The GTMnow Podcast

Katrina Wong is the CMO of New Relic and a top marketing leader. She specializes in launching products, entering new markets, and scaling companies to the enterprise. With 15 years of experience at Twilio, Zuora, Salesforce, and SAP, she has led award-winning campaigns and helped six companies exit successfully.Discussed in this Episode:Why you should be using "marketing sprints"Importance of operational excellence and agility in marketingThe role of marketing in preparing for a successful exitIs 'fire fast' the right approach for managing your teamsHighlights: 07:08 Secrets to picking winners09:30 Attaining operational excellence in startups15:43 Marketing's role in successful exits29:12 Transforming PIP programs for successful employees31:26 Challenging the 'fire fast' mentality35:20 The importance of team dynamics40:24 Navigating getting acquired successfully48:58 Tactics for modern marketingGuest Speaker Links (Katrina Wong):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrinawong11/New Relic Website: https://newrelic.com/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: https://thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Where to find GTMnow (GTMfund’s media brand):Website: https://gtmnow.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gtmnow/Twitter/X: https://x.com/GTMnow_YouTube:    / @gtm_now  Sponsor: PursuitThe best talent isn’t actively job hunting. Pursuit helps companies hire elite go-to-market talent on a non-retainer basis. As a key GTMfund partner, they equip sales and marketing teams with top performers.If you're hiring for sales or marketing roles, reach out to Pursuit at pursuitsalessolutions.com/gtm or message a GTMfund team member.The GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.

Joe DiMento, Head of Go-To-Market & Industry Partnerships at Bain Capital Ventures, shares his wealth of experience in sales strategies. He discusses the critical timing for hiring your first sales reps and what traits to look for, such as grit and adaptability. Joe emphasizes structuring simple yet effective compensation plans and the value of hiring multiple account executives simultaneously. He also delves into the importance of aligning candidates with company mission and highlights how AI is transforming sales and revenue generation.

Jordan Crawford, Founder of Blueprint and a go-to-market innovator, dives into the transformative power of AI in sales and marketing. He reveals how to create targeted outreach messages using tools like ChatGPT and the FIND process for effective go-to-market strategies. Highlights include revolutionizing personalized sales outreach, enhancing operational efficiency, and mastering prompt engineering. Jordan emphasizes the importance of process over mere prompts and shares insights on utilizing Deep Research AI for better customer insights and messaging.

Join Casey Woo, Founder & CEO of Operators Guild and seasoned finance operator, as he dives into the rise of operators in business. He discusses how to effectively communicate with CFOs and cross-functional teams, highlighting the crucial dynamics of trust and collaboration. Casey emphasizes what truly matters to CEOs and founders, and shares insights on recruiting top operators in a world where funding and technology have become commoditized. He also underlines the power of community and in-person events in today’s digital age.

Kraig Swensrud, Founder & CEO of Qualified and former CMO of Salesforce, shares insights from his entrepreneurial journey. He discusses how SaaS and AI disrupt markets and reshaping pricing strategies. Kraig emphasizes customer obsession as vital for startup growth and addresses the risks of hasty hiring practices. He also delves into the role of AI in transforming business dynamics and the importance of effective frameworks like V2MOM for team alignment. A thought-provoking conversation for tech enthusiasts!

Rob Giglio, Chief Customer Officer at Canva with over 20 years in tech leadership roles, shares invaluable insights from his experiences at HubSpot and DocuSign. He discusses the importance of concept testing in B2B marketing and how to apply consumer product strategies to enhance engagement. The conversation also emphasizes cultivating loyalty, the power of simplicity in messaging, and the challenges of leading remote teams. Rob's take on transitioning enterprise customers reveals the need for authentic, human-centered marketing in the evolving landscape.

Discover the secrets behind B2B growth as leaders share proven tactics. Learn how building solid habits can generate a sustainable pipeline. The value of in-person interactions is emphasized for genuine relationships. A customer-centric approach is central to effective strategies. Transforming conversations to resonate with C-suite executives can elevate your presence. Intentional team alignment is highlighted as crucial for success. Finally, the podcast dives into the long-term benefits of nurturing strong business relationships.

Fred Viet, Chief Sales Officer at Aircall, has a rich background in scaling sales at AWS, Microsoft, and Lenovo. He discusses the dynamic differences in selling between APAC and North America, emphasizing market fit and structured approaches. Fred highlights the shift from demo-driven selling to value-based conversations, the role of AI in enhancing sales processes, and effective annual revenue planning strategies. He also advocates for deep skill development over job-hopping and shares insights on aligning sales and marketing teams for success.

Revenue leaders need to rethink their beliefs! Discussions highlight the shift from valuing volume to prioritizing quality in sales leads. Outbound strategies face an evolution, with AI playing a crucial role in targeting. Hiring practices should focus on leadership skills and adaptability, rather than just specialized experience. Guests from top companies share insights that may reshape your approach to sales and leadership in 2025. It's all about generating real demand and fostering sustainable growth!

Guy Yalif is a seasoned B2B SaaS executive with over 20 years of go-to-market experience. As the co-founder and CEO of Intellimize (acquired by Webflow), Guy brings a unique perspective from his journey through iconic companies like Microsoft, Yahoo, and Twitter, as well as his background in aerospace engineering. Guy holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University and an MBA from Stanford University.Discussed in this Episode:Learnings from each major company in Guy's 20+ leadership career: Microsoft, Tradeweave (first employee and executive committee), Yahoo, Twitter, BrightRoll and Intellimize. Building 'opinionated products' and the importance of customer intimacyLessons learned from scaling Twitter's ad business from zero to $650 million in three years.The challenges and rewards of founding and growing a startup for nine years.Strategies for building relationships with PR outlets, reporters, and analysts.Highlights:(5:22) The power of customer intimacy in product development.(15:41) Scaling Twitter's ad business and managing hyper-growth.(26:54) The existential dread of being a startup founder.(37:56) Building relationships with PR outlets and reporters.(45:40) Debunking the myth of sacrificing personal life for startup success.(49:07) The effectiveness of small group events in go-to-market strategies.(31:55) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Guy thinks is bull$***(49:07) One thing that is working for Guy in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Guy Yalif):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gyalifHost Speaker Links (Scott Barker):LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/Where to find GTMnow (GTMfund’s media brand):Website: https://gtmnow.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gtmnow/Twitter/X: https://x.com/SalesHackerYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GTM_nowThe GTM Podcast (on all major directories): https://gtmnow.com/tag/podcast/Resource we Recommend:HG Insights. Feeling that AI FOMO? You’re not alone. That’s why HG Insights created The Next Generation of Sales AI report — to calm the FOMO and help you bring AI to your GTM teams. It includes a breakdown of the Sales AI landscape, adoption of GenAI and Sales software across buyer groups. Plus, an analysis of the top 75 trending sales AI tools. Why HG Insights? Simple. They’ve been writing market reports for years as the pioneer of tech adoption and market insights. Trusted by GTM leaders at the likes of Snowflake Five9 and Google Cloud to improve GTM efficiency. Thinking about AI for your sales team but unsure where to start?The GTMnow Podcast The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with the top 1% GTM executives, VCs, and founders. Conversations reveal the unshared details behind how they have grown companies, and the go-to-market strategies responsible for shaping that growth.Visit gtmnow.com for more episodes and other interesting content.