B2B Marketing with Dave Gerhardt

#203: Strategy | Why Cookie Cutter Marketing Doesn’t Work with Gurdeep Dhillon, CMO at ContentStack

Dec 19, 2024

Gurdeep Dhillon, CMO at ContentStack, brings a wealth of experience from giants like SAP and Adobe. In this conversation, he emphasizes the shift from lead generation to prioritizing brand and reputation. Gurdeep discusses the evolving role of demand generation and shares proven strategies for creating urgency in closing enterprise sales. He also highlights the importance of boldness in marketing strategies and how effective team structures can drive growth in the dynamic digital landscape.

52:30

Creator website

Episode guests

Gurdeep Dhillon

AI Summary

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Shifting focus from merely generating leads to building a strong brand reputation is crucial for effective B2B marketing success.

A cohesive marketing team structure that integrates various roles fosters agility and responsiveness in meeting market demands.

Embracing AI technology can enhance marketing efficiency while enabling personalized experiences, balancing automation with authentic customer engagement.

Deep dives

Lead Response Time in B2B Sales

Following up with leads in B2B sales is taking an excessive amount of time, with an alarming average of over one day before a response is made. This delay is detrimental because potential buyers often move on to alternatives within minutes of not receiving follow-up communication. Automated scheduling tools are becoming essential for businesses to ensure rapid engagement with qualified leads. Revenue Hero provides a solution that streamlines this process, facilitating quicker meetings with sales teams.

Intro

3min

Navigating B2B Marketing Challenges

15min

Navigating Content Strategy Evolution: From CMS to Digital Experience

3min

Reevaluating Discounts: B2B Marketing Strategy Insights

2min

Embracing Boldness: The Key to Innovative B2B Marketing Strategies

3min

Innovative Marketing Strategies Revealed

20min

The Future of Marketing: Embracing AI for Innovation and Agility

3min

The Evolution of AI in Marketing and Community Building

5min

In this episode, Dave is joined by Gurdeep Dhillon, CMO of Contentstack. Gurdeep has built an impressive career leading marketing at some of the biggest names in enterprise software, from SAP to Adobe, Marketo to Zoura. Now at Content Stack, he's challenging conventional B2B marketing wisdom in rethinking how enterprise companies should approach demand generation and brand building. In this conversation, Dave and Gurdeep dive deep into why marketing is ultimately a game of memory and reputation, not just lead generation.

Dave and Gurdeep cover:

The role of Demand Gen in 2025 (and what's changed)
Why Brand and Reputation should be prioritized over Lead Generation
Proven strategies to create urgency and close sales deals in enterprise markets
A glimpse into ContentStack’s team structure and how they plan for growth

Timestamps

(00:00) - - Intro to Gurdeep
(07:15) - - Brand and Audience Marketing
(08:27) - - How the Role of Demand Gen is Changing
(12:37) - - Brand and Reputation > Lead Generation
(17:27) - - How Contentstack is Doing Demand Gen
(20:05) - - How to Create Urgency to Win Sales Deals
(21:46) - - Making a Good Offer in B2B Marketing
(23:02) - - Why Being Bold and Taking Risks is Important in Marketing
(28:40) - - Selling Your Vision to Leadership
(31:21) - - How Contentstack Has Over 10,000 Global ICP Accounts
(36:04) - - Team Structure at Contentstack
(41:02) - - Running Marketing and Operating a High-Performing Team
(43:18) - - Setting Effective Annual Plans
(45:33) - - AI’s Role in Marketing
(49:07) - - Closing Thoughts

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***

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***

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B2B Marketing with Dave Gerhardt

#203: Strategy | Why Cookie Cutter Marketing Doesn’t Work with Gurdeep Dhillon, CMO at ContentStack

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Lead Response Time in B2B Sales

Rethinking B2B Marketing Strategies

The Role of Brand in Demand Generation

The Evolution of Marketing Teams and Roles

Leveraging AI in Marketing

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts