OnBase: Smashing Sales and Marketing Misalignments

Explore the delicate balance between data-driven insights and intuition in marketing. Learn how to focus on customer needs, use targeted campaigns, and ask better questions for growth. Discover tips on enhancing collaboration between sales and marketing teams and generating quality leads for revenue growth. Dive into strategies for navigating multiple leads within the same account in an account-based marketing environment. Get book recommendations and insights from inspirational figures in B2B marketing.

Episode SummaryThis episode features Sylvain Awad discussing strategies to optimize demand generation for sales success. Sylvain emphasizes simplifying messaging, aligning marketing and sales goals, and prioritizing lead quality over quantity. He advises repurposing content across verticals for common pain points, validating leads before passing to sales, and generating quality leads through website optimization. Sylvain also touches on implementing account-based marketing tactics and leveraging storytelling in B2B marketing. Throughout the discussion, he stresses the importance of ongoing communication between marketing and sales teams to refine strategies and messaging, providing actionable insights for B2B marketers to improve their demand generation efforts. About the guest Sylvain Awad is an accomplished and dynamic B2B/B2C marketer with extensive leadership experience and a proven track record of orchestrating and optimizing high-impact/global marketing strategies to drive organizational success. Connect with Sylvain Awad Key takeaways- Simplify messaging and avoid overcomplicated demand-gen strategies - Align marketing and sales goals, focusing on lead quality over quantity - Use similar content across verticals when addressing common pain points - Validate and qualify leads before passing them to sales - Generate high-quality leads through organic website optimization and always-on campaigns - Implement account-based marketing approaches for multiple leads from the same account - Leverage storytelling in B2B marketing and sales - Maintain ongoing communication between marketing and sales teams to refine strategies Quotes"Validating and making sure and double checking and triple checking that the lead is valid. And that makes the most sense for getting better quality leads to sales." -Sylvain Awad Recommended ResourceBooks-"The Stories That Stick" by Kendra Hall ⁠Connect with Sylvain Awad⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website

Episode SummaryIn this episode, Joshua Hoffman discusses strategies to align sales and marketing teams for better business outcomes. He emphasizes focusing on partnership and shared metrics, using data throughout the sales process, involving marketing in forecasting and pipeline discussions, and creating a culture of cross-team collaboration. Hoffman also highlights the importance of leveraging customer success teams for stronger partnerships. About the guest Josh is currently a partner at CH Consulting after spending the last three decades in global leadership roles at Dell, Avaya, Palo Alto Networks, Datto, and Netrix Global. CH Consulting is a team of experts with relevant expertise in Sales, Marketing, Transformation, Strategy, Growth, Operational Excellence, Legal, and more. Connect with Joshua Hoffman Key takeaways- Focus on the partnership between sales and marketing, not finger-pointing- Establish shared metrics and common language across teams- Use data and analytics throughout the entire sales process- Involve marketing in forecasting meetings and pipeline discussions- Create a culture of collaboration and mutual support- Leverage customer success teams to build stronger partnerships- Break down silos to drive better business outcomes Quotes"This is supposed to be a partnership. When sales and marketing get at odds, which happens in a lot of organizations, there has to be a way to bring people back to square." -Joshua Hoffman Recommended Resource Books-The One Minute Manager -Atomic Habits -Everybody Writes ⁠Connect with Joshua Hoffman⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website

Episode SummaryRebekah Gardner and Jason Keever discuss how the tax industry has evolved significantly in recent years to keep up with digitalization and changing client needs. They explore how Ryan is leveraging technologies like artificial intelligence to improve efficiency and deliver exceptional client value. The speakers highlight the importance of breaking down silos between professional services and product teams. They emphasize building trust, communication, and incentives to encourage collaboration. Gardner and Keever also address balancing innovation through new product development while maintaining important client relationships. Keever provides an example of how AI could streamline processing large volumes of variable tax documents. About the guests Rebekah Gardner Rebekah is a relationship-focused global sales leader with over 20 years of experience as a federal tax partner. She has a proven track record across multiple industries, and from small businesses to Fortune-ranked companies. Her expertise spans private equity, strategic partnerships, and software channels, all underscored by a commitment to collaboration, accountability, and achieving results. Connect with Rebekah Gardner Jason Keever Jason serves as the President of Ryan’s tax.com™ division. With over 15 years of experience in driving revenue for private-equity-backed, high-growth SaaS companies, he leads the executive team in expanding technology services for existing clients and venturing into new markets. Jason's previous leadership roles include Chief Revenue Officer, President, Chief Sales Officer, and Vice President of Sales across various industries. Connect with Jason Keever Key takeaways- The tax industry has significantly evolved to keep up with digitalization and changing client needs and expectations. - Technologies like AI can be leveraged to improve work efficiency and enhance the client experience.  - It's important to break down silos between professional services and product teams through improved trust, communication, and aligned incentives. - Companies must balance innovation through new product development while maintaining important client relationships. - Accumulating and analyzing vast amounts of industry data can provide a competitive advantage through solutions like streamlining document processing. Quotes"Now one of the prominent pieces of the conversation with Clients is inevitably, what technology are you using to get this done? How are we certain that you are doing this in the most efficient way?" -Rebekah Gardner "We're uniquely positioned, we’re uniquely focused on corporate tax, and we have the breadth of data that's going to help empower that type of movement in the market."-Jason Keever Recommended Resource Books Good to Great by Jim Collins  Dare to Lead by Brene Brown Scaling People by Claire Hughes Johnson Amp It Up by Frank Slootman

Episode SummaryVinod shares insights from growing revenue by 40x in 7 years. Some key strategies include understanding customers thoroughly, offering a diversified portfolio of solutions, and networking extensively. Vinod also emphasizes the importance of building effective relationships with decision-makers through mutual respect, problem-solving focus, and self-awareness. He recommends staying informed by reading competitors' reports, attending industry events, and maintaining a strong professional network. About the guest Vinod Venkatesan is the Vice President of Sales, Strategic Accounts at Amkor Technology Inc. He is one of the emerging leaders at Amkor and is a results-oriented, technology-focused sales executive. Vinod is a problem solver at heart, questions the status quo, passionate about impactful leadership, and is driving change to continue to deliver growth for his organization. Connect with Vinod Venkatesan Key takeaways- Understand your customers thoroughly by learning about their business, market position, goals, challenges, and future plans - Offer a diversified portfolio of solutions to manage risk and provide solutions for multiple customer needs  - Build strong relationships through mutual respect, acting as a problem solver rather than taking sides, and having open conversations - Stay informed by reading competitors' reports, listening to industry podcasts and talks, and regularly networking with contacts in your field Quotes"You really need to learn everything about what your customer is doing, their market position, and more importantly, where they're headed." -Vinod V. on understanding customers. Recommended Resource Leadership podcasts to gain different perspectives from various roles and industries TED Talks for innovative ideas and insights Industry-specific newsletters Earnings calls, 10-Ks, and investor presentations for valuable market intelligence

Episode Summary This episode provides insights into effective global marketing strategies and cultural considerations for international expansion. Manuela Furtado shares best practices for localizing content and campaigns to resonate with target audiences in different countries and cultures. She emphasizes the importance of understanding local markets through research and tailoring strategies for each region. Manuela also discusses the need to align global and local marketing efforts with sales to ensure consistent branding while making the experience culturally relevant in each new market. Overall, the episode offers guidance to companies on prioritizing localization from the start of their global expansion planning. About the guest Manuela Furtado has 25 years of experience in the localization industry, driving innovative processes and technologies. With a strong background in languages and communication, she expertly guides clients through best practices, whether they are new to localization or looking to expand their global reach to maximize impact. As a leader in Sales and Account Management, Manuela excels in building meaningful relationships across the globalization ecosystem. She adeptly matches client goals with the most targeted services, technologies, and expertise, ensuring optimal results. Connect with Manuela Furtado Key takeaways- Understand target audiences' cultural sensitivities and preferences through market research - Tailor marketing strategies, content, design, and messaging for each local market - Maintain brand consistency while adapting campaigns to be culturally relevant  - Involve localization experts from the beginning of global expansion planning - Align global and local marketing efforts with in-country sales teams - Start with pilot testing and localization of the most important pages/content - Ongoing testing and adaptation is needed as the localization process is continuous Quotes“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” -Manuela highlights Nelson Mandela’s quote that emphasizes the importance of truly connecting with target audiences by speaking to them in their language at a deeper, emotional level rather than just translating. Recommended Resource Books-"Take Your Company Global" by Nataly Kelly. Websites-BornToBeGlobal.com by Nataly Kelly - Accompanying blog to the book above. -AlphaCRC - For localization case studies and resources. -Nimdzi Insights - Consulting agency that publishes content on localization. -Slator - For content on localization and multilingual insights. -CSA Research -Locworld- A conference for localization professionals, networking, and industry innovation.

Episode Summary This episode discusses account-based marketing strategies with guest Amanda Dyson. She shares insights on personalizing ABM approaches based on customer understanding rather than focusing on features. Amanda emphasizes the importance of collaboration between sales and marketing in areas like account nomination and campaign planning. She also outlines how ABM can support customer retention, upsell, and cross-sell efforts by building long-term relationships. About the guest Amanda is a 20-year B2B SaaS marketing veteran. She has run regional and global teams. She has a passion for people and results and a proven track record of success. She has held leadership positions in sales and marketing, including ABM, partnerships, demand gen, field and corporate marketing for global Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) companies. When she’s not growing people or pipeline at leading tech companies, she enjoys spending time with her family in the mountains or at the beach, running daily, and practicing mindfulness. Connect with Amanda Dyson Key takeaways- Lead with customer pain points rather than product features to build trust. - Collaboration between sales and marketing is required through an account nomination process and campaign planning sessions.   - Focus ABM efforts to avoid trying to sell everything at once and "boil the ocean." - Leverage ABM for existing customers through custom landing pages and insider advocates to drive retention, upsell, and cross-sell. - Overcommunicate ABM strategies internally through a living overview deck and consistent updates on calls and materials. Quotes"ABM is probably my favorite type of marketing because it can be disruptive and provocative. And, honestly, it's just all about the customer and how to stand out to them." -Amanda Dyson Recommended Resource Books-"How Women Rise" by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith  -"Radical Candor" by Kim Scott -"Amp It Up" by Frank Slootman -Fiction books by Kristin Hannah and Frederick Bachman ⁠Connect with Amanda Dyson⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website

Episode Summary This episode discusses how buyer behavior is changing, especially in manufacturing, and the challenges companies face in aligning their sales and marketing strategies as a result. The guest, Kathy Macchi, shares her insights from over 25 years in the industry on how buyers are younger and want more control over the process. She highlights culture, technology, and data silos as major barriers for manufacturing companies looking to align. The discussion covers how account-based marketing (ABM) can help manufacturers by prioritizing the right accounts for large deals and providing a framework for collaboration. They emphasize starting simple with ABM and having a dedicated sales leader champion the approach. About the guest Kathy has thrived through 25 years in sales, marketing, and IT, and now leads Inverta’s consulting. She takes a no-nonsense approach to the role of digital skills, processes, and tools, and has helped Citrix, Microsoft, and HP transform their marketing. Additionally, she’s one of the foremost authorities in account-based marketing and has been certified by ITSMA as an ABM practitioner since 2007. Kathy conducts workshops, webinars, and training sessions, and has supported hundreds of ABM rollouts and scale-ups. When Kathy isn’t traveling the world, she enjoys a top-shelf vegetarian breakfast taco at her home in Austin, TX. Connect with Kathy Macchi Key takeaways- Buyer behavior is changing, with younger buyers wanting more control over the sales process - Major challenges for manufacturing companies in aligning sales and marketing include cultural resistance, lack of digital tools, and data silos - ABM can help manufacturers target the right accounts for large deals, select key messages, and implement supporting technology - When getting started with ABM, companies should pick the right sales leader, start simply, focus on goals and measurement, and continually reinforce the approach with sales Quotes"Buyer behavior is changing, they're no longer an individual buyer like you used to have, it's a buying group, and a lot of that buying group is anonymous.” -Kathy Macchi Recommended Resource Books-The Next CMO Podcast -The Artificial Intelligence Show ⁠Connect with Kathy Macchi⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website

Episode Summary In this episode, host Chris Moody talks with John Common of Intelligent Demand about the ongoing challenge of aligning sales and marketing teams. They discuss why misalignment often stems from a lack of clear strategy and leadership guiding the organization. John emphasizes that B2B growth requires cross-functional collaboration but most companies still operate in silos. John also dives into common mistakes made with account-based marketing programs when they are treated as solely a marketing initiative. He outlines why traditional metrics like marketing qualified leads are outdated. About the guest John Common, CEO and founder of Intelligent Demand brings 20 years of expertise in growth strategy, technology, marketing, sales, and customer success. His career focuses on driving measurable revenue growth for tech and service firms, both internally and as an agency partner. Under his leadership, Intelligent Demand has emerged as a premier revenue growth agency, prioritizing its people, culture, and client success. John also hosts "Growth Driver," a podcast for B2B executives eager to drive growth, featuring thought leaders and experts. Connect with John Common Key takeaways- B2B growth requires cross-functional alignment and collaboration, but most companies still operate in silos due to a lack of clear go-to-market strategy and leadership. - Common mistakes with account-based marketing programs include treating it as solely a marketing initiative, not setting clear growth goals, and relying on outdated metrics like MQLs.  - Companies need to critically examine their assumptions around go-to-market approaches and commit to developing integrated growth strategies, as traditional playbook methods are no longer effective. Quotes"B2B growth is a team sport, there is no go-to-market motion where cross-functional alignment is not." -John Common Recommended Resource Books-Kotler on Marketing by Philip Kotler. -Sales Pitch by April Dunford. -Obviously Awesome by April Dunford. Podcast-⁠Growth Driver⁠ -⁠Lenny’s Podcast⁠ ⁠Connect with John Common⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website

Episode Summary Randy Welch talks about mission-driven sales in the education sector. He discusses his background in school psychology and administration, and how it led him to a career in education technology focused on school safety solutions. He emphasizes the importance of truly understanding customer needs through active listening. Randy also provides insights into navigating the challenges of the education market by prioritizing safety over sales numbers. The interview covers Randy's vision for developing a holistic safety ecosystem and recommendations for incorporating learning into a sales mindset. About the guest Randy Welch is an educator at heart but found his way into the technology sector through his passion to ensure the safety and security of school students and staff. At Motorola Solutions, Randy oversees the education focused Sales efforts for the North America region and highlights the technology, safety, and security solutions schools need to solve their biggest safety challenges. Prior to Motorola Solutions, Randy served for more than 20 years as a school psychologist, special education director, Chief Program Officer, and board member for multiple public and charter schools. Randy has also spoken nationally and internationally about a variety of education topics. Connect with Randy Welch Key takeaways- Understand customer needs through active listening, not just hearing what they say - Prioritize solving customer problems and mission over making sales numbers  - Develop a holistic, integrated ecosystem approach to school safety rather than isolated systems - Keep focus on the mission of keeping students safe even during budget cuts or challenges - Incorporate continuous learning into sales through recommended books and shared learning - Bring an educator's passion for learning to the sales field Quotes"Someone has a problem, your job is not to solve their problem, your job is to help them find a solution to that problem." - Randy Welch on drawing connections between education and sales. Recommended Resource Books-"New Sales. Simplified." by Mike Weinberg. -"Sales Management. Simplified." by Mike Weinberg. -"Selling in a Crisis" by Jeb Blount. -"Sales EQ" by Jeb Blount -"The Little Red Book of Selling" by Jeffrey Gitomer. ⁠Connect with Randy Welch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website