OnBase: Smashing Sales and Marketing Misalignments

Episode Summary In this episode of Sunny Side Up, host Katherine Noonan interviews Mike Head, the Chief Revenue Officer at impact.com, discussing the revolutionization of sales strategies and best practices for modernizing the sales process. The conversation highlights several key takeaways, including the importance of delivering a delightful customer experience and meeting buyers where they are in the information-rich landscape. They emphasize the value of transparency in sales, being open about both strengths and limitations and leveraging unbiased third-party information to guide buyers. The discussion also explores strategies for navigating risk-averse buyers, aligning solutions with strategic priorities, and adapting to the current economic environment. Mike also discusses adapting messaging and positioning in uncertain times, including CFOs in the process by speaking their language, understanding customers' persona, and aligning products or solutions to their problems. About the Guest Mike Head is an accomplished executive with a strong background in revenue generation and strategic partnerships. Currently serving as the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) at impact.com, he is responsible for driving overall global revenue growth for the organization. During his tenure as the Chief Partnerships Officer at impact.com, Mike played a vital role in the company's growth journey, starting as an Account Executive and progressing to the Senior Leadership team. He worked across all go-to-market functions, building teams and partnerships, shaping strategies, and contributing to exceeding $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). Connect with Mike Head Key Takeaways  Emphasizing the customer experience and adapting to the evolving buyer landscape. Leveraging transparency and openness to build trust and credibility. Utilizing third-party information and unbiased reviews to guide buyers. Adapting sales strategies to address the challenges posed by risk-averse buyers. Aligning solutions with the strategic priorities of the company and its executives. Navigating the current economic downturn by refining messaging and focusing on key metrics. Incorporating CFOs into sales processes and speaking their language. Highlighting the importance of understanding company strategic priorities. Leveling up conversations to tie persona priorities with strategic objectives. Aligning solutions with top-line initiatives for increased success. Increasing CFO involvement in vendor contracts and scrutiny on single vendor line items. Adapting sales approaches to address evolving CFO engagement. Recognizing the value of strategic partnerships in driving revenue growth. Focusing on revenue generation, building teams, and shaping sales strategies for success. Taking risks to drive growth is no longer the primary focus in the current economic climate.  The sales process should uncover pain points and make sure recommendations are specific and actionable.  Multi-threading is important to understand the concerns and priorities of any given company.  Messaging and positioning must be adapted to the times, with an emphasis on profitability, payback periods, customer acquisition costs, etc.  CFOs are more involved in decision-making, so communication must be leveled up. Quote   “It's all about the buyer. It's all about the customer experience. If you can deliver a delightful experience for the customer that both get some of the information that they need and helps them see a new way of doing business, you create wins for everyone involved.”  – Mike Head  Recommended Resources The Transparency Sale by Todd Caponi The JOLT Effect by Mathew Dixon and Ted McKenna The Challenger Sale by Brent Adamson and Mathew Dixon Shout-outs Matthew Dixon – Author and Founding Partner at DCM Insights Chris Orlob – CEO at pclub.io ⁠Connect with Mike Head |  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn ⁠ | ⁠Website⁠

Episode Summary In this episode of Sunny Side Up, host Chris Moody interviews Graceanne MacDonald and Liam Moroney, co-founders of Storybook Marketing, to discuss the complexities of demand generation. They share insights and strategies for marketers to understand their buyers and create successful demand-gen campaigns. They emphasize the importance of convincing people that your product is valuable and educating them about your offerings. Outbound efforts build trust, and text messaging, and reach potential customers on a limited budget. They also discuss internal partnerships, understanding customer problems through sales conversations, content creation, conversion tracking, and storytelling for attribution. The conversation highlights the need for sales and marketing alignment, B2B marketing tactics, product maturity curves, and navigating the buying process. About the Guests Graceanne (Domino) MacDonald Graceanne began her startup career in the sales world, first leading SDR/BDR teams, followed by a side-step into RevOps before formally landing in demand gen. And she brings that dual sales/marketing perspective into all of the programs she builds.  Connect with Graceanne (Domino) MacDonald Liam Moroney Liam may be in the marketing minority; in that, he went to school for marketing. He has grown his career as a demand generation leader in the startup space and developed unique perspectives coming up through marketing ops and content marketing. Connect with Liam Moroney Both together and as individual marketing leaders, they’ve built teams and programs from scratch across a range of industries. You name it, they’ve seen it. Now, as Storybook, they use their combined experiences to support clients in building their best demand gen programs. Key Takeaways Demand generation is no longer just about capturing leads, but convincing people to take action.  Demand creation is less glamorous than it seems and requires an infinite war chest of VC money.  On-ramps and off-ramps are essential for generating awareness.  B2B buying is more pragmatic than emotional, so creating super fans is unrealistic. Attribution is proof that you did your job, not necessarily informing whether things work.  Brand awareness is a spectrum starting from recognizing the brand to understanding what it does and eventually leading to preference.  Channels should not be treated as having to start and end the entire experience for someone.  Marketing's job is to make all channels work better and increase the efficacy of programs.  Content creates trust, not awareness. Most purchases in tech are pragmatic, not emotional. Outbound is an effective on-ramp and off-ramp for demand creation. Outbound can be used to road-test messaging before investing in advertising. SDR teams should be part of demand gen teams to remove competition for attribution. Outbound and Inbound should work together in a symbiotic relationship. Quotes  “Most of DemandGen is convincing people that you're worth listening to, and telling them what you do as effectively as you possibly can.” – Liam Moroney “And I think all too often the competition for attribution leads us to get in our way and cause these sorts of off-ramps to be siloed from one another rather than pulling them all into the same umbrella.” – Graceanne (Domino) MacDonald  Recommended Resources  Books Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This by Luke Sullivan and Edward Boches Everybody Writes by Ann Handley Newsletters Emily Kramer’s MKT1 Newsletter SparkToro’s Audience Research Newsletter Shout-outs Amanda Natividad - VP of Marketing at SparkToro Rand Fishkin – CEO of SparkToro Katelyn Bourgoin – CEO & Lead Trainer at Customer Camp  Connect with Graceanne (Domino) MacDonald | Connect with Liam Moroney | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn | Website | LinkedIn

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, host Brian Horvath engages in an enlightening conversation with Karen Stephens, Chief Revenue Officer at Revinate, about the role of AI and first-party data in the hospitality industry. They explore how AI is being embraced in the industry, its benefits in terms of automation and improved guest experience, and the importance of integrating AI technologies with first-party data. They also discuss the challenges hoteliers face in aggregating and leveraging data effectively, ensuring data privacy and compliance, and offering valuable recommendations for industry resources. Karen emphasizes the necessity for hoteliers to align with evolving technology, compliance laws, and data privacy standards like GDPR. The conversation also touches on the benefits of industry partnerships for better data handling, using Revinate’s collaboration with Amazon Web Services as an example. To conclude, Karen advocates for the organization and effective utilization of data at different levels within the hospitality industry. This insightful episode offers a deep dive into the intersection of hospitality, technology, and data privacy. Connect with Karen Stephens | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, host Erik Blaze interviews Jay Hinman, the VP of Marketing at Vibes, a trusted mobile engagement platform for enterprise brands. They discuss the evolution of Demand Generation (Demand Gen), highlighting how it has transitioned from being seen as a cost center to a revenue center, largely due to advancements in cloud-based marketing automation platforms and the rise of Account-Based Marketing (ABM). He delves into the shift in success metrics in the field and how Vibes helps brands nurture customer relationships on mobile platforms. Jay further explores the engagement gap between email marketing and mobile app marketing and the future of mobile marketing technology. Finally, they discuss navigating economic downturns and the power of testing and learning from small successes. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Jay Hinman⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, host Jordan Saucedo interviews Clint Buechler, a demand generation manager with experience in SaaS, FinTech, payments, and real estate. They discuss the importance of combining product marketing and demand generation roles to create a successful ABM program. Clint shares his insights on setting up the data structure, analytics, and testing for success. He also provides segmentation tips, leveraging tools such as chatbots for audience list building and competition monitoring, using firmographic, demographic, and technographic data, and integration partners to segment accounts. Additionally, he suggests looking at LinkedIn ads impressions and job titles when setting up campaigns to capture demand. Finally, they discuss the need for sales engagement and getting buy-in from sales and marketing teams as well as finding product-market fit and having the right message for the right audience at the right time.  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Connect with Clint Buechler⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, host Katharine Noonan interviews Cristy Garcia, Chief Marketing Officer at impact.com. Cristy explores the skills and qualities a modern CMO needs to be successful in their business and career. She discusses the importance of being data-driven, understanding digital marketing channels, and having a creative mindset. She also explains why it’s important to invest in relationships and stay up-to-date with trends in the rapidly evolving marketing industry. Cristy then touches on advice for leveraging partnerships as a more efficient way to drive growth and revenue in challenging times. Finally, she talks about how CMOs can stay ahead by understanding Gen Z and the latest technologies. ⁠⁠⁠Connect with Cristy Garcia⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, host Rory Costello interviews Michael McCunney, VP of Marketing at Revenue Analytics and winner of the 2022 CMO Club Marketing Award for Creativity and Storytelling. He shares his experience of applying to the CMO Club and getting rejected before reapplying with a larger company. He discusses the importance of investing in communities to build relationships, gain knowledge, and strengthen self-confidence. He encourages junior marketers to speak in terms of revenue, sales, and costs to earn respect from C-Suite peers. Michael also talks about his upcoming book, Marketer One, aimed at marketers who are a team of one or entrepreneurs who need to do their marketing. The book will offer practical advice on how to build and scale a MarTech stack, build a W2 team, and avoid landmines along the way. ⁠⁠⁠Connect with Michael McCunney | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, host Robert Hall interviews Chris Shakarian, a startup marketing leader, about the world of strategic data assets and their impact on modern-day marketing. Shak believes that companies can gain an advantage in the market by leveraging the strategic data assets generated by customers using their products. Rather than just talking about the value delivered, showing it through data is more effective in a world oversaturated with content and advertising. Chris emphasizes the value of software as a means to gather data and provide actionable insights. One example he highlights is Gong, a call recording tool that collects voice data and performs meta-analysis to provide insights on talk ratios and business outcomes. He also acknowledges the threat of ChatGPT, a generative tool for marketers, but argues that critical thinking and the use of strategic data assets are still crucial for differentiation from competitors. Chris stresses the importance of embracing the concept of a strategic data asset and using it for an unfair advantage in the market. By finding unique data within the product, picking insights that align with buyers’ needs, and exposing it through static forms or real-time dashboards, companies can create a unique marketing strategy that draws people in rather than just “shouting from rooftops.” ⁠⁠Connect with Chris Shakarian⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn        

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, host Isaac Atashkar interviews Ryan Almond on the evolution of Account-Based Marketing and how ABM has changed over the past two decades. From a salesperson’s one-on-one customer relationship to leveraging technology for personalization and a better customer experience, Ryan explains how to scale an ABM strategy enterprise-wide. He suggests piloting it first, setting shared goals between sales and marketing teams, leveraging technology, and building the right strategy. Also discussed is the importance of starting small, scaling deliberately and incrementally, and having a strategy in place before implementing technology. They also introduce the concept of an “account-based enterprise,” which speaks to aligning all functions within an organization to provide customers with a first-class experience throughout their lifetime relationship with the company. Additionally, they discuss Artificial Intelligence, automation, and deflationary technologies that are aiding in this trend, as well as how companies such as Henkel have achieved success due to their long-term vision and focus on delivering value.  ⁠⁠Connect with Ryan Almond⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, host Joe Delamere interviews David Levy, Vice President of America’s Marketing at Foundever, about the power of growth marketing and the importance of taking a data-driven approach to the customer life cycle, from acquisition to engagement and retention to revenue generation. David discusses how personalization is key and why companies must focus on understanding customer pain points to tailor campaigns that will reach customers with the right offers in the right channels at the right moments. He talks about strategies for account-based marketing and what it takes to create an effective narrative. He also discusses generative AI, marketing strategy, customer experience, and other topics related to understanding consumer psychology. Finally, he addresses why marketers should keep the macro-context in mind while creating messaging that resonates with buyers.  ⁠Connect with David Levy | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn