Podcasts about templates

Summary In this episode of the Conquer Athlete Podcast, Ryan Bucciantini and Jason Leydon dive deep into load management principles for CrossFit athletes. They discuss the importance of individualized programming versus generic templates, the role of communication in coaching, and how to create a balanced training environment that caters to different athlete needs. The conversation emphasizes the significance of exercise selection, managing athlete expectations, and educating athletes on training principles to foster autonomy and understanding. The hosts also touch on real-world applications of training and the necessity of adapting to athletes' feedback and recovery needs.   Takeaways Load management is crucial for CrossFit athletes. Templates often fail to account for individual needs. Communication is key in understanding athlete capabilities. Creating a balanced training environment is essential. Exercise selection should be tailored to the individual. Athletes need to understand their training principles. Real-world application of training is important. Recovery should be prioritized alongside training intensity. Educating athletes fosters independence and understanding. Coaches should be creative in their programming approach. Topics Mastering Load Management in CrossFit The Art of Individualized Training Sound Bites "We're talking about volume of loads." "The problem with that is that you're not that person." "You just gotta get a little bit creative." Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Load Management in CrossFit 02:03 Understanding Templates and Individualization 03:26 The Challenge of Class Programming 05:28 Creating Individualized Training in Group Settings 07:29 Fatigue Management and Exercise Selection 09:35 Conversations and Athlete Understanding 11:38 Managing Loads and Volume Effectively 14:01 Educating Athletes for Autonomy 15:56 Real-World Application of Training Principles 18:06 Final Thoughts on Load Management

#259 Paid Ads | In this episode, Dave is joined by Pranav Piyush, founder and CEO of Paramark, a platform helping B2B marketers run real experiments to measure ad performance. Pranav brings a sharp point of view on attribution, channel performance, and how to actually prove what's working across your paid media mix.Dave and Pranav cover:Real-world results from 7 B2B ad campaigns, including branded search, YouTube, billboards, and Performance MaxWhy most marketers are misusing the word “test” and how to run true experiments with lift, control, and causalityHow even small teams can apply experiment design (on a $10K budget or less) to make smarter spend decisionsWhether you're managing a big budget or just getting started with paid campaigns, this episode will help you think more critically, and confidently, about where and how to invest in B2B marketing.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (03:08) - – Why Paramark pulled real data from 7 B2B ad campaigns (05:38) - – Attribution vs. experimentation: what most marketers get wrong (09:08) - – Correlation vs. causation explained (with a LinkedIn example) (11:53) - – How to run a real test (hint: you need a control) (13:08) - – Branded search test results: $1M+ saved, no performance loss (18:08) - – Why strong SEO makes or breaks branded search tests (19:08) - – Billboard test: how one brand proved real lift with out-of-home (22:38) - – What “digital out-of-home” looks like in B2B (24:08) - – YouTube ad tests: one big win, one big flop (28:19) - – How to run tests with small budgets ($500–$10K) (32:49) - – Connected TV (CTV) test results from a Series F SaaS brand (34:49) - – What happens when a multichannel test works—but isn't efficient (36:49) - – Paramark's Exit Five sponsorship test (real numbers shared) (40:19) - – Why content needs to drive short-term lift, not just long-term “brand” (43:19) - – How Pranav used LinkedIn to drive inbound from day one (45:19) - – Your attribution model is lying, give your audience more credit (46:49) - – When 7 ad tests fail in a row…and the 8th one works (48:19) - – Performance Max test: why it worked for one brand (50:19) - – How long to run a test? Use data, not gut (52:19) - – Bonus: Pranav's hiring playbook for his first marketing leader (56:19) - – Wrap up and final takeaways 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 Knak. Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.It's the only way you can truly “own” your audience.But when it comes to building the emails - if you've ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. That's why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.Tired of ‘hoping' the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

Dave here. Interrupting the regular podcast feed for a 3 minute story and rant about why I love the job of marketing and what it might mean in a world where AI is advancing so rapidly and changing the role of marketing. 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 Knak. Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.It's the only way you can truly “own” your audience.But when it comes to building the emails - if you've ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. That's why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.Tired of ‘hoping' the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

#257 AI Strategy | Dave is joined by Kieran Flanagan, SVP of Marketing at HubSpot and former CMO at Zapier. Kieran is a rare blend of technical operator, creative strategist, and team builder. He's spent his career pushing the edges of B2B marketing, most recently through his work leading AI transformation initiatives at scale.Dave and Kieran cover:How AI is reshaping B2B marketing workflows, content creation, and team structureWhy the best marketers will specialize at the “outer edges” of creativity or technical execution (and what happens if you stay stuck in the middle)Kieran's leadership philosophy: how he manages 300+ people while staying deeply involved in creative executionWhether you're leading a marketing team or sharpening your own skills, this episode offers a clear look at how AI is changing the game and how B2B marketers can stay creative, strategic, and indispensable in the process.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (02:08) - – Kieran's marketing journey (04:08) - – His 2-year mission framework (06:08) - – Advice for early-career marketers (07:38) - – Why the grind still matters (09:08) - – Ireland's SaaS and startup scene (10:08) - – Balancing operator vs. manager (12:08) - – AI-generated “How to work with me” (14:38) - – Kieran's push-and-pull leadership style (16:08) - – Giving direct creative feedback (18:08) - – Why “collaborative brainstorms” fail (19:08) - – The value of strong opinions (20:08) - – Learning through tough feedback (21:08) - – ChatGPT as a creative partner (23:08) - – Claude vs. ChatGPT vs. Gemini (25:08) - – Prompting differences in GPT-3.5 vs. 4.0 (28:19) - – Decision fatigue and AI loyalty (29:19) - – Where AI is taking B2B marketing (30:19) - – From answers to actions (32:19) - – Micro-audiences and personalization (34:19) - – The return of branded traffic (35:19) - – Why AI reignited Kieran's spark (37:19) - – Avoiding AI-induced multitasking burnout (38:49) - – Deep work vs. whack-a-mole (39:49) - – Don Draper meets ChatGPT (40:49) - – Picking a lane: tech vs. creative (42:19) - – The value of podcasting practice (43:19) - – Building a prompt muscle (45:19) - – How Kieran trains GPTs (47:19) - – Prompting tips for marketers (48:19) - – The future CMO: part IC, part leader (49:19) - – How agencies will evolve with AI (50:19) - – In-person is back (51:19) - – Overrated AI use cases (52:19) - – Favorite tool: GenSpark (54:19) - – Mistakes marketers make with AI (55:19) - – Does anyone care if it's AI? (56:19) - – Lessons from fatherhood (57:19) - – Final thoughts and wrap-up 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 Knak. Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.It's the only way you can truly “own” your audience.But when it comes to building the emails - if you've ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. That's why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.Tired of ‘hoping' the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

#256 Email Deliverability | In this episode, Dan is joined by Sarah McNamara, Revenue Operations & GTM Strategy Lead at Vector, and Alex Fine, co-founder of Understory, an agency helping B2B SaaS companies scale with outbound, paid, and email. Both Sarah and Alex are experts in email strategy, specifically the behind-the-scenes mechanics that make or break your deliverability.They break down what B2B marketers often overlook when it comes to getting emails opened, read, and replied to, and share practical tactics to improve performance across newsletters, outbound, and lifecycle campaigns.Dan, Sarah, and Alex cover:Why email deliverability issues are more common than you think and how to spot them earlyThe metrics that actually matter (hint: opens and clicks aren't on the list)How to protect your domain reputation and warm up inboxes the right wayIf email is part of your GTM motion, this episode will help you reach more inboxes and stop your messages from disappearing into the void.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (03:18) - – Meet Sarah and Alex (05:23) - – Why email deliverability matters more than subject lines (07:38) - – How to tell if you have a deliverability problem (09:53) - – The most useful (and overlooked) deliverability metrics (12:13) - – Why replies matter more than opens or clicks (14:38) - – Tools Alex and Sarah use to monitor deliverability (16:53) - – Should you buy a dedicated IP? (18:48) - – How to evaluate platforms for deliverability (21:08) - – Getting sales to care about data hygiene (23:38) - – Deliverability tips for small senders and solopreneurs (27:34) - – Subdomains vs. secondary domains (30:24) - – How many inboxes per domain is too many? (32:29) - – Best practices for cold outreach (35:19) - – How security bots skew your open and click data (38:19) - – What counts as “spam” (and how filters decide) (41:34) - – How to re-engage cold or inactive lists (44:19) - – What to A/B test in subject lines (and when it's pointless) (47:29) - – How to build a healthy, opt-in list from scratch (50:19) - – When to stop emailing cold leads (52:34) - – Welcome sequence tips for engaged subscribers (55:29) - – How to warm up a new domain (58:49) - – Final takeaways and advice 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 Knak. Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.It's the only way you can truly “own” your audience.But when it comes to building the emails - if you've ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. That's why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.Tired of ‘hoping' the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

Jack Friks (@jackfriks) is the founder of PostBridge, a social media scheduling tool that grew from his own frustration with spending hours posting across platforms to a $18k/month business. We explore the evolution of social media toward authenticity, the challenges of building lean products as a solopreneur, and how to navigate the noise while maintaining a genuine human connection in an AI-driven world.The blog post: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/jack-friks-building-tools-that-empower-without-overwhelming/ The podcast episode: https://tbf.fm/episodes/396-jack-friks-building-tools-that-empower-without-overwhelmingCheck out Podscan, the Podcast database that transcribes every podcast episode out there minutes after it gets released: https://podscan.fmSend me a voicemail on Podline: https://podline.fm/arvidYou'll find my weekly article on my blog: https://thebootstrappedfounder.comPodcast: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/podcastNewsletter: https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/newsletterMy book Zero to Sold: https://zerotosold.com/My book The Embedded Entrepreneur: https://embeddedentrepreneur.com/My course Find Your Following: https://findyourfollowing.comHere are a few tools I use. Using my affiliate links will support my work at no additional cost to you.- Notion (which I use to organize, write, coordinate, and archive my podcast + newsletter): https://affiliate.notion.so/465mv1536drx- Riverside.fm (that's what I recorded this episode with): https://riverside.fm/?via=arvid- TweetHunter (for speedy scheduling and writing Tweets): http://tweethunter.io/?via=arvid- HypeFury (for massive Twitter analytics and scheduling): https://hypefury.com/?via=arvid60- AudioPen (for taking voice notes and getting amazing summaries): https://audiopen.ai/?aff=PXErZ- Descript (for word-based video editing, subtitles, and clips): https://www.descript.com/?lmref=3cf39Q- ConvertKit (for email lists, newsletters, even finding sponsors): https://convertkit.com?lmref=bN9CZw

Lutz Hirsch, CEO von Hirschtec und Gewinner des LeFonti International Award 2023 für „Innovation in Leadership & Digital Workplace“, zeigt, warum ein modernes Intranet nicht nur Technik ist – sondern Unternehmen transformiert. Er erklärt, wie man Change-Fatigue vermeidet, Mitarbeitende wirklich abholt und den digitalen Arbeitsplatz zum Herzstück von Kultur und Führung macht.Highlights:⚙️ Warum der digitale Arbeitsplatz weit mehr ist als Word, Excel & Outlook

What if you could turn LinkedIn into your only customer acquisition channel and grow to $30M ARR...without spending a dime on paid ads?Adam Robinson⁩ breaks down the exact playbook he used to build a magnetic personal brand, engineer high-engagement content, and make LinkedIn work like a growth engine. From bootstrapping three companies to millions in ARR to building a content system that turns credibility into conversions, Adam doesn't hold back. We explored storytelling, content marketing, webinars, and the overlooked strategies that helped him scale fast without relying on traditional funnels.In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:50) Building a Personal Brand on Social Media(06:09) Finding Your Voice and Content Market Fit(08:50) The Importance of Authentic Storytelling(11:46) Creating a Public Figure Through Content(14:56) Strategies for Growing Your LinkedIn Audience(17:55) Crafting Engaging Posts and Hooks(21:00) The Art of Storytelling in Content Creation(23:58) Tactics for Effective LinkedIn Posting(33:27) Leveraging Credibility in Content Creation(36:39) Maximizing Engagement Through Hooks and Templates(41:36) The Role of AI in Content Generation(50:25) Frequency and Interaction: Balancing Engagement on LinkedIn(54:40) The Power of Video in Building Trust(01:00:44) The Unique Appeal of Live Webinars(01:02:39) OutroWe hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend). Where to find Adam:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanbarry/Websites: https://www.retention.com/https://www.rb2b.com/Where to find Tim:LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/)X: @timsouloWebsite: https://www.timsoulo.com/

#255 Leadership | In this episode, Dave is joined by Kelly Hopping, CMO of Demandbase, a B2B company known for pioneering account-based marketing. Kelly leads a 70+ person marketing org that spans brand, demand gen, product marketing, events, and SDRs, and she shares exactly how she structures and operates that team to drive results.Dave and Kelly cover:How to design and run a full-funnel marketing team that includes SDRs, content, field, and brand, and keep them aligned on pipelineThe annual planning strategy Kelly uses to balance short-term targets with long-term positioning (including what changes quarter to quarter)How her team is using AI right now and what she's doing personally to stay sharp as the pace of change acceleratesWhether you're a first-time CMO or just trying to scale your B2B marketing engine, this one is packed with insights from someone who's operating at a high level.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (03:08) - – What Demandbase actually does (05:08) - – How the Demandbase marketing team is structured (07:38) - – Who owns what: brand, content, demand, SDRs (10:08) - – Account-based marketing + broad demand gen (12:38) - – What a CMO actually does at this stage (15:08) - – Kelly's early CMO learning curve (18:08) - – Planning your first 90 days as a CMO (20:08) - – Balancing pipeline today vs. positioning for tomorrow (22:38) - – What changed between a bad Q4 and strong Q1 (27:19) - – How Kelly thinks about yearly pipeline pacing (30:19) - – Staying relevant in a fast-moving MarTech world (32:49) - – Why marketers need to work like product teams (36:19) - – “I am the ICP”: Why product marketing works better (37:49) - – Kelly's #1 job as CMO: Make sales love marketing (40:19) - – Becoming a peer to product and revenue leaders (42:49) - – Best-performing channel right now: in-person events (44:19) - – Brand, attribution, and pipeline are all connected (45:49) - – How Kelly's team is using AI today (47:19) - – The future of marketing roles in an AI-powered world (49:49) - – Why she's still learning new AI tools herself (52:19) - – Why AI is fun again for marketers (53:19) - – Closing thoughts 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 Knak. Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.It's the only way you can truly “own” your audience.But when it comes to building the emails - if you've ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. That's why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.Tired of ‘hoping' the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

Let's talk about that moment where you're so drained by a project that you start doing more just to end it. You're not alone, but there's a difference between overdelivering intentionally and handing over extras just to escape.In this episode, I'm digging into why we overdeliver when we're frustrated (and why it backfires), along with the emotional toll of dragging projects. We'll also touch on why burnout doesn't care how much you're getting paid and how poor communication causes most boundary breaks.And if you're looking for a bit of practical advice there's some bits on what to say when you don't want to do more work outside of the initial agreement (even if the client offers to pay).The anonymous confession: “Sometimes I get to the point with a frustrating client that I just give them additional patterns and social media stuff for free because I want the project to be done. Is this bad?”Ready to share your story, opinions or those questions you feel like you can't ask? ⁠⁠Submit it here⁠⁠Follow Robin on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the Podcast Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get The Newsletter, Templates & Design Freebies ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoying the podcast? Please drop a quick review! It helps more creatives find it!

In episode #286 of SaaS Metrics School, Ben Murray breaks down one of the most common — and costly — mistakes SaaS founders and CFOs make when building their Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) schedules: netting contraction and expansion. This seemingly small error can break your ability to calculate key SaaS metrics like Gross Revenue Retention (GRR) and Net Revenue Retention (NRR). What You'll Learn: The essential structure of an accurate MRR waterfall schedule Why separating expansion, contraction, and churn is crucial for calculating SaaS metrics How to calculate GRR and NRR using distinct MRR layers Why trailing 3- and 6-month annualized retention rates offer deeper insights Pro tips on segmenting your MRR by product, ICP, or geography Who This Is For: SaaS founders, CFOs, FP&A leaders, and revenue ops teams looking to improve their SaaS financial reporting and ensure clean, actionable SaaS metrics that stand up to investor scrutiny. Resources Mentioned: Join Ben's private SaaS metrics community: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout Subscribe to Ben's newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page Free SaaS Metrics Tools & Templates at TheSaaSCFO.com Enjoying the show? Please rate and review the podcast — it helps more SaaS professionals discover how to build better businesses with metrics that matter.

#254 Brand | In this episode, Dave sits down with Kira Federer, VP of SMB Marketing at Paramount Advertising, and formerly at companies like Reddit and Glassdoor. Kira shares her journey from sales to product marketing and the lessons she's learned along the way.Dave and Kira discuss:How to align marketing and sales through co-creation to ensure your sales team uses the content you createThe value of a strong messaging framework and how it drives consistency in B2B marketingWhy you need to time your product launches and ensure that marketing resonates with both your team and the market at the right momentTimestamps(00:00) - - Intro to Kira (06:02) - - Kira's Career Journey From Sales Enablement to Product Marketing (09:16) - - Challenges of Building Community / Getting Connected with Exit Five (15:32) - - How To Get Sales To Use Content from Marketing (18:07) - - How to Align Marketing and Sales Teams (25:24) - - Effective Messaging and Having a Core Company Narrative (30:32) - - Why You Should Identify What Differentiates Your Business (34:15) - - How To Create Strong Brand Positioning (37:00) - - Why You Need To Have A Clear Vision And Strong Point of View in Marketing (38:44) - - “The Risk Of Insult Is The Price Of Clarity” 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 Knak. Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.It's the only way you can truly “own” your audience.But when it comes to building the emails - if you've ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. That's why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.Tired of ‘hoping' the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

According to The Times, employees now face an average of nine organizational changes per year, up from two before 2020, leading to increased change fatigue. So, how can you lead a change management strategy to help reps effectively navigate these changes?Shawnna Sumaoang: Hi, and welcome to the Win-Win podcast. I’m your host, Shawnna Sumaoang. Join us as we dive into changing trends in the workplace and how to navigate them successfully. Here to discuss this topic is Sobia Younus, the senior manager of sales learning and enablement at ApplyBoard. Thank you for joining us, Sobia. I’d love for you to tell us about yourself, your background, and your role. Sobia Younus: Sure. I really appreciate this opportunity. So I’m leading the sales learning and enablement team at ApplyBoard, a leading ed-tech platform that’s reshaping how international students access global education. So I lead a global sales enablement framework that focuses on performance process and people and my role. Spans everything from onboarding and ever boarding to performance improvement initiatives that firsthand impact the revenue. But to rewind a bit, my journey has never been linear, and I believe that’s been my strength. So while I’ve always been rooted in international education, my niche has always been B2B and B2C sales, and that helped me build a strong understanding of client behavior, market trends, and grow through meaningful engagements. I have been with ApplyBoard for almost six years. I initially joined the CX team, which gave me insight into the student journey and operations side of how applications are being processed. From there, I transitioned into the sales role where I gained the firsthand experience of navigating the field. Finally in 2021, I moved into sales enablement, and that’s where everything came together. It blended my passion for education, my CX foundation, and my love for sales performance into one purpose driven role. I think today I focus more on building scalable strategic enablement programs that build and drive revenue, empower people, and connect the dots between learning, growth and results. Personally, to me, and I really wanna share that, I believe that for me, enablement is where storytelling meets the strategy. That’s what make it so exciting, and what excites me the most about my work today is the blend of strategy and human behavior. Most importantly, understanding how people learn, they stay motivated, and how the right tool and messaging can turn a sales team into a high performing empowered force. That’s why I’m so excited to be here today because platforms like Highspot make a real difference. SS: Amazing. Well, we’re excited to have you here, and given your extensive experience in education management, I’d love to learn from you what are some of the unique challenges that reps in the industry face, and how can enablement help them navigate these challenges? SY: So that’s a very important subject. So one of the most unique aspects of international education industry is how deeply it influenced by external elements like immigration reforms, global mobility trends, and even geopolitical shifts. So unlike other industries where salespeople can rely on relatively stable products or markets, education is often at the mercy of forces beyond control. And as a result, salespeople in this space aren’t just selling a service. They’re actually navigating constant change, managing expectations, and often having to realign their strategy in real time. And a great example is what recently we saw last year, the government introduced caps on your international student permits and tightened eligibility for post-graduation work. Permits. So these changes had an immediate impact on student demand, also program selection and school preferences. So practically overnight, our sales rep has to understand the implications, shift focus away from programs that no longer align with student goals and reposition alternatives that still offered strong appeal to students. This is where enablement became mission critical. And an apply board. We don’t just see enablement as a static function. It is a real time strategic engine that basically supports business agility. So within days of those updates, our team not only delivered the sessions, so we created and rolled out sales plays and updated talk tracks and Highspot. We designed objection handling strategies on Highspot to help our. Salespeople reposition options with clarity and assurance. So in short, we didn’t just inform, we equipped, so that is important. Our goal was to turn uncertainty into clarity so that salespeople could keep on building trust and drive impact through their communication. And I believe that enablement also reinforces a culture of agility. So in industries like ours, change is inevitable. But when enablement is done right. It actually becomes a competitive advantage. SS: Amazing. And I know that at ApplyBoard, you actually switched off a previous enablement platform and moved to Highspot. What motivated you to reevaluate and change your enablement tech stack? SY: So when we initially built our enablement infrastructure at Apply board. Our primary focus was on structured learning. So naturally our, you know, tech stack leaned towards a traditional LMS. It served its objective at that time, like building, onboarding courses and track completion. But as our sales organization matured. So did the scope of our needs. So we realized that enablement couldn’t just live in siloed training modules. It had to be integrated into the daily flow of work. And our sales team needed not just learning, but relevant and up to date resources and real time support to navigate, you know, fast-paced industry changes. So in short, we needed more than an LMS. We needed a true enablement platform that could function as a CMS, a single source of truth, and I would love to call Highspot a strategic one-stop shop. So that’s what motivated our ship to Highspot. We wanted a one-stop solution where onboarding and ever boarding training and sales plays and competitive insights all could live together. A platform that doesn’t just share knowledge, but it gives. To our salespeople when they need it in a way that fits how they work. So it was a mindset shift from how do we train people to how we enable performance? And Highspot gave us the ash to just do that. SS: Change management is absolutely crucial, especially during major product or policy updates. What are some of the common pitfalls that organizations can face during change and how can they avoid them? SY: It’s a very crucial issue, and it is often underestimated and not because organizations don’t recognize its importance, but because they assume communication alone is enough. One of the most typical pitfalls is treating change as an announcement rather than a proper process. So when major product updates or you know, changes happen, especially in the industry like international education where external shifts can be sudden and high stake, simply informing teams isn’t enough. You need to enable them. So, and other pitfall that I wanna mention over here is failing to connect the why behind the change. So, if sales reps or CX teams don’t understand how an update or change a product shift ties back to their goals or the client’s goals. It usually creates resistance. Or worse disengagement. So change without clarity leads to confusion. And I always believe that change without a proper plan leads to chaos. So one more typical misstep that I wanna mention over here is not planning for reinforcement. So even when the rollout goes smoothly, but without a continuous enablement, like quick one pages or talk tracks, or life scenarios and sales place, trust me, all behavior will return. People default to what they know when things get tough, you know? But at ApplyBoard, we’ve learned this through the hard way, that effective change management start with empathy and end spend with enablement. So we ensure teams understand the work, the why, and how of every change, and we don’t stop at emails. We provide field ready tools, align managers as change champions, and use platforms like Highspot to make resources easily accessible and track the engagement, which is very important. So we all know that change is inevitable, but chaos is optional and you can do wonders if you treat enablement as a bridge between strategy and execution. SS: In your opinion, what is the strategic advantage of an enablement platform when navigating change? SY: So, in my opinion, the strategic advantage of an enablement platform during especially the time of change, is simple. It turns information into action at scale and in real time. So change, especially in the fast moving industries like international education. Often creates a gap between what the business knows and what the field needs. So product evolves, policies, they change and market fluctuates. But if your sales teams can’t access the right information at the right moment, trust me, execution suffers. So this is where an enablement platform becomes mission critical. It just centralizes the word, the why and how of change into one cohesive experience. So instead of scattered emails, you know, outdated decks or reactive training sessions, you get a single source of truth, which is updated, which is searchable, relevant, and embedded in the daily workflow. I’m so glad to say that at Highspot has given us the ability to roll out updates with precision and speed, and when major changes hit, you know, like the recent PGWP reforms, we can respond with focus sales plays, updated talk tracks, training modules, and enablement briefs in one place. We are not just informing the salespeople, we are empowering them to act immediately with clarity, with the right message. So that’s the advantage of a strong enablement platform like Highspot, that it turns change into action. It aligns teams to keep a clear narrative, gives clear visibility into what’s working, also helping you execute with assurance and stay ahead. SS: And I know Plays have been a key lever in helping your reps navigate change, such as, you know, with a recent government policy update that impacted your go-to-market strategy, how did you leverage plays to support this initiative and, and ensure global team alignment? SY: So to be very honest, Sales Plays have become one of our most powerful tools for driving clarity during moments of change. A great example, as you said, and I mentioned earlier as well, the IRCC updates last year, that significantly impacted which programs and institutions were feasible for students creating a sudden shift in our go-to market approach as well. So we knew that without quick and organized actions, this could lead to inconsistent messaging, confusion in the field and you know, lost trust with our clients as well. So we leaned heavily on sales plays and Highspot to bring structure to the chaos. So first we worked cross-functionally with the product team CX and the market expert to streamline these changes into actionable insights. So we took it this way, so we help them understand what it meant. What was changing and how it impacted our clients and the students. Then we created some tailored sales place that included updated talk tracks to help salespeople position alternatives with with clarity and empathy and segmented school lists like highlighted eligible and ineligible programs, suggested outreach. Templates and objection handling approach. Also, we did some live enablement sessions to walk them through our strategy and create some space for q and a as well. But most importantly, next steps for the salespeople. And because the sales play lived in Highspot, we could monitor. The engagement, the usage, and the adoption globally. So this gave us clear visibility into where reinforcement was needed and allowed the regional leaders to support their teams more effectively. And honestly, in moments like these sales plays are a vehicle for alignment, clarity, and assurance. They help us go from reactive to proactive insurance. Our teams aren’t just informed, but they’re ready. SS: That’s impressive. And you also implemented a Learning Tuesday initiative to drive engagement, which has helped you achieve a remarkable 91% recurring usage in Highspot. Could you share more about this practice and, and how you’re driving adoption of the platform amongst your reps? SY: So one of the most important lessons that I have learned in my enablement journey is this. If you want to build a culture of learning, don’t push your salespeople, walk in their shoes. So understand their reality, their pressures, and how they spend their day and apply aboard are salespeople are constantly engaging with clients, pitching multiple destinations, helping clients navigate multiple schools and programs. So for them to be effective, clarity is everything. And it comes from knowing your product, your destination, your message by heart. And that insight shaped our approach to drive Highspot adoption as well. So instead of just treating enablement as a checklist, we focus on making learning relevant, timely, and useful. So that’s where Learning Tuesday was born. It’s a recurring initiative, you know, to share short, impactful learning that fits easily into the flow of the week. So each Tuesday we choose a specific focus area of our sales team, whether it’s like a destination or a school or a program or any product update and build a supporting asset and a quick quiz in Highspot to provide timely, practical resource that aligned with what salespeople are actively navigating in the field. So the goal was simple. Like make learning part of their workflow, not an interruption to it, you know? And it’s very important to understand. And because we use Highspot to highlight success stories across the teams. So this approach helped us reach a 91% recurring usage rate and Highspot, because salespeople weren’t being told to learn. They chose to learn and it was because the assets and focus areas were so relevant, timely, and help them, uh, do their jobs. And I believe that and its score that enablement isn’t just about sharing information. It is about supporting people by giving them the right tools and add the right time and helping them see the difference it makes SS: Again, impressive. And as a results driven leader, what are some of the key metrics that you track to effectively drive change initiatives? SY: That’s a great point. And you know, one that really reflects how enablement has evolved as a function, especially in ApplyBoard, so early in our en enablement journey. Like many other teams, we are primarily focused on the surface level metrics, like number of views and number of assets viewed, and or how often an asset was viewed. But we quickly realized those numbers can be misleading. For instance, if two people viewed three assets a hundred times, the view count may look impressive, but it doesn’t tell you anything about who’s engaging, how many people are engaging or whether it is actually driving behavioral change. So we took a step back and asked ourselves that, what does meaningful engagement look like? What actually signals that our enablement efforts are influencing performance. So that led us to create a more focused Highspot performance, you know, engagement framework, one that actually prioritizes impact over bulk. So we started tracking. Metrics that showed the full picture of how salespeople were using and applying enablement in their work. I will share some examples, like number of unique people viewing the assets, not just the total views, monthly and weekly hours spent on Highspot, both overall and segmented by the projects. Also, the completion rates of assessments and the onboarding courses. Especially tied to the onboarding milestones and also initiatives like Learning Tuesdays. Also, engagement with the sales players and the field tools, especially during the moments of change. And when I say engagement, I mean time spent on these assets and how many people viewed the assets, and most importantly, a correlation. Between Highspot engagement and sales OKRs, like win rates or ramp-up time. So this shift actually helped us move from reactive reporting to proactive decision making. So instead of just knowing what’s being clicked or now we understand what’s actually being used. What is actually being retained and you know, what is actually impacting their performance. So it has helped us improve our, you know, Highspot approach by removing the low performing resources and focusing more on what actually helps our salespeople in the field. And I believe that an enablement metrics shouldn’t just measure activity. They should measure momentum. And when you focus on the right ones, they become a powerful lever for driving lasting change. SS: Amazing. Well, Sobia, I’m hoping you can share with me. Since implementing Highspot, what business results have you achieved and do you have any wins you can share? SY: So many. I can gladly say that. So many wins since we started using Highspot. So many wins. So we have seen some clear improvements in key sales. Performance metrics that support our business goals. While many things can influence results like market changes or team growth, but enablement has played a very important role in keeping that progress going. Like I said earlier in international education and ed tech sector, things move fast. We are always dealing with changes, immigration updates, and new information, and at the same time, we are growing quickly and bringing in people from all sorts of industries. So some with sales experience, but little international education experience and knowledge and others with the opposite. So enablement helps bridge that gap early on. This mix actually led to longer ramp up times, like longer than typically 50 to 60 days. As a new hire, they were learning about both the product and the education sector. So you know, it was taking a lot of time for them to learn all of that. But by building a structure. Role specific onboarding program within Highspot. We changed the game, our onboarding program. Now delivers destination training, platform fluency, and process enablement all in one centralized, searchable space, high sport. So as a reserve, we’ve successfully brought ramp up time just under 30 days on average. So the acceleration has had a clear impact on early client engagement and revenue readiness. Highspot just didn’t, you know, help us organize the asset. It helped us succeed. Successfully execute onboarding, scale their learning across borders, and you know, prepare salespeople to thrive in one of the most dynamic industries out there. Also, I can say this with assurance that enablement helped translate change into action, and Highspot was the strategic engine that allowed us to do that with speeds, scale and clarity. SS: Last question. If you could share one crucial lesson learned from your experience supporting teens through change, what would it be? SY: So, one very crucial and important lesson that I’ve learned is that successful change isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating alignment, trust, and momentum. So I’ve seen that teams respond best when they understand the why. Feel heard in the how. Can see themselves in the what’s next? So change sticks when it’s not just implemented, but truly internalized. And you know, that’s where sales enablement plays a crucial role by equipping teams with the right messaging, timely training, and actionable resources to navigate change with clarity and assurance and platform like Highspot make that happen successfully at scale. SS: Sobia, again, thank you so much for joining us. I really appreciate your insights. SY: I really appreciate that you having me here. It’s a pleasure and I truly enjoyed sharing, you know, all of the experience and learning. SS: To our audience, thank you for listening to this episode of the Win-Win podcast. Be sure to tune in next time for more insights on how you can maximize enablement success with Highspot.

Send us a textThat "fuzzy front end" of product development, where ideas should flourish, often becomes a frustrating quagmire of unfocused brainstorming sessions and competing perspectives. The truth is, traditional brainstorming doesn't work nearly as well as we've been led to believe.Drawing from research and decades of experience, this episode reveals why teams facing blank flipcharts produce fewer and lower-quality ideas than those using structured approaches. The solution? Visual models and templates—powerful frameworks that channel creativity rather than stifling it. These tools have transformed quality improvement efforts for nearly a century, and they can revolutionize your concept development process too.You'll discover how a telecommunications company implemented a simple template change that generated 300% more high-quality ideas in a fraction of the time. We explore why activity theory explains the effectiveness of these approaches, and how proper template design aligns team thinking toward customer-focused solutions. Visual models provide the structure teams need to collaborate effectively, maintain focus, and prevent confusion—turning abstract conversations into concrete design inputs.Whether you're struggling with cross-functional alignment or searching for ways to improve your team's innovative output, this episode offers practical insights to transform your concept development process. The fuzzy front end doesn't have to be chaotic. With the right visual frameworks, you can guide your team toward designing products customers will love. Ready to elevate your development process? Listen now, then visit qualityduringdesign.com for more resources to implement these approaches on your next project.BI-WEEKLY EPISODESSubscribe to this show on your favorite provider and Give us a Rating & Review to help others find us! MONTHLY DIGESTSubscribe to the free monthly e-newsletter: newsletter.deeneyenterprises.comGet the short version on Linked-In: Subscribe here. SELF-PACED COURSE FMEA in Practice: from Plan to Risk-Based Decision Making is enrolling students now. Join over 300 students: Click Here. About meDianna Deeney is a quality advocate for product development with over 25 years of experience in manufacturing. She is president of Deeney Enterprises, LLC, which helps organizations optimize their engineering processes and team performance by promoting the use of reliability and quality methods during design. She offers consulting services for managers and directors, training for engineers through the Quality During Design program, and other practical resources.

Are you among those who have not yet made the review a habit? Experience what David Allen calls the "critical success factor" with GTD, by going through a complete GTD Weekly Review. You'll experience all 11 steps of the process, with helpful advice along the way. Please note: The silent time to work on each step is edited out. You can pause the recording on any step to suit your pace. For the clarifying diagram, you may find it useful to have the GTD Methodology Guides handy, from the top of the Tools and Templates section of the Document Library. You may find the Project and Next Actions Verbs PDF from that section of the library helpful as well. You may want to watch the Clarifying for Better Lists webinar replay to support your review habit.

It's launch week — and not only am I 36 weeks pregnant, but I'm also thrilled to introduce TWO brand new Showit website templates designed specifically for the birth and postpartum world. In this episode, I'm sharing a full behind-the-scenes look at why I created these hyper-niche templates, who they're for, and how they can help birth workers elevate their online presence with ease (and great SEO!).Shop the New Templates:Doula Website Template: https://elizabethmccravy.com/doulaLactation Consultant Website Template: https://elizabethmccravy.com/LCWhether you're a birth doula, postpartum doula, midwife, lactation consultant, childbirth educator, or even a sleep coach — these templates were designed with you in mind. I've packed them with helpful features like:Industry-specific filler copy that's easy to customizeSEO-focused content to help you rank locallyFree stock imagery and video that works right out of the boxPages and layouts tailored to both solo providers and group practicesPlus, if you've ever wondered about niching down as a designer, I share why I chose to go super-niche for this launch and how you might apply that thinking to your own business.To celebrate launch week, you can grab any template — including these new ones — for 20% off through June 14, 2025 with the code LAUNCH20 at checkout.Links mentioned: Read the full show notes: https://elizabethmccravy.com/309  Doula Website Template: https://elizabethmccravy.com/doulaLactation Consultant Website Template: https://elizabethmccravy.com/LCShop Showit templates: https://elizabethmccravy.com/shop  (Use code LAUNCH20 for 20% off until June 14th, 2025)Showit template quiz: https://elizabethmccravy.com/quiz   Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethmccravy/    Join me inside Booked Out Designer: https://elizabethmccravy.com/bod 

Send us a textFor years, modular construction stakeholders have struggled with traditional contracts that fail to account for the dual-site nature of prefabrication, the split responsibilities for design between architects and manufacturers, and the complex permitting processes spanning multiple jurisdictions. Now, new agreements from AIA Contract Documents  tackle these challenges head-on by clearly delineating responsibilities and risks where they're best managed.Listen as Sara Betancorth from AIA Contract Documents and Sal Verrastro from Spillman Farmer Architects detail how these new contracts were created through years of collaboration between architects, attorneys, and industry experts. Now available to the public, these contracts represent a balanced approach that acknowledges the realities of modern modular construction. The result? Contracts that reduce risk, clarify responsibilities, and ultimately facilitate smoother project delivery for all stakeholders.Whether you're an owner, architect, contractor, or modular manufacturer, these new documents promise to transform how modular projects are structured and executed.Support the show

#253 Lifecycle Marketing | In this episode, we're joined by two expert lifecycle marketers: Charlotte Hardin, Lifecycle Marketing Manager at Rebuy Engine, and Naomi West, Senior Product Manager at Customer.io. Charlotte and Naomi bring years of hands-on experience running email, onboarding, and retention programs inside B2B SaaS companies.They break down how B2B teams can use lifecycle marketing to drive more revenue, boost product engagement, and strengthen customer relationships, without needing a massive team.Charlotte and Naomi cover:How top B2B teams build high-performing welcome sequences, and why they're constantly worth revisitingThe role of experimentation and how to prioritize AB tests that deliver learnings (even with small audiences)Strategic ways to keep users engaged post-onboarding, including behavior-based triggers and surprise-and-delight momentsTimestamps(00:00) - – Intro (02:38) - – Meet Charlotte and Naomi (04:23) - – How they define lifecycle marketing (06:08) - – What they've changed their minds about recently (09:18) - – Plain text vs. designed emails (11:08) - – Their frameworks for experimentation (13:38) - – How to test in low-volume environments (15:58) - – Common mistakes in A/B testing (17:08) - – What a day in lifecycle marketing looks like (19:18) - – How they (actually) use AI in their workflows (23:08) - – Building a reporting foundation for lifecycle (27:19) - – Naomi's example of measuring aha moments (29:19) - – Quick definitions of lifecycle marketing (30:49) - – Tips for writing lifecycle campaigns that actually matter (31:19) - – Favorite lifecycle campaigns they've run (33:19) - – Why revamping welcome flows is always worth it (35:19) - - Frameworks they use for building new flows (38:19) - – What to do *after* onboarding ends (39:49) - – Using behavior-based triggers and milestones (41:49) - – Surprise and delight moments in B2B (43:19) - – Creating assets with a lean team (46:19) - – Systems and templates that save time (48:19) - – Navigating multi-year sales cycles with lifecycle content (51:19) - – Why benchmarks are often misleading (53:19) - – Final advice: audit often, talk to your team, and keep learning (55:19) - – Wrap-up and where to find Naomi and Charlotte 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 Knak. Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.It's the only way you can truly “own” your audience.But when it comes to building the emails - if you've ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. That's why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.Tired of ‘hoping' the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

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Jeffrey Charles Hardy is an International Healthcare Facility Futurist and Planner. He is the founder of Care for Peace, a nonprofit global health development foundation. Along the way we discuss – The Journey (1:00), the Process (5:30), Stages of Human Evolution (7:00), Templates for Discussion (16:00), Backing Up from the Issue (20:00), Pogo (29:50), and time well spent in Myanmar (30:40). Learn more about Jeff Hardy @ Farrow Communications This podcast is teamed with LukeLeaders1248, a nonprofit that provides scholarships for the children of military Veterans. Help us reach our 3-scholarship goal for 2025. Send a donation, large or small, through our website @ www.lukeleaders1248.com, PayPal, or Venmo @LukeLeaders1248.  Music intro and outro from the creative brilliance of Kenny Kilgore. Lowriders and Beautiful Rainy Day.

#252 Category Creation | Dave is joined by Josh Lowman, Founder and Creative Director of Gold Front, a category design studio that's worked with brands like Uber, Notion, and Qualtrics. Josh is a leading voice in strategic brand positioning and category creation. He's spent over a decade helping high-growth B2B companies define what makes them irreplaceable in crowded markets.Dave and Josh cover:Why most category creation efforts fail (and what to do instead)The four real paths to category leadership: create, transform, niche, or go soloHow B2B marketers can align product, brand, and messaging around a single strategy to stand out and scaleWhether you're launching a new product or repositioning an existing one, this episode is a masterclass in strategic clarity.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (02:38) - – Josh's backstory and founding Gold Front (05:53) - – How Gold Front became a category design studio (08:08) - – What “category creation” really means (11:23) - – Why being irreplaceable is the real goal (14:28) - – The four paths to category leadership (18:13) - – Why Drift didn't succeed in creating a true category (22:08) - – Clay and Notion as category-of-one examples (24:58) - – Marketing vs. actual customer perception (29:34) - – Can Exit Five be more than the “Dave Gerhardt community”? (32:29) - – How to scale brand DNA beyond the founder (35:19) - – Defining Exit Five's ethos as a company (37:39) - – Strategy as a company-wide unifier (40:29) - – Advice for CMOs on driving strategy with CEOs (43:04) - – Why strategy is always the root cause (44:34) - – Vibe marketing and the rise of right-brain thinking (47:19) - – Josh's mental health journey and long-term therapy (50:49) - – LinkedIn, self-worth, and staying grounded (53:19) - – Weightlifting, discipline, and mental clarity (56:19) - – Daily habits that improve mindset (59:34) - – What 30 days of silent meditation does to your brain (01:04:19) - – Final thoughts on presence, self-work, and leadership 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 Knak. Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.It's the only way you can truly “own” your audience.But when it comes to building the emails - if you've ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. That's why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.Tired of ‘hoping' the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

Dene Logan, marriage and family therapist and author of Sovereign Love, joins Han on the podcast for a deep conversation on the journey back to our authentic Self (capital S). Dene dives into her own story, how she's pursued healing, how we've been socialized to abandon our essence in exchange for acceptance, and what it takes to unravel the masks we've worn to survive. From love vs. attachment to reparenting, ego control, and the inner child, the girls get into:authenticity vs. attachmenthow ego, shame & control keep us safe, but stuckthe myth of independence & the truth about hyper-independencelove vs. possession: what we've gotten wrongthe ache to be reparented in our relationshipssacred partnership & seeing people clearlyself-abandonment in the name of “potential” learning to stay with ourselves in hard feelingsfalling back in love with our own essencetrusting life over controlthe inner teenager & the parentified child& MORE

#251 Website Optimization | In this episode, Danielle is joined by Guy Yalif, Chief Evangelist at Webflow; Talia Wolf, Founder and CEO of Getuplift; and Scott Cappuzzo, Web Strategist at Webflow. Together, they dig into what actually makes a B2B website convert and why most homepages are missing the mark.This panel brings deep experience in conversion rate optimization, UX strategy, and messaging clarity, sharing practical tips and live feedback from real B2B websites submitted by Exit Five members.Danielle, Guy, Talia, and Scott cover:The #1 mistake B2B marketers make on their homepage and how to fix it with customer-driven messagingSmart ways to test and optimize (even if you don't have high traffic)How to write CTAs that meet buyers where they are in the journey (and get more clicks)Whether you're planning a homepage redesign or just want to tighten your headline and CTA copy, this session will help you make smarter website decisions grounded in expert feedback and real examples.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (02:08) - – Meet the expert panel (04:48) - – The biggest homepage mistake (07:28) - – What customers *really* want (08:08) - – The CTA copy test (09:18) - – Why A/B testing isn't always right (11:58) - – Personalization you can actually use (14:08) - – What's a “good” conversion rate? (17:28) - – CTA clarity vs. creativity (21:08) - – Why messaging must come first (23:08) - – How to do helpful personalization (30:29) - – Emotional drivers in B2B (32:29) - – Live teardown #1: ContactMonkey (39:09) - – Visuals, CTAs, and clarity (44:29) - – Live teardown #2: StreamTech (49:49) - – Outdated visuals and lost messaging (53:24) - – Chatbots: thoughtful vs. disruptive (54:39) - – Live teardown #3: CallTrackingMetrics (57:19) - – Final ratings + wrap-up 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 Knak. Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.It's the only way you can truly “own” your audience.But when it comes to building the emails - if you've ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. That's why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.Tired of ‘hoping' the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

In this episode, I'm joined by designer James Barnard to talk about pricing transparency. After reading a confession from a creative who said listing their prices might have scared off all their leads, we talk about why this advice doesn't work for everyone.We also get into how to communicate your value without putting numbers on your site as well as some of James' tips for social media content. If you've ever second-guessed your pricing, or wondered whether you're making things harder for yourself, this one's for you.The Confession: "I saw designers on Threads saying that if we want to be as transparent and as accessible as possible then we should put our prices on our websites so I did. I've noticed I haven't had a single lead since. I had a good flow of leads before and I think I tried to fix something that wasn't broken. "CONNECT WITH JAMES:Follow James on IG hereWebsite: https://barnard.co/Ready to share your story, opinions or those questions you feel like you can't ask? ⁠⁠Submit it here⁠⁠Follow Robin on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get The Newsletter, Templates & Design Freebies ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoying the podcast? Please drop a quick review! It helps more creatives find it!

#250 Customer Insights | Matt sits down with Shoshana Kordova, a 3x founding product marketer and former journalist who now helps B2B tech startups craft customer-infused messaging through her consultancy, Peel Product Marketing. Shoshana recently launched a customer insights playbook for the PMM Jetpack, equipping marketers with tools and templates to run more effective customer interviews.Matt and Shoshana cover:Why a customer insights program is more than “just talking to customers” and how to turn interviews into a repeatable system that drives messaging, positioning, and case studiesHow to collaborate across teams (especially with CS and product) to get buy-in and avoid stepping on toesThe most common mistakes B2B marketers make with interviews and how to get the kind of insights you can actually useWhether you're a product marketer, content strategist, or leading a GTM team, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways to build messaging that resonates.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (02:13) - – Meet Shoshana: From Journalism to Product Marketing (03:23) - – What Is “Customer-Infused Messaging”? (05:08) - – Why Customer Insights Beat Surface-Level Deliverables (07:08) - – How to Work with CS and Sales Without Stepping on Toes (10:08) - – Navigating Competing Priorities Across Teams (12:28) - – Selling the Value of Customer Interviews Internally (16:28) - – The 6 Steps to Building a Customer Insights Program (18:23) - – Step 1: Aligning Goals with Stakeholders (20:03) - – Step 2: Building a Customer Interview Pipeline (22:08) - – Step 3: Keeping Stakeholders in the Loop (Hint: Use Slack) (27:34) - – Step 4: How to Run a Great Customer Interview (33:04) - – Focus on Problems, Not Just the Product (35:39) - – Uncovering Real ROI with Better Follow-Ups (36:49) - – Step 5: Documenting What Actually Matters (39:09) - – How to Organize Insights into a Shared Database (41:59) - – Step 6: Putting Insights to Work (Case Studies, Messaging, ICPs) (44:19) - – Should You Hire an External Interviewer? (46:34) - – What's a Realistic Interview Cadence? (48:04) - – Other Places to Find Customer Insights (When Interviews Aren't Possible) (49:39) - – Final Tips: Mining G2 Reviews, Webinars, and Internal Teams (50:53) - – Wrap-Up and Where to Find Shoshana 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 Knak. Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.It's the only way you can truly “own” your audience.But when it comes to building the emails - if you've ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. That's why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.Tired of ‘hoping' the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

Have you ever had a big idea for your farm business—but you didn't act on it because it felt too overwhelming or risky? That was me. Until my coach said five simple words that completely shifted my thinking: “Just put a container around it.” In this episode, I share how we beta tested our new Chef's Line of prepared foods—and how using the concept of a beta test gave us the freedom to move forward without fear or perfectionism. If you've been sitting on an idea because it feels “too big,” this episode will show you how to test it, refine it, and build momentum with less stress.

Curious about adding a course to your agency model—but not sure if it's worth it?As agency owners, we're always looking for smarter ways to scale.Products. Templates. Digital assets.The idea is simple: take what you know, turn it into something scalable, and earn while you sleep.But here's the nuance we don't talk about enough:Courses don't remove complexity.They shift it—from service delivery to audience building, funnel building, and volume marketing.That's what I explored with Kwadwo Sampany-Kessie,—agency owner, course creator, and host of the popular Art of Online Business podcast on this week's Small But Mighty Agency podcast.We unpack:Why he created a course for an audience his agency couldn't serveHow he validated the offer before building itThe honest truth about course revenue and time savingsWhy low-ticket offers need high-volume marketingThe double-strategy it takes to grow two different offers

Being unavailable isn't something that is rude or makes you a recluse. We used to think being reachable 24/7 was just part of running a business. But truthfully? It nearly wrecked our peace. We realized we were burned out somewhere between the never-ending notifications and guilt-ridden response times. Now, we've flipped the script, and being unavailable has never felt more freeing.We're sharing how we set boundaries for being unavailable, while maintaining a business, relationships, and our mental health.

Welcome back to The Christian Business Advantage podcast! I'm your host, Alyssa Avant, and today we're wrapping up our May series on Email Marketing Reset with a practical and powerful final episode: "Tools, Templates & Time-Saving Tips."In this episode, we're diving into the tech side of email marketing. I'm sharing my top three recommended email service providers—MailerLite, ConvertKit, and ActiveCampaign—plus a comparison chart (available in the blog post at http://alyssaavantandcompany.com) to help you choose the right one for your business needs. Whether you're brand new to email marketing or ready to scale, you'll find guidance here.We'll also explore:How to repurpose your existing content into engaging email sequencesTime-saving strategies like building a vault of reusable templatesSimple systems to streamline your email process and reduce overwhelm

#249 Cold Email | In this episode, Danielle is joined by four experts in B2B outbound: Zoe Hartsfield (Apollo), Will Allred, (Lavender), Maximus Greenwald (Warmly), and Alex Fine (Understory). Together, they dive into the good, bad, and “please don't ever send this” of cold email strategy. Each guest brings firsthand insight from scaling outbound at fast-growing B2B companies and helping clients do the same.Danielle and the crew cover:The biggest reasons cold emails flop and what great ones do differentlyHow to use personalization, targeting, and timing to get replies (not unsubscribes)The right way to blend automation and human touch in your outbound strategyIt's an inside look at how marketers and founders approach outbound messaging, across strategy, execution, and scale.Timestamps(00:00) - — Intro and guest lineup (03:38) - — Why most cold emails fall flat (05:38) - — Common copy mistakes: too much “I,” not enough “you” (07:08) - — The automation vs. personalization debate (09:23) - — When *not* to send a cold email (11:38) - — What targeting gets wrong (and how to fix it) (13:38) - — Teardown #1: Robotics email with 0% replies (15:53) - — Subject line issues, tone, and CTA feedback (18:08) - — Teardown #2: CRM campaign with profanity (19:53) - — Why this email screams “marketing,” not “outbound” (23:19) - — Teardown #3: Direct debit email repurposed from a nurture (25:49) - — Why HTML-heavy emails kill deliverability (27:34) - — Teardown #4: Founder-led cold email from Breakout (29:49) - — What worked: relevance, format, and intent (32:19) - — Teardown #5: Cybersecurity email to bank execs (34:19) - — Final takeaways on relevance, timing, and strategy 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 Knak. Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.It's the only way you can truly “own” your audience.But when it comes to building the emails - if you've ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. That's why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.Tired of ‘hoping' the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

Took a break and now your creative brain won't boot up again? In this episode, I'm sharing how I stop time off from completely derailing my design business. From overwhelm to finding a weekly rhythm that actually works (especially as a parent), this is a real look at how I get back on track without spiralling or wishing for an empty to-do list.The Confession: "I get thrown off my work rhythm at the start of a new week after the break at the weekends. It happens every week and I have a long weekend trip coming up (friday, saturday and sunday), I'm dreading it. I see on Instagram that you go to events often so I was hoping you would have some advice on this  "Ready to share your story, opinions or those questions you feel like you can't ask? ⁠⁠Submit it here⁠⁠Follow Robin on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the Podcast Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get The Newsletter, Templates & Design Freebies ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoying the podcast? Please drop a quick review! It helps more creatives find it!

#248 Marketing Strategy | Dave sits down with Jaleh Rezaei, founder and CEO of Mutiny, the personalization platform for B2B websites. Jaleh brings a unique blend of founder perspective and deep marketing expertise from her time building go-to-market teams at VMware, Gusto, and now Mutiny. She's on a mission to help marketers ditch the spammy, scaled playbooks of the past and refocus on what really drives pipeline today: buyer experience. Dave and Jaleh cover:Why the current use of AI is making marketing worse and how to use it to build better buying experiences insteadWhat marketers get wrong about speed (hint: it's not about doing more, it's about doing what matters)The principles of simplifying your go-to-market strategy to cut through noise and align your team around real revenue resultsMarketing is changing fast, but the teams who win will be the ones who prioritize real buyer experiences, move with speed, and stay aligned on what actually drives revenue. Jaleh breaks down how to make that shift before your strategy gets left behind.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (02:18) - – Why AI Is Backfiring in B2B (04:53) - – Outbound Is Broken (Here's the Data) (07:13) - – What Buyers Actually Want (09:38) - – Gimmicks Don't Scale (11:08) - – How to Build Marketing That Lasts (12:33) - – Why Marketing Is Harder Today (14:08) - – AI Efficiency vs. Buyer Experience (15:38) - – The Right Way to Prioritize Speed (18:34) - – Strategy First, Then Speed (20:24) - – How to Test Big Ideas Fast (22:39) - – Borrowing the YC Mindset (24:19) - – What Good Brand Marketing Looks Like (26:34) - – Best Brand Play: A Children's Book? (28:19) - – What CEOs Really Want From Marketing (29:59) - – Simplifying Your Marketing Strategy (32:29) - – The Truth About Sales-Marketing Alignment (34:19) - – Common Execution Gaps That Hurt Revenue 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 Knak. Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.It's the only way you can truly “own” your audience.But when it comes to building the emails - if you've ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. That's why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.Tired of ‘hoping' the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

In this episode, we're diving into the details around the templates we use, tweak, and sell as freelance writers. If you've ever wondered how we boost efficiency in our workdays and cut out the repetitive pieces of day-to-day work, this is a must-listen. This season is brought to you by Collective, and they're giving you your first month free! Just use code FWCP at checkout.Tax season is stressful—no doubt about it. Are you overpaying? Are you even doing it right? It's a headache, but here's the good news: you don't have to figure it all out alone. Collective is built exclusively for solopreneurs and is here to help. If you're a freelance writer, you could be leaving major savings on the table by not having an S Corp. Collective helped me make the switch last year, and they handled everything—S Corp election, bookkeeping, payroll, taxes—you name it. Now, I get to focus on what I love, without stressing over receipt tracking and tax forms.

#247 Lead Nurturing | In this episode, Danielle is joined by Samar Owais, founder of Emails Done Right; Sheri Otto, CEO of Growth Lane Strategies; and Sofia Silva, Marketing Manager at Reachdesk.These three email experts came together for a live roast of real B2B lead nurture emails, submitted by marketers from the Exit Five community. You'll hear the good, the bad, and the fixable, with practical insights on how to improve your own nurture sequences.Danielle, Samar, Sheri, and Sofia cover:The most common lead nurture mistakes B2B marketers make (and how to fix them)Why every email should be treated as a conversation, not just a campaignHow to write nurture emails that create connection, not clicks for clicks' sakeIf you're building (or rebuilding) your nurture strategy, this one's packed with real examples and expert feedback to guide your next send.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro: Welcome to the Lead Nurture Roast (02:36) - – Meet the Experts: Samar, Sheri, and Sofia (06:33) - – What Is **Lead Nurturing, Really? (09:26) - – The Problem with “We” Language in Emails (11:48) - – The Biggest Mistakes B2B Marketers Make (14:13) - – Why AI Isn't Your Copywriter (16:08) - – Teardown #1: Subject Line Gone Wrong (20:38) - – How to Build a Nurture Sequence Around a Whitepaper (23:18) - – CTA Overload and Why It Kills Clicks (28:23) - – Teardown #2: Great Open Rate, Low Engagement (32:17) - – The One-CTA Rule (And Why It Matters) (34:59) - – Structuring Long Emails for Skimmability (37:31) - – Teardown #3: Cold Lead, Wrong Email (40:04) - – Re-Engagement Emails That Actually Work (42:54) - – Use Social Proof Instead of Product Pitches (44:34) - – Teardown #4: The Overloaded Onboarding Email (47:29) - – What's a “Micro Conversion” in SaaS Email? (52:04) - – Time-to-Value and the First Action That Matters (54:19) - – This Email Is... a Whole Sequence in One (56:39) - – Teardown #5: Trust Email or Generic Spam? (59:34) - – Why Specificity Beats Industry Buzzwords (01:01:49) - – Final Scores and Wrap-Up 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 Knak. Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.It's the only way you can truly “own” your audience.But when it comes to building the emails - if you've ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. That's why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.Tired of ‘hoping' the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

Ahh the classic imposter syndrome. In this episode, I break down the fear of getting it wrong, the pressure to look like an expert, and the myth that everyone else knows what they're doing. If you've ever spiraled halfway through making a post online, this one's for you.The Confession: "I feel like such an imposter when I try to give advice or make educational content because it feels like everyone else has it figured out. I'm scared of saying the wrong thing and getting called out for it, but it also feels like that's the kind of content that performs the best."Ready to share your story, opinions or those questions you feel like you can't ask? ⁠⁠Submit it here⁠⁠Follow Robin on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the Podcast Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get The Newsletter, Templates & Design Freebies ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoying the podcast? Please drop a quick review! It helps more creatives find it!

#246 Sales Alignment | Danielle welcomes Talya Heller, founder of Down to a T, a B2B consultancy helping marketers turn competitive positioning into high-impact sales assets. With experience in engineering, product management, and product marketing, Talya knows how to bridge the gap between what marketing builds and what sales actually uses.Together they unpack:Why most sales decks and battle cards go unused and what to build insteadHow to enable your champion to sell internally with confidenceSimple frameworks for mapping competitive positioning that teams will actually useTalya also breaks down how she researches, builds, and delivers assets that align sales, marketing, and product, all rooted in buyer empathy.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro & Talya's background (02:08) - – From engineering to B2B marketing (08:53) - – What is buyer enablement? (11:08) - – Why deals stall after vendor selection (13:23) - – The problem with sales decks (15:53) - – Why battle cards don't work (18:08) - – Talya's competitive positioning map (24:19) - – Grouping competitors by approach (26:49) - – Market maps for sales (28:49) - – Where to get the best insights (31:19) - – New formats for enablement (33:34) - – Why context matters (35:19) - – Empathy for your sales team (37:04) - – Closing thoughts on empathy (38:09) - – Where to find Talya online 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 Knak. Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.It's the only way you can truly “own” your audience.But when it comes to building the emails - if you've ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. That's why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.Tired of ‘hoping' the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

In this episode, Nic Torres interviews Sarah Gromek, a talented potter and high school ceramics and art teacher who crafts pottery that looks like leather. Sarah shares her journey of gaining confidence in her work, her initial reluctance towards pottery, and how she embraced pottery through teaching. She also delves into her process for creating leather-themed mugs and discusses the importance of constant learning and exploration in developing her unique style. Additionally, Sarah highlights the supportive nature of the ceramics community and offers valuable advice for discovering one's unique voice in pottery. You can learn more about Sarah by checking out her instagram here https://www.instagram.com/sarahcatherineclay/Take this Free Quiz to see how close you are to finding your pottery voice click here to take the quiz shapingyourpottery.com/quiz For more episodes go to www.shapingyourpottery.com 00:00 Introduction to Leather-Like Pottery 01:05 Meet Sarah Gromek: The Leather Pottery Artist 01:58 Sarah's Journey into Pottery 04:18 The Birth of Leather Pottery 07:34 Techniques and Templates 14:58 Discovering Your Unique Pottery Voice 20:51 Final Thoughts and Advice

This episode is giving notes of templates and orange peel. Yes, this episode has three messages that involve templates in three different M365 experiences. SharePoint page templates page gets revamped. PowerPoint offers Copilot as a slide deck template. Teams will let you create your own meeting templates.  Thanks for joining us. Let us know what your picks were for the week.  - Microsoft Project for the web and Project in Teams will retire and redirect to Planner for the web and Planner in Teams  - Microsoft Edge: New location for Edge profile in the toolbar  - Microsoft Teams: Send messages to attendees in the meeting lobby with Lobby chat  - Modern SharePoint: New Template gallery and 50+ out-of-the-box page templates  - Microsoft Teams Premium: New personal meeting templates  - Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows: Create a presentation with Microsoft Copilot from the PowerPoint Backstage view  Join Daniel Glenn and Darrell as a Service Webster as they cover the latest messages in the Microsoft 365 Message Center.   Check out Darrell & Daniel's own YouTube channels at:  Darrell - https://youtube.com/modernworkmentor  Daniel - https://youtube.com/DanielGlenn   

#245: Cold Email | Danielle Messler sits down with Alex Fine, co-founder of Understory, the agency behind some of the most effective outbound and paid strategies in B2B right now. Alex is leading the charge on a smarter approach to outbound called “Allbound”, a tightly integrated blend of outbound, paid media, and LinkedIn tactics that actually convert.If you're tired of cold emails that go nowhere or ad campaigns that burn cash without ROI, this one's for you.Danielle and Alex cover:Why most B2B outbound strategies fail and how Allbound fixes the disconnect between ads, email, and LinkedInThe cold email deliverability tactics that actually work in 2025 (including tools like Instantly, Smartlead, and Clay)Real-world examples of hyper-personalized, AI-powered outreach that book meetings with high-ACV prospectsTimestamps(00:00) - – Intro (03:08) - – What Is “Allbound”? (05:08) - – Cold Email Isn't Dead (But It's Evolved) (07:38) - – Tools to Improve Deliverability (09:53) - – Personalization That Actually Works (11:23) - – Real Example: Fraud Detection SaaS Cold Email Strategy (13:08) - – How to Keep Messaging Consistent Across Channels (15:08) - – Treating Each Channel Differently (18:19) - – Ads as a “Cheat Code” in B2B (20:49) - – Building Genuinely Personalized Emails at Scale (23:49) - – From Swiffer to SaaS (27:19) - – What Sales Teaches Marketers (36:04) - – Where to Find Alex + Upcoming Exit Five Event Plug 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 Knak. Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.It's the only way you can truly “own” your audience.But when it comes to building the emails - if you've ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. That's why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.Tired of ‘hoping' the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

In this episode, Bart continues teaching us about GitHub Pages using Jekyll by introducing us to Liquid Templates. Liquid allows us to move from adding static content to our web pages to auto-generated information. It's a lot for one lesson, and some of the terminology is a little weird, but as always, Bart's worked example brings it home. You can find Bart's fabulous tutorial shownotes at pbs.bartificer.net.

#244: Professional Growth | Dave is joined by Amanda Goetz, a 2x founder, 3x CMO, and the author behind the popular weekly newsletter, Life's A Game. Amanda shares her expertise in personal and professional growth, brand building, and content creation.Amanda and Dave cover:How Amanda transformed her LinkedIn strategy to grow her following and engagementThe impact of personal branding on social media and its role in business growthCreating a feedback loop to refine and improve content strategyTimestamps(00:00) - - Intro (08:18) - - How to Use LinkedIn Video (11:46) - - Shifting from Twitter to LinkedIn (15:32) - - Developing a Clearer Target Market and Products (16:15) - - Building Sustainable Momentum Amid Burnout: A CMO's Perspective (20:36) - - Why Your Content Strategy Must Be Focused (27:17) - - The Brand Pyramid (28:12) - - The Emotion Behind Branding (31:42) - - People Are What Matter In Branding Success (37:20) - - The Growing Creator Economy vs. Traditional Corporations (38:38) - - Creating Emotional Brand Connections for Growth Marketing (43:10) - - How Amanda Became a Fractional CMO (45:44) - - Why Amanda Looks to Alex Lieberman for Inspiration 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 Knak. Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.It's the only way you can truly “own” your audience.But when it comes to building the emails - if you've ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. That's why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.Tired of ‘hoping' the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

In a TimTalks first, Kyle Disher, founder of RevDojo, demonstrates a live, impromptu mystery shop, highlighting the exchange's strengths and areas to improve. Throughout the conversation, Tim and Kyle dive into what's working—and what's not—in dealership sales today. We learn what separates average dealerships from the exceptional and how small process improvements can lead to big wins. From mystery shopping 7,000+ stores a month to why calendar invites can double your show rate, don't miss one of the most dynamic trainers in the automotive industry. Connect with Kyle on LinkedIn and access free RevDojo resources. [00:00 – 02:31] Intro & Guest Introduction Tim introduces Kyle Disher as one of the most dynamic trainers in the automotive space. [02:31 – 05:23] Kyle's Start Kyle shares his journey from Montgomery Ward appliance sales to selling and managing car sales at 19. [05:23 – 08:27] The Birth of RevDojo Kyle describes how webinar trainings evolved into a platform with mystery shops, recorded webinars, and data insights. [08:27 – 10:01] Common Dealer Mistakes Kyle identifies three critical mistakes most dealers make and the impact of correcting them. [10:01 – 12:36] How to Coach Change Tim and Kyle explore dealer leadership buy-in and the importance of following up mystery shops with actionable coaching. [12:36 – 17:21] The Value of Inspection Kyle shares an example of applying a Formula 1 mindset—careful inspection for incremental gains. [17:21 – 23:03] Why Aggressive Follow-up Works Kyle reveals most dealers only call twice in five days. He urges listeners to use their tools with urgency. [23:03 – 25:03] Turning Missed Opportunities into Wins Tim and Kyle explore how weekly mystery shop reviews as sales meetings can drive accountability and performance. [25:03 – 27:08] Trustworthy Teams Tim and Kyle chat about the importance of building a sales team that you'd trust with your closest family. [27:08 – 33:13] LIVE Mystery Shop A live cold call to a Chevy dealer in Dallas reveals why even well-meaning salespeople often miss the appointment. [33:13 – 36:31] Tools, Templates, and Free Resources for Dealers Kyle walks through free resources and processes that help dealers get immediate wins—like calendar invites and call guides. [36:31 – 37:46] Closing Thoughts Tim wraps with a reminder that no one is smarter than everyone—and implementation is everything. 

#243 Linkedin Ads | In this episode, Danielle Messler sits down with Anthony Blatner (LinkedIn ads expert and certified instructor) and Tagg Bozied (Head of Brand Awareness at Docebo and award-winning B2B campaign strategist) to dig into what actually works with B2B LinkedIn ads in 2025. These two have spent years in the trenches, building campaigns for some of the most niche, high-intent B2B audiences, and they've got the data and real stories to back up what works (and what definitely doesn't).Danielle, Anthony, and Tagg cover:The biggest mistakes B2B marketers make on LinkedIn and how to fix them fastWhy “thought leader ads” are crushing right now and how to set them up the right way (even if you're not Dave Gerhardt)How to measure success in brand awareness campaigns (including smart ways to use dwell time, frequency, and Google Analytics)Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro from Dave (01:56) - – Why This Isn't Just a “Webinar” (03:24) - – Meet the Experts: Tagg Bozied and Anthony Blatner (05:35) - – Biggest Mistakes in LinkedIn Ads (08:06) - – How to Make LinkedIn Ads Stand Out (10:18) - – What to Know About Thought Leader Ads (14:39) - – What Does Success Look Like? Metrics That Matter (17:36) - – What's a CTV Ad and Should You Try It? (20:40) - – Budgeting Tips for Niche Audiences (26:54) - – LinkedIn Lead Forms vs. Landing Pages (32:52) - – Proving ROI on Brand Awareness Campaigns (38:53) - – Reporting Tools and Stack Recommendations (41:35) - – Targeting Secrets and Retargeting Best Practices (44:57) - – How to Think About A/B Testing on LinkedIn (48:55) - – Wrap-Up + Where to Connect 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 Knak. Email (in my humble opinion) is the still the greatest marketing channel of all-time.It's the only way you can truly “own” your audience.But when it comes to building the emails - if you've ever tried building an email in an enterprise marketing automation platform, you know how painful it can be. Templates are too rigid, editing code can break things and the whole process just takes forever. That's why we love Knak here at Exit Five. Knak a no-code email platform that makes it easy to create on-brand, high-performing emails - without the bottlenecks.Frustrated by clunky email builders? You need Knak.Tired of ‘hoping' the email you sent looks good across all devices? Just test in Knak first.Big team making it hard to collaborate and get approvals? Definitely Knak.And the best part? Everything takes a fraction of the time.See Knak in action at knak.com/exit-five. Or just let them know you heard about Knak on Exit Five.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

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Rich Shivener is a musician, producer, and professor. His book Living Digital Media explores how creators producer works. He documents the emotional journey creators go through and the behind the scenes experiences that shape their work.  Rich and I are reconnecting after meeting and working together at my Finish February workshop at Ableton's headquarters. Rich shares his experiences writing his book, creating music, and live streaming.  Listen on Apple, Spotify, YouTube Takeaways: Collaboration can lead to unexpected and rewarding outcomes. Vulnerability in sharing creative work fosters connection. Creating in public can alleviate pressure and inspire creativity. Accountability in a group setting enhances productivity. The story behind music is becoming increasingly important. Free content can help reach a wider audience. Unique sounds create memorable experiences in music. Templates can streamline the creative process. Exploring sound design can lead to unexpected discoveries. Embracing human errors can lead to more authentic music. Finding a balance between perfection and completion is crucial. Community plays a significant role in the creative process. Constraints can lead to innovative solutions in music production. It's important to recognize when a project is done and share it with the world. Links: Living Digital Media by Rich Shivener - https://www.ccdigitalpress.org/book/ldm/ Rich's SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/rikshiv Brindl SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/brindl Brian Funk Website - https://brianfunk.com Music Production Club - https://brianfunk.com/mpc  5-Minute Music Producer - https://brianfunk.com/book Intro Music Made with 16-Bit Ableton Live Pack - https://brianfunk.com/blog/16-bit Music Production Podcast - https://brianfunk.com/podcast Save 25% on Ableton Live Packs at my store with the code: PODCAST - https://brianfunk.com/store This episode was edited by Animus Invidious of PerforModule - https://performodule.com/ Thank you for listening.  Please review the Music Production Podcast on your favorite podcast provider! And don't forget to visit my site https://BrianFunk.com for music production tutorials, videos, and sound packs. Brian Funk  

AI tools like ChatGPT are exploding in popularity, but can creating templates for these tools become a profitable side hustle? In this episode, we explore the opportunities, challenges, and potential pitfalls of this idea. Side Hustle School features a new episode EVERY DAY, featuring detailed case studies of people who earn extra money without quitting their job. This year, the show includes free guided lessons and listener Q&A several days each week. Show notes: SideHustleSchool.com Email: team@sidehustleschool.com Be on the show: SideHustleSchool.com/questions Connect on Instagram: @193countries Visit Chris's main site: ChrisGuillebeau.com Read A Year of Mental Health: yearofmentalhealth.com If you're enjoying the show, please pass it along! It's free and has been published every single day since January 1, 2017. We're also very grateful for your five-star ratings—it shows that people are listening and looking forward to new episodes.