#170: Sales | How Marketers Can Be Better Partners with Sales with Jen Allen-Knuth
Aug 26, 2024
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Jen Allen-Knuth, founder of DemandJen and B2B sales expert with over 15 years of experience, shares her insights on collaboration between marketing and sales. She discusses building meaningful relationships that enhance customer engagement and pipeline growth. Jen elaborates on the power of video content in personal branding, especially on LinkedIn. The conversation also critiques superficial diversity initiatives, advocating for genuine representation and the importance of authenticity in marketing efforts.
Collaboration between marketing and sales teams is crucial for creating relevant content that resonates with prospects and improves customer engagement.
Jen Allen emphasizes the importance of having strong mentors and allies in navigating the challenges faced by women in sales roles.
Building a personal brand through authentic storytelling and unscripted content can significantly enhance credibility and market presence in B2B sales.
Deep dives
Challenges in Enterprise Email Marketing
Building an email within enterprise marketing automation platforms can be challenging due to restrictive templates and complex coding that often disrupts the design. NAC aims to simplify this with a drag-and-drop interface, which streamlines campaign creation and aligns with brand guidelines. This approach reduces the time spent on email marketing significantly, enhancing collaboration, testing, and optimization in one centralized space. Users can send their finished emails through their existing marketing automation platforms, making the entire process more efficient.
Evolution of Exit 5 into B2B Sales
The podcast discusses the vision to expand Exit 5 from a marketing-focused community into a significant player in B2B sales. With a strong brand and established connections within the marketing sector, there is confidence that similar success can be achieved in sales. The speaker acknowledges the need for strong voices in the sales space, stressing the importance of collaboration and learning. By sharing insights and narratives from respected figures in sales, the community can further solidify its place in the industry.
Journey to Sales Expertise
Jen Allen shares her unexpected path into sales, initially viewing it as a challenging career. Growing up in a working-class family, she learned the value of hard work, which guided her through a college major in Parks and Recreation to an unexpected opportunity in sales. Her engagement with a manager who embodied confidence and intelligence inspired her to pursue a sales career. After 18 years in frontline sales, Jen created the role of Chief Evangelist, merging her expertise in sales with broader market education.
Navigating Gender Dynamics in Sales
Jen discusses her experiences as a woman in sales, acknowledging both challenges and successes in a predominantly male industry. Early in her career, she benefited from strong women mentors, but later faced instances of being overlooked in meetings, reinforcing the need for diversity and visibility. She emphasizes that many women in sales may struggle with self-doubt, which can stem from systemic gender biases. However, with supportive male allies and a focus on competence, it becomes possible to challenge and change these narratives within the sales community.
Creating Collaborative Marketing and Sales Relationships
The podcast highlights the importance of collaboration between marketing and sales teams to drive business success. When marketers understand the frontline offerings and the reality of conversations, they can create relevant content that resonates with prospects. Establishing open lines of communication helps bridge gaps, allowing for real-time adjustments to marketing strategies based on sales feedback. By working together, these teams can foster a culture of shared goals and increased effectiveness in reaching potential customers.
Dave sits down with Jen Allen-Knuth, founder of DemandJen. Jen shares her insights from her 15+ years in B2B Sales, from managing a quota to building great working relationships with marketing.
Jen and Dave cover:
Co-creating content with Marketing and Sales that drives better customer engagement and grows your pipeline
How Jen successfully built her audience using video on LinkedIn and leveraged it to start DemandJen
How companies should focus on genuine diversity efforts rather than superficial inclusivity
Timestamps
(00:00) - - Intro to Jen
(06:26) - - Why You Should Have a Mentor and How To Get One
(08:16) - - Sales Experiences and Becoming a Chief Evangelist
(11:47) - - Making the Lead from Side Hustle to Full Time
(16:14) - - Why Your Career Experiences Should Be Diverse
(19:38) - - The Shallow Impact of Diversity Panels
(24:15) - - How Jen Built Her Personal Brand
(27:36) - - Creating Unscripted Content that’s Still Clear
(31:08) - - Being Authentic in Marketing
(36:03) - - Don’t Use Templates for Customer Conversations
(42:25) - - Strong Relationships Between Product Marketing and Sales
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Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.
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