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Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!In this episode of OpsCast, hosted by Michael Hartmann and powered by MarketingOps.com, we are joined by Tracey Fudge, AI Operations Architect and Agentic Workflow Designer at AI By Thrive. Tracey has spent the past several years working hands-on with language models, automation systems, and what she calls agentic workflows. She helps marketing and operations teams move past AI buzzwords and turn technology into practical tools that drive better results.The discussion focuses on how to build real, usable AI systems that enhance creativity, improve efficiency, and deliver measurable business outcomes. Tracey explains what agentic workflows are, how they differ from traditional automation, and how teams can start integrating AI into everyday work in a thoughtful, scalable way.In this episode, you will learn:How to apply AI and automation in practical marketing and operations use casesWhat agentic workflows are and how they create intelligent systemsTechniques for prompting and choosing the right AI tools for each taskWays to balance human creativity with AI assistance for better outcomesThis episode is ideal for marketing and operations professionals who want to make AI an integrated part of their workflow without losing the human touch.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the show
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!In this episode of OpsCast, hosted by Michael Hartmann and powered by MarketingOps.com, we are joined by Danielle Balestra, a seasoned fractional marketing technology executive with experience building teams and stacks in both regulated and non-regulated industries.The conversation examines the requirements for running effective marketing operations in highly regulated industries, including finance, healthcare, and legal services. Danielle shares her insights on working within compliance constraints, earning trust across teams, and building a marketing operations function that strikes a balance between agility and accountability.In this episode, you will learn:What makes regulated industries unique from a marketing operations perspectiveThe skills and mindsets needed to succeed in compliance-heavy environmentsHow to collaborate effectively with legal and compliance teamsStrategies for balancing marketing speed with regulatory requirementsThis episode is ideal for marketing operations professionals, leaders, and consultants who work in or with regulated industries and want to strengthen collaboration, compliance, and operational excellence.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the show
In this OnBase Podcast episode, host Chris Moody sits down with Brynna Self to unpack how Hexagon SIG moved from “running ads to accounts” to a true account-based GTM—and what changed when they adopted Demandbase as their shared sales–marketing system of record. Brynna details the journey from agency days to client-side leadership, why data discipline beats “order-taking,” and how a North America pilot became the blueprint for global rollout. They cover what actually fixes sales–marketing silos (hint: shared facts beat opinions), why clean CRM + intent + journey data created pull from sales, and how one-to-one onboarding for reps, weekly pipeline rituals, and regional frameworks turned ABM from theory into closed-won outcomesKey takeawaysData-driven transformation is the foundation of growthHexagon's marketing evolution began with a cultural shift toward analytics and measurable outcomes. By implementing KPIs and attribution models, Brynna's team moved from intuition-based decisions to data-backed strategy, aligning every initiative to revenue impact.Sales and marketing alignment is non-negotiableBrynna emphasized that ABM success depends on equal partnership between sales and marketing. Breaking the “order-taker” mindset and fostering collaboration built the trust required for true go-to-market alignment.Demandbase became the catalyst for ABM maturityTransitioning from Terminus to Demandbase allowed Hexagon to unify data, surface actionable insights, and bridge communication gaps between sales and marketing. The platform became the single source of truth for their account strategy.Start small, prove value, then scaleLaunching with a North America pilot allowed the team to test, refine, and validate their ABM approach before expanding globally. The result was a 53% increase in web visits and an 80% rise in closed-won opportunities, setting a model for global rollout.Data transparency builds adoptionBy personalizing reports and dashboards for each salesperson, Brynna's team achieved over 90% adoption. Showing tangible, account-level insights built credibility and helped sales see marketing as a strategic partner.ABM success is globally adaptableWhile each region has unique challenges, the ABM framework proved scalable across geographies. Success came from combining consistent methodology with localized execution.Clean data powers the future of AI in marketingBrynna's closing insight underscored that AI can only enhance ABM if the data foundation is clean, accurate, and consistent across systems.Quotes“We need each other. Sales and marketing can't be order-takers; we're partners driving growth.”Tech RecommendationsConsensusDemandbase Resource RecommendationsNewsletter:The Marketing Operations Leader by Darrell AlfonsoThe Marketing Operations Strategist with Sara McNamara by Sarah McNamaraBlog:Niel Patel: Author: Neil Patel | Co Founder of NP Digital & Owner of UbersuggestShout-outsSarah McNamara - Founding Revenue Operations & GTM Strategy Lead. VectorDarrell Alfonso - VP of Marketing Ops and Martech,Foundever.Neil Patel - Co-Founder at Neil Patel DigitalMaureen Mack - Northam Marketing Director,Hexagon.Mallory Hilderbrand - Senior Manager, Global Campaign Operations,Hexagon.About the GuestBrynna Self is a seasoned growth and marketing executive with 20 years of experience driving global digital strategy, demand generation, and account-based marketing. As Director of Global Digital Marketing at Hexagon's Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division, she leads initiatives that align marketing, sales and customer success to create stronger go-to-market execution. Recognized for advancing ABM adoption, AI-powered analytics, and data-driven decision-making, she has delivered measurable growth across the software, manufacturing and e-commerce sectors. Brynna holds an MBA in Marketing from the University of Maryland.Connect with Brynna.
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!In this episode of OpsCast, hosted by Michael Hartmann and powered by MarketingOps.com, we are joined by Danielle Urban, Co-founder and CEO of Cartographer Consulting. Danielle brings a blend of demand generation, operations, and HubSpot expertise, helping early-stage startups and scaling teams build smarter, more sustainable marketing systems.The conversation focuses on Martech maturity, how to know when you have outgrown your current setup, what signals indicate it is time to evolve, and how to align platforms and processes as your team grows. Danielle shares lessons from her experience guiding teams through HubSpot optimization, stack consolidation, and key maturity milestones to avoid growth slowdowns.In this episode, you will learn:How to define Martech maturity and identify growth triggersCommon pitfalls when teams outgrow their systemsHow to align HubSpot and processes with business evolutionWhen to DIY and when to bring in outside expertiseThe growing role of AI in shaping marketing operationsThis episode is perfect for marketing operations professionals, HubSpot users, and growth teams looking to scale efficiently without skipping important maturity steps.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the show
What's up everyone, today we have the pleasure of sitting down with Angela Vega, Director, Capabilities and Operations at Expedia Group.(00:00) - Intro (01:18) - In This Episode (04:55) - Building an ADHD Techstack (11:11) - Why ADHD Shapes Better Decision-Making in Marketing Operations (19:06) - How to Turn ADHD Patterns Into Martech Leadership Strengths (23:38) - Why ADHD Helps Marketers Build Better Systems (31:25) - Building a Bridge Between Strategy and Execution in Marketing Ops (37:21) - Execution Defines Whether Ideas Live or Die (41:19) - Why Recent Execution Experience Builds Better Marketing Leaders (46:09) - How to Build Discernment in Martech Leadership (52:52) - Energy Economics for Marketing Ops Leaders (01:00:39) - How to Build a Personal Growth Formula in Marketing Leadership Summary: Angela built her ADHD tech stack as a way to survive the noise in her own head, turning distraction into design. Her workflow (Offload, Shape, Prototype, Loop, and Anchor) channels restless thought into motion through AI tools like Whisper and GPT. After her second pregnancy and a diagnosis that reframed her chaos, Angela stopped fighting her wiring and built systems that worked with it. Her fast, pattern-driven brain now thrives in marketing operations, where complexity rewards connection. She reads emotion like data, earning trust through clarity and transparency, and reminds leaders that execution, not strategy decks, moves companies forward. These days she measures success in energy and her mantra is “It's just marketing, we're not in the ER”.About AngelaAngela Vega has spent over 13 years in FinTech, health, and travel, she has unified global martech stacks, accelerated execution ninefold, and led CRM for Expedia, Vrbo, and Hotels.com, supporting over a billion monthly customer interactions. Her leadership grows both teams and ideas. She blends creative intuition with operational rigor, translating insight into systems that last. As a late-diagnosed ADHD professional, she experiments with AI to help neurodivergent leaders thrive, proving that marketing can be both human and scalable.Building an ADHD TechstackAngela built her ADHD Tech Stack to make her brain an ally instead of a hurdle. The system blends ADHD science with AI practicality, turning common executive function challenges into structured momentum. Each part of her workflow (Offload, Shape, Prototype, Loop, and Anchor) acts as a circuit for channeling mental noise into clarity. It is both a workflow and a survival strategy for people who juggle too many tabs at once, whether they are digital or mental.Her starting point came from frustration. Lists, sticky notes, and phone alarms worked for a while but always hit a ceiling. The real struggle was never remembering to do things but figuring out where to start. Executive function is about getting from idea to action, and for ADHD professionals, that gap can feel massive. Angela found her bridge in AI tools that could listen, capture, and organize her thinking in real time. Whisper transcribes her thoughts. GPT shapes them into frameworks. Gemini helps her plan and communicate with clarity.“I talk out loud all the time. Instead of saying things into the abyss, I say them into AI,” Angela said. “One system holds my to-dos, another handles updates for my boss, and another helps me break big goals into smaller steps.”Her stack follows five steps that anyone can adapt:Offload: Speak or type ideas into AI to clear mental clutter.Shape: Ask AI to sort and group ideas into logical categories.Prototype: Turn thoughts into quick drafts or mockups to trigger dopamine and action.Loop: Use AI for feedback, reflection, and gentle nudges that replace self-criticism.Anchor: Set reminders, templates, and adaptive systems that help you return to projects smoothly.Angela's framework works because it aligns tools with real human behavior instead of forcing people into rigid systems. The design rewards momentum over perfection. It gives permission to think out loud, change direction, and experiment without shame. Every ADHD brain operates differently, so every system should too. AI's flexibility makes that possible by turning scattered thoughts into structured workflows without losing the spark that drives creativity.Key takeaway: Treat productivity as a design challenge, not a discipline test. Use AI to capture ideas before they vanish, shape them into usable form, and build adaptive anchors that forgive interruptions. That way you can create a personal martech system that channels ADHD energy into consistent output, steady progress, and fewer moments of paralysis.Why ADHD Shapes Better Decision-Making in Marketing OperationsADHD rewires how people handle complexity, and marketing operations thrive on complexity. Angela discovered that her diagnosis reframed everything about her work and leadership. Years of restless multitasking, late-night thought spirals, and endless side projects suddenly made sense. Her mind was not unfocused. It was constantly building new connections, scanning for patterns, and searching for stimulation that most work environments suppress.Her diagnosis arrived during a storm of personal and professional change. After her second pregnancy, her coping systems stopped working. Therapy no longer grounded her, medication clashed with her body, and grief from losing her father-in-law blurred her focus. Meanwhile, the pressure at work continued to grow. Leadership demanded stability while her world spun faster each week. Reaching for help was not an act of surrender. It was a recalibration of survival.“I have a lot of thoughts in my head. It's sometimes super hard to fall asleep. I think of the twenty things that might go wrong and the hundred hobbies I have,” Angela said.When testing confirmed ADHD combined type, disbelief gave way to validation. The diagnosis gave shape to her chaos. She stopped labeling her quirks as flaws and started understanding them as traits with purpose. Her curiosity was a strength, not a distraction. Her brain thrived in dynamic systems where rules shifted and creativity met precision. That explained her pull toward marketing operations, where nothing stays still and every campaign or data sync has moving parts that need decoding.Angela began building systems that complemented her wiring instead of fighting against it. She used visual workflows to clear mental clutter, broke large tasks into tight sprints, and surrounded herself with teammates who balanced her energy with structure. ADHD did not make her less capable. It made her more adaptive. In a field that rewards fast problem-solving and parallel thinking, her mind became her greatest operational advantage.Key takeaway: ADHD changes how leaders process and prioritize information, and awareness turns that difference into strategy. Identify where your energy peaks and build workflows around those cycles. Use external systems to store what your brain refuses to hold. Protect deep-focus windows instead of forcing consistency. The goal is not to tame your wiring but to design with it, that way you can turn what once felt chaotic into sustainable momentum.How to Turn ADHD Patterns Into Martech Leadership StrengthsADHD often gets framed as distraction, but in martech leadership, it can function as accelerated pattern recognition. Angela's brain fires fast. She sees connections before most people finish explaining the problem. “I can jump from one topic to another pretty quickly because in my mind I've already created the five c...
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!In this episode of OpsCast, hosted by Michael Hartmann and powered by MarketingOps.com, we are joined by Sarah Lane-Hawn, a fractional marketing leader and consultant who helps organizations shape their go-to-market strategy and build operational infrastructure with intention. Sarah brings experience leading both marketing operations and demand generation, offering a clear view of how these functions can work together more strategically.The discussion focuses on how Marketing Operations professionals can move beyond the “ticket-taking” mindset and step into roles that drive real business impact. Sarah shares how understanding the “why” behind requests, influencing decisions, and aligning with organizational goals can elevate both personal growth and company success.In this episode, you'll learn:Why a human-centered strategy is essential to the future of marketing operationsHow MOps professionals can gain credibility and influence within their organizationsThe difference between building for reporting versus enablementPractical ways to bring strategic thinking and intuition into daily workThis episode is perfect for Marketing Ops, RevOps, and demand generation professionals looking to increase their strategic impact, build stronger partnerships with stakeholders, and find more meaning in their work.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the show
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!In this episode of OpsCast, hosted by Michael Hartmann and powered by MarketingOps.com, we are joined by Sari Hegewald, Vice President of Marketing Operations at CeriFi. Sari leads a 10-person team covering marketing automation, creative, content, events, and more, and brings a unique perspective on the human side of marketing operations.She explains why the best MOps leaders focus not only on campaigns and systems but also on relationships, anticipating behavior, and applying empathy in reporting, segmentation, and strategy. The discussion explores the difference between being “data-informed” and “data-driven,” how to combine strategic thinking with emotional intelligence, and ways to engage both internal teams and external audiences without losing the human touch.In this episode, you'll learn:Why empathy is essential in marketing operationsHow to balance data insights with human understandingPractical ways to anticipate behavior and build stronger relationshipsTips for creating campaigns and reporting that resonate without being roboticThis episode is ideal for marketing operations leaders, MOps professionals, and anyone looking to bring a more human-centered approach to data, strategy, and execution.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the show
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!In this episode of OpsCast, hosted by Michael Hartmann and powered by MarketingOps.com, we are joined by Chris Golec, Founder and CEO of Channel99, and Emily Gustin, Business Development Manager at LinkedIn. Chris and Emily share how the shift from individual-level to company-level attribution is transforming how B2B marketing teams measure ROI, particularly in social media.They discuss how LinkedIn and Channel99 are partnering to provide marketers with a privacy-safe approach to connect paid and organic social engagement to website activity and pipeline impact. The conversation explores the implications for ABM and ABX strategies, the evolving landscape of view-through attribution, and how marketing operations professionals can gain deeper insight into brand reach, buyer behavior, and overall performance across the funnel.In this episode, you'll learn:How company-level attribution is changing B2B social measurementThe role of privacy-safe solutions in connecting social engagement to pipeline impactInsights into ABM and ABX strategies informed by better dataHow MOPs teams can leverage attribution to understand brand reach and buyer behaviorThis episode is perfect for marketing operations professionals, B2B marketers, and anyone looking to improve social ROI and attribution strategies.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Marketing Ops, RevOps, Data Pros, and AI innovators will come together to share what's really working and what's not during the week of Dreamforce. Join the conversation shaping the future of rev ops and AI, and save your spot now at AI Unfiltered, happening October 15th from 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM at Sandbox VR in San Francisco. Just steps away from Dreamforce. Visit tractioncomplete.com to learn more. Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the show
What's up everyone, today we have the pleasure of sitting down with Henk-jan ter Brugge, Head of global digital programs and Martech at Philips.(00:00) - Intro (01:17) - In This Episode (05:11) - Embracing the Digital Pirate Mindset in Martech (16:18) - Why Clean Data Is the Real Treasure Map for AI in Marketing Ops (19:20) - Why Composable Martech Stacks Work in High Seas Regulated Enterprises (24:35) - Rethinking Martech as People Tech (32:51) - Elevating Martech Teams Beyond Button Pushing (37:16) - Where Martech Should Report in the Organization (42:58) - Unlocking Innovation Through the Long Tail of Martech (47:42) - The Limits of Vendor Isolation in Martech (52:12) - Philips Digital Marketing & e-Commerce Stack (55:10) - How to Use Weekly Prioritization to Protect Energy Summary: Henk-jan works like a pirate inside the navy, exposing inefficiency with data, redesigning roles around real capabilities, and breaking AI promises into measurable wins backed by clean data and clear standards. He treats composability as an operating model with budgets tied to usage, gives local teams autonomy within guardrails, and measures martech by how it serves people and drives revenue. Ops leaders earn influence by pulling in allies and securing executive sponsorship, while reporting debates matter less than accountability and outcomes. Real innovation comes from embracing the long tail of smaller tools, working with vendors who integrate into the ecosystem, building adoption models with champions, and protecting energy through ruthless prioritization.About Henk-janHenk-jan ter Brugge is Head of Digital Programs and Martech at Philips, where he leads the global digital marketing and ecommerce technology team. With over a decade at Philips, he has driven transformation across CRM, ecommerce, sales enablement, web experience, ad tech, analytics, and AI innovation. Henk-jan is a lean and agile certified leader who believes technology is an enabler, but it's people who create the real impact. His career spans international experience in Seoul, Paris, and Shanghai, and he is a frequent keynote speaker on martech, salestech, and digital transformation. Passionate about improving health and wellbeing through meaningful innovation, he connects strategy, technology, and change management to deliver customer value at scale.Embracing the Digital Pirate Mindset in MartechPirates were early system hackers. They rewrote rules on their ships, experimented with shared decision-making, and introduced ideas like equal pay centuries before they reached land. That spirit of rewriting norms has carried into Henk-jan's work in martech. He frames the pirate as someone inside the navy, pushing the big ship to move differently, rather than a rogue causing chaos on the outside.Corporate inertia creates its own myths. Vendor onboarding still takes 12 to 18 months in some organizations. Translation cycles hold content hostage for weeks. Colleagues accept these delays as culture, with a shrug and a “that's just how we do things.” Henk-jan refuses to let tradition dictate output. He arms himself with data and turns it into proof. If a team claims a translation cycle takes three months, he presents the real number: 10, 15, maybe 20 days.“Everything we say can be data driven. If someone tells me translation takes three months, I can show with data that it takes 10, 15, maybe 20 days. The data talks there.”The pirate mindset works only when it builds coalitions. Lone rebels fade out in corporate structures. Movements form when people across teams share the same impatience for inefficiency and the same hunger for progress. That is why Henk-jan focuses on allies who welcome change. With them, he introduces controlled experiments that rewire expectations step by step until the new way becomes the default.One of his boldest moves came in team design. He rebranded product owners as platform managers. They stopped acting like ticket clerks and became capability builders, consultants, and business partners. They handled strategy, education, and enablement, while still owning the backlog. A time study revealed that 70 percent of team energy had been going into internal operations. After the shift, 60 percent went directly into business-facing work. The lesson was clear: titles shape behavior, and behavior shapes impact.Key takeaway: The digital pirate mindset thrives when you expose inefficiency with data, recruit allies who share your appetite for change, and redesign roles so teams build capabilities instead of servicing tickets. Work inside the system, use transparency to gain trust, and experiment in controlled steps. That way you can redirect energy from internal bureaucracy toward direct customer value, creating momentum that compounds over time.Why Clean Data Is the Real Treasure Map for AI in Marketing OpsSpeaking of chasing treasures… AI has forced leadership teams to finally pay attention to the quality of their data. Henk-jan described it with a simple observation: “Everybody in the company becomes a technologist in a way, even the CEO.” Executives want automation, optimization, and sharper analytics, but none of those things matter without reliable data flowing through the system.Requests for a CDP illustrate the problem. Leaders hear the acronym and assume it represents an instant fix. Henk-jan has seen this cycle many times and insists the smarter move is to break the vision into small, practical wins. CEOs need short stories they can tell at the end of a quarter, stories that show how clean data lifted conversion or reduced wasted spend. Large programs gain momentum when they stack up these smaller wins rather than selling one massive transformation.“The only way to do that well is to slice it up, basically to show some promising use cases. Talking CEO, they need some impactful stories they need to have at the end of the quarter to show what we have delivered.”Clean data depends on discipline across the organization. Henk-jan stressed the need for rules: standards for how data is collected, shared definitions across content systems, and taxonomies that keep categories consistent. Integrations and lifecycle management depend on that structure. Without it, AI experiments turn into siloed pilots that never scale.AI becomes useful only when the groundwork is finished. Leaders may chase demos that look impressive, but real value comes from standards, integration discipline, and lifecycle maturity. These foundations create systems that grow stronger over time rather than projects that fizzle out after launch.Key takeaway: Clean data gives AI something to stand on. Break big promises into small, measurable wins that executives can celebrate at the end of a quarter. Pair those wins with clear rules on data standards, integration discipline, and taxonomy. That way you can build credibility quickly, prove value, and create a foundation where AI programs expand instead of stall.Why Composable Martech Stacks Work in High Seas Regulated EnterprisesComposable stacks sound exciting in theory, but at enterprise scale the question is always about execution. Henk-jan calls it the “cradle to grave” lifecycle of martech, and he is not exaggerating. Every new tool at Philips runs through a process: onboarding, building and deploying, adopting, improving, and eventually decommissioning. Each step matters because every skipped detail becomes someone's day-to-day problem.He warns against the common trap of treating tools like silver bullets. Buying a platform for insights or personalization only matters if there are people inside the business who can operate it. Henk-jan has seen too many o...
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!In this special 200th episode of OpsCast, hosted by Michael Hartmann and powered by MarketingOps.com, we are joined by Monica Wright, growth and demand generation leader with deep experience in both marketing operations and demand generation. Monica brings a rare dual perspective on what it takes for marketing and operations teams to work together effectively.In this episode, Monica discusses the often-overlooked challenge of mutual understanding, why marketers need to understand how Ops professionals work, and why they must understand marketing strategy to drive real business impact. She shares insights from her career leading, building, and advising teams, offering practical advice for bridging gaps, improving collaboration, and maximizing the effectiveness of your marketing organization.You will learn:Why cross-functional understanding between marketing and Ops is critical for successHow Ops and marketing teams can better communicate and align on goalsStrategies to ensure Ops adds measurable value while supporting marketing initiativesLessons from real-world experience building and scaling high-performing teamsThis episode is ideal for marketing leaders, demand generation professionals, and MOps teams seeking to enhance collaboration and achieve a more significant impact throughout the organization.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Marketing Ops, RevOps, Data Pros, and AI innovators will come together to share what's really working and what's not during the week of Dreamforce. Join the conversation shaping the future of rev ops and AI, and save your spot now at AI Unfiltered, happening October 15th from 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM at Sandbox VR in San Francisco. Just steps away from Dreamforce. Visit tractioncomplete.com to learn more. Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the show
What's up everyone, today we have the pleasure of sitting down with Aditi Uppal, Vice President, Digital Marketing and Demand Generation at Teradata.(00:00) - Intro (01:15) - In this Episode (04:03) - How to Use Customer Conversations to Validate Marketing Data (10:49) - Balancing Quantitative Data with Customer Conversations (16:14) - Gathering Customer Insights From Underrated Feedback Channels (22:00) - Activating Voice of Customer with AI Agents (29:09) - Voice of Customer Martech Examples (34:48) - How to Use Rapid Response Teams in Marketing Ops (39:07) - Building Customer Obsession Into Marketing Culture (43:44) - Why Voice of Customer Works Differently in B2B and B2C (48:26) - Why Life Integration Works Better Than Work Life Balance Summary: Aditi shows how five honest conversations can reshape how you read data, because customer language carries context that numbers miss. She points to overlooked signals like product usage trails, community chatter, sales recordings, and event conversations, then explains how to turn them into action through a simple pipeline of capture, tag, route, track, and activate. Tools like BrightEdge and UserEvidence prove their worth by removing grunt work and delivering usable outputs. The system only works when culture supports it, with rapid response channels, proposals that start with customer problems, and councils that align leaders around real needs. Blend the speed of B2C listening with the discipline of B2B execution, and you build strategies grounded in reality.About AditiAditi Uppal is a data-driven growth leader with over a decade of experience driving digital transformation, product marketing, and go-to-market strategy across India, Canada, and the U.S. She currently serves as Vice President of Digital Marketing and Demand Generation at Teradata, where she leads global strategies that fuel pipeline growth and customer engagement. Throughout her career, Aditi has built scalable marketing systems, launched partner programs delivering double-digit revenue gains, and led multi-million-dollar campaign operations across more than 50 technologies. Recognized as a B2B Revenue Marketing Game Changer, she is known for blending strategy, operations, and technology to create high-performing teams and measurable business impact.How to Use Customer Conversations to Validate Marketing DataDashboards create scale, but they do not always create confidence. Aditi explains that marketers often stop at what the model tells them, without checking whether real people would ever phrase things the same way. Early in her career she spent time talking directly to retailers, truck drivers, and mechanics. Those interactions were messy and slow, filled with handwritten notes, but they gave her words and patterns that no software could generate. That language still shapes how she thinks about campaigns today.She argues that even a small number of conversations can sharpen a marketer's decisions. Five well-chosen interviews can give more clarity than months of chasing analytics dashboards. Once you hear a customer describe a problem in their own terms, the charts you already have feel more trustworthy. As Aditi put it:“If you get an insight that says this is their pain point, it helps so much to hear a customer saying it. The words they use resonate with them in ways marketers' words often do not.”She points out that B2C teams benefit from built-in feedback loops since their channels naturally keep them closer to customers. B2B teams, on the other hand, often hide behind personas and assumptions. Aditi suggests widening the pool by talking to students and early-career professionals who already use enterprise software. They may not be buyers today, but they become decision makers tomorrow. Those conversations cost almost nothing and create raw material more valuable than agency-produced content.She frames the real task as choosing the right method for the right question. If you want to refine messaging, talk to your most active customers. If you want to understand adoption patterns, run reports. If you want to pressure test a product roadmap, combine both and compare the results. Decide upfront what you need and when you need it. Then continue adjusting, because customer understanding is not a one-time project, it is an ongoing discipline.Key takeaway: Use customer conversations as a validation layer for your data. Pair five direct interviews with your dashboards, and you gain language, context, and trust that numbers alone cannot provide. Always define why you need an insight, then pick the method that gets you there fastest. That way you can build messaging, campaigns, and roadmaps grounded in reality rather than in assumptions.Balancing Quantitative Data with Customer ConversationsMarketers keep adding dashboards, yet confidence in the numbers rarely grows. Aditi argues that a few customer conversations often do more to build certainty than a warehouse of metrics. Early in her career she spent long days interviewing retailers, truck drivers, and mechanics. She filled notebooks with their words, then worked through the mess to find common threads. The process was slow, but it created clarity that still guides her perspective today.“You do not need hundreds of those conversations. You just need five, and you will come out so much more confident in the data you are looking at.”That perspective challenges a common assumption in B2B marketing. Models can predict buying intent, but they cannot capture the urgency or tone that customers bring to their own words. Dashboards may flag data scientists as target buyers, yet when you sit with an aspiring data scientist, you hear frustrations and motivations that algorithms miss. Real language often carries sharper meaning than the polished words marketers invent for campaigns.Aditi warns that relying only on quantitative signals pushes teams into a self-referential loop. Marketers build strategies based on metrics, then describe those strategies in their own buzzwords. Direct conversations break that loop. Even five interviews can ground your messaging, highlight gaps in the data, and validate where models are directionally right. B2C teams often benefit from tighter feedback loops through customer-facing channels. B2B teams need to create their own versions of those loops by talking to users directly, including students and early-career practitioners who represent the next generation of decision makers.Every stage of marketing benefits from this practice. Roadmaps become sharper, content becomes more resonant, and campaign ideas carry more weight when tested against real voices. Customer interviews cost little compared to polished content campaigns, yet they create a foundation of confidence that technology alone cannot replicate.Key takeaway: Five direct customer conversations can build more confidence than a room full of dashboards. Capture the exact words your buyers use, compare them with your data models, and use both inputs together. That way you can validate your metrics, sharpen your messaging, and trust that your strategy connects with the people who matter most.Gathering Customer Insights From Underrated Feedback ChannelsMarketers love surveys. They love sending out NPS links, post-purchase forms, and satisfaction checkboxes that make dashboards look busy. Aditi is blunt about the limits of this ritual. A buying committee has users, influencers, and decision makers. Each group has different needs, and you cannot lump them into a single “customer voice.” If you want useful signals, you have to decide who you are li...
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!In this episode of OpsCast, hosted by Michael Hartmann and powered by MarketingOps.com, we're joined by Jon Russo, founder of B2B Fusion and former CMO of high-tech companies across Silicon Valley, New York City, and Luxembourg. Jon shares his insights on why Marketing Operations professionals often struggle to communicate their impact to the C-suite and how AI, cleaner data, and strategic thinking are changing the game.Jon dives into the importance of translating complex marketing data into business language, earning trust with senior leadership, and the evolving role of MOPs in driving revenue and AI-enabled pipeline initiatives. He also offers guidance on career growth, helping MOps professionals expand influence and demonstrate measurable impact.In this episode, you'll learnWhy first-party data and clean systems are critical for AI and pipeline successHow MOPs can effectively “translate” marketing operations insights for executivesWhat builds trust between junior MOps professionals and seasoned leadershipCareer strategies for expanding influence and taking a more strategic roleThis episode is perfect for marketing operations, demand generation, and RevOps professionals seeking practical advice to increase visibility, build trust, and position themselves as strategic leaders in the organization.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the show
Dive into clean data and aligned teams in martech, AI that actually works, and learn what's driving marketing ops success right now with Darrell Alfonso. SHOWPAGE: www.ninjacat.io/blog/wgm-podcast-ai-in-marketing-ops-scary-exciting-essential © 2025, NinjaCat
What's up folks, today we have the pleasure of sitting down with Rebecca Corliss, VP Marketing at GrowthLoop. (00:00) - Intro (01:20) - In This Episode (03:46) - The Future Agentic Marketing Org (07:59) - The Rise of the Marketing Dispatch Layer (14:47) - Lifecycle Marketers Belong at the Center of Every Agentic Org (21:19) - Why Channel Specialists Must Shift to Journey Orchestration (25:06) - How To Actually Become More Strategic (29:28) - This Team Promoted ChatGPT to Director of Product Marketing (32:55) - What it Means to Be a Specialist in the Moment Works (37:12) - How Systems Thinking Helps Lifecycle Marketers Shine in Agentic AI (40:10) - How AI Expands the Role of Marketing Ops (43:37) - The Speculative Future of Marketing With Compute Allocation and Machine Customers (46:35) - Mesh of Agents Coordinating Across Departments (50:07) - The Rise of Machine Customers (53:55) - How to Stay Energized as a Marketing Leader Summary: Rebecca imagines a future marketing org built on three layers: leadership fluent in data and AI, a dispatch control tower staffed by engineers and privacy experts, and pods that design customer journeys while agents handle scale. Lifecycle marketers are essential to this dispatch layer and provide the “heart,” keeping campaigns authentic. Her own path as a “specialist in the moment” shows the power of adaptability, diving deep where it counts and moving on with impact. The marketers who thrive will be those who pair technical fluency with empathy and judgment.About RebeccaRebecca is a veteran marketing executive known for building engines that drive outsized growth. She is currently VP of Marketing at GrowthLoop, shaping the go-to-market for its Compound Marketing Engine. Previously, she scaled VergeSense from Series A through Series C with over 8X ARR growth, and at Owl Labs she took the company from launch to 35,000 customers worldwide while establishing it as a future-of-work leader. She also spent eight years at HubSpot, where she grew demand generation to 60K leads per month, doubled blog-driven leads, and built leadership programs that developed the next generation of marketers. Across every role, Rebecca has consistently turned early-stage momentum into durable, scalable growth.The Future Agentic Marketing Org and the Rise of the Marketing Dispatch LayerRebecca lays out a future where marketing org charts gain an entirely new layer. She predicts three core structures: leadership, dispatch, and pods. Leadership continues to steer strategy, but the demands on CMOs change. They will need fluency in data systems, architecture, and AI operations. Rebecca explains that “CMOs have to flex their technical chops and their data systems and architecture chops,” a shift for leaders who have historically leaned on brand or budget narratives.The dispatch layer functions as the operational hub for campaigns. This group manages data flows, AI orchestration, and channel activations. It operates like a control room for all outbound communication. Dispatch is staffed with people who rarely sat in marketing orgs before. Data engineers move in from IT, privacy specialists join the table, and Rebecca even describes “traffic cops” who arbitrate which campaigns reach a customer when multiple business units compete for the same audience.“Imagine this new dispatch layer, the group that is thinking about the systems, the data, the AI, the architecture, and campaign activation for the entire marketing org holistically.”Pods sit at the edge of this system, each one tasked with a specific objective. A retail pod might obsess over repeat purchases and next best product recommendations. Pods shape customer journeys, creative work, and product presentation. They do not execute campaigns directly. Instead, they work with dispatch to push scaled, AI-driven activations that tie back to their mission. This structure gives pods focus while ensuring campaign execution remains coordinated and efficient.Rebecca stresses that humans remain responsible for organizing this system. Agents will handle execution, but people set goals, decide structures, and elevate the skills required to manage AI effectively. The companies that thrive will be the ones that invest in human fluency now, especially in data architecture and cross-functional collaboration. Marketing leaders cannot wait for agents to make the org smarter. They have to build teams ready to use agents well.Key takeaway: Treat dispatch as a new operational hub inside marketing. Staff it with cross-functional talent such as data engineers, privacy experts, and campaign traffic managers. Align pods around clear business outcomes, and let them focus on customer journeys and creative execution. Give dispatch responsibility for scaling campaigns through AI agents. Start by training CMOs and their leadership peers to speak the language of data and AI strategy. That way you can prepare your organization to actually run an agentic structure instead of scrambling when competitors already have it in place.Lifecycle Marketers Belong at the Center of Every Agentic OrgLifecycle marketers thrive in environments where customer signals drive execution. Rebecca describes them as the people who study every stage of the journey, then translate that understanding into activation rules that actually serve the customer. Agents may handle the heavy lifting, but lifecycle marketers decide what matters and when it matters. They are the human layer that keeps the entire system from drifting into mechanical noise.“If it supports the customer, it supports the business objectives. That is the way everyone wins.”Rebecca explains that lifecycle marketers split into two groups. Some will lean technical and operate directly in the dispatch layer. They will define activation strategies, ensure campaigns run with precision, and use data to protect customer-first thinking. Others will integrate into pods and shape the full journey, using systems thinking to design one-to-one experiences at scale. Both groups carry the same DNA: empathy paired with curiosity about how AI can extend their reach.This structure becomes even more important in content. Generative AI can produce endless material, but personalization collapses if the output feels artificial. Lifecycle marketers bring the judgment required to keep content aligned with customer needs. They will be the people asking hard questions about tone, timing, and authenticity while still leveraging AI to handle scale. The combination of empathy and technical curiosity will keep campaigns human, even as agents flood the stack.Rebecca calls this quality “heart,” and she sees it as the non-negotiable element that AI cannot replicate. Lifecycle marketers carry responsibility for maintaining authenticity while still driving one-to-one marketing. Their role is not to fight against automation but to guide it toward outcomes that respect the customer experience.Key takeaway: Lifecycle marketers should sit at the center of every agentic org. Place technical lifecycle marketers in the dispatch layer to design activation rules that protect the customer. Embed strategic lifecycle marketers inside pods to architect journeys that scale with authenticity. Treat empathy as the operational safeguard, and give lifecycle marketers the authority to enforce it. That way you can use AI to expand capacity without sacrificing trust.Why Marketing Channel Specialists are FadingChannel specialists are facing a turning point. Rebecca explains that AI agents now handle many of the mechanical tasks that ...
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!In this episode of OpsCast, hosted by Michael Hartmann and powered by MarketingOps.com, we're joined by Ellie Cary, Senior Demand Generation Manager at StarTree. Ellie shares her experience navigating marketing performance challenges, including what happens when teams hit MQL goals but still face cuts, and why ROI visibility has become critical for MOps leaders.Ellie discusses the limitations of attribution and reporting, how over-engineered models can create complexity, and what it takes to simplify processes while improving impact. She also shares insights on customer marketing, retention, and how MOps professionals can make their work more visible and strategic across the organization.In this episode, you'll learn:How to connect marketing performance to business outcomesThe risks of overcomplicated attribution and how to simplify itThe importance of foundational marketing processes for measurable ROIStrategies for MOps teams to communicate effectively with non-technical stakeholdersThis episode is ideal for marketing operations, demand generation, and growth professionals looking to strengthen their impact and visibility in the organization. Tune in for Ellie's actionable guidance on making MOps work matter.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the show
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!In this episode of OpsCast, hosted by Michael Hartmann and powered by MarketingOps.com, we're joined by Pradeep Manivannan, Martech Consultant at Academy Sports & Outdoors. Pradeep brings extensive experience from roles at eBay, Salesforce, and Nordstrom, offering a unique perspective on connecting data, building journey-based experiences, and aligning marketing operations across channels.Pradeep explains how to map customer journeys effectively, leverage segmentation, and implement omnichannel strategies that work in both B2C and B2B environments. He shares lessons learned from consumer-focused marketing and how B2B teams can apply them to drive better engagement and measurable results.In this episode, you'll learnHow to design seamless customer journeys from scratchThe role of data integration across channels in marketing successSegmentation strategies that improve targeting and personalizationWhat B2B teams can learn from consumer-focused marketing approachesThis episode is perfect for marketing, RevOps, and growth professionals looking to improve customer experience and operational efficiency. Tune in to hear Pradeep's actionable insights on building journey-based marketing strategies.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Visit UTM.io and tell them the Ops Cast team sent you. Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the show
What's up everyone, today we have the pleasure of sitting down with Olga Andrienko, Former VP of Marketing Ops at Semrush. (00:00) - Intro (01:24) - In This Episode (03:55) - How AI Agents Reshape Marketing Ops Roles (08:53) - How To Beat AI Imposter Syndrome And Start Using Custom GPTs (13:28) - How AI Content Agents Generate Drafts Using Internal Context (24:29) - How to Use a Risk and Reward Grid to Prioritize AI Projects (33:19) - How To Use Google Workspace To Skip AI Vendor Approvals (40:00) - How To Decide Which AI Agent to Use (46:44) - How To Build an AI-First Reflex in Marketing Ops (51:59) - AI's Endgame: Play-to-Earn and Mandatory Human Quotas (01:03:58) - What Happens When You Optimize Your Body Like a Martech Stack Summary: Olga thought she was ahead of the AI curve, but a weekend course on autonomous systems showed her she was thinking too small. She pitched a shared internal AI stack at Semrush, built systems off APIs, skipped procurement by using already-approved tools, and tracked hours saved instead of promising vague ROI. She started with the work she already knew, made it faster, and used that time to build better systems. Now she's looking ahead, watching work blur into participation, prepping for human quotas, and making sure ops teams aren't caught off guard while the rest of the company is still testing prompts.About OlgaOlga Andrienko spent nearly 12 years at Semrush, where she helped build one of the strongest B2B marketing brands in tech. She started by leading social media, then expanded into global marketing, eventually becoming VP of Brand and later VP of Marketing Operations. She helped guide the company through its IPO, launched brand campaigns that drove massive reach, and scaled AI systems that saved her teams hundreds of hours. Most recently, she built out a marketing and AI ops function from scratch, automating reporting, content feedback, and influencer analytics across the org. Recently, Olga announced she was leaving Semrush to go out on her own. She's now building a marketing SaaS product while advising companies on how to use AI agents to rethink marketing operations from the inside out.How AI Agents Reshape Marketing Ops RolesOlga had already logged countless hours with Claude and ChatGPT. She was building chatbots, fine-tuning prompts, and staying sharp on every update. Then she joined a weekend course on agent-based AI. At first, it felt like overkill. By the end of day two, she had completely changed direction. That course forced her to realize she had been spending time in the shallow end. Agent AI wasn't just a smarter assistant. It was a structural overhaul. It changed what could be automated and who was needed to do it.Agent AI builds systems instead of just responding to inputs. Olga described a clean divide between tools that help you finish tasks faster and agents that actually run the tasks for you. How agent AI differs from task-level tools:Traditional tools require manual input for each useAgent systems operate autonomously and initiate actionsTools accelerate individual workAgents orchestrate end-to-end processesTools help you move fasterAgents help you step away entirelyShe saw use cases stacking up that didn't fit inside marketing's current playbook. Systems could now operate without manual checkpoints. Processes that once relied on operators could be built into fully autonomous loops.“I went into panic mode. Even with our tech stack at Semrush, I realized we were behind. Every company is behind.”The realization came with a cost model. Internal adoption of Claude and ChatGPT was rising fast. Olga noticed growing subscription bills across teams, with everyone spinning up individual accounts. She ran the numbers and saw the future expense curve. Giving each person their own sandbox didn't scale. What made sense was building shared tools through APIs, designed to solve repeatable tasks. That way you can maintain quality, cut costs, and still give everyone access to powerful AI systems.Timing mattered. Olga was coming off a quarter where she had high visibility, internal trust, and a direct line to leadership. Instead of waiting for AI priorities to come down from the top, she used that leverage to move. She pitched a new team and made the case for shifting from brand to ops. She had technical interest, political capital, and an urgent belief that velocity mattered more than perfection.Key takeaway: Marketing ops leaders are uniquely positioned to build agent-level systems that scale across teams. Instead of waiting for strategy teams to greenlight AI plans, use cost data to make the case for shared infrastructure. Build with APIs, not individual tool access. Push for automation at the system level, not just task-level assistance. If you understand the workflows, know the tools, and already have trust inside the org, you are the one who should be building what comes next.How To Beat AI Imposter Syndrome And Start Using Custom GPTsAI imposter syndrome shows up fast. It tells you the developers will handle it, the data team will figure it out, and you should stick to writing copy or launching campaigns. Olga ignored that voice. She opened up ChatGPT, looked at the most repetitive task on her plate, and started testing. No credentials. No roadmap. Just frustration, curiosity, and a weekend.“Anybody who says they have figured AI out or that they're on top of this, they're lying to you.”She did not wait for a manager to assign her an AI project. She looked for work she already understood. Rewriting vague marketing text. Fixing formatting issues. Translating copy into other languages without sounding robotic. These were not moonshot experiments. They were annoyances. She built a custom GPT for each one.That work gave her traction. It also gave her time back. She found herself reclaiming an hour a day just by handing off the small, repeatable parts of her job. That time opened up new space to build more. The learning came naturally because it was grounded in daily tasks she already owned.“If we look at this like a Maslow pyramid, the repetitive tasks are the base layer. That's where you start.”Confidence grows when the work starts to feel useful. That shift does not come from reading whitepapers or watching LinkedIn demos. It comes from applying the tool to one thing you do every week and watching it cut your time in half. That is how you build fluency. Not all at once. One custom GPT at a time.Key takeaway: Choose a task you already know well and automate it with a custom GPT. Keep the instructions specific and tied to your current workflow. Run it repeatedly until it saves you real time. Then build another. Confidence in AI tools comes from using them to solve work you already understand, not from waiting until you feel qualified.AI Use Cases in Marketing: AI Agents Creating Drafts from Context That Humans PerfectAI content agents are getting better, but they are not off the leash. Olga built two systems to test how far automation can go without turning content into generic filler. One starts with human writers. The other starts with a structured form. Both rely on real performance data, brand knowledge, and experienced editors.The first system runs inside Google Docs. Writers draft copy. The AI overlay scores it using past campaign performance, conversion data, and hand-labeled examples of strong and weak copy. It flags weak headlines, vague CTAs, bloated structure. Then it explains why. Olga's team noticed that when the starting draft is weak, AI only sm...
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!In this episode of OpsCast, hosted by Michael Hartmann and powered by MarketingOps.com, we are joined by Evan Kubicek, founder of Grow Rogue. Evan brings 15 years of experience in marketing operations and shares insights on what he calls the foundational operations gap, a critical area that many early-stage companies overlook as they scale.Evan explains why addressing foundational processes and systems early on is essential to avoid building a house of cards. He discusses how tech debt, process inefficiencies, and the lack of clear documentation can derail growth and why speed should never come at the cost of solid infrastructure.In this episode, you will learnWhat the foundational operations gap really means and why it is often neglectedHow to avoid creating "automated chaos" and scale marketing operations effectivelyThe importance of establishing foundational processes, like segmentation and tech integrationsWhy getting the basics right is critical before layering on complex tech solutionsThis episode is perfect for professionals in marketing, RevOps, and growth teams looking to build a sustainable ops foundation. Tune in to hear Evan's advice on how to build strong marketing infrastructure before things break.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Visit UTM.io and tell them the Ops Cast team sent you. Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the show
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!In this episode of Opscast, Michael Hartmann and Naomi Liu are joined by Karen Kranack, Director of Applied AI Strategy and Experience, to explore the intersection of AI, brand strategy, and trust. Karen shares her insights on how AI is transforming marketing and operations, while emphasizing the importance of building and maintaining trust in this rapidly evolving field.We dive into key considerations for marketing professionals as they navigate the challenges of implementing AI, from transparency in AI usage to addressing data privacy concerns and ensuring ethical AI practices. Tune in to hear real-world examples, including how AI-generated content impacts brand perception and how organizations can foster a culture of trust internally while driving AI adoption.Key Takeaways:The importance of transparency and honesty when integrating AIHow AI is reshaping consumer experiences and internal workflowsThe role of ethical considerations and privacy concerns in AI adoptionReal-world examples of successful AI use cases in marketingJoin us for a discussion on how to leverage AI to enhance brand strategy while maintaining trust with your customers and employees.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Visit UTM.io and tell them the Ops Cast team sent you. Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the show
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!In this episode of Ops Cast by MarketingOps.com, powered by The MO Pros, hosts Michael Hartmann, Mike Rizzo, and Naomi Liu speak with Dean de la Peña, VP of Identity, Data Strategy, and SaaS at Resonate.Dean discusses the role of predictive intelligence in marketing and explains how brands can utilize more comprehensive data signals to enhance audience targeting and personalization. He also outlines the importance of identity resolution and data structure in building effective campaigns.Topics covered include • How to apply predictive consumer intelligence to marketing workflows • The value of identity resolution in campaign planning • Practical approaches to scaling personalization based on real dataThis episode is intended for marketing operations professionals looking to improve their use of data in audience engagement.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Visit UTM.io and tell them the Ops Cast team sent you. Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the show
“Marketing Operations is the practice of taking people, understanding what it is that the business is trying to do from a go-to-market perspective, and working to align those people to a process that enables that go-to-market through technology. And it's always in that order. People, process, and technology.” -Mike Rizzo Mike Rizzo is the Founder and CEO of MarketingOps, MO Pros, and MartechGuru—platforms dedicated to empowering Marketing Operations professionals and advancing the Revenue Operations field. With a background spanning ad tech, growth hacking, and beyond, Mike has built his career around aligning people, processes, and technology to drive effective go-to-market strategies. He also co-hosts Ops Cast, a leading podcast that explores industry insights and emerging trends. Through his community-driven approach, Mike has created innovative resources and a collaborative environment where Marketing Operations practitioners can grow, share knowledge, and thrive. In this episode, Mike dives into his perspective on branding and what it means both strategically and personally. Website: https://marketingops.com/ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/mikedrizzo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marketingopscom
“Marketing Operations is the practice of taking people, understanding what it is that the business is trying to do from a go-to-market perspective, and working to align those people to a process that enables that go-to-market through technology. And it's always in that order. People, process, and technology.” -Mike Rizzo Mike Rizzo is the Founder and CEO of MarketingOps, MO Pros, and MartechGuru—platforms dedicated to empowering Marketing Operations professionals and advancing the Revenue Operations field. With a background spanning ad tech, growth hacking, and beyond, Mike has built his career around aligning people, processes, and technology to drive effective go-to-market strategies. He also co-hosts Ops Cast, a leading podcast that explores industry insights and emerging trends. Through his community-driven approach, Mike has created innovative resources and a collaborative environment where Marketing Operations practitioners can grow, share knowledge, and thrive. In this episode, Mike dives into his perspective on branding and what it means both strategically and personally. Website: https://marketingops.com/ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/mikedrizzo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marketingopscom
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!In this episode of Ops Cast by MarketingOps.com (powered by The MO Pros), hosts Michael Hartmann, Mike Rizzo, and Naomi Liu delve into one of the most discussed shifts in B2B marketing and revenue operations: the evolving roles of Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) and Marketing Qualified Accounts (MQAs).In this episode, you'll learn:Why the traditional MQL model may be falling short and where MQAs step in.How to realign marketing and sales around shared intent signals.Common pitfalls when transitioning from MQLs to MQAs (and how to avoid them).Practical advice on shifting measurement frameworks to reflect real buyer behavior.To unpack this timely topic, they're joined by two accomplished leaders in RevOps and marketing strategy:Andrea Frazier, Senior Revenue Operations Technical Consultant, is known for her expertise in building scalable systems and aligning sales, marketing, and data. What makes her presence special on this podcast is that she will be a part of the Mopsapalooza as a speaker.Jessica Fewless, VP of Marketing and Partnerships, has deep experience in ABM, demand gen, and full-funnel program strategy.Together, they challenge long-standing definitions of buying intent and discuss how teams can evolve from lead-focused metrics to account-based signals that drive more aligned, strategic growth.Tune in now, because whether you're in Marketing Ops, RevOps, or Demand Gen, this episode offers an expert-led perspective on what it means to qualify, measure, and act on intent in today's B2B environment.Check out our complete toolkit for helping you move from MQLs to MQAs!Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Visit UTM.io and tell them the Ops Cast team sent you. Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the show
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!In this episode of Ops Cast by MarketingOps.com, powered by The MO Pros, host Michael Hartmann is joined by co-hosts Mike Rizzo and Naomi Liu to explore the role of community within the Marketing Operations profession.What does community look like for Marketing Ops professionals? Why is it more than just networking? And how do different experiences transform what people need from a professional community?To answer these questions, four inspiring guests share their perspectives on how participation turns into meaningful connection, and why building community matters now more than ever.In this episode, you'll learn:What does community mean in the context of Marketing OpsHow local engagement supports growth and confidenceThe impact of community during moments of professional changeHow leaders foster connection, learning, and trustFeatured guests:Leslie Greenwood, community strategist and founder of Chief Evangelist Consulting. She helped launch the MarketingOps.com chapter leader program and focuses on turning participation into belonging.Alysha Khan, Director of Client Services at Intrisphere, founder of Alpaca Consulting, and Chicago chapter lead. She brings experience building momentum through local engagement.Penny Hill, a seasoned marketing executive who joined the community during a career transition. She brings insight into how the community supports reinvention.Ellie Cary, Senior Demand Gen Manager at StarTree and Dallas chapter leader. She offers insight from both learning and leadership roles within the community.Listen in to hear how these women are shaping what community can look like across the Marketing Ops space.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations ProfessionalsVisit UTM.io and tell them the Ops Cast team sent you.Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the showEpisode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Visit UTM.io and tell them the Ops Cast team sent you. Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the show
#271 GTM Engineering | In this episode, Dave is joined by John Short, CEO of Compound Growth Marketing, along with Cammy Keiler, Justin Johnson, and Dan Guenet. Together, they break down the rise of GTM engineering, what it is, how it differs from RevOps, and why B2B teams are investing in it.Dave and the crew cover:The core difference between RevOps and GTM engineering (and why the latter is more focused on building than just integrating)Real GTM engineering use cases, from AI-powered sales tools to mid-funnel campaigns that go way beyond ebooksHow GTM engineers are driving higher revenue per employee and why this role should be one of your first five marketing hiresWhether you're hiring or just GTM-curious, you'll leave this episode with a clear definition of the role, real-world examples, and tactical ways GTM engineers drive impact.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (03:33) - – Why this topic resonated with 1,200+ registrants (05:48) - – What even is **GTM engineering? (08:03) - – GTM engineering vs. RevOps vs. Marketing Ops (11:18) - – How AI is driving this role forward (14:28) - – Real examples: ABM campaigns, mid-funnel tools, sales call analysis (19:38) - – Tools GTM engineers are using today (Clay, Unify, GPTs) (23:03) - – Role of GTM engineering in revenue per employee (27:18) - – How GTM engineers enable sales + reduce headcount (31:33) - – What Dan actually does all day as a GTM engineer (36:23) - – Custom GPTs for sales and marketing teams (39:38) - – What MCP servers are (and why they matter) (44:08) - – Claude, Gamma, and AI-powered content systems (46:53) - – Why this isn't just PLG (or ABM, or RevOps) (50:43) - – When to hire a GTM engineer (53:23) - – Big feelings about the role (and why they exist) (55:33) - – Closing thoughts + what to take away Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***Today's episode is brought to you by Walnut.Why are we pouring all this effort into marketing just to push buyers to a “request a demo” or “contact sales” button?Come on, today's buyers don't want to talk to sales right away. They want to explore your product themselves, see how it works, and understand its value before booking a meeting.That's where Walnut comes in.Walnut empowers marketers and GTM teams to create interactive, self-guided product experiences in minutes. Embed these experiences on your site, in emails, or anywhere in your funnel to let buyers engage on their terms, from awareness to close and beyond. That's the beauty of Walnut - you're getting a platform that your sales and CS colleagues can use to showcase the product too.And the best part? You get real intent data—see which features prospects love, where they drop off, and what's actually driving pipeline. Demo Qualified Leads are the new MQL.Over 500 companies, like Adobe and NetApp, use Walnut to drive 2-3x higher website conversion rates and 7 figures in pipeline on a yearly basis. So do you want to drive more leads, shorten sales cycles, and actually show your product instead of hiding it behind another typical B2B CTA? Go check out Walnut.io. And if you tell them Dave from Exit 5 sent you, they'll build out your first demo for free!
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!On today's episode, we talk with Kyle Priest (former CMO, CRO, COO, and President at multiple SaaS firms and agencies) and returning guest Eric Hollebone (President & COO at Demand Lab) to discuss what it really takes for marketing to have a voice at the leadership table. Together, they explore how alignment between marketing, sales, and RevOps creates not only better stories but better business results—and how marketers can shift their mindset to lead strategic growth conversations at the board level.Whether you're in marketing ops, RevOps, or a revenue leader looking to elevate your impact, this conversation is packed with insight on how to connect tactical execution with executive influence.Tune in to hear:Marketing's Role in the Boardroom: Why marketing must go beyond tactics and brand to speak the language of revenue, margin, and predictable growth.Revenue-First Mindset: How aligning on goals, terminology, and KPIs across departments builds organizational momentum and earns trust at the top.The Power of Storytelling: Tips for telling clear, concise growth stories that resonate with CFOs, CEOs, and investors—starting with closed-won revenue and working backwards.Quality of Revenue Explained: Understanding why not all revenue is equal and how marketers can influence strategic customer acquisition that builds long-term value.Practical Advice for RevOps & Marketing Ops: From measuring contribution (not just attribution) to carving out time for strategic insights, learn what actions to take today to elevate your role tomorrow.
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!On today's episode, we talk with seasoned B2B marketing leader Pratibha Jain, who has spent nearly two decades driving demand, growth, and operational excellence across multiple industries. From cloud computing to HR tech, she's seen—and measured—it all. Together, they unpack how to bridge gaps between marketing, sales, and operations to deliver measurable business impact.Tune in to hear: Why alignment between Marketing Ops, RevOps, and Sales is critical—and how to actually achieve it.Which metrics matter for executives versus your internal marketing team (and why “vanity metrics” still have a place).How to build a unified data and reporting framework to eliminate finger-pointing and drive decision-making.Lessons in event marketing: from planning and execution to post-event follow-up that truly delivers ROI.Practical ways marketing teams can partner with ops to make account-based strategies more effective.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Visit UTM.io and tell them the Ops Cast team sent you. Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the show
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!On today's episode, we talk with seasoned B2B marketing leader Pratibha Jain, who has spent nearly two decades driving demand, growth, and operational excellence across multiple industries. From cloud computing to HR tech, she's seen—and measured—it all. Together, they unpack how to bridge gaps between marketing, sales, and operations to deliver measurable business impact.Tune in to hear: Why alignment between Marketing Ops, RevOps, and Sales is critical—and how to actually achieve it.Which metrics matter for executives versus your internal marketing team (and why “vanity metrics” still have a place).How to build a unified data and reporting framework to eliminate finger-pointing and drive decision-making.Lessons in event marketing: from planning and execution to post-event follow-up that truly delivers ROI.Practical ways marketing teams can partner with ops to make account-based strategies more effective.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Visit UTM.io and tell them the Ops Cast team sent you. Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the show
What does it really mean to work in marketing operations, and how can leaders better leverage these professionals as strategic enablers?In this episode of The Hard Corps Marketing Show, I sat down with Mike Rizzo, Community-led Founder and CEO of MarketingOps.com. A longtime community leader and champion of the marketing operations profession, Mike brings clarity to the misunderstood world of marketing ops and shares what's next for the industry.He explains why marketing ops pros are more like product managers for go-to-market systems than just email campaign operators. From the launch of a new certification path to AI's place in the workflow, Mike reveals how the role is evolving, and what skills the best ops leaders bring to the table.Whether you're leading a revenue team or just starting in ops, this episode offers practical advice to grow your team, your strategy, and your career.Takeaways:What a tiered certification path could do for the marketing ops profession.Why curiosity and self-service learning are essential ops traits.How AI can support, but not replace, strategic thinking in operations.What leaders can do to foster open communication and innovation.Why supporting community participation drives team development.
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!On today's episode, we talk with Carissa McCall, Director of Revenue Operations at Liquibase, to tackle one of the most common challenges in marketing and revenue operations: how to balance strategic projects with the unrelenting pull of daily fires and ad hoc requests.Carissa shares a candid and insightful look into her approach to building a sustainable capacity model, prioritization frameworks, and time management practices that empower her lean RevOps team to stay focused, deliver impact, and avoid burnout.Tune in to learn:
I love the movie City Slickers.If you're unfamiliar, Billy Crystal is a Manhattanite, has a midlife crisis, and goes out West on a cattle drive to try to figure life out.Spoiler alert, the crusty old cowboy teaches him that the secret to life is – ‘One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and everything else don't mean shhh…” Well, you get the idea.It struck me that this is a great brand lesson as well. You've seen the stats – our ideal customer simply gets hammered with messages every day. And there are so many things your internal team could work on. How to break through the noise? How to prioritize? I love what my next guest told me – “If you don't have one clear position of who you are and why they should care, you're just throwing spaghetti at a wall.”To hear the story behind that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories, I sat down with Margaret Dawson, CMO, Chronosphere [https://chronosphere.io/].Chronosphere has raised $343 million in three rounds. In its Series C round in 2023, the company was valued at $1.6 billion.Dawson leads global marketing efforts at Chronosphere, overseeing a budget of $12 million and a team of 23 working on digital experience, corporate communications, demand generation, customer marketing, ABM, Marketing Ops, and Product Marketing.Lessons from the things she madeIf you don't have one clear position of who you are and why they should care, you're just throwing spaghetti at a wallSometimes you need to poke the snakeIntegrated marketing moves the needleMentoring is a two-way streetJust because you can do something doesn't mean you shouldDon't focus so much on winning each battle that you lose the warIf you channeled the characteristics that made you so competent and made you authentically you, you would have the greatest powerWe do not serve ourselves or the world by hiding our light or being afraid to stand tallDiscussed in this episodeJoin us on July 30th at 2 pm EDT for AI Hackathon: Build a powerful lead gen agent in just 90 minutes [https://join.meclabsai.com/mec-050-masterclass] (from MeclabsAI, MarketingSherpa's parent company).Outside-In Messaging: Nothing counts more than the language of the customer (podcast episode #75) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/outside-in-messaging]The 4 Pillars of Email Marketing [https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/email-marketing/4-pillars-email-summit-2014/]Building Brands: People and culture matter a lot, mentorship matters even more, product matters the most (podcast episode #119) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/brands]Marketing Campaigns: Lose the brand ego and lean into humility (podcast episode #130) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/marketing-campaigns]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters] to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you'd like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...TApply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!On todays episode, we down with Andy Caron, President of Revenue Pulse, to explore the unexpected intersections of curiosity, attribution, psychology, and the marketing operations profession. Andy shares her non-linear journey from costume design and publishing to marketing ops leadership, revealing how seemingly unrelated experiences laid the foundation for a successful career in MarTech and consulting.We unpack the role of curiosity and "hand-raisers" in MOPS success, debate the nuances and pitfalls of attribution modeling (with a detour through The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), and dive deep into how understanding human psychology enhances leadership and system architecture. They also explore the evolving influence of AI in marketing operations and what the future might hold for the AI-augmented MOPS professional.Tune in to hear: From Costumes to Campaigns: Andy's unique journey from theater and publishing to MOPS shows how creative roots and adaptability foster systems thinking and leadership in tech.Curiosity as a Superpower: Why the best MOPS professionals are tinkerers, willing to break things and raise their hands to figure it out.42 and Attribution: A humorous yet profound analogy between Douglas Adams' "42" and the complexities—and misinterpretations—of marketing attribution models.The Psychology of Ops: How studying human behavior helps bridge stakeholder needs, build better systems, and influence organizational dynamics.AI in MOPS: Insights into how AI is reshaping the profession, from task automation to agent orchestration—plus why being AI-activated (not replaced) is key to the future.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Visit UTM.io and tell them the Ops Cast team sent you. Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the show
Mike Rizzo is the founder of MarketingOps.com and the vibrant Mo Pros community—a 6,500+ member strong network dedicated to elevating marketing operations professionals. With a background in martech and a passion for building systems that scale, Mike champions the art of connecting strategy, technology, and people. “Marketing operations is the backbone of strategic success.” “Slow down to speed up—operational rigor helps eliminate chaos.” “Invest in your community, and it will invest back into you.” Mike Rizzo shares how marketing operations drives business success by combining strategy with execution. He explores how the Mo Pros community helps professionals connect, grow, and share. Through clear systems, thoughtful collaboration, and investment in self and others, Mike shows how ops can become a true catalyst for innovation and clarity.
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!On today's episode, we sit down with lead scoring consultant Lucas Winter to explore a refreshing, data-first perspective on building lead scoring models—one that challenges the conventional wisdom and AI hype alike. With storytelling flair and practical insights, Lucas discusses how marketers can uncover true buying intent and dramatically improve sales efficiency.Tune in to hear: "Moneyball" Meets Marketing Ops: Lucas applies the Moneyball philosophy to lead scoring—focusing on what actually drives conversions versus what sales or execs think looks good. It's about looking for patterns in customer behavior, not just traditional job titles or industries.AI's Limitations in Lead Scoring: While AI has promise, Lucas outlines how AI-driven models often misinterpret causation (e.g., recommending “retired” contacts) and require human oversight to avoid absurd conclusions.Gold, Silver, Bronze > Arbitrary Scores: Ditch complex scoring ranges like “0-100” and opt for intuitive models like “gold, silver, bronze, junk”—making it easier for sales teams to understand and adopt.Why Gmail Isn't Garbage: Contrary to common assumptions, personal email addresses like Gmail can indicate serious buyers—especially in early-stage startups. But to gain sales trust, these leads must “work harder” to earn high scores.Start Simple, Stay Iterative: Don't wait for perfect data or fall into “overreactive” model changes. Build a solid draft, validate with real outcomes, and evolve based on performance—not opinions.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Visit UTM.io and tell them the Ops Cast team sent you. Join us at MOps-Apalooza: https://mopsapalooza.com/Save 10% with code opscast10Support the show
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!On today's episode, we are joined by Janelle Amos, founder and chief strategist at Elevate Growth, to explore how demand generation and marketing/revenue operations teams can thrive through better collaboration, mutual understanding, and strategic alignment. With a rich background in revenue marketing, advising, and podcasting, Janelle brings powerful perspective and practical tips on fostering cross-functional trust, communication, and shared success.Tune in to hear:How top marketing ops teams stand out by aligning tactical work with broader business goals and communicating their value effectively.The power of curiosity and shadowing—why simply asking questions and observing other teams can drastically improve cross-functional rapport.Why trust is essential and how "disagree and commit" can move collaboration forward even when there's tension or differing opinions.Tips for building productive relationships, including when to use an internal advocate and how to handle difficult conversations with empathy and clarity.How leadership perception and initiative shape success, especially for newer hires aiming to establish credibility and connection.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations ProfessionalsSupport the show
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!On today's episode, hosts Michael Hartmann, Naomi Liu, and Mike Rizzo come together for a candid midyear conversation about everything happening in the MO Pros community and the broader Marketing Ops landscape. From membership model updates and upcoming events to fresh research and evolving roles, this chat covers a ton of ground. Whether you're a longtime member or just tuning in, this is your go-to catch-up on where things stand in 2025 and where we're headed.Tune in to hear: Membership Model Shift: Slack access is now a Pro-member benefit—hear the reasoning behind the change and how it's designed to foster trust, safety, and meaningful engagement.MOps Events Update: MOps-Apalooza 2025 is coming in hot—get the dates, location (hello, Anaheim!), and behind-the-scenes insights into the planning chaos (including a $350K food & beverage minimum?!).New Research Drops: The team discusses the new State of Data-Driven Decision Making report, covering data quality, analytics gaps, and organizational maturity.Expanding Roles in MOps: Naomi shares how her role has grown to include BDR teams and sales enablement, highlighting the real-world impact of cross-functional ops leadership.Coming Soon: Cohorts & Community Building: A sneak peek at new initiatives to match members based on roles and responsibilities—connecting peers in meaningful ways.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations ProfessionalsSupport the show
This episode features an interview with Chris Bontempo, CMO, Johnson Controls, a 140 year old company that is a global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings.Chris spent nearly 19 years at IBM, eventually serving as CMO of IBM Americas before moving to Johnson Controls. He shares his perspective on website content being scraped by LLMs, how they're using AI to reduce ad spend, and which types of content are resonating most with prospects.Key Takeaways:Websites need to be designed to be scraped by LLMs. All CMOs are trying to figure this out right now.CMOs need to consider AI part of their teams “to supplement the labor that [they] have and give people superpowers to do their jobs better”.CMOs need to be hands-on-keys, using, learning and leveraging new tools themselves, in order to be able to lead well.Quote: "As a CMO, you need to consider AI as part of your team, right? So the tools that we're using that all have AI baked into them, the how AI is going to streamline your process. AI is part of your team to supplement the labor that you have and give people superpowers to do their jobs better and at huge scale without taking on a huge amount of expense."Episode Timestamps: *(06:02) The Trust Tree: No daylight between sales and marketing *(15:04) The Playbook: Designing the website to be scraped by AI*(42:12) The Dust Up : There's always a kernel of truth to both sides*(46:08) Quick Hits: Chris's quick hits Sponsor: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 Chris on LinkedInLearn more about Johnson ControlsLearn more about Caspian Studios
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!On today's episode, we talk with Ahmad Moore, founder of Pressure Marketing, to unpack his unconventional but deeply inspiring journey into marketing operations. From IT help desk roots to sales leadership and now running his own MOps-focused agency, Ahad shares how leaning into empathy, technical curiosity, and a hunger for alignment helped shape his path.✨ Tune in to hear:Why marketing ops is “IT with better branding” — and why that mattersThe underrated power of listening deeply and building an “empathy engine”How cross-functional experience in sales, strategy, and support creates a sharper MOps perspectiveLessons learned from building systems under pressure (literally and figuratively)How Ahad is using AI and HubSpot to scale smarter, not harderEpisode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations ProfessionalsSupport the show
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!On today's episode, Mike Rizzo talks with Martin Pietrzak, founder and president of Pinch Marketing, to unpack what Google and others have called “the messy middle” of today's buyer's journey.Gone are the days of the simple, linear sales funnel. Instead, buyers loop through endless cycles of exploration, evaluation, and self-education before they ever talk to sales — if they do at all. Martin shares how marketing ops pros can embrace this new reality by becoming strategic partners who help build flexible data-driven systems that enable real-time insights, better attribution, and scalable growth.You'll hear:Why the messy middle exists — and how buyers' behavior has changed forever.How technology, data, and AI are reshaping go-to-market architecture.The critical role marketing ops plays as the “marketing scientist” in modern organizations.Practical steps to capture buyer signals and turn them into actionable insights.Why marketing ops leaders must think like product managers to architect the GTM stack.Whether you're building your ops career or leading teams through complex martech stacks, this episode is packed with insights you can apply right away.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations ProfessionalsSupport the show
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!In today's episode, we talk with Irwin Hipsman, founder of Repititos, to explore the often-overlooked world of customer marketing and the critical role of customer contact data. Irwin shares findings from his recent research report on the state of customer contact databases, revealing why so many organizations struggle with poor data quality and how it impacts customer communications, renewals, and crisis response.Together, they dive into:The definition of customer contact databases and why focusing on individuals—not accounts—is crucial.Key findings from Irwin's research, including an industry-average database health score of just 47%.The importance of cross-functional teams in maintaining healthy customer data.Actionable steps ops professionals can take to assess, clean, and maintain customer data health.Why better customer data translates directly into stronger customer relationships, higher retention, and better crisis management.Whether you're in marketing ops, customer marketing, or revenue operations, this conversation offers practical insights that can help transform your organization's approach to customer data management.Access the customer health score assessment here.Access Irwin's report here.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations ProfessionalsSupport the show
Is product marketing really marketing? Or is it something more (or less)? In this deep-dive episode, Humans of MarTech co-founder Phil Gamache joins the crew to unpack what it truly means to be a marketer today—and why product marketing often feels like a misunderstood offshoot of the craft. From the forgotten “P” in the marketing mix to the role of AI in shaping how teams work together, this episode balances reflection, tactical insight, and Phil's unmistakable chill candor. Learn how product marketers can better collaborate with marketing ops, why summarizing research matters more than polishing the perfect message, and how GenAI will shift execution forever.The ultimate marketer and podcast legend educate us on:Why most customer research never gets shared—and how to fix itThe AI use case every PMM should be doing today (and probably isn't)“You can never give an LLM too much context”—unless you doPhil's rule of thumb: brief AI like you brief your analystThe PMM x Martech collab that unlocks ICP clarityThis one's a must-listen for any PMM trying to earn cross-functional credibility and not just ship decks no one reads.If you've ever felt like the ‘silent' in the marketing department, this episode will help you find your voice and your seat at the table.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction and Host Roundtable01:05 Introducing the Special Guest: Phil Gamache01:55 Are Product Marketers Actually Marketers?05:50 Phil's Experience with the Four P's of Marketing09:22 Challenges and Roles in Marketing Ops12:45 The Future of AI in Marketing24:30 The Current State of AI25:10 Leveraging AI for Customer Research29:06 Practical Tips for Summarizing Customer Interviews31:58 The Importance of Context in AI Prompts40:02 Collaborating with Marketing Ops for Better Data43:23 Exploring AI Tools: MidJourney vs. DALL-E45:30 Conclusion and FarewellShow Notes:Phil's LinkedInHumans of Martech PodcastHosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!On todays episode, we talk with Rick Collins, Vice President of Demand Generation at ConnectWise, to explore his unconventional yet inspiring journey from IT to marketing operations and ultimately into executive marketing leadership. Rick shares how he transitioned from managing systems to driving demand, the pivotal career moments that shaped his path, and the leadership lessons he's learned along the way. Whether you're early in your marketing ops career or looking to break into leadership, this conversation is packed with valuable takeaways on navigating transitions, building trust, and expanding your influence.Tune in to hear:Rick's unique career path from IT and QA into marketing operations and eventually to a VP role in demand generation.How to leverage technical and relational skills to create career mobility within marketing.The importance of curiosity, relationship-building, and challenging assumptions—internally and externally—for leadership growth.Insights into managing through organizational change, including private equity acquisitions and team restructuring.Tips on transitioning from managing ICs to managing other managers, including the importance of communication, presentation skills, and executive alignment.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations ProfessionalsSupport the show
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!The rise of AI tools has dramatically changed the landscape of email marketing and sales outreach, creating both exciting opportunities and significant risks. As Mustafa Saeed, co-founder and CEO of Luella, explains in this eye-opening conversation, many revenue teams are now "scared shitless" about how their reps might abuse these powerful new technologies.When AI-powered automation tools are implemented without proper guardrails, organizations face serious threats to their brand reputation, domain health, and even compliance standing. The problem isn't AI itself, but rather "AI coupled with reckless automation" that floods inboxes with content that lacks genuine value. As email service providers like Google and Microsoft respond with increasingly aggressive spam filters, even legitimate messages from trusted senders are getting caught in the crossfire.The solution isn't abandoning AI but reimagining how we use it. While many AI tools promise to remove humans from the loop, Saeed argues for bringing them back in through thoughtful collaboration between humans and AI agents. This approach combines the best of both worlds—AI's ability to analyze vast datasets and humans' talent for building authentic relationships.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations ProfessionalsSupport the show
This week on Revenue Rehab, Brandi Starr is joined by Leah Russo, a veteran marketing and rev ops executive and founder of Novara, who believes “treating ops like a cleanup crew is killing your go-to-market”—and she's ready to prove it. In this episode, Leah challenges the widespread practice of sidelining marketing and revenue operations, arguing that only by giving ops an equal seat at the table can companies unlock faster, more scalable, and burnout-free growth. By exposing the cost of reactive ops and sharing playbook-shifting strategies, Leah makes the case for why it's time revenue leaders stop seeing ops as tactical support and start leveraging them as true growth architects. Is it time to rethink your approach, or will you change her 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: Why Treating Ops as a Cleanup Crew Is Broken [05:21] Leah Russo boldly asserts that the biggest myth in go-to-market is viewing operations as an afterthought or “cleanup crew.” She challenges the conventional wisdom that strategy comes first and ops simply executes, arguing, “when you build without your ops team in the room, you're not really moving fast... you're actually moving blindly.” Brandi Starr pushes for practical ways to elevate ops, spurring debate on where the real strategic value of ops lies. Topic #2: Ops as Strategic Architects, Not Order Takers [07:38] Leah Russo reframes operations as critical “architects” of scalable growth, rather than mere tactical support. She insists that modern ops leaders understand both the back-end structure and front-end goals: “Ops isn't a band aid. Ops is truly your blueprint for scalable growth, but you have to treat it as such to get there.” Brandi challenges her with a “building a house” analogy, sparking discussion on how early ops involvement powers cleaner, faster execution and prevents costly rework. Topic #3: Stop Hiring More Ops—Fix the Strategic Process [29:07] Leah Russo contends that the default reaction to operational chaos—simply hiring more ops staff—is misguided. “They hire more ops people to clean everything up faster instead of changing how they strategically plan,” she states, urging leaders to overhaul their approach and involve ops early. The debate zeroes in on practical actions: bringing ops into strategy meetings and empowering them to identify root issues before launching new initiatives. The Wrong Approach vs. Smarter Alternative The Wrong Approach: “They hire more ops people to clean everything up faster instead of changing how they strategically plan.” – Leah Russo Why It Fails: Simply adding more operations staff treats ops like a reactive cleanup crew rather than addressing the root issue—poor planning and lack of early involvement in go-to-market strategy. This results in inefficiencies, repeated fixes, burnout, and a failure to build scalable, sustainable processes that drive predictable revenue growth. The Smarter Alternative: Instead of reacting with more headcount, companies should bring ops into go-to-market strategy discussions from the start. Treat ops as architects who help sequence priorities, identify potential pitfalls, and architect scalable solutions—ensuring the revenue engine is set up right the first time and reducing the need for expensive, disruptive fixes later. The Most Damaging Myth The Myth: “Ops is an afterthought, right. That we're here to clean up the mess once your strategy's already been put in place.” – Leah Russo Why It's Wrong: When companies treat operations as a post-strategy cleanup crew, they believe they're moving fast, but in reality, they're going blindly. This reactive approach slows down execution and leads to preventable mistakes, inefficiencies, and burnout, ultimately undermining the effectiveness of the entire go-to-market strategy. What Companies Should Do Instead: Involve your ops team early in the strategic planning process. Treat operations as true architects of scalable growth by giving them a seat at the table from the start—ensuring that plans are executed in the right order, with the right people, and built to scale without costly rework. The Rapid-Fire Round Finish this sentence: If your company has this problem, the first thing you should do is _ “Stop treating ops like the help and start treating them like architects.” – Leah Russo What's one red flag that signals a company has this problem—but might not realize it yet? “When ops is the last to know but the first expected to actually clean it up.” What's the most common mistake people make when trying to fix this? “They hire more ops people to clean everything up faster instead of changing how they strategically plan.” What's the fastest action someone can take today to make progress? “Bring ops into your next go-to-market strategy meeting and ask them what's broken before you decide what's next—and listen.” Buzzword Banishment Buzzword Banishment: Leah's buzzword to banish is "hustle." She dislikes this term because it has created a mindset where speed is prioritized above all, leading organizations to act reactively, often at the expense of careful strategy. Leah argues that the hustle mentality leads to burnout and reactive operations, which ultimately undermines go-to-market efforts; instead, she believes teams should focus on aligning strategy and execution in the right order, with operations involved from the outset. Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahrusso/ 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
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!Ever wondered why your marketing data isn't delivering the insights you need? The answer lies in what Nicole Alvarez calls "the ugly work" – those essential but unglamorous tasks that create the foundation for beautiful marketing results.In today's episode, Nicole, a Solutions Architect at ClearPivot with a fascinating background in psychology and cognitive science, explains why field audits, permission sets, and process documentation deserve more attention. Drawing from her experience across multiple industries, she reveals how these behind-the-scenes elements enable the exciting, visible outcomes that marketing teams celebrate.We explore a powerful technique for demonstrating the value of data cleanup – building reports with bad data to show stakeholders why investment in data quality matters. When executives see inaccurate reports that don't reflect business reality, they better understand why dedicating resources to "boring" operational work is essential. Whether you're struggling to maintain clean data, communicate the value of operations work to executives, or simply looking to improve your marketing systems, this episode offers practical wisdom from seasoned professionals. Subscribe to OpsCast for more insights on the critical work that happens behind the scenes in successful marketing operations.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations ProfessionalsSupport the show
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!Join us as we welcome back Garrath Robinson and first-time guest Sebastian Hidalgo from RevXcel for a deep dive into what it really takes to execute a go-to-market (GTM) strategy effectively today. Spoiler: it's not just about tactics or tools—it's about speed, trust, and team unity.Garrath and Sebastian challenge the old playbook of siloed teams and rigid strategies, and instead offer practical insights into how GTM execution needs to evolve to match buyer behavior and internal team dynamics. From sales being the true face of the brand to using frameworks like STRIKE and SWAT to stay agile, this conversation is packed with hard-earned lessons and bold takes.
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!Feeling swamped by marketing operations busy work?AI-powered automation can help you reclaim your time — but knowing what's real versus hype isn't easy.In this episode, Tarun Arora, a marketing tech veteran and founder of RevCrew, explains how AI goes beyond traditional rule-based automation by handling tasks that require human judgment. He shares how "agentic AI" systems act like virtual team members — making decisions, managing your tools, and only checking in when needed.You'll hear real-world examples, from inbox management and campaign optimization to audience selection, showing how AI can eliminate busy work and free you up for more strategic projects.Tarun also offers practical advice on where to start: focus on your biggest needs first, test real use cases, and remember — this is just mile one.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations ProfessionalsSupport the show
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!When your marketing team needs to produce thousands of content pieces each month, the operational challenges can become overwhelming. In this eye-opening conversation with Satej Sirur, founder and CEO of Rocketium, we explore the emerging field of Creative Operations and how it's transforming how enterprise brands manage their content production.Satej shares how his "pet project" evolved into a platform that now helps performance marketers and creative teams work more efficiently together. We unpack the fundamental tension between creative expression and performance optimization - a struggle familiar to anyone who's tried balancing brand guidelines with marketing results.The most fascinating insights come when we discuss what makes creative content perform well. While marketers claim to be data-driven, few have systematically analyzed which creative elements drive results. Should your logo be larger in awareness campaigns? Does showing a product outside its packaging perform better than inside? Most decisions rely on gut feelings rather than data. Rocketium changes this by extracting creative attributes and correlating them with performance metrics to identify winning patterns.For organizations producing high volumes of content (2,000+ pieces monthly) with substantial teams (10+ members) and significant ad spend ($5-10M minimum), Creative Ops solutions offer a way to eliminate repetitive tasks and focus on strategic decisions. Satej emphasizes that technology alone isn't enough - implementing these solutions requires a cultural shift toward data-informed decision-making while still respecting creative expertise.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations ProfessionalsSupport the show
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!What does it take to elevate marketing operations from a technical support function to a strategic business driver? AJ Driscoll reveals how understanding product marketing fundamentals transformed his career trajectory from system administrator to co-leader of an entire marketing department.The journey begins with a data-driven approach to validating and refining ideal customer profiles (ICPs). Rather than accepting conventional wisdom about target markets, AJ demonstrates how combining quantitative analysis with qualitative research creates powerful insights that sales teams can actually use. He walks us through his methodology for evaluating historical win rates, customer demographics, and industry trends to identify where businesses should focus their efforts.Most remarkably, AJ shares his unique philosophy on cross-functional collaboration. "My job is to help other people be better at their jobs," he explains, detailing how this service-oriented mindset helped him build relationships throughout his organizations. From creating automated alerts for sales teams to designing ROI tracking systems with finance, these collaborative efforts eventually earned him company-wide recognition typically reserved for top salespeople.For marketing operations professionals looking to expand their impact, AJ offers practical advice on developing business intelligence skills and becoming industry experts. He shares how new AI tools have accelerated the research process, allowing ops professionals to quickly gain domain knowledge that enhances their strategic contributions. The combination of technical expertise, product marketing understanding, and collaborative spirit creates the foundation for a marketing operations professional who can truly drive business success.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations ProfessionalsSupport the show
Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show!Marketing leaders face a painful dilemma: they need to prove their impact through data, but marketing data is notoriously messy compared to the cleaner, more discrete data available to sales and finance teams. This gap creates what Eric Westerkamp, CEO of CaliberMind, calls a "data dumpster fire" that marketing operations professionals must somehow transform into credible reporting.Drawing from 20 years of executive leadership experience spanning sales and entrepreneurship, Eric offers a refreshingly practical perspective on how marketing teams can build trust in their data and storytelling. Rather than attempting to fix all data quality issues before beginning reporting initiatives, he advocates starting small with specific reports that deliver meaningful insights. This approach allows teams to identify which data elements need fixing while simultaneously delivering value.The conversation explores how marketing operations teams can effectively normalize data across systems, enabling consistent reporting even as organizations migrate between platforms or evolve their naming conventions. Eric shares a striking example where analysis of 1,800 job titles revealed that 80% were unique variations of essentially the same titles—a common challenge that undermines segmentation and reporting efforts.The episode also examines how AI is revolutionizing marketing operations. While AI tools may struggle with complex calculations, they excel at transforming buyer journey data with thousands of touchpoints into credible stories. Organizations embracing these capabilities are gaining significant efficiency advantages, with SDRs able to cover 20% more accounts and marketing teams generating insights faster than competitors.Whether you're a marketing operations professional struggling to build reporting credibility or a CMO needing to better demonstrate your team's impact, this conversation provides actionable guidance for taming your data dumpster fire and transforming it into powerful, trusted insights that drive business decisions. Connect with Eric Westerkamp on LinkedIn or visit calibermind.com to learn more about building marketing data you can trust.Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations ProfessionalsSupport the show
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