Stacking Growth | The B2B Marketing Podcast

Marketing Agency 101 with Megan Bowen

Nov 13, 2025

Megan Bowen, CEO of Refine Labs and veteran of B2B SaaS, shares insights into the future of marketing in an AI-driven world. She discusses how buyer-led decision-making has transformed B2B strategies, making traditional MQLs obsolete. Megan introduces the "Brand, Demand, Expand" framework for holistic growth and emphasizes the importance of human creativity over AI in content creation. She also highlights Refine Labs' innovative approaches to data benchmarking and creating a people-first company culture that attracts top talent.

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INSIGHT

Buyer Holds The Power Now

B2B power shifted from seller to buyer as access to information and peer recommendations grew.
Marketers must design strategies around how buyers learn, not how sellers want to sell.

ADVICE

Redefine What Counts As An MQL

Do not treat every captured email as a real lead; require ICP fit plus intent signals to qualify an MQL.
Focus on creating buying intent across your TAM rather than collecting contacts indiscriminately.

INSIGHT

Full-Funnel: Brand, Demand, Expand

Brand, Demand, Expand is a full-funnel system covering awareness, conversion, and post-purchase growth.
Companies must invest across all three pillars to enter buyers' day-one consideration sets and scale retention.

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Refine Labs CEO Megan Bowen joins Evan Kirstel for a deep-dive into how B2B marketing must evolve for the AI era. The conversation covers modern go-to-market models, buyer-centric strategies, and how Refine Labs helps companies drive measurable pipeline growth through data, experimentation, and cultural excellence.1. Speakers and RolesMegan Bowen – CEO of Refine Labs. With 20 years in B2B SaaS at companies like Zocdoc, Grubhub, and WeWork, she brings deep expertise in modernizing go-to-market strategy and redefining marketing measurement.Evan Kirstel– Host and interviewer. Brings over 30 years in tech sales and marketing leadership.2. Topics CoveredThe evolution of B2B buying and selling from the analog to the AI era.Why traditional MQL-based marketing is outdated.The “Brand, Demand, Expand” model for full-funnel growth.Refine Labs’ AI strategy and benchmarking methodology.Alignment between sales and marketing in 2025.The future of content creation and human creativity in an AI-driven market.Building company culture around people-first principles.The Refine Labs Vault: democratizing growth frameworks and insights.3. Questions This Video Helps AnswerWhat’s fundamentally broken about traditional B2B marketing models?Why is the MQL metric no longer a reliable measure of success?How should marketers adapt to buyer-led decision-making?What is the “Brand, Demand, Expand” framework, and how does it work?How is AI transforming marketing operations and customer acquisition?How can companies build a people-first culture that drives performance?4. Jobs, Roles, and Responsibilities MentionedCEO, CMO, VP of Marketing, Sales teams, Customer Success and Account Management, Marketing Operations and Creative roles, Content strategists and paid media managers5. Frameworks and Concepts MentionedBrand, Demand, Expand (three-pillar GTM framework)Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)Buyer-centric marketingAI-powered benchmarksRevenue funnel analysis and pipeline conversion optimization6. Related ResourcesRefine Labs: https://www.refinelabs.comThe Vault: access to Refine Labs frameworks and community.HubSpot (mentioned as part of inbound marketing evolution)Grandin Holdings (Refine Labs investment partner)