GTM 131: Being CMO Under Marc Benioff of Salesforce, the Innovator's Dilemma and AI SDRs

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Jan 28, 2025

Kraig Swensrud, Founder & CEO of Qualified and former CMO of Salesforce, shares insights from his entrepreneurial journey. He discusses how SaaS and AI disrupt markets and reshaping pricing strategies. Kraig emphasizes customer obsession as vital for startup growth and addresses the risks of hasty hiring practices. He also delves into the role of AI in transforming business dynamics and the importance of effective frameworks like V2MOM for team alignment. A thought-provoking conversation for tech enthusiasts!

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ANECDOTE

Keyden Acquisition

Kraig Swensrud's first company, Keyden, was acquired by Salesforce after a demo at AppForce.
This acquisition was opportunistic for both sides, marking Swensrud's entry into the SaaS explosion.

INSIGHT

Cloud vs. AI Skepticism

The skepticism around cloud software mirrored current AI skepticism.
This resistance highlights the challenge of adopting new technologies.

ANECDOTE

Salesforce CMO

Kraig Swensrud became Salesforce's CMO, focusing on product marketing and thought leadership.
Despite rapid growth, Salesforce maintained a "nonstop drumbeat of relevancy" to stay ahead.

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Kraig Swensrud is the Founder & CEO of Qualified where he provides crucial experience and entrepreneurial energy to create the future of enterprise sales tech. Prior to founding Qualified, Kraig founded GetFeedback which was successfully sold to SurveyMonkey. Kraig also led marketing as the CMO of Salesforce during very formative years of the company's history.

Discussed in this Episode:

The parallels between the disruption caused by SaaS and AI
How pricing strategies are changing for AI products
Why SaaS companies need to earning their renewals
The impact of AI SDRs on your pipeline

Highlights:
13:26 The importance of product marketing in the growth of Salesforce
20:17 Exploring the innovator's dilemma
25:59 The next generation of software & building for non-human users
39:05 Obsessing over your customers is key to success
46:44 Using the V2MOM framework to drive company alignment
50:43 The adage of 'hire fast, fire fast' is bs

Guest Speaker Links (Kraig Swensrud):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kraigswensrud/
V2MOM Framework: https://www.salesforce.com/blog/how-to-create-alignment-within-your-company/

Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/

Where to find GTMnow (GTMfund’s media brand):
Website: https://gtmnow.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gtmnow/
Twitter/X: https://x.com/GTMnow_
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GTM_now
The GTM Podcast (on all major directories): https://gtmnow.com/tag/podcast/

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The GTMnow Podcast
The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.

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