deals and conversations effectively. 00:23:09 - SDR Role Duration Joey provides insights into the average duration of SDR roles at Seismic, emphasizing the importance of learning and progression within the role before aspiring to transition into AE roles. 00:29:41 - SDRs' Daily Activities and Time Management Joey discusses the average daily activities of their SDRs, including emails, dials, and LinkedIn steps. He emphasizes the importance of time management and framing these activities as "effort metrics" within their control. 00:31:41 - Leveraging LinkedIn Engagement Mario and Joey discuss the importance of engaging on LinkedIn posts to stand out. They emphasize the need for personalized and thoughtful comments to make an impact, leading to a potential product enhancement idea for Joey's company. 00:34:15 - Challenges and Solutions in Sales Development Joey highlights the challenge of tracking engagement on LinkedIn and mentions a tool called Surfy for synchronizing LinkedIn messages. They discuss the importance of an omni-channel approach in reaching prospects. 00:36:09 - Leveraging Text Messaging in Sales Outreach Joey and Mario discuss the use of text messaging in sales outreach, emphasizing the need for an established relationship before using text as a channel. They also touch on the strategy of connecting all three channels - phone, text, and LinkedIn. 00:41:57 - Adding Value in Sales Touchpoints The importance of bringing value in every touchpoint is highlighted. Joey emphasizes the need for personalized, relevant messages for specific prospects, and Mario shares insights on the PVC sales methodology - personalization, bringing value, and a call to action. 00:43:17 - Leveraging LinkedIn for Prospecting Joey explains the importance of using the follow button on LinkedIn as part of the outbound cadence. He emphasizes the value of the follow button in engaging passive buyers and triggering a response from them. 00:46:15 - Successful Reps' Cadence vs. Bottom Performing Reps' Cadence Joey discusses the key elements of a successful sales cadence, including personalization, problem statement, value proposition, and interest-based call to action. He highlights the importance of concise and value-driven messaging in both emails and cold calls. 00:51:47 - Consolidating Inbound and Outbound Sales Joey talks about the decision to consolidate inbound and outbound sales under the same team at Seismic. He explains how this hybrid model has improved MQL to demo conversion rates and strengthened the partnership between the sales and marketing teams. 00:55:35 - Joey's Favorite Movie Joey shares his all-time favorite movie, "Crazy, Stupid, Love," and mentions his tradition of asking SDRs about their favorite movie when they start at Seismic. He invites listeners to use the movie title in their subject line when reaching out to him. 00:57:13 - Conclusion and Farewell Mario Martinez Jr. concludes the episode by thanking the listeners and encourages them to keep selling effectively until the next episode. 00:00:00 - Introducing Joey Vendel Mario Martinez Jr. introduces the guest, Joey Vendel, and sets the stage for the upcoming discussion on sales strategies. 00:15:45 - Importance of Personalized Selling Joey Vendel emphasizes the significance of personalized selling and the impact it has on building strong customer relationships and driving sales success. 00:30:22 - Leveraging Technology in Sales The conversation shifts to the role of technology in sales, with Joey Vendel sharing insights on how to effectively leverage technology to streamline sales processes and improve efficiency. 00:45:18 - Adapting to Changing Sales Landscape Mario Martinez Jr. and Joey Vendel discuss the need for sales professionals to adapt to the evolving sales landscape and embrace new strategies and tools to stay competitive in the market. Crafting Irresistible Sales Email Frameworks for Maximum Impact Crafting sales email frameworks that are personalized, concise, and value-driven is key to maximizing impact in prospecting activities. Leveraging technology and the latest sales tools to enhance the effectiveness of sales cadences and outreach strategies is vital in the modern sales landscape. Storytelling can be a powerful tool in sales, allowing sales professionals to create compelling narratives that resonate with prospects and drive engagement. Mastering the Art of Building High-Performing SDR BDR Teams Crafting a successful sales development team involves understanding the key pillars of team architecture, activity optimization, omnichannel presence, and coaching to drive success. Aligning different roles within the team with the organization's sales process and customer base is essential for building a scalable and efficient team. Balancing volume and personalization in sales outreach is crucial for engaging prospects effectively. Accelerating Your Sales Development Career Progression SDRs can accelerate their career progression by gaining exposure to running inbound deals in addition to outbound responsibilities. Programs like Seismic's velocity program allow top-performing SDRs to showcase their skills in closing deals and prepare for advancement to AE roles. It's crucial to focus on skill development, refinement of discovery and demonstration skills, and preparing SDRs for future career growth opportunities within the organization. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Download FlyMSG for free to save 20 hours or more in a month and increase your productivity. Connect with Joey Vendel on LinkedIn and mention that you heard him on the modern selling podcast. Personalize your outreach to Joey Vendel to get a response, showing that you did research about him and his role. Use the subject line Crazy Stupid Love when reaching out to Joey Vendel to get his attention. Give the modern selling podcast a five-star rating and review on iTunes.

In this episode of Tech Sales Insights, Jim Karrh, a Consultant & Professional Speaker at Karrh & Associates, shares his expertise on building consistently effective sales communications and conversations. He emphasizes the need for strategic thinking and offers insights into how sales organizations can structure their conversations to improve results. Other topics include the use of AI and technology in enhancing sales effectiveness, and the critical elements of successful sales playbooks.KEY TAKEAWAYSSequence of Effective Sales Conversations: Understand the stages of change, urgency, and differentiation in sales dialogues.Messaging vs. Commoditization: Differentiate your message to resonate beyond industry jargon and technical features.The Impact of Confident Messaging: Confidence in delivering your message enhances engagement and trust.Managing Sales Teams: Implementing structured training, coaching, and tools to ensure consistent messaging and performance.QUOTES"Confidence in the value of what you offer is crucial, but equally important is having confidence in how to talk about it.""Avoid the pitfalls of commoditization by developing a unique, compelling message that resonates with your audience.""Sales success often hinges on having the right conversations with the right people at the right time.""Consistency in sales messaging is key—it's not about scripting but about having a common language and approach across the team.""Preparation and practice are fundamental; they transform foundational techniques into effective, fluid conversations."Find out more about Jim Karrh through the links below:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimkarrh/This episode is sponsored by Humantic AI. Humantic AI is a Buyer Intelligence platform for revenue teams. Top revenue teams use Humantic's Personality AI to identify early adopters, help their BDRs personalize outreach and enable their AEs with vital customer insights for every deal.

It's hard to believe it is episode 199, and next week will mark a massive milestone of recording, producing, and releasing an episode every single week for almost 4 years straight! In this week's episode, I wanted to reflect over the past 199 episodes, and get you prepared for the next 200 episodes!  Over the past 199 weeks, I've had on leaders across numerous professions: TedX Speakers Ex-Navy Seals  Best-Selling Authors  Up and coming leaders, to CEOs of massive brands Sales Professionals from BDRs, to AEs, to VPs of Sales  Marketing Professionals to talk about what makes them successful Customer Success Leaders to talk about how to retain/grow your customers These professionals were across a variety of industries too: Solopreneurs starting their own journey Coaches, Community Leaders, Public Speakers Partnership Leaders Podcast Hosts Those sharing mental health struggles/tips Financial Advisors  I've learned some massive lessons along the way, and some interesting trends: What you experience early in your life and career really lays the foundation to success later (Transfering your skills) Business Acumen is crucial: Relatable to who you are speaking with. Real world skills and experience is something I believe needs to be a bigger focus early in our careers and life. Develop Cross-Functional Skills: understanding other roles at the company allows you to be a more well-rounded employee Action is more important than perfection I am excited to get even more tactical myself, and utilize the skills I've learned like writing Blogs, creating a newsletter, and who knows, maybe even get more long-form content onto YouTube too.  So excited that you've been on this journey with me, as we continue to develop our own skills, and become the best versions of ourselves along the way. Please enjoy this week's episode of The 20% Podcast!  ____________________________________________________________________________ I am now in the early stages of writing my first book! In this book, I will be telling my story of getting into sales and the lessons I have learned so far, and intertwine stories, tips, and advice from the Top Sales Professionals In The World! As a first time author, I want to share these interviews with you all, and take you on this book writing journey with me!  Like the show? Subscribe to the email: https://mailchi.mp/a71e58dacffb/welcome-to-the-20-podcast-community I want your feedback! Reach out to 20percentpodcastquestions@gmdail.com, or find me on LinkedIn. If you know anyone who would benefit from this show, share it along! If you know of anyone who would be great to interview, please drop me a line! Enjoy the show!

Patrick Campbell shares his entrepreneur's perspective on relationships and the parallels between business management and marital success. This episode packs in revelations about the value of alignment in relationships, the importance of a partner's shared vision, and practical approaches to nurture a deeply bonded partnership. Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/ew91lnFKYyI  Don't forget to help us grow by subscribing and liking on YouTube! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: (00:00) Patrick Campbell's background and introduction to his expertise in relationships (03:12) Importance of weekly one-on-one meetings with your partner (04:08) Setting boundaries and shared vision in a relationship (07:00) Conducting off-site retreats to discuss goals and aspirations (10:01) Conclusion and benefits of implementing relationship frameworks (11:24) Importance of alignment and shared values (12:05) Finding peace and contentment in life (14:40) Money does not solve emotional problems (15:45) Cutting out toxic loved ones (18:18) Existential crisis after selling a company (19:37) Learning to navigate wealth and deploy capital (20:24) Anxiety around money even with significant wealth (23:09) The value of frugality for entrepreneurs (24:52) The importance of challenging hard and fast rules (27:05) Unconventional marketing strategies for awareness (30:06) Examples of marketing experiments that worked (31:50) Patrick Campbell shares the strategy behind their personalized email campaign. (33:14) Offering $250 Amazon gift cards as an incentive for a call. (33:45) Using creative tactics like offering a Peloton if the trial doesn't work. (34:10) Sending a box with earplugs and an AirPods box to grab attention. (34:39) Achieving a 25% count-to-call rate with the campaign. (35:21) The importance of focusing on the middle 60% of leads. (36:13) The danger of automating too early in the sales process. (37:07) Taking marketing budget out and focusing on demand generation. (39:42) Incentivizing BDRs by having them report to marketing. (42:05) Ran email sequences like a code base with controlled tests (45:01) Targeting the full spectrum of demand (46:59) Compensation structure for BDRs (49:35) Importance of early pitching for AEs (50:08) Philosophy on executives' first 90 days (51:36) Executives' process and framework for learning (52:27) Evaluating an executive's learning process during hiring (52:27) Referrals and challenges in the interview process (53:30) Importance of testing for specific skills in candidates (54:36) Using engineering challenges for hiring (56:04) The impact of chat as a channel (57:29) Patrick's plans for starting a new company in healthcare (58:55) Patrick's mindset and commitment to his new venture (59:00) Find more about Patrick Campbell online — What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Leveling Up Eric Siu on Twitter Eric Siu on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices