The Tech Leader's Playbook If You’re Not a Top 3 Brand, You’ve Already Lost 70% of Deals
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In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Kurt Uhlir, seasoned CMO, operator, and advisor to private equity-backed growth companies, for a no-BS breakdown of what modern marketing and real leadership look like at scale.
Kurt challenges the mainstream playbook with sharp insight into why most CMOs aren’t actually marketers, how obsession with attribution is damaging businesses, and why the real differentiator is trust, not clicks. From dismantling the myth of PPC-fueled growth to showing how brands win by building long-term category authority, Kurt shares hard-won lessons from the trenches of B2B SaaS and services.
You’ll hear how he thinks about short-term vs long-term growth horizons, why servant leadership isn’t soft, and what companies miss when they separate marketing from customer success. This is a masterclass for any founder, CMO, or growth leader who wants to scale responsibly, attract vs. chase customers, and build teams that actually own outcomes.
If you’ve ever felt like traditional marketing advice didn’t match the reality of scaling a company, this one’s for you.
Takeaways
- Most CMOs are actually salespeople afraid of making cold calls, not strategic marketers.
- Companies lose 70% of deals by not being one of the top 3 trusted brands in the buyer’s mind.
- Short-term tactics (PPC, partnerships) drive revenue from 2–12 months, but trust drives revenue from 12–36+ months.
- Modern marketing must focus on contribution to outcomes, not just attribution metrics.
- Search Everywhere Optimization (not just SEO) is now essential, across YouTube, app stores, LLMs, and social.
- AI is a force multiplier for small teams, if used correctly to repurpose and amplify valuable content.
- Great marketing starts by mining product usage data, support tickets, and customer success conversations, not keyword tools.
- Servant leadership isn’t about being soft, it’s about owning outcomes and developing people.
- The best leaders are also great followers, especially when serving a strong brand-driven CEO.
- The cost of authoritative leadership is silent disengagement and missed opportunities for feedback.
- If every team member can’t explain how their role connects to company outcomes, leadership has failed.
- The most honest marketing feedback comes from calling customers who canceled, and listening without selling.
Chapters
00:00 Intro & Kurt’s Opening Shot at Modern Marketing
02:00 Attribution vs. Contribution
05:00 The 70% Rule: Brand Trust and B2B Decision-Making
08:00 Should You Aim to Be a Top 3 Brand?
10:00 The Three Horizons of Marketing ROI
13:00 Search Everywhere Optimization and the New SEO Reality
16:30 AI + Content Workflows: From Reels to Repurposing
18:30 Content Strategy Starts with Customer Support Data
20:00 Servant Leadership vs. Authoritative Leadership
24:00 Following When It Matters: The Power of Deference
26:00 Communication at Scale: Berkman Assessments and Team Alignment
28:00 The Silent Cost of Authoritative Leadership
30:00 Attribution Is Easy, But Contribution Builds Companies
34:00 Why Marketing Should Own Customer Success Insights
36:30 Managing Expectation Risk in Sales vs. Service
38:30 Creating a Single View of the Customer
40:00 Amplifying Referrals Without Getting in the Way
42:00 The Ground Truth Lives With Canceled Customers
43:30 Atomic Habits, Sticker Charts, and Showing Up
44:30 The Billboard Test for Great Leadership
Kurt Uhlir’s Social Media Link:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtuhlir/
Kurt Uhlir’s Website Link:
Resources and Links: