Renegade Marketers Unite

Be honest, when you think “CMO,” do you picture campaigns, brand work, or the de facto unifier of a siloed C-suite? In this episode, guest host Narine Galstian (SADA) leads a conversation with Katie McAdams (Basis Technologies) and Julia Goebel (Komodo Health) on how the CMOs role has grown into a key driver of org-wide alignment. It’s part diplomat, part coach, translating strategy across departments and turning zigzags at the top into coordinated momentum.  In this episode:  Katie shares how early signals from marketing and sales can shape product strategy before it hits the roadmap  Julia explains why cohesive brand messaging only happens when product, marketing, and sales move as one  Narine explores how marketing becomes the connective tissue that keeps cross-functional teams in sync   Plus:  Why fragile alignment breaks when you skip the relationship-building  How “agree and commit” clears the clutter when teams clash  The case for marketers to stop owning just campaigns and start owning outcomes Tune in for a blueprint on becoming the Chief Collaboration Officer your org needs!  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Nothing scrambles a CMOs brain faster than parsing pipeline math with sales.  Alignment starts with one number, owned together, and a shared path from first touch to closed won. Miss that, and both sides will be pulling their hair out debating what happened to the pipeline. In this episode, Drew Neisser is joined by Lisa Cole (2X), Dave Bornmann (Higher Logic), and Marshall Poindexter (yorCMO) to tackle the GTM strategy that frays the most nerves: sales and marketing alignment. In this episode: Lisa shares how GTM teams build trust through shared goals, clean data, and dashboards that leave no room for spin Dave explains how strong sales relationships gave marketing influence across the full funnel Marshall shows how marketers earn trust by speaking sales’ language and showing they’re in it for the same win  Plus: Why sales questions your pipeline numbers and how to rebuild trust How shared dashboards and definitions keep teams honest How to speak sales without losing your marketing lens Tune in to hear how sales and marketing alignment starts with shared goals and grows from there. For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

The career mistake that haunts CMOs most? Waiting until they're out of a job to build their personal brand. In this Huddles Quick Take, reputation management expert Marc Reichel from Qnary reveals the three critical mistakes B2B executives make when building their online presence. Plus, he shares practical advice on creating meaningful engagement that enhances both your personal brand AND your company's visibility.  What You'll Learn: How to identify and focus on the right target audience The optimal content strategy (4 blended posts per week) Why 70-80% of your content should be thought leadership, not company promotion How to build your reputation while supporting your organization For the full conversation covering the right way to tag people in posts, how to get named a LinkedIn “Top Voice,” and recommendations for platforms beyond LinkedIn, visit our YouTube channel (CMO Huddles Hub) or click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T9Rfcs-2CY Get more insights like these by joining our free Starter program at cmohuddles.com.  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Drew worked on the team that launched the Panasonic Toughbook by driving a Hummer over it on live TV!  That stunt turned heads, sure, but it also drilled the product’s promise into buyers’ brains: tough enough to survive anything. The best launches find that one thing that matters, makes it unforgettable, and builds everything else around it. In this episode, Drew Neisser is joined by Guy Yalif (Webflow), Chris Pieper (ADP), and Ali McCarthy (Amplify Your Voice Studio) to talk about why great launches start with one magical thing: the product’s essence.  In this episode: Guy shares how Webflow’s multi-product expansion demanded a rethink of what buyers really needed and why one-size-fits-all launches rarely succeed  Chris explains why the launch of ADP’s Lyric platform meant wrangling hundreds of voices into one clear story without losing focus on what matters  Ali breaks down why putting the customer’s pain first is key and why clarity always beats complexity Plus:  Why understanding the customer’s pain points beats any feature checklist  Why selling everything at once kills momentum   How to keep the story tight so the team’s always on the same page  Why one person needs to own the launch story from start to finish Tune in to hear how great launches find the product’s essence and turn it into a story buyers can’t ignore.  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

B2B CMOs know positioning matters—but too often, it vanishes when sales starts talking.   In this episode, positioning guru April Dunford pulls back the curtain on the disconnect between marketing and sales and shares exactly how to build a sales pitch that wins. Drawing from her book Sales Pitch and decades of experience, April shares a battle-tested framework for building pitches that set the context, overcome indecision, and spotlight your unique value—without overwhelming buyers or falling into feature hell.  Key Mistakes:  Mistake #1: Treating positioning as marketing-only  Mistake #2: Assuming sales will “get it” if you hand them positioning docs  Mistake #3: Building sales pitches without a clear, compelling structure In this episode: Why positioning is the starting point for every winning pitch  How marketing can frame the problem so sales doesn’t chase the wrong story  Why leading with your company history stalls momentum  What smart pitch sequencing sounds like in action 🐧 This Episode Is For: CMOs tired of great positioning dying in a sales deck—and want to arm their teams with pitch narratives that close.  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Is your GenAI stack bloated, scattered, or underused? You're not alone.  In this Huddles Quick Take, GenAI advisor Nicole Leffer delivers a fast-paced, practical deep dive into what marketers are still getting wrong with GenAI—and how to fix it. You’ll also learn why Deep Research may be the most powerful feature you're not using.  Plus, Nicole shares how ChatGPT helped her build a full keynote deck (including visuals!) and how to stay on top of hallucination risks in strategic work.  What You’ll Learn  3 common GenAI mistakes marketers make—plus one just for CMOs  Why most teams only need one core tool (and which Nicole ranks highest)  How to use Deep Research to analyze competitors, build strategy, and repurpose content  Why great prompting starts with generous context and a clear goal  Want more? Catch the rest of the conversation on the CMO Huddles Hub YouTube channel or click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbdXnseUK-U     For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Everyone wants to be in a category of one.   But until analysts acknowledge it, customers search for it, and competitors show up, it’s not quite a category—more a call you made before the market did. Creating one means walking a line between leading the story and waiting for the market to catch up. In this episode, Drew Neisser is joined by Bernd Leger of Cornerstone OnDemand, Charles Groome of Biz2Credit, and Jakki Geiger to share their insights into building a category from scratch. In this episode: Bernd shares how Cornerstone moved beyond LMS into “workforce agility,” backed by acquisitions, analyst engagement, and full-team alignment.  Charles explains how Biz2Credit is carving out a new lane in FinTech by naming the problem and using familiar language to build demand.  Jakki outlines what separates true category creation from disruption, and why team-wide clarity is the hidden work that drives both.  Plus:  Why a real customer problem should shape your category narrative  How to bring analysts in without losing control of the story  What it takes to bring your team along when the category doesn’t exist yet Tune in to learn how category creation starts, builds, and earns its place in the market!  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

Marketing org charts may look innocent, but they’re loaded with meaning. Split your team into “revenue” and “corporate” and you’re sending a message, whether you mean to or not. Structure reveals philosophy. And in B2B, that philosophy had better be built for trust, speed, and results. In this episode, Drew Neisser is joined by Kelly Hopping (Demandbase), Lesley Davis (Waggoner Engineering), and Gary Sevounts (Simpplr) to discuss how they’re shaping marketing teams that reflect clearer priorities, move in sync with the business, and operate at the pace growth demands. In this episode: Kelly built her team around one goal: earning sales love. It reshaped her team’s structure, mindset, and KPIs.  Lesley explains how cultural clarity and cross-functional trust helped her team scale fast inside a complex org.  Gary shares how “Treasure Ops” became a full-funnel GTM engine, reviving stalled deals and tying ops directly to pipeline. You’ll also learn:  Why your org structure should follow how your buyers engage  How AI is already shifting roles  How shared metrics and a single definition of success align marketing and sales  Tune in for a look at how marketing teams are being built to meet the moment!  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

You can spend six figures on an event and still walk away with nothing but badge scans and a fuzzy sense of brand presence. But when you treat it as a full-funnel campaign, that’s when the impact starts early and lasts well beyond the event itself.   In this episode, Drew Neisser is joined by Ellina Shinnick (HUB International), Kevin Ruane (Precisely), and Isabelle Papoulias (EliteOps) to explore how teams show up with intention and turn B2B events into focused, cross-functional efforts that build brand, strengthen buyer confidence, and avoid the all-too-common post-event fade. In this episode: Ellina breaks down HUB’s three-part event framework: Sales alignment, rigorous ROI auditing, and one bold theme that ties it all together.  Kevin shares how a shift from demand gen to brand-first events, paired with sideline plays and airport branding, led to unexpected revenue wins.  Isabelle gives the play-by-play on how startups can show up strong with limited budgets and purposeful sequencing. Plus:  Why pre-event planning is where ROI starts  How to audit your event calendar for strategic fit (not just attendance numbers)  What actually works for post-event follow-up, and what to skip  Why one big creative idea can carry you through a whole year of events  Tune in to steal what works and rethink how events drive brand and pipeline!  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/

🎉 Episode 450 is here—and the Drews are doubling up to help CMOs meet the moment. With marketers everywhere facing a "do more with less" mandate, Drew interviews… penguin hat-Drew to unveil 10 innovative strategies to boost impact without burning out. From digital twins to synthetic research, from YouTube Shorts to GenAI-engine-optimization, this episode is packed with ideas that CMO Huddles members are already exploring—and you should be too. 🧠 Expect tactical inspiration. A little penguin talk. And a lot of alliteration. 🧰 Topics include:   How to build your “digital double”   Leveraging synthetic research and deep research tools   The new rules of trust-based buying   AI-powered content workflows and smarter chatbots   Why you should care about LLM visibility and video virality 💡 All ten ideas come with expert references—many of whom will be at Super Huddle 2025. 🎧 Tune in. Take notes. Then pick 2–3 ideas to test this quarter. You’ll thank yourself later.  For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcasts/ To learn more about CMO Huddles, visit https://cmohuddles.com/