How I Made it in Marketing

Yes, the Super Bowl ad. How exciting. The experiential activation with the major influencer. The new branding campaign roll out. So wonderful.But don’t stop there.You could have the most compelling and creative ad campaign, but if you don’t optimize for every customer touch point, you are undercutting the expectation you have built for the customer with the reality your brand is actually delivering.So I love this lesson from a recent podcast guest application – “Marketing is the chief customer advocate.”To hear that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories, I talked to Scott Neuman, Corporate Vice President of Marketing, Calix [https://www.calix.com/].Calix is a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2024, it reported $831 million in net sales.Neuman leads the corporate marketing strategy team at Calix, including branding, communications, content development, digital and event strategy, and field enablement. Collectively the Calix marketing team is approximately 100 professionals with a primary focus on the North American markets of broadband service providers.Lessons from the things he madeMarketing is the chief customer advocateAlways think B2B2CActivate your social armyGreat marketers are great storytellersThere’s more science than art to great storytellingEffective leaders challenge rather than direct“Every day, let ’s try to suck less”Discussed in this episodeJoin us Tuesday, July 8th at 2 pm EDT for AI Masterclass: Build a powerful lead gen campaign in just 90 minutes [https://join.meclabsai.com/mec-050-july-8]The Difference Between Marketing and Advertising (and Why It Matters) [https://marketingexperiments.com/digital-advertising/the-difference-between-marketing-and-advertising-and-why-it-matters]Marketing Chart: Biggest challenges to growing membership [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/chart/challenges-to-growing-membership]B2B External Communications: How IBM conveys the value of complex products, spotlights innovative employees and entrusts employees with social media [https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/b2b-marketing/ibm-b2b-external-communications/]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters] to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course.Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

It’s a noisy world out there.So anytime you have that most valuable of things – a small window into your ideal customer’s attention span – are you clear and memorable with your value proposition?Of course, that is all the more complicated by the fact that the small window of attention isn’t only when they see your big TV campaign or whatnot, it can come from so many places – it’s also when they step into your store, add something to the cart on your website, reach out to customer service, and on and on.Which is why this lesson from a podcast guest application stood out to me – “Even bad brands can be good, when they’re consistent.”To hear the story behind that lesson, I talked to Drew Holmgreen, CEO, PPAI [https://www.ppai.org/].PPAI is the Promotional Products Association International, the largest trade association in the world for the $27 billion promotional products industry – a community of 15,000 members.Holmgreen manages a team of 50 and a budget of $25 million.Lessons from the things he madeRally together to overcome Murphy’s LawWhen you can’t send a sample, send the entire stateFormalize the brand and consistency will comeTell them what you know definitively. Not what you think.Even bad brands can be good, when they’re consistentVolunteers are your best resourceYou should always have a chip to help push you forwardDiscussed in this episodeWhen you can’t send the entire state, send a customer story. In this episode, our guest discusses sampling on an experiential marketing scale. If you don’t have that budget, try sending a customer story instead. Our latest MeclabsAI Workflow makes it easy – turn a client win into more leads [https://win.meclabsai.com/]. (from MeclabsAI, MarketingSherpa’s parent company).B2B Marketing Leadership: The higher you get in the organization, the more details you need to know (podcast episode #115) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/B2B-marketing-leadership]Creative Marketing and Advertising Campaigns: Hold the line & get a door kicker (podcast episode #84) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/creative-marketing]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters] to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course.Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

Data-driven marketing.That is an oft-repeated phrase in our industry. It’s hard to find a LinkedIn profile that doesn’t make a claim of being a data-driven marketer these days.And while data is helpful, it’s not the only thing that should drive you, my next guest says. Be human first, because people drive brands.To hear that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories, I talked to Desiree Sanchis, VP of Marketing for Beliv US [https://belivcompany.com/].Beliv has sold a million cases across 40 brands in 30 countries. Sanchis manages innovation, marketing, and e-commerce for Beliv’s U.S. portfolio of eight active brands in addition to those in the company’s development pipeline Lessons from the things she madeHuman First: People drive brandsDream big and embrace changeFind your purpose and execute relentlesslyLead with empathyStorytelling is powerfulBuild internal momentumDiscussed in this episodeAI Guild [https://join.meclabsai.com/]CPG Campaigns: Marketing is often about showcasing human truths (podcast episode #107) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/CPG]Marketing Storytelling Examples: How 3 brands told their stories (with results) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/marketing-storytelling]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters] to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course.Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

Timing is key to successful marketing.If you broke it down, that’s probably a third of it. Right offer to the right prospect…at the right time.But how well do you focus on timing for your personal brand in your own career?You can hear ideas for that from this episode’s guest – she said one of the key lessons in her career is ‘know when it’s time to leave.’Here to share the story behind that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories, is Lisa Lahiji, CMO, Eurest [https://www.eurest-usa.com/] and ESFM [https://www.esfm-usa.com/].Eurest and ESFM are part of Compass Group, a public company listed on the London Stock Exchange. It reported $42.2 billion in revenue in 2024. Lahiji oversees the strategy for 45 marketers. Lessons from the things she madeKnow when it’s time to leaveScaling up means letting goWhen the world changed, so did weAdvocate for othersRelationships matterRaise your handDiscussed in this episodeAdvertising and Brands: Details matter, know when to quit, …be nice (podcast episode #27) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/advertising-and-brands]Marketing Adaptability: The art of letting go of creative ideas so you can champion future concepts (podcast episode #112) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/marketing-adaptability]Elements of a Landing Page, Advocate Marketing Program, and Conversion-Optimized Blog Post: 3 quick marketing case studies [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/elements-of-a-landing-page]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course.Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

If there’s one word that defines what I’ve seen in the marketing industry in my career, it’s ‘acceleration.’When I started, I was writing print ads in The Wall Street Journal for clients all over the country. So the deadline was when FedEx came to our building…or if we were really pushing it, FedEx’s deadline at the airport. This created a natural ebb and flow.Then PDFs came along, and well, that deadline got pushed much farther back. But because it still ultimately had to go to print, there was still an ebb and flow.Fast forward to today. Everything is always on, real time, with endless data streams. It feels like there is no more ebb, only flow.Which is why this lesson really caught my eye in a podcast guest application – It’s important to ‘take a beat.’To hear that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories, I talked to Cindy Van Horne, global head of marketing & communications, McKinsey & Company [https://www.mckinsey.com/].Lessons from the things she madeIt’s important to ‘take a beat’   Be fearless with your ambition  Reinvention is not optional   When goals are not hit, leadership is about finesse The pathway to innovative campaigns is about breaking down barriersReal change comes when others are inspired to break their own ceiling Discussed in this episodeAI Guild [https://join.meclabsai.com/]Strategic Marketing Collaboration: Find your partner in crime (podcast episode #68) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/strategic]Branding Lessons from TV Production: Don't focus on failure, keep moving towards success (podcast episode #92) [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/brand-lessons]Leadership Development: Network every day (podcast episode #72) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/leadership-development]B2B Marketing Leadership: The higher you get in the organization, the more details you need to know (podcast episode #115) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/B2B-marketing-leadership]Customer-First Marketing: Every click is a wish (podcast episode #85) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/customer-first]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/customer-first] to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course.Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

As an entrepreneur, as a marketer, the world is conspiring to grab your attention and distract you.For example, when I started in this career, there were really only a few channels you could go to. Newspaper. TV. Radio. Direct. Maybe outdoors.Now, that number has exploded.Just one example of how many things you could possibly do with your business and your campaigns and your budget and your time.But to find success, my next guest says – focus on one thing.To hear the story behind that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories, I talked to Gidon Rotteveel, co-founder, Delka Talents [https://www.delkatalents.com/]. Gidon manages a team of 25.Hear the full episode using this embedded player or by clicking through to your preferred audio streaming service using the links below it.Lessons from the things he madeYou always have to separate work from your personal lifeGreat things take time to growFocus on one thingYou don’t need 100 employeesEntrepreneurship does not have an ageInfluencers come and goDon’t let small setbacks in the business distract you from your insane visionDiscussed in this episodeAI Guild [https://join.meclabsai.com/]Adaptive Leadership: It’s never too late to reinvent yourself (podcast episode #90) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/adaptive]Female Entrepreneurship and Marketing: Having built a big community doesn't mean you will be able to monetize it (podcast episode #71) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/entrepreneurship]Best Practices Are Pooled Ignorance: 4 quick marketing case studies of brands that found success by taking a different approach [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/best-practices-different-approach-brands-marketing-case-studies]Customer-First Marketing: Every click is a wish (podcast episode #85) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/customer-first]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters] to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course. Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

Career growth is a funny thing.That is the goal after all right? Junior copywriter, Senior copywriter, creative director, etc.? We all want a career path.But that journey towards something – often people leadership – can also pull us away from something else. And it can be the thing we were most passionate about and got us into this industry to begin with.So when I saw this lesson in a recent podcast guest application, it grabbed my attention – strike a balance between management and production.That is, really, one of the core challenges of growing a marketing career.To hear the story behind that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories, I talked to Mary Church Cornette, CEO and Head of Creative, FUEL [https://www.fuelforbrands.com/].Lessons from the things she madeStrike a balance between management and productionLearning and adapting to new tools will serve you wellMaybeBuild brands as systemsAppreciative leadership is powerfulCuriosity fuels leadership growthDiscussed in this episodeAI Guild [https://join.meclabsai.com/]Fintech Marketing: Creativity and technology is a killer combo (podcast episode #50) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/fintech]Creative Marketing and Advertising Campaigns: Hold the line & get a door kicker (podcast episode #84) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/creative-marketing]Building Brands: People and culture matter a lot, mentorship matters even more, product matters the most (podcast episode #119) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/brands]Career Adaptability: Marketing can lead to many other things (podcast episode #103) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/career-adaptability]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters] to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course. Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

I’ll tell you what happened in my career before. Maybe you’ve been there, too.There’s a sponsorship, sometimes a fairly high-profile sponsorship, and I have gotten asked to write it about it in an ad or email…but, there wasn’t really a strategy. That is not the way to get the best ROI, the most juice for the squeeze.Sponsorships truly succeed when they tie into the value proposition of the brand. So this lesson in a recent podcast guest application really grabbed my attention – “Maximize brand awareness by going beyond the ‘logo slap’ sponsorship”To hear the story behind that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories, I talked to Rebecca Biestman, Chief Marketing Officer, Guild [https://guild.com/].Guild raised $175 million in a Series F funding round in 2022, at a $4.4 billion valuation. Wellington Management led the financing, and Oprah Winfrey participated in the round, along with other backers. Biestman manages a team of 70 in the marketing department.Lessons from the things she madeMaximize brand awareness by going beyond the “logo slap” sponsorshipEmbrace new tech that helps drive your brand strategyTo build a brand that lasts, consider rebranding a team sport Be prepared to step up when the unexpected happensThe best candidate for a role isn’t always the one who has done it beforeMaking a difference and building something great aren’t mutually exclusiveDiscussed in this episodeJoin us for MEC050: Let AI Agents Market For You [https://join.meclabsai.com/ai-agents] on Tuesday, May 13th at 2 pm EDTCreative Marketing: Does it all make sense? (Podcast Episode #19) [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/creative]Marketing at 200 MPH: Sports sponsorship lessons from F1 & finance (podcast episode #125) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/sports]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters] to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course. Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

FUD. Fear, uncertainty, doubt.I first learned about this sales and marketing tactic – which is aimed at influencing perceptions by highlighting potential negative outcomes – early in my career when working with big tech companies.An example – nobody ever got fired for buying IBM.Then later in my career when I worked with cybersecurity companies, I saw the tactic on steroids.But I always wondered – is this really the most effective way to treat our potential customers? Is this customer-first marketing? Is there a better way?So I rejoiced when I saw an anti-FUD lesson in a recent podcast guest application. To hear that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories, I talked to B2B fractional marketing executive Nick Lagalante.Lessons from the things he madeConsultative selling sharpens your messageYou don’t need to scare people to sell them security (FUD vs. value-driven messaging)Research-driven rebranding preserves valueGenuine partnerships redefine tech PRCollaborative creativity sparks breakthrough campaignsStrategic internal comms empower brand resilienceDiscussed in this episodeThe 8 Micro-Yes Architecture that Drives Conversion – Join us on Thursday, May 8th at 1 pm EDT for the latest session of MEC200: Design Your Offer [https://join.meclabsai.com/design-your-offer] (from MeclabsAI, MarketingSherpa’s parent company). Discover how a series of small, affirmative steps can guide your prospects toward a big, final “yes”...transforming incremental trust into measurable conversion. Content & Communications: Use your marketing budget and AI to make your customers’ lives more fun and interesting (podcast episode #51) [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/content-and-communications]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters] to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course. Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application

The artificial intelligence revolution is upon us. Today we see AI doing everything from taking orders in a drive-thru to serving as a pseudo boyfriend or girlfriend.But, according to my most recent guest, more importantly – AI boosts revenue.To hear the story behind that lesson, along with more lesson-filled stories, I talked to Dario Markovic, CEO, Eric Javits [https://ericjavits.com/].Eric Javits had $15 million in revenue last year and is tracking to hit $18 million this year.Markovic manages a team of 10 with a three- to four-million-dollar marketing budget, along with a worldwide vendor ecosystem.Lessons from the things he madeData winsAI boosts revenueSustainability sellsFunnels = profitsRetention over acquisitionSell outcomes, not productsDiscussed in this episodeLearn how to craft an Offer Value Proposition in our April 24th session of MEC200: Design Your Offer [https://join.meclabsai.com/design-your-offer]. Join us at 1 pm EDT for a live online, interactive session (from MeclabsAI, MarketingSherpa’s parent company).Conversion Rate Optimization: 3 effective marketing strategies explained by the marketers who created them [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/conversion-rate]MarketingSherpa Customer Satisfaction Research Study [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/freestuff/customer-first-study]Online Business Strategy: Steps marketers took to create powerful marketing funnels with Google, Amazon, and Facebook [https://marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/online]Help, Don’t Hype: A guide to customer-first marketing [https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/customer-centric-marketing-2/help/]Get more episodesSubscribe to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter [https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters] to get more insights from your fellow marketers. Sign up for free if you’d like to get more episodes like this one.For more insights, check out...This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages [https://meclabs.com/course/] free digital marketing course. Apply to be a guestIf you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application