How I Made it in Marketing

“The Marketer needs meaningful work and meaningful relationships,” Flint McGlaughlin teaches in Above-the-Fold Energy: How to engage the prospect’s mind with a carefully crafted opening (https://meclabs.com/course/sessions/above-the-fold-energy/) (McGlaughlin is the CEO of MECLABS and MarketingSherpa).I thought of that lesson when our latest podcast guest shared a lesson of her own, “Teams that are steeped in data and conversion numbers are the strongest at the craft.” Which means, we marketers must have meaningful relationships with data scientists and analytics managers. So, I asked her how we do that – after all, creatives aren’t exactly dataheads and sometimes speak very different languages from their more analytical brethren.Hear that advice, along with lesson-filled stories earned during an impressive career, from Tami Cannizzaro, Chief Marketing Officer, Thryv (https://www.thryv.com/), on this episode of the How I Made It In Marketing podcast.Thryv is publicly traded on Nasdaq and recorded $1.113 billion in revenue in 2021. As CMO, Cannizzaro manages a team of 50 marketers.Stories (with lessons) about what she made in marketingSome lessons from Cannizzaro that emerged in our discussion:There is a dramatic difference between marketing for a company with a large, established brand versus a company building a market presence and entering a category.Stay consistent.Teams that are steeped in data and conversion numbers are the strongest at the craft.It is critical for it all to work seamlessly together.Weekly growth is a high bar and a strong motivator.Constantly push to be innovative and on the forefront of a new trend.Related content mentioned in this episodeUsability and Landing Page Design: 3 quick case studies about improving results by guiding the customer’s perception process (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/usability-landing-page-design-case-studies-improving-results-customer-perception)About this podcastThis 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

“Encapsulate the essence of the offer in the top four inches of the page,” Flint McGlaughlin teaches in Above-the-Fold Strategy: 4 ways to write powerful sub-headlines (https://meclabs.com/course/sessions/above-the-fold-strategy/). And this essence should inform your entire funnel, from initial ad to final conversion.I was reminded of this quote when our guest shared the lesson “PR and storytelling come first” – essentially, the story should be the essence of your campaign, and kickoff the campaign as well as inform its downstream messaging – so I asked him about it. You can hear how he responded, along with many more lesson-filled stories (and even the first-ever How I Made It In Marketing rap), when you listen to this episode with Lucas Welch, Vice President Corporate Marketing, Highspot (https://www.highspot.com/).Welch manages a team of 14 people and four agencies and oversees a $3 million budget.Highspot has raised $650 million in venture capital funding since launching in 2012. Most recently, the company closed a Series F round that valued the company at $3.5 billion. It has millions of users around the world.Stories (with lessons) about what he made in marketingThe power of integrated storytelling and communityFeedback is respectBring your whole personality into workPR and storytelling come firstBuild genuine connections that uplift all involvedLearn it allRelated content mentioned in this episodeAbove-the-Fold Strategy: 4 ways to write powerful sub-headlines (https://meclabs.com/course/sessions/above-the-fold-strategy/)About this podcastThis 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.Get more episodesTo receive future episodes of How I Made It In Marketing, sign up to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter at https://marketingsherpa.com/newslettersApply 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

Our latest guest told the story of how she learned to find the ‘why’ – why a potential customer should act on her conversion objective.One of the things I really liked about her story – she didn’t only focus on the final ‘why’ the customer should buy the product or work with the company. Much like the sequences of eight Micro-Yes(es) taught in our free marketing course Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages (https://meclabs.com/course/), she considered the ‘why’ for key steps of the customer journey.That’s just one of the lessons you can learn from Tate Gibson, Head of Growth, Peak (https://peak.ai/), on this episode of the How I Made It In Marketing podcast.Gibson manages a transatlantic team of seven marketers located in the US and the UK and a marketing budget of $2 million.Peak has $119 million in investment funding raised to date, with SoftBank leading its Series C round.Some lessons from Gibson that emerged in our discussion:Understand where to find growth Attribution is a myth, but you need it Find like-minded people you can learn fromYou don’t have to know your end-destination to progress your pathFind the ‘why’ Know your numbers Related content mentioned in this episodeMarketing Career: What you need to understand at each step of the job seeker’s journey (even if you’re not looking) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/how-to/job-seekers-10-step-journey)Creating a Culture of Testing: How to defeat the tyranny of best practices (https://marketingexperiments.com/a-b-testing/tyranny-of-best-practices-html)Product Management & Marketing: Surround yourself with the right people (podcast episode #38) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/product)Data Poetry in Marketing, PR & Corporate Communications (Podcast Episode #17) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/data-poetry)Online Marketing Tests: How do you know you’re really learning anything? (https://marketingexperiments.com/digital-analytics/testing-marketing-validity)About this podcastThis 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.Get more episodesTo receive future episodes of How I Made It In Marketing, sign up to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter at https://marketingsherpa.com/newslettersApply 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 aim of a headline is not to impress the prospect,” Flint McGlaughlin teaches in Headline Writing: 4 principles that could drive down your website bounce rate (https://meclabs.com/course/sessions/headline-writing/).I realized that lesson could apply equally well to internal communications, during my latest podcast discussion. Do we spend too much time trying to impress our managers and team internally? Should we just give them the most accurate information and let them come to their own conclusions? As our guest taught – “bad news doesn’t get better with age” and sometimes you just need to “eat the frog.” In other words, stop trying to impress your leaders and your team and just give it to them straight, and quickly. You can hear that conversation, along with many more lesson-filled stories, from my discussion with Sherry Lowe, Chief Marketing Officer, Exabeam (https://www.exabeam.com/).Lowe manages a team of 50 marketing and sales professionals at Exabeam.Exabeam is the ninth-fastest growing company in the Bay Area, according to the San Francisco Business Times. The cybersecurity company has reached unicorn status, with a valuation of $2.4 billion based on its most recent round of funding.Some lessons from Lowe that emerged in our discussion:Always bring the customer story forward.Contributed articles can be used to help ease burdens on editorial staffs.Honor your brand.Marketing and sales can’t succeed without the otherBad news doesn’t get better with age.Always care about your people.Related content mentioned in this episodeCustomer Experience: Take risks, fail early, and learn fast (podcast episode #32) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/customer-experience)The Indefensible Blog Post: Forget Charlie Sheen, here are 5 marketing lessons from marketers (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/marketing/marketing-lessons-peers/)Kellblog (https://kellblog.com/)Product Management & Marketing: Surround yourself with the right people (podcast episode #38) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/product)About this podcastThis 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.Get more episodesTo receive future episodes of how I Made It In Marketing, sign up to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter at https://marketingsherpa.com/newslettersApply 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

“Don’t be afraid of long copy; be afraid of insufficient clarity,” Flint McGlaughlin taught in Website Wireframes: 8 psychological elements that impact marketing conversion rates (https://meclabs.com/course/sessions/website-wireframes/).I thought of that quote when my latest guest talked about how often being afraid drives marketing and business leaders, and so they resort to focus groups and consultants to cover for themselves in case something goes wrong. But she called this the dangerous delusion of safety, that playing it safe can hurt you more than you know. And she shared a story from her career illustrating that lesson.You can hear that lesson, and many more lesson-filled stories, from Jasmin Guthmann, Head of Corporate Communication, Contentstack (https://www.contentstack.com/), on this episode of the How I Made It In Marketing podcast.Guthmann manages a global team of eight people that she has built from scratch over the past six months, along with a $1 million budget (her part of the organization’s overall marketing budget). Contentstack has raised $89 million in funding over three rounds.Guthmann is also Vice President of MACH Alliance  (https://machalliance.org/). MACH stands for Microservices based, API-first, Cloud-native SaaS and Headless. The not-for-profit industry body has 70 member companies, ranging in size from startups to Google.Listen to my conversation with Guthmann using this embedded player or click through to your preferred audio streaming service using the links below it.Stories (with lessons) about what she made in marketingSome lessons from Guthmann that emerged in our discussion:Be the person who doesn’t give up when things get complicated. Be the one to simplify them. Then, your creative teams can do phenomenal things.The Dangerous Delusion Of Safety: Playing it safe can hurt you more than you know.There’s no way you can think your way into predicting what your customers need. Seriously. Stop trying. “If you want it, don’t be afraid to ask for it.”“Large meetings are not for decisions” and “Be the calm in the storm.”“Don’t be afraid to ask for better from your people. But make sure you walk the talk!”Related content mentioned in this episodeCustomer-First Marketing: A conversation with Wharton, MarketingSherpa, and MECLABS Institute (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/consumer-marketing/wharton-interview-customer-first-marketing/)Using the Science of Habit Formation in Customer-First Marketing (interview with Charles Duhigg) (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/marketing/charles-duhigg-interview-part-two/)About this podcastThis 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

“We don’t look deep enough; so, we don’t think deep enough,” Flint McGlaughlin teaches in Website Wireframes: 8 psychological elements that impact marketing conversion rates (https://meclabs.com/course/sessions/website-wireframes/).When I brought up this lesson with our latest guest, and the complex thinking that needs to go into our marketing, she said, “I love how you mentioned psychology because I think that is such a critical part of it…” and went on to share the deep thinking that must focus business strategy and prioritize the tasks necessary to achieve that strategy.You can hear that lesson, and many more lesson-filled stories, from Tara Robertson, Chief Marketing Officer, Bitly (https://bitly.com/), on this episode of the How I Made It In Marketing podcast.Robertson has managed teams of 50 people in her career and is currently in charge of a team of 20 people (and growing).Bitly has 10 million monthly website visitors. In 2017, Bitly raised $63 million in additional funding from Spectrum Equity, which gave the growth equity firm a majority stake in Bitly.Listen to my conversation with Robertson using this embedded player or click through to your preferred audio streaming service using the links below it.Stories (with lessons) about what she made in marketingSome lessons from Robertson that emerged in our discussion:You don't know what you don't know.Focus and prioritization are critical to your success.Marketing shouldn't be about driving demand; it's about driving value.Never be afraid to ask for help.Form a shine crew.Understand bias.Related content mentioned in this episodeMarketingSherpa (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/) – marketing case study articlesHow I Made It In Marketing podcast (https://marketingsherpa.com/podcast)About this podcastThis 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

“Make the object of your headline the psychological driver of the offer,” Flint McGlaughlin taught in Headline Examples: 3 ways to load your predicate with value (https://meclabs.com/course/sessions/headline-examples/).I thought of this lesson when my latest guest told me about her marriage, and how her husband was her most important career choice.It struck me that I’ve learned a lot about marketing from marriage (and vice versa). For example, my wife may have very different psychological drivers for a decision or a choice, and I have to understand hers, and make that the object of our conversation. (It seems obvious when I type it up now but seeing something from another person’s perspective is one of the hardest things we do because we are so blinded by our own perspective).So, I asked my latest guest what she learned about marketing from marriage as well. You can hear that lesson and many more lesson-filled stories as Radhika Duggal, Chief Marketing Officer, Super (https://www.super.com/), shares insights from her career.Duggal currently manages a team of 30 people at Super and has managed budgets of $100 million in her career.Super is an AI-driven platform that helps consumers save money. It is backed by Inovia Capital, Lion Capital, NBA star Steph Curry, and several other venture capital firms. It has raised over $100 million in funding and surpassed $1 billion in sales.Stories (with lessons) about what she made in marketingSome lessons from Duggal that emerged in our discussion:People think you need vastly different skills in startups vs. large companies, but it’s not true.Your partner is your most important career choice.Your customer is your most important stakeholder.Your home life needs to have the infrastructure to support your work life.Have conviction, and then don’t give up.Related content mentioned in this episodeCustomer Experience: Take risks, fail early, and learn fast (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/customer-experience)Marketing Career: You must be your company’s corporate conscience (https://marketingexperiments.com/social-marketing/corporate-conscience)How I Made It In Marketing podcast (https://marketingsherpa.com/podcast)About this podcastThis 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 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

This article was published in the MarketingSherpa email newsletter.“Attention precedes interest. Interest precedes engagement; engagement proceeds relationship,” Flint McGlaughlin teaches in Headline Writing: 4 principles that could drive down your website bounce rate (https://meclabs.com/course/sessions/headline-writing/).When I asked my latest guest how she builds those relationships with her marketing, she talked fondly of learning directly from real people, whether in her early days in a trade show booth or more recently using digital technology. The end goal of listening to customers is the same – to help her organization and team of marketers understand customers as real people, which will ultimately help them build more relationships with customers.You can learn the story behind that lesson from Michelle Huff, Chief Marketing Officer, UserTesting (https://www.usertesting.com/), along with many more lesson-filled stories from her career, on the latest episode of the How I Made It In Marketing podcast.Huff manages a team of 65 at UserTesting. UserTesting is a publicy traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. It reported $147.4 million in revenue in 2021, up 44% year-over-year.Stories (with lessons) about what she made in marketingObstacles are opportunities, if you choose to view them as opportunities.Utilize customer empathy when trying to involve the customer in marketing efforts.Surround yourself with the right people.Marketers should get involved with the sales team to learn from them.To learn about how your product really works, teach someone else.Become a true partner with your Sales counterpart.Related content mentioned in this episodeEmpathy Marketing: 3 examples of empathetic marketing in action (with results) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/empathy-marketing)Informed Dissent: The best marketing campaigns come from the best ideas (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/online-marketing/marketing-dissent-campaigns/)Healthcare Marketing Leadership: Build communities…not a customer list, walk your own path, take care of yourself (podcast episode #30) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/healthcare-marketing-leadership)About this podcastThis 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

Attention > Interest > Engagement > Relationship.That’s how Flint McGlaughlin explains the journey you have to take customers on, in Headline Writing: 4 principles that could drive down your website bounce rate (https://meclabs.com/course/sessions/headline-writing/).I asked our latest guest how he enabled a salesforce to fulfill it’s part of this journey, when he grew that close rate at a real estate company he previously worked for (from a 0.1% close rate to a 22% close rate).You can hear his answer, and many more lesson-filled stories from his career, in my discussion with Joe Karasin, Chief Marketing Officer, CircleIt (https://circleit.com/).Karasin manages a team of four at the startup, a budget of $200,000 to $500,000 per month, and has grown users from one million to five million in one year.CircleIT has raised $5.1 million in Series A funding, with participation from TeleSoft Partners.Stories (with lessons) about what he made in marketingSome lessons from Karasin that emerged in our discussion:Consumers don't want to be marketed “to,” but “for.”Permission-based marketing works, and consumers will give you permission.Give a choice of "yes" or “yes.”Stories (with lessons) from the people he made it withYou need to believe in your product or service, otherwise, you'll burn out quickly.Established brands still need to market innovativelyMarketing can truly impact someone's lifeRelated content mentioned in this episodeExchange Of Value, Before The Sale: 3 marketing examples showing how B2C companies got customers to take action https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/exchange-of-value)The Difference Between Marketing and Advertising (and Why It Matters) (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/marketing-and-advertising/difference-between-marketing-advertising/)Customer Experience: Take risks, fail early, and learn fast (podcast episode #32) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/customer-experience)How I Made It In Marketing podcast (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/podcast)What Is Brand Awareness? A glossary definition | plus 4 marketing examples with results (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/brand-awareness)Seeing Through the Eyes of Your Customers: Case studies about marketing attribution, the content marketing funnel, and headline writing (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/customers-eyes)MarketingSherpa written case studies (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/)About this podcastThis 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 dApply 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

“Remember the prospect is a person. Do not talk AT them; talk TO them,” Flint McGlaughlin taught in Above-the-Fold Psychology: How to optimize the top 4 inches of your webpage (https://meclabs.com/course/sessions/above-the-fold-psychology/).I asked our latest guest how she keeps the focus on the prospect as a person, and she shared examples ranging from A/B testing of CTA buttons to picking the brains of the person sitting next to her on an airplane.Listen to my conversation with Lauren Gumport, VP of Communications & Brand, Faye (https://www.withfaye.com/) and hear lesson-filled stories to spark your next great marketing campaign or career idea.Gumport has managed teams of 10+ and million-dollar budgets and has over a decade of experience in launching high-growth startups to global audiences.Faye has pulled in $8 million in a seed-funding round led by Viola Ventures and F2 Venture Capital. Also participating was former NBA player Omri Casspi.Stories (with lessons) about what she made in marketingTake others' suggestions into account, with the understanding that you're the pro in your field and have the final say.Being successful doesn't correlate with how many hours are spent in the office nor does it mean compromising on your work/life balance.Just because others don't get it, it doesn't mean you should stop.When things go wrong, it's an opportunity.Don't spray and pray.If you're not embarrassed about the first iteration of the product you put out, then you're doing it wrong.Related content mentioned in this episodeMarketing Career: What you need to understand at each step of the job seeker’s journey (even if you’re not looking) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/how-to/job-seekers-10-step-journey)Does Your Marketing Copy Have Earfeel? (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/copywriting/does-your-marketing-copy-have-earfeel/)About this podcastThis 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.Get more episodesTo receive future episodes of How I Made It In Marketing, sign up to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter at https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newslettersApply 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