GTM Live

In a captivating discussion, Ashley Lewin, Head of Marketing at Aligned and a seasoned strategist from Refine Labs, critiques the overreliance on MQLs that stalls revenue growth. She shares insights from her audits of 30+ companies, advocating for a shift to qualified pipeline metrics instead. Ashley highlights the importance of a clean marketing infrastructure, including implementing HubSpot’s Lead object, and emphasizes the need for a cultural change in how teams view disqualification. Her innovative approach reshapes conventional growth strategies, aiming for scalable revenue.

Carolyn and Amber tackle the pitfalls of relying solely on marketing-sourced data for pipeline health. They reveal the hidden dynamics of the prospecting stage, exposing the 'black box' where prospects can either thrive or falter. The duo shares insights on identifying effective prospecting sequences, leading to streamlined activities and improved win rates—jumping from 13% to 24%. Listeners gain practical questions to analyze their current systems and learn how to present compelling data to leadership for better budget approvals.

Carolyn Dilks, CEO and co-founder of Passetto, is a seasoned marketing leader with a focus on unraveling the complexities of GTM strategies. In this discussion, she illuminates the often-overlooked 'pipeline black box' that obscures pre-opportunity activities. Carolyn advocates for a trigger-first approach to sales, emphasizing the need to track engagement metrics like connect rates and time-to-meeting. She also critiques traditional MQLs and encourages marketing leaders to embrace accountability and visibility for more predictable pipeline outcomes.

The discussion unveils the pitfalls of traditional B2B metrics like MQLs, showcasing how they misrepresent the customer journey. It critiques the myth of attribution as a solution, emphasizing that it only reflects a small conversion slice while hiding larger inefficiencies. The hosts propose a shift towards measuring quality over volume, advocating for cohesive sales and marketing alignment. They also dive into the importance of solid pipeline management and the benefits of modular changes over sweeping transformations, ensuring sustainable growth.

Most companies are flying blind at the most important stage in revenue creation. Decisions get made on gut feel, data lives in silos, and leaders can’t answer the simplest question: what’s really working, and what’s not?On this episode of GTM Live, Carolyn and Trevor are joined by their new co-host Amber Williams, Head of Revenue Operations at Passetto, to unpack why GTM leaders need to treat revenue like a science – bringing structure, data, and predictability to the go-to-market engine.The hosts dive into why leaders often make decisions based on instinct instead of data, how poor data architecture creates hidden risks for growth, and why building visibility into every stage of the funnel is critical for confident decision-making.The team also tackles the cross-functional blame game—why marketing and sales point fingers over handoffs and lead quality when the real problem is a lack of shared visibility. Without a unified view of the pipeline, every GTM function is forced to defend itself in silos instead of solving the bigger issue together.Key moments in this episode:[03:15] Why “more tech” in 2025 doesn’t mean more clarity[08:42] The pipeline black box and what RevOps needs to uncover[16:30] Why gut-driven GTM decisions break down at scale[22:05] The hidden cost of poor data architecture on growth and trust[31:47] How systematic revenue visibility transforms executive decision-makingThis episode is powered by Passetto, a GTM advisory and software company with a solution that eliminates the Pipeline Black Box™, the critical data hidden inside every GTM engine where leaders are flying blind when it matters most.

Mark Turner, VP of Revenue Operations at Demandbase, shares his data-driven journey in RevOps. He highlights how his FP&A background strengthens strategic execution across teams. Mark discusses building a unified data layer, critical for fast-paced operations, and why traditional attribution models often miss the mark. He reveals insights on sales velocity as a true performance indicator, the impact of AI in optimizing processes, and strategies for seamless expansion without friction. A treasure trove of actionable insights for revenue-focused teams!

Sam Dunning, founder of Breaking B2B and an SEO leader, shares insights on adapting to the evolving SEO landscape. He emphasizes that SEO is no longer just about keywords, advocating for a customer-centric approach that aligns with revenue and the buyer's journey. Dunning discusses the pitfalls of outdated metrics and the necessity of shifting to a revenue-influence mindset. He also highlights the transformative role of AI in content production and argues for treating SEO as a vital distribution strategy rather than a mere traffic generator.

In this episode, Dave Boyce, Executive Chair at Winning by Design and a veteran in SaaS, discusses the critical need for modern companies to rethink their go-to-market systems. He highlights how outdated structures like commissions and reporting misalign with today's buying behaviors. The importance of empathy in system design and why CEOs must take ownership of this transformation is emphasized. Practical examples from Atlassian illustrate how focusing on customer journey and retention leads to sustainable growth, challenging the traditional metrics that often hinder progress.

Unlock the secrets to measuring go-to-market performance in B2B SaaS. Discover why traditional funnel reports can mislead your progress. Learn how to track metrics that truly matter at each stage of the revenue factory. Explore the disconnect between GTM activities and leadership's expectations. Find out how high-performing companies use innovative strategies to drive alignment across teams. Improve your dashboard into a dynamic Revenue Command Center to make faster, data-driven decisions.

The discussion highlights the pitfalls of traditional departmental attribution in B2B go-to-market strategies. It emphasizes the need for a data-driven approach that accurately reflects the buyer's journey. Carolyn reveals how outdated models create silos and misaligned incentives, hindering performance measurement. A new framework is introduced to unify engagement, prospecting, and sales as one cohesive system. This insightful talk is perfect for anyone struggling to quantify marketing's true impact in a complex landscape.