OnBase: Smashing Sales and Marketing Misalignments

Episode SummaryThis episode explores how SaaS companies can create competitive moats through strong brands and authentic communities. Margaret Kelsey shares her expertise on why technology alone isn’t a moat in today’s landscape and how :: community, customer relationships, and values can differentiate brands for long-term success. The conversation also dives into the role of generative AI in marketing, actionable steps to build genuine customer connections, and strategies for amplifying brand stories across channels.About the GuestMargaret Kelsey is a CMO, marketing advisor, artist, and podcast host dedicated to creating shared languages that provide clarity, direction, and personal satisfaction. In her professional life, she develops effective go-to-market strategies, emphasizing the importance of aligning internal teams with their target audiences. Her artistic endeavors delve into the exploration of subconscious shared languages to create a human connection. Margaret also co-hosts a podcast (Don't Say Content) where the conversations center around creating shared languages within the workplace.Website: https://www.kodaris.com/Connect with MargaretKey Takeaways- Technology is No Longer a Moat Rapid innovation and the influence of AI mean competitors can replicate products quickly. Building moats today requires strong brands and loyal communities.- The Flywheel of Brand, Culture, and Community Companies succeed when their internal values align with their external brand and customer values, creating a "magnetic alignment" for differentiation.- Leverage Generative AI ThoughtfullyUse micro, proprietary data lakes to train AI tools, ensuring authenticity and avoiding the risks of public LLM (Large Language Model) contamination.- Start with Customer ConversationsOne of the simplest and most effective steps to building community is engaging directly with your happiest, most loyal customers in casual virtual or in-person settings.- Experiment and Monitor ChannelsEven in saturated channels, consistent experimentation helps uncover formats and content types that resonate with your audience.Quotes"You inherit credibility by bringing customers together and forming connections they value. That builds trust your brand can benefit from."Tech Recommendations- Riverside - A versatile platform for recording high-quality podcasts and interviews.Recommended ResourceBooks:- Radical Candor by Kim Scott - Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity- The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins - A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking About

Episode SummaryIn this special in-person episode of OnBase, host Chris Moody joins Davis Potter live from Austin, Texas, for a candid deep-dive into the evolution of account-based marketing. Davis draws on his experience across enterprise giants and nimble startups to unpack the real differences between demand gen and ABM—and why most companies are stuck in the middle.Together, they dissect the pitfalls of outdated ABM models, the importance of unifying go-to-market teams, and the need for signal-based measurement over legacy lead scoring. Davis explains the “account-based arrow,” ForgeX’s new data model, and shares practical tips for aligning product marketing with ABM functions for retention and growth. Whether you're a team of one or leading a global strategy, this episode is packed with insights you can act on immediately.Key TakeawaysABM vs. Demand Gen: True ABM is more than just targeted demand generation; it requires a unified approach across sales and marketing.  Strategic ABM Implementation: Organizations should tailor their ABM strategy to their specific needs, considering factors like deal size and resources.  Measurement and Reporting: Effective ABM measurement involves tracking various metrics, including account engagement and pipeline progression, and requires a unified data model.  Cross-Functional Alignment: Alignment between ABM teams and other functions, such as product marketing, is crucial for success.  Evolving ABM: ABM is not static; it requires continuous evolution and adaptation to changing market dynamics and organizational needs.  Quotes“If you're just building lists off third-party intent and running ads, you're not doing ABM—you’re just doing better DemandGen.”“Product marketing is not optional in an ABM strategy—it’s foundational. They understand the customer better than anyone.”Best Moments 00:09-00:20 – Davis Potter's background and journey to 4Gex.  04:45-05:00 – The importance of aligning go-to-market strategy with business goals.  06:29-07:00 – Transitioning from demand generation to account-based marketing.  10:50-12:00 – The double funnel approach to measuring ABM success.  25:30-26:00 – The challenges of ABM benchmarks and data interpretation.  33:00-34:00 – The critical role of product marketing in ABM. Recommended resources:Newsletter:⁠ABM Tactics LinkedIn newsletter⁠ – Tactical, real-world GTM advice from the trenchesCertifications:⁠New ABM Certification Program⁠ by Demandbase in Partnership with ForgeXB2B Leaders to follow⁠Akriti Gupta⁠, Director of Marketing at LinkedIn  ⁠Désirée Daniels⁠, Retail Industry & ABM Marketing at LinkedInAbout the GuestDavis Potter is the Co-Founder of ForgeX, a firm dedicated to modernizing account-based go-to-market strategies through research-backed insights and scalable methodologies. With experience launching ABM programs at organizations like Google Cloud and Scale AI, Davis brings a rare blend of enterprise sophistication and startup agility. His unique journey—spanning billion-dollar enterprises and high-growth tech companies—has equipped him with a comprehensive view of ABM’s past, present, and future.Davis is passionate about aligning sales, marketing, and product teams around unified goals and measurement systems. He frequently speaks on evolving ABM frameworks, first-party data strategies, and the shift from vanity metrics to actionable signals. Davis also co-leads the ForgeX and Demandbase certification program, shaping the next generation of account-based marketers.⁠Connect with Davis⁠.

Episode SummaryIn this episode of OnBase, host Paul Gibson welcomes Hannah Ajikawo for a deeply insightful conversation on building strong go-to-market foundations and how AI is reshaping the future of sales execution.Hannah reflects on her career journey and the moment she realized that many teams don’t truly understand strategy. She outlines the importance of focusing GTM energy on where businesses win most, shares her “go-to-market building blocks” framework, and explains how AI can enhance precision across the buyer journey—from awareness to pricing strategy.Whether you're leading a sales team, rolling out new tech, or trying to scale confidently, this episode is full of practical wisdom.Quotes“If you really sit down, remove ego, and look at the data—you’ll find where you win. Focus there. That’s the cheat code.”Best Moments (00:53) – Hannah Ajikawa's career journey and the founding of Revenue Funnel.  (02:51)-04:39 – The importance of GTM fundamentals and addressing underperforming teams.  (05:54) – How repositioning and focus transformed pipeline generation for a B2B tech company.  (10:00) – AI's influence on GTM strategies and sales processes.  (12:22) – Areas of GTM most primed to benefit from AI integration.  (16:19) – Actionable advice for strengthening GTM foundations.  (22:46) – How AI is changing account-based go-to-market approaches.Tech RecommendationsDemandbase – For GTM prioritization and signal intelligence.Sybill.ai – AI-powered call analysis and coaching.Twain.ai – Tailored messaging and engagement optimization.SimpleTalk.ai – Conversational AI for real-time needs handling.Resource RecommendationsPodcastsThe Founders PodcastDiary of a CEO (Stephen Bartlett) NewslettersSubstack (for AI newsletters)BlogsGates Notes- Bill Gates' blog    Daniel Priestley's content B2B Leaders to followJen Allen-Knuth, Founder, DemandJenLisa Kelly, Founder and CEO, Radical ResultsBarry Flaherty, GTM LeaderAbout the GuestHannah Ajikawo is an award-winning go-to-market consultant and founder of Revenue Funnel, helping B2B scale-ups unlock growth and optimize their revenue engines. With 16+ years of experience, Hannah has been recognised as a LinkedIn Top Voice, LinkedIn Sales Insider, Salesforce Influencer, and one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Sales by Demandbase. She is also a HubSpot Modern Sales Leader and a global expert in aligning sales processes with modern buyer journeys to drive sustainable growth.Connect with Hannah.

Episode summary:In this episode of OnBase, host Chris Moody sits down with Trent Talbert to dissect the 2025 B2B marketing landscape—from evolving ABM strategies to the real reason high-growth companies are struggling despite bigger budgets. Trent shares insights from the newly released AMP25 survey and offers sharp, data-backed guidance on where modern marketers should double down and what they should ditch.You’ll hear why personalization is still broken in most orgs, how bold messaging can break through the noise, and why “do more with less” is a dangerous myth. Packed with practical wisdom and a few mic-drop moments, this episode is a must-listen for any B2B marketer looking to elevate their strategy this year.Key TakeawaysOptimism in Goals: A significant majority (80%) of B2B tech marketers are optimistic about achieving their goals this year.  Growth Challenges: Faster-growing companies often face more challenges, requiring a broader approach to marketing.  ABM and Personalization: Organizational silos can hinder effective ABM and personalization. Emerging brands have an advantage in implementing these strategies due to their lack of legacy systems.  Standing Out: Brands can capture attention through bold, creative, and emotionally resonant messaging that balances rational appeals.  Customer Focus: There's a growing emphasis on customer loyalty, lifetime value, and downstream engagement, including onboarding and renewals.  Budget Trends: Most budgets are flat or increasing, but companies are urged to choose either a cost-reduction or growth strategy.  Tactic Stability: The top six marketing tactics have remained consistent, highlighting the importance of executing fundamentals well and creating a coherent customer experience across channels.  Best Moments (00:35) - Trent Talbert's career journey in B2B tech.  (02:39) - The relationship between growth and marketing challenges.  (03:54) - Obstacles to fully leveraging ABM and personalization.  (06:51) - Strategies for brands to stand out.  (10:05) - Budget trends and strategic recommendations.  (14:05) - The importance of strategic focus.  (16:54) - Recommended tools in the intent and personalization space.  (18:05) - Trent's favorite reads and the importance of brand building.Tech RecommendationsDemandbase – ABM + intent toolsMutiny – Website personalizationBooks:The Four Conversations by Blair EnnsPodcasts:Two Bobs Podcast with Blair Enns & David C. BakerReports:April Six Marketing Pulse 2025Blair Enns, Founder, Win Without PitchingApril Dunford, Founder, Ambient Strategy, and positioning expert for tech companiesBob Wright, Founder, FirebrickAnna Powell, RevOps influencer in the B2B spaceAbout the guest:Trent Talbert is a seasoned professional with a strong background in strategy and account management. At April Six, Trent currently holds the position of Head of Strategy for North America. Prior to this role, Trent worked at Doremus as an Account Supervisor, gaining experience in various account executive roles. Trent has also worked in advertising and PR, further showcasing their diverse skill set. With a BS in Business-Marketing from the University of Missouri Trulaske College of Business, Trent is well-equipped to handle the challenges of their dynamic roles in the industry.Connect with Trent.

Episode SummaryIn this episode of OnBase, host Chris Moody welcomes Brandon Ratliff for a compelling conversation about the evolution of Martech, the promise (and limitations) of AI, and the art of staying future-ready in an ever-accelerating landscape.Brandon shares his unconventional path from coding hobbyist to martech leader, while offering tactical advice for building scalable stacks, enabling data-informed personalization, and fostering innovation within teams. He unpacks what it means to shift from “T-shaped” to “I-shaped” marketers, the human side of AI-driven growth, and how organizations can maintain curiosity to avoid losing their competitive edge.Whether you're leading an enterprise marketing team or scaling a scrappy startup strategy, Brandon’s insight into modern Martech is both practical and visionary.Key TakeawaysThe Evolving Marketer: The shift from T-marketer to I-marketer highlights the importance of data literacy in addition to channel-specific expertise.  Data-Driven Marketing: Clean and well-utilized data is crucial for the success of MarTech initiatives.  Future of MarTech: AI and predictive analytics are key to enhancing efficiency, personalization, and ROI in marketing.  Essential MarTech Stack: A core MarTech stack includes a CDP, marketing automation platform, ABM tool, and CRM.  AI's Role in Marketing: AI enhances marketing through production, planning, creative management, and scaled personalization.  Importance of Human Connection: Human relationships remain fundamental in marketing and business despite technological advancements.  Future-Proofing Skills: Marketers must prioritize continuous learning, including prompt engineering and AI tools, to stay ahead.  Fostering Innovation: Leaders should encourage experimentation and calculated risk-taking to drive marketing innovation.  Qualities of a Modern Marketer: Key competencies include fearlessness, curiosity, creativity, and data-centricity.  Signs of Losing Competitive Edge: Stagnation, lack of investment in new tools, and failure to train employees are warning signs.  Change Management: Overcoming resistance to change and fostering belief in new initiatives is a significant challenge in marketing. Quotes“You don’t have to know everything. But you do have to know your data.Best Moments 00:48 - 02:18 Brandon shares his journey into MarTech.  02:48 - 03:32 The importance of data in marketing.  05:36 - 06:20 Pragmatic approach to data.  06:54 - 08:14 Core components of a MarTech stack.  08:14 - 09:41 The role of AI in enhancing marketing.  10:33 - 12:29 The balance between technology and human connection.  13:13 - 16:38 Strategies for future-proofing marketing skills.  21:26 - 23:18 Signs a company is losing its competitive edge.  23:35 - 25:22 The biggest challenge in marketing today: change management.  About the GuestBrandon is a seasoned leader in marketing technology and operations at Qualcomm. With a passion for innovation and a knack for navigating the digital realm, Brandon has been instrumental in advancing Qualcomm's Martech strategies. He has successfully implemented transformative technologies, including advanced marketing automation and analytics tools, to drive data-driven success. Known for his thought leadership and commitment to staying ahead of industry trends, Brandon's work exemplifies the powerful synergy between marketing and technology. Join us as he shares his insights and experiences in unlocking the potential of the Martech stack.Connect with Brandon.

Episode SummaryIn this episode of OnBase, host Chris Moody and Parth Mukherjee delve into the critical role of customer voices in shaping go-to-market strategies. Parth shares his journey through the tech industry, highlighting his experiences in product marketing and go-to-market strategy across different company stages. He emphasizes the importance of product marketing teams in bringing the customer's perspective into the organization and outlines the five key components of a go-to-market strategy: who, what, why, where, and how. Parth also discusses methods for collecting and analyzing customer data, balancing quantitative and qualitative feedback, and addressing stakeholder resistance. Additionally, he explores emerging marketing trends, the use of AI in marketing, and the challenges of B2B marketing, such as attribution.Key Takeaways:Voice of the Customer is Key: Customer insights are crucial for shaping effective go-to-market strategies.  Five Components of Go-to-Market Strategy: The five key questions to answer are who is the target audience, what are the offerings, why should buyers care, where should we sell, and how do we hit our targets.  Data Collection and Analysis: Utilize a combination of call recording technologies, surveys, customer interviews, and focus groups to gather customer feedback.  Balancing Quant and Qual: Combine quantitative data with qualitative insights to build compelling narratives and make informed decisions.  Addressing Stakeholder Resistance: Use proof and data to overcome internal misconceptions and align stakeholders.  Importance of Timing: Gather customer feedback throughout the product life cycle, starting from the product vision stage.  Emerging Marketing Trends: The importance of buyer self-education, hyper-personalized marketing, prompt engine optimization (PEO), and the convergence of ABM with intent data.Quotes“Product marketing should be the voice of the company in the market—and more importantly, the voice of the market inside the company.”Best Moments 00:07: Parth shares his journey into tech and marketing.  03:30: The importance of customer voices in shaping go-to-market strategy.  04:45: The five components of an effective go-to-market strategy.  07:30: Methods for data collection and analysis.  13:00: How to deal with stakeholder resistance using proof and data.  16:15: The importance of gathering customer feedback throughout the product life cycle.  19:00: Emerging marketing trends for the next five years.  22:30: Use cases of AI in marketing.24:30: The biggest challenge in B2B marketing: attribution. Tech Recommendations⁠Chorus⁠ – Call intelligence for market and product insights.⁠MindTickle⁠ – Deal rooms and enablement for modern B2B sales.⁠Klue⁠ – Competitive intelligence and win-loss analytics.Books:⁠Crossing the Chasm⁠ by Geoffrey Moore⁠Building a StoryBrand⁠ by Donald MillerBlogs & Newsletters:⁠HubSpot Blog⁠⁠Gartner for Go-To-Market Insights⁠⁠Marketing Brew⁠Podcasts:⁠Marketing Over Coffee⁠⁠Product Marketing Life by PMA⁠Shout-outs:⁠Kevin Akeroyd⁠, CEO at Sovos⁠Ann Handley⁠, Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs⁠Andy Raskin⁠, Strategic Narrative CoachAbout the Guest:Parth Mukherjee is the VP of Product Marketing, Corporate Marketing, and Go-To-Market Strategy at Sovos, a leading tax compliance platform. With over 20 years of experience in tech marketing—including pivotal roles at Adobe, Cognizant, and five high-growth VC-backed startups (four of which successfully exited)—Parth brings deep expertise in scaling companies through every phase of growth.Before joining Sovos, Parth led marketing at Chorus and MindTickle, and continues to apply a data-driven yet deeply human approach to building strategic narratives that resonate with customers and internal stakeholders alike.⁠Connect with Parth⁠.

Episode SummaryIn this episode of OnBase, host Chris Moody is joined by Alison Mendoza to dive into the power of the Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) framework and its transformative impact on innovation, marketing, and product strategy. Alison shares her non-linear journey into R&D, how her background in linguistics shapes her collaboration with engineers, and how JTBD allows companies to avoid blind spots and uncover real customer needs.Listeners will gain insights into how Honeywell uses behavioral science and JTBD to drive meaningful product adoption, why traditional voice-of-customer methods often fall short, and how AI is unlocking strategic work by automating repetitive tasks. From uncovering misaligned innovation strategies to empowering teams through better language and observation, this episode is a masterclass in modern customer-centric thinking.Key takeaways:Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) vs. Hypotheticals: JTBD eliminates guesswork by focusing on observable behaviors, not hypothetical customer desires.Behavioral Science + JTBD = Impact: The fusion of decision-making psychology with JTBD drives better adoption and product-market fit.Innovation Pitfalls: Over-reliance on competitor analysis or legacy processes can limit true innovation.Speak Their Language: Product teams must translate customer outcomes into language engineers can act on.AI for Strategic Work: Honeywell’s $120M in AI-driven savings shows how tech can free time for impactful, strategic work.Quotes:“We don’t really have to worry about product-market fit if we’ve built a product on the Jobs-to-be-Done framework.”“If you use AI for simple tasks, it will give you simple output. Use it for complex challenges—like segmentation or positioning—and you’ll see exponential value.”Best Moments Tech recommendations:⁠⁠Notebook LM (Google)⁠⁠: A powerful AI research assistant ideal for strategic marketing and A/B testing.Resource recommendations:⁠⁠Thinking, Fast and Slow⁠⁠ by Daniel KahnemanBooks by ⁠⁠Jonah Berger⁠⁠ – Practical marketing playbooks from the Wharton professor⁠⁠321 Newsletter by James Clear⁠⁠ – Weekly insights on habits, strategy, and self-improvementLeaders to follow:⁠⁠Chandler Stillman⁠⁠– Director, Marketing & Customer Experience at ADDMAN⁠⁠Liz Schmittou⁠⁠– Brand & Marketing Content Leader at ADDMAN⁠⁠Emily Carr⁠⁠– Consulting Account Lead at Google⁠⁠00:30⁠⁠Alison’s global career journey from flight attendant to R&D innovatorBest moments:⁠⁠03:00⁠⁠JTBD explained and why most voice-of-customer methods fall short⁠⁠08:30⁠⁠How to bridge engineering and customer outcomes with the right language⁠⁠14:00⁠⁠The synergy between behavioral science and JTBD in shaping innovation⁠⁠16:40⁠⁠Honeywell’s AI success: $120M saved through automation and productivity tools⁠⁠20:20⁠⁠The evolving challenges of B2B marketing and the role of dynamic contentAbout the guest:Alison is the Global Sr. Director of Innovation at Honeywell International, leading innovation and growth across the Honeywell portfolio of businesses. With over 15 years of global experience, she integrates customer-centric expertise in aerospace and advanced technology sectors. Alison is also a member of the Strategic Communications Committee at AUVSI and actively recruits for the Honeywell Political Action Committee. She shares insights on innovation, communication, persuasion, and leadership in her LinkedIn blogs.⁠⁠Connect with Alison⁠⁠.

Episode SummaryIn this episode of OnBase, host Paul Gibson sits down with Shimon, a leading voice in B2B marketing from SPOTONVISION. The duo dives into the big topic of bridging short-term wins with long-term growth while discussing how Account-Based Marketing (ABM) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are transforming the future of B2B marketing strategies.With insights drawn from years of partnership and expertise, this conversation explores how to balance immediate results with long-term objectives. Whether you’re looking to improve 2025 metrics or future-proof your marketing strategies, this episode offers actionable takeaways to help your team succeed. Key TakeawaysShort-Term and Long-Term HarmonyAchieve a balance between quick wins that boost immediate outcomes and strategies for sustained growth.The Role of AI in B2B MarketingLeverage AI to enhance data analysis, improve personalization, and optimize campaign efficiency.ABM Done RightAdopt evolving Account-Based Marketing practices to create impactful engagements and measurable results.Future-Forward Marketing StrategiesStay ahead by understanding the trends and innovations shaping the future of B2B marketing.Quotes"The future of B2B marketing lies in leveraging the power of AI to do more with less, while keeping personalization at the core."Best Moments04:00–07:00 – Shimon dives into his career path and how ABM became a core focus.10:00–12:30 – Shimon explains how changing buyer behaviors redefines sales and marketing strategies.15:00–18:00 – A closer look at how ABM and AI address misalignment challenges.24:00–26:00 – Shimon shares his insights on the future role of AI in account-based GTM.30:00–33:00 – Predictions on the next evolution of ABM in the B2B space. Tech RecommendationsTrendemon - Highlighted as a platform that provides real-time personalization and insights to customize content for website visitors, leveraging AI for ease of use.Resource Recommendations Books:Mindset by Carol Dweck - Suggested for fostering a growth mindset and improving team collaboration and alignment.Atomic Habits by James Clear - Advocated for creating effective personal and team habits for growth and success. Shout-OutsJoel Harrison - Founder, B2B MarketingRyan Almond - Global Marketing & ABX Director, HenkelIngrid Archer - Managing Partner, SPOTONVISIONAbout the GuestShimon is a visionary leader who believes in the power of trust, purpose, and shared ambition to bring people together. He envisions a world where businesses don’t just grow but thrive through meaningful relationships—both with their customers and within their teams.In B2B, Shimon sees one of the most powerful yet often overlooked connections: the alignment between marketing and sales. When these two forces come together, businesses don’t just see results—they create a real, lasting impact.Every day, Shimon is on a mission to turn this vision into reality. Whether through the conversations he sparks, the communities he builds, or the insights he shares, he is constantly looking for others who share this belief. For those who want to create a world where relationships—between businesses, between people, and within organizations—are the true drivers of success.Website: Spotonvision.comConnect with Shimon.

In this episode of OnBase, host Chris Moody welcomes Nicole Warshauer for an enlightening conversation on health benefits, empathy-driven branding, and building consumer trust through education. Nicole walks us through her non-linear career journey and how her passion for community and storytelling has shaped her role at HealthEquity. She shares practical strategies for educating diverse healthcare consumers, discusses the emotional complexities of health benefits, and explores the skills marketers need to build brands around “unsexy” topics.Nicole also explores HealthEquity’s innovative tools, such as Engage360 and HSAnswers, which use AI and multi-channel strategies to deliver personalized, accessible benefits education. Whether you’re navigating the healthcare landscape or trying to humanize your B2B brand, this episode is full of actionable insights and authentic inspiration.Key TakeawaysEmpathy is Foundational: To demystify healthcare benefits, brands must lead with empathy—understanding emotional roadblocks like fear and confusion that often prevent consumers from making informed decisions.One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Benefits education must be personalized. Demographics, health history, family structure, and financial literacy all play a role in how people access and use healthcare.Data-Driven Education Works: Programs like Engage360 have led to a 46% increase in HSA contributions and a 60% increase in investing, showing the power of well-targeted benefit education.Building Brands for “Unsexy” Industries: The best marketers can make even mundane products relatable. Skills like curiosity, critical thinking, empathy, and strong writing are essential for success.Tech with a Human Touch: AI tools can scale education efforts, but without human oversight and strategic intent, they won’t succeed.Quotes“Marketing for the unglamorous takes empathy and grit. That’s where the best brand builders thrive.”Tech recommendationsChatGPTJasperCopilotBook recommendationsStorytelling with Data by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic – A go-to for making data digestible and visually compelling.Shout-outsJade Tambini, Founder and Marketing Course Leader, B2B Jade.Hannah Shamji, Customer researcher for B2B SaaS.Erica Schneider, Founder, Cut The Fluff.About the GuestNicole Warshauer is the VP of Brand Marketing at HealthEquity, where she builds, leads, and engages community-first marketing teams that drive brand growth and resilience. With more than 15 years of experience in marketing and communications across healthcare, tech, design, nonprofit, education, and real estate, Nicole has cultivated a unique ability to deliver integrated, purpose-driven strategies that resonate.She is passionate about creating and nurturing communities of brand evangelists—both internally and externally. Her past work includes collaborations with renowned organizations like Yelp, Dribbble, and Trusted Health. Nicole also offers consulting services to help managers lead high-performing remote teams and optimize their marketing strategy.Connect with Nicole.

In this episode of OnBase, host Chris Moody sits down with Craig Chiofalo to explore what it truly takes to build and lead a world-class support engineering organization. Craig pulls back the curtain on the operational strategies and tech stack powering Demandbase’s award-winning team—including how tools like Salesforce Einstein and SupportLogic are transforming their approach to proactive support. He also shares lessons on hiring for excellence, scaling impact without ballooning headcount, and why deep, daily collaboration across product, engineering, and customer success is the cornerstone of lasting success.Key takeawaysRight Team, Right Tech: Hiring the right talent, enabling them with strong onboarding and internal tools, and layering in AI-driven technologies can drive exponential impact without scaling the team linearly.Cross-Functional Collaboration Is Everything: Craig attributes much of the team’s success to deep integration with product, engineering, and customer success—teams that work together daily to elevate the customer experience.Award-Winning Process Maturity: From rewritten job descriptions to internal training certifications and advanced sentiment monitoring, Craig’s team has refined its approach year after year to earn industry recognition.Operationalized AI: AI tools like SupportLogic and Salesforce Einstein are leveraged not just for efficiency, but for better sentiment analysis, proactive support, and smarter data insights.Measure What Matters: In addition to SLAs, Craig’s team emphasizes customer satisfaction and effort scores—tracking detailed metrics while staying focused on proactive issue resolution.QuotesOn Team Excellence“This team is phenomenal—not just individually, but in how they collaborate. That synergy is the catalyst behind everything we’ve achieved.”On Leveraging AI Thoughtfully“AI should be seen as an assistant. It's like a dishwasher—you still load it and unload it, but it saves time and effort on repetitive tasks.”(04:00): How Craig rewrote job descriptions and created testing processes to hire and retain top-tier talent.(09:00): A deep dive into Salesforce Service Cloud, SupportLogic, and the internal troubleshooting app that dramatically reduces time to resolution.(14:00): How the team uses data and proactive alerts to prevent fires before they happen.(18:00): Craig’s thoughtful breakdown of AI as a productivity enhancer, not a replacement.Tech RecommendationsSalesforce Service Cloud + Einstein: A central support platform now enhanced with AI capabilities for smarter case handling.SupportLogic: Real-time sentiment analysis and escalation prediction across customer interactions.Resource RecommendationsNewsletter:MIT Technology Review – AI-focused and practicalHarvard Business Review – Daily updates on leadership and strategyMcKinsey – Insightful newsletters with AI-related contentShout-outsUmberto Milletti, Chief R&D Officer at DemandbaseAngelle Stromeyer, RVP Customer Success at DemandbaseErika Setla, Sr. Director, CX Strategy & Ops at DemandbaseAbout the GuestCraig Chiofalo is a customer-focused leader with over 20 years of experience directing customer support, service, and success teams across SMB to enterprise clients. Currently Vice President of Support Engineering at Demandbase, Craig leads a Stevie Award–winning team recognized for delivering outstanding customer service. He brings a proven track record of building high-performing, collaborative teams that exceed goals, with a leadership style rooted in fairness, energy, and a deep passion for technology.Craig has held key roles at IBM, Silverpop, CallRail, Calendly, and Salsify, often joining during critical growth phases to scale operations, implement smart automation, and drive cross-functional alignment. His expertise spans platforms like Salesforce, Zendesk, Jira, Confluence, and SQL—always with a hands-on, data-informed approach to delivering exceptional customer outcomes.