TalkDesk ($10B+), Gong ($7.25B+), and Cresta ($1.6B+) had a secret weapon.
Russell Banzon.
As CMO at Cresta (an AI unicorn), he's building an enterprise marketing machine that's powering incredible growth in a competitive market. And it’s built on a foundation of learnings he acquired at some of the most effective marketing organizations in tech.
He shared this ‘unicorn-building GTM playbook’ with me on episode 2 of our PeerSignal Podcast.
What you'll learn in our conversation:
* How they close 7 figure deals by getting Fortune 500 executives to eat helium-filled sugar balloons.
* Why they 3.5Xd their SDR team (and enterprise sales is NOT dead).
* How and why to avoid "The PLG Trap".
* When to say no as a marketing leader.
* How to differentiate AI with real value.
* The "Bullseye" framework for account selection.
My takeaways from our talk:
1️⃣ Your brand is built on customer outcomes
Differentiation isn't about features anymore - it's about proof. "Anyone can build a demo in a couple days. Getting it into production at enterprise scale is really freaking hard." Let your customers' results speak for themselves.
2️⃣ Wining and dining still works
Wining and dining works, but you have to go all-in. Courtside seats to watch Luka return to Dallas. Private dinner at a michelin restaurant. These are the experiences that earn you enterprise relationships. "I've never seen senior executives like this in 25 years." That's what Russells CEO told him at one of the dinners, and it was the moment Russell knew it was working.
3️⃣ Follow value not hype
When deciding who to target, focus and maximize the center of your bullseye-- where you deliver the most true value for customers. This is how you deliver real business value, and earn executive credibility as a marketing leader.
4️⃣ Raving fans are your best marketers
"Our number one operating principle at Gong was to create raving fans." Russell's teams don't just deliver software - they get customers promoted because of their products. When customers become evangelists, everything gets easier.
Full Interview: https://www.peersignal.org/podcast
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