Pipeline Visionaries

Episode Summary:In this episode, Johann shares how he and his team are approaching spend management in a holistic way, the beauty of championing your clients, and how all marketing comes down to adding value. Johann also talks about strategies for shifting budget spend to incorporate additional high-converting formats and channels and the importance of focusing on strong content and adding value outside of demand gen interactions.Key Takeaways:Incorporating customer success into the buyer lifecycle journey helps to avoid internal breakdown through departmental silos.Learning how your potential customers interact with your brand before your sales team gets involved allows for deeper insights into the kind of content a business should be investing in and creating.The effectiveness of ads is diminishing and that ad spend should transition away from single use assets to resussable assets that can be repackaged in multiple ways.Quote(s):“What are the business processes that our buyers go through? What are their jobs like? What is their working environment? What does their day look like? Right? And then how do we give the salesperson the education on the topics  that are relevant to those buyers that we can address so they can start asking questions and start sort of engaging in an open-ended way and that's kind of the problem, right? You can do all this automation on the website and you can create beautiful content, but if you're not thinking about how do I enable my sellers to understand that content journey and how to leverage the insights that are attached to that content to create dialogue, then it will fall short.”Episode Timestamps:*(8:40) - The Trust Tree: How and why Johann and his team are starting to “solution sell”*(29:44) - The Playbook: Engaging potential buyers before the sales team gets involved*(47:11) - Johann’s Quick HitsSponsor:Pipeline Visionaries is brought to you by Qualified.com, the #1 Conversational Marketing platform for companies that use Salesforce and the secret weapon for Demand Gen pros. The world's leading enterprise brands trust Qualified to instantly meet with buyers, right on their website, and maximize sales pipeline. Visit Qualified.com to learn more.Links:Connect with Ian on LinkedInConnect with Johann on LinkedInLearn more about EmburseLearn more about Caspian Studios Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Thomas Gröhl, VP of Marketing at DocuWare, shares the three methods DocuWare focuses on for marketing campaigns, why engagement is key to everything they do, and how DocuWare is leveraging a more emotional approach to connect with their customers. He also provides insights into how marketing can have a better relationship with sales, the importance of keeping buyers in mind when creating campaigns, and how to be a trusted advisor. Key TakeawaysProviding value in a digital world begins with engagement and being a trusted advisor.Have a local mindset. Step outside of normal marketing tactics and strategize language, tone, and value propositions in a way that can be adapted to a local market.Utilize emotion to tell your buyers a story and connect with them as human beings.Quote(s): “I would like demand gen marketers out there to have their buyers more in mind when they create their campaigns, their content, the messaging. Think about how relevant is it for my audience? What's the value proposition? There are no shortcuts that last long, and your customers will value that in the long run.”Episode Timestamps:*(03:24) - The Trust Tree: How DocuWare uses the channel for 80% of their business*(06:40) - The Playbook: Thomas’s uncuttable budget items*(29:44) - The Dust Up: How Thomas utilizes facts and numbers to bust through company tension*(30:33) - Quick HitsSponsor:Pipeline Visionaries is brought to you by Qualified.com, the #1 Conversational Marketing platform for companies that use Salesforce and the secret weapon for Demand Gen pros. The world's leading enterprise brands trust Qualified to instantly meet with buyers, right on their website, and maximize sales pipeline. Visit Qualified.com to learn more.Links:Connect with Ian on LinkedInConnect with Thomas on LinkedInLearn more about DocuWareLearn more about Caspian Studios Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode features an interview with Stevie Case, CRO at Vanta. Vanta is the leading trust management platform that helps simplify and centralize security for organizations of all sizes. At Vanta, Stevie oversees and helps expand Vanta’s go-to-market team to support the company’s rapid growth. She brings over 15 years of sales and business experience, most recently serving as Vice President of Mid-Market Sales at Twilio, a market-leading cloud communications platform.You might also know Stevie as "KillCreek" -- the world's first female professional gamer.In this episode, Stevie shares her experience and expertise with not forcing prospects into a one size fits all experience, how Vanta stays on top of industry dynamics, as well as how and why her team is moving into an always-on approach. Key Takeaways:Buyers today are much more educated than they have been historically, and companies need to take into account the end-to-end buyer journey.Moving away from one-off activities and into always-on programs that are scalable and repeatable.Everyone on the team is responsible for pipeline generation.Quote(s): “It is an all hands on deck effort. You gotta do it in a way that's scalable and thoughtful and evolves and it's gonna be different for everybody. You know, there are, all of the best practices in the world are great, but unless you figure out how to personalize them to your company, your brand and your target personas, it won't work.”Episode Timestamps:*(07:27) - The Trust Tree: How Vanta organizes activities around their ICPs*(34:49) - The Playbook: Stevie’s uncuttable budget items*(42:43) - The Dust Up: Vanta’s inward focus on execution and speed to drown out the noise of market competition *(47:27) - Quick HitsSponsor:Pipeline Visionaries is brought to you by Qualified.com, the #1 Conversational Marketing platform for companies that use Salesforce and the secret weapon for Demand Gen pros. The world's leading enterprise brands trust Qualified to instantly meet with buyers, right on their website, and maximize sales pipeline. Visit Qualified.com to learn more.Links:Connect with Ian on LinkedInConnect with Stevie on LinkedInLearn more about VantaLearn more about Caspian Studios Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode features an interview with Megan McDonagh, CMO at Amperity. Amperity is a customer data platform company that helps B2C brands unify and stitch together their fist party customer data for effectiveness and efficiency in order to help companies attain and acquire customers. Megan is a seasoned marketing executive with over two decades of experience leading marketing teams in the high tech space. In this episode, Megan dives deep into the world of first-party data. What it is, how you collect it, and how you can harness its power to create effective marketing strategies. Key TakeawaysUnless your first-party data is stitched together, it’s almost impossible to understand your customer persona and create effective marketing strategies.Education is necessary for defining personas, their problems, and the solutions to help them.Approaching ABM strategies as a pyramid: who are the big players to go deep with? Who are the one to few? Who are the one to many?Quote(s): “How do you understand that and know that if you don't truly know who your customers are? You have data coming in from offline sources…but how do you know if that data is not all unified and stitched together? Unless that's done, it's really hard to understand how to build really effective marketing programs.”Episode Timestamps: *(04:07) - The Trust Tree: Why Amperity pushes for the unification of first-party customer data*(22:35) - The Playbook: Megan’s uncuttable budget items*(37:42) - Quick Hits: Understand your customer journey and what’s needed throughout the funnelSponsor:Pipeline Visionaries is brought to you by Qualified.com, the #1 Conversational Marketing platform for companies that use Salesforce and the secret weapon for Demand Gen pros. The world's leading enterprise brands trust Qualified to instantly meet with buyers, right on their website, and maximize sales pipeline. Visit Qualified.com to learn more.Links:Connect with Ian on LinkedInConnect with Megan on LinkedInLearn more about AmperityLearn more about Caspian Studios Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode features an interview with Carmen Williams, Co-CMO and Head of Product Marketing at Zuper. Zuper builds digital solutions to help businesses provide exceptional customer experience. Their mission is to create the world’s most comprehensive tool for field workforce management. Carmen is an evolutionary marketing executive, with experience accelerating innovation and growth for fast-growing companies. She is skilled at driving marketing strategy and plans for fast-growing organizations, and is a forward-thinking, collaborative leader who advocates an evolutionary mindset and empowers teams to optimize performance.In this episode, Carmen shares about her work with inbound ABM strategies for growing field service operations by streamlining their processes, delivering better customer service, and helping them to be more efficient to scale and grow.Key TakeawaysIn order to help fast-growing businesses streamline their efforts, working with a team who strategically uses AI and automation for better customer service and efficiency is key to scaling.Deep collaboration and discussion amongst leadership is one of the secrets to ongoing success.Having an evolutionary, adaptive mindset and culture around testing can prove to be one of the greatest marketing advantages in business.Quote(s): “We're very lucky that the culture and the mindset is around testing sort of the agile, evolutionary adaptive mindset. So we're always thinking kind of like the 80% core that we keep that's working and constantly be testing the 20%. So both my counterpart and I are very much focused with that mindset.”“As every company I've ever been with, I'm sure every company that exists, there's always that tension between subjective, anecdotal, and data, right? Because there's never enough of the exact data you need. Uh, so I think it's just always trying to get everybody on the same page about, um, let the data speak, you know, let the evidence speak whatever it is, rather than, you know, opinions. And I think that's always the dance.”Episode Timestamps:*(02:56) - The Trust Tree: Zuper’s evolutionary mindset*(07:10) - The Playbook: Carmen’s uncuttable budget items* (22:21) - The Dust Up: Carmen’s experience with company culture fit*(23:45) - Quick HitsSponsor:Pipeline Visionaries is brought to you by Qualified.com, the #1 Conversational Marketing platform for companies that use Salesforce and the secret weapon for Demand Gen pros. The world's leading enterprise brands trust Qualified to instantly meet with buyers, right on their website, and maximize sales pipeline. Visit Qualified.com to learn more.Links:Connect with Ian on LinkedInConnect with Carmen on LinkedInLearn more about ZuperLearn more about Caspian Studios Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Martha Aviles, formerly VP of Marketing at Talroo, shares how the company leverages dynamic market segmentation to meet customers precisely where they are in their buying journey. In this episode, Martha gives insight into Talroo's innovative demand generation strategies and describes why they are founded on a test-and-learn approach.Key TakeawaysGrowth lies in the ability to connect with customers on their own terms, espeically in a market defined by segmentation and intense competition.Growth in a segmented and competitive market necessitates the adoption of a test-and-learn mindset, coupled with a proactive pursuit of cutting-edge tools and methodologies.Strategic employment of data should be utilized to customize content that resonates with distinct buying personas.Quote: “Customers are getting much more sophisticated. They want to know the differentiators about your platform. How is it better? How are you matching me with better candidates? How are you filling my pipeline?”Episode Timestamps:* (03:02) - The Trust Tree: How Talroo uses segmentation & experimentation* (12:11) - The Playbook: Martha’s uncuttable budget items* (23:32) - The Dust-Up: How to improve rapport with the finance department* (24:53) - Quick HitsSponsor:Demand Gen Visionaries is brought to you by Qualified.com, the #1 Conversational Marketing platform for companies that use Salesforce and the secret weapon for Demand Gen pros. The world's leading enterprise brands trust Qualified to instantly meet with buyers, right on their website, and maximize sales pipeline. Visit Qualified.com to learn more.Links:Connect with Ian on LinkedInConnect with Martha on LinkedInLearn more about TalrooLearn more about Caspian Studios Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Priya Gill, VP of Product Marketing, shares how Momentive.ai utilizes data-driven insights to captivate its target audience amidst a sea of competitors. Plus, Priya dives deep into her relationship-building strategies with cross-functional teams in order to ensure ongoing success for product marketing. Key Takeaways:For any product marketer, market insights, customer insights, and competitive insights are indispensable tactics that cannot be overlooked.In order to achieve product marketing success, it is imperative to build robust strategic relationships with a diverse range of teams, including sales, customer service, demand generation, and paid marketing.Effectively communicating differentiation on a company's website and during sales discussions is an essential component for distinguishing oneself in an oversaturated market.Quote: “If you are not in tune with what's happening in the market, why your target buyers care, what they care about, and what their pain points are—then you have no idea how to effectively speak to them in such a way that resonates. That’s what really helps you differentiate yourselves in a crowded market.”Episode Timestamps:* (03:53) - The Trust Tree: Momentive’s utilization of data-driven insights* (16:15) - The Playbook: Priya’s insights into cross-functional team building* (26:28) - The Dust-Up: Finding Alignment between Management and Marketing* (29:06) - Quick HitsSponsor:Demand Gen Visionaries is brought to you by Qualified.com, the #1 Conversational Marketing platform for companies that use Salesforce and the secret weapon for Demand Gen pros. The world's leading enterprise brands trust Qualified to instantly meet with buyers, right on their website, and maximize sales pipeline. Visit Qualified.com to learn more.LinksConnect with Ian on LinkedInConnect with Priya on LinkedInLearn more about Momentive.aiLearn more about Caspian Studios Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Jessica Gilmartin, the CMO of Calendly, talks about the company's shift in marketing strategy from PLG approaches to partnering with large enterprises and shares her thoughts on CMOs who successfully implement a hybrid approach of both PLG and SLG strategies. She also provides valuable tips on how to approach large enterprise accounts, communicate value propositions, and strengthen the relationship between sales and marketing teams.Key TakeawaysAdvice for prioritizing tensions between PLG and SLG teams with a customer-centric approach.Tips for approaching large enterprise accounts with different personas by telling a value story with examples highlighting how using Calendly benefits the entire organization.Calendly's latest product launch designed to enhance the relationship between sales and marketing teams.Quotes: “The only way that you can help your sales team prioritize is to give them really good data about who are the teams that are using [your product].”“Two of the most important things you need to be a successful PLG + SLG hybrid is data… Once you understand those customers that are most right for expansion, how do you provide that value story?”Episode Timestamps:* (00:00) - Meet Jessica Gilmartin, CMO of Calendly* (03:00) - Jessica’s experience with PLG + SLG hybrid approaches* (05:30) - Transitioning from a PLG-focused company to partnering with enterprises* (10:30) - What CMOs need to be a successful PLG + SLG hybrid* (10:30) - Jessica’s uncuttable budget items* (24:00) - How to approach large accounts with different personas* (26:00) - Defining success for each channel * (31:00) - Calendly’s new product announcement* (37:30) - Quick HitsSponsor:Demand Gen Visionaries is brought to you by Qualified.com, the #1 Conversational Marketing platform for companies that use Salesforce and the secret weapon for Demand Gen pros. The world's leading enterprise brands trust Qualified to instantly meet with buyers, right on their website, and maximize sales pipeline. Visit Qualified.com to learn more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Grant Johnson, CMO at Billtrust, shares insights on prioritizing ROI and tailoring your marketing mix. Additionally, the episode explores Grant's marketing strategy and how he incorporates investing in new and untested tools and strategies into his overall approach. It is a valuable listen for anyone looking to improve their marketing strategy and gain insight into how to maximize ROI.Key TakeawaysModel out your marketing investments by considering factors such as audience demographics, personas, and methodology. It is critical to have a projected ROI of at least 3 to 1, and ideally, 10 to 1, to ensure the success of any marketing effort. It's essential to regularly evaluate your marketing tech stack and tools to ensure that they remain effective and relevant in the constantly evolving marketing landscape.Quote: “You have to commit. You can't declare [a tool or strategy] unsuccessful if you haven't given it a chance and tried a few tweaks and after a certain period of time, you don't hit your head against the wall – you let it go.”Episode Timestamps:* (02:00) - Meet Grant Johnson, CMO of Billtrust* (014:00) - The Playbook: Grant’s marketing strategies* (21:00) - Why your website is essential * (32:00) - Quick HitsSponsor:Demand Gen Visionaries is brought to you by Qualified.com, the #1 Conversational Marketing platform for companies that use Salesforce and the secret weapon for Demand Gen pros. The world's leading enterprise brands trust Qualified to instantly meet with buyers, right on their website, and maximize sales pipeline. Visit Qualified.com to learn more.LinksConnect with Ian on LinkedInConnect with Grant on LinkedInLearn more about BilltrustLearn more about Caspian Studios Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode features a conversation with Kevin Tate, the CMO at Clearbit. With extensive experience in enterprise SaaS, eCommerce, digital marketing, and social media, Kevin offers valuable insights on the shifting economics of demand generation driven by changes in the market. He also emphasizes the significance of timing in brand awareness building, highlighting its pivotal role in today's business landscape.Key Takeaways:Optimizing inbound motion has become a big focus area in the new economy for CMOs.The economics of demand generation is changing, with more tire kicking and fewer direct leads due to the market shift, but building awareness is still important.Mid-funnel content–content designed to nurture potential customers who may have interest but not the budget–is an uncuttable budget item for Kevin.Quote: “When things were really frothy, you could be more sure that someone who came across your content ad on Facebook or Instagram might be in the market. Now, it's less likely that they're ready to buy but it's just as important as a brand to be building awareness so that you're top of mind when the time is right.”Episode Timestamps:* (01:30) - Meet Kevin Tate, CMO of Clearbit* (04:00) - Navigating changes in shifting markets* (15:00) - Kevin’s uncuttable budget items* (33:00) - How do you show ROI from mid-funnel content?Sponsor:Demand Gen Visionaries is brought to you by Qualified.com, the #1 Conversational Marketing platform for companies that use Salesforce and the secret weapon for Demand Gen pros. The world's leading enterprise brands trust Qualified to instantly meet with buyers, right on their website, and maximize sales pipeline. Visit Qualified.com to learn more.LinksConnect with Ian on LinkedInConnect with Kevin on LinkedInLearn more about ClearbitLearn more about Caspian Studios Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.