Ep.144 - Fix the Disconnect. Unlock Growth. - Eric Herzog

In this episode of FutureFuzz, Vince Quinn and veteran CMO Eric Herzog dive into one of the most under‑rated — yet business‑critical — topics: the alignment (or misalignment) of sales and marketing teams. They unpack the telltale signs teams are out of sync, why that quietly drains budget and opportunity, and how companies, from scrappy startups to established enterprises, can build disciplined but culture‑driven processes to ensure marketing and sales act as one high‑performing “team.”

Guest Bio

Eric Herzog is a multiple‑time award-winning CMO, currently leading marketing at enterprise storage company Infinidat. Over his career, he has held senior marketing leadership roles at major firms such as IBM and EMC, giving him deep experience running global, cross-functional teams. Known for his old-school belief in clear communication and structure, Eric brings a wealth of practical, real-world wisdom for anyone looking to close the gap between marketing and sales.

Takeaways

• Misalignment shows up in obvious, but sometimes overlooked, symptoms: trade shows where the “wrong” people show up; lead‑gen campaigns with no follow‑up; or marketing activities with no resulting revenue.
• Poor ROI isn’t always about a bad strategy, sometimes it’s just bad alignment. Wasted budget is often the result of marketing and sales operating in silos rather than in tandem.
• Fixing it requires both culture and systems. It’s not enough to want alignment, you must build repeatable processes (meetings, newsletters, communication cadences) and embed a shared sense of ownership across teams.
• Frequent communication is key. Eric recommends regular meetings (weekly or bi‑weekly), public readouts from every functional team, and a shared “company‑wide newsletter” that covers updates across marketing, sales, product, and more.
• Transparency and inclusion boost buy-in, engagement and retention. When people across sales and marketing know what others are doing, they feel more connected to the company’s purpose, and are more likely to speak up, contribute insight, or flag risks early.
• Alignment benefits far more than the bottom line. When done well, teams work more efficiently, budgets stretch further, employees feel invested and engaged, attrition drops, and the company becomes cohesive, purposeful, and resilient.

Chapters

00:00 Intro: FutureFuzz & guest Eric Herzog

01:03 Symptoms of bad sales‑marketing alignment

04:49 Cultural vs. systemic causes of misalignment

05:13 First steps toward repair, communication & structure

07:23 Weekly marketing-team meetings: ensuring visibility across functions

09:05 Monthly companywide sales‑marketing newsletters

13:49 Impact on team morale, employee engagement & retention

16:56 The power of shared culture, reference to cross‑department collaboration (like in creative industries)

19:58 Treating business like a team sport: psychological and financial benefits of alignment

21:08 Closing thoughts & how to connect with Eric

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