We’re wrapping up Season 9 of the B2BMX Podcast today, with a very special replay from our friends at Forrester. During the B2B Sales & Marketing Exchange, Principal Analyst John Arnold took the keynote stage to share how B2B organizations can turbocharge their growth engines in today's economy. It’s no secret that 2023 was a rough year for B2B marketing and sales professionals, and these struggles may or may not have bled into 2024. Layoffs, budget cuts and a heavy “do more with less” mentality — not to mention changing buyer behaviors, economic uncertainty and fierce competition — had marketers heads spinning. But according to Arnold, a better revenue engine won’t be enough to grow your B2B organization. In this episode, Arnold will outline three ways B2B orgs can fuel growth in economic downturn, including: Focusing on the value realization gap; Aligning the right teams around buyer value; and The effective adoption of emerging technology. Tune in to learn how to get your revenue engine fueled up and running smoothly. Be sure to catch up on all the episodes from Season 9 before we kick off Season 10 later this year! RELATED LINKS: Learn more about John Arnold here. Learn more about Forrester here. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Register for the B2B Marketing Exchange in Scottsdale, Ariz. (It's not too late!)

We're just days away from the 2024 B2B Marketing Exchange and the team is buzzing around to put the icing on the event planning cake. To get our B2B community hyped for the event, co-host Klaudia Tirico chatted with a first-time speaker and new member of the B2BMX family Kate DiLeo. Kate is a brand strategist, consulting, speaker and all around super woman who has built the ultimate formula for building a winning brand pitch. She believes that "brand is the path of least resistance to revenue" and works with companies to create a brand that positively impacts the bottom line. In this special B2BMX preview episode, Klaudia and Kate chat about all things — you guessed it — BRAND! Specifically, they discuss the ins and outs of Kate's "Brand Trifecta," a specific set of statements that are key to a brand pitch. Other topics of discussion include: The brand versus demand debate; How marketers can strike the right balance between brand and demand and what it takes from the brand side; The criteria for a solid brand team; Why it's not a sales and marketing issue, but a brand issue; and Sneak peeks into Kate's upcoming Workshop and Breakout session at B2BMX! RELATED LINKS: Learn more about Kate DiLeo here. Get your copy of Kate's book "Muting The Megaphone" here. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Register for the B2B Marketing Exchange in Scottsdale, Ariz. (It's not too late!)

Customer expectations are constantly evolving and that means, no matter what your title or job description is, it's critical to view business problems through a customer lens to ensure your buyers and customers remember your organization as one that makes an impact. This week's episode of the B2BMX Podcast is all about customer experience, and co-host Kelly Lindenau sat down with the experience maker himself, Dan Gingiss, to pick his brain on how he helps companies create remarkable experiences that fuel word-of-mouth marketing and beyond. Gingiss will be taking the keynote stage at the B2B Marketing Exchange in Scottsdale, Ariz. in just a few weeks to educate the audience on how they can become experience makers in their own right. There's no one more fitting to talk about customer experience than Gingiss. He is an international keynote speaker and business coach with 20 years of experience in customer experience, marketing, social media and customer service. He held leadership positions at McDonald’s, Discover and Humana, and authored two books ("The Experience Maker: How To Create Remarkable Experiences That Your Customers Can’t Wait To Share" and "Winning at Social Customer Care: How Top Brands Create Engaging Experiences on Social Media"). He was also the co-host of the award-winning “Experience This!” podcast. Tune into this lively conversation to get a sneak peek into Gingiss' keynote at B2BMX and learn more about: How to be the experience maker at your organization; The evolution of customer expectations and what it means for marketers; How customer experience varies for B2B and B2C audience, and where the lines blur; Which aspects of customer experience are overrated; and Much more! RELATED LINKS: Learn more about Dan Gingiss here. Get your copy of Gingiss’ book “The Experience Maker: How To Create Remarkable Experiences That Your Customers Can’t Wait To Share.” Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Register for the B2B Marketing Exchange in Scottsdale, Ariz. (It's not too late!)

Let’s face it, your B2B company is not really a household name…yet. Unlike, say, Doritos, your logo likely wouldn’t get recognized if it came without the title of your company; and that’s OK! But according to MNTN’s VP of Marketing Ali Haeri and Pluralsight’s Sr. Director of Marketing Koji Takagi, doubling down and digging deeper into your lower funnel strategies won’t cut it (and burn budgets). Long story short: We can do better. During this candid fireside chat at the 2023 B2B Sales & Marketing Exchange, Haeri and Takagi shared their perspective on how to better generate demand, reach your addressable market and focus on understanding the incentives and objectives of the entire go-to-market team. More hot takes include how to: Attract qualified hand raisers with demand efforts; Identify characteristics of audiences across channels; Fit retargeting into the bigger picture of your marketing strategy; Use Connected TV in your targeting and retargeting efforts; and Get internal teams to care about brand building. Haeri and Takagi did not hold back during this conversation. Tune in now to get their contrarian take on lower funnel B2B marketing. RELATED LINKS: Learn more about Pluralsight here. Get the scoop on all things Connected TV here. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Register for the B2B Marketing Exchange in Scottsdale, Ariz. (It's not too late!)

The challenges of sales and marketing alignment are a tale as old as time. While research shows the gap is closing, many organizations have yet to master the art of cross-organizational alignment and collaboration. But what if we told you there are a few simple things you can do to work in better harmony with your fellow customer-focused marketers, sales reps and everyone in between? During an interview on the show floor of the 2023 B2B Sales & Marketing Exchange in Boston, Mass., host Kelly Lindenau sat down with Courtney Beasley, a long-time B2B marketer and Founder of cobe marketing, a Fractional CMO provider for B2B companies and startups, to pick her brain on sales and marketing alignment, as well as ABM and the intersection of the two. Beasley is a longtime member of the Demand Gen Report and B2BMX community with a solid resume of VP and C-level marketing roles under her belt at companies such as Walker Sands, United Way of Greenville County and FUEL for brands. She brings 15 years of experience helping companies develop a brand that resonates and fuels customer interest. During the interview, Beasley shares: How there is often a break in trust and communication patterns, resulting in poor alignment across organizations; Why the first thing to fix is the "relationship building" aspect of alignment; Why there is no better way to align items than through ABM; The key characteristics of successful ABM programs; How to identify and define the right ABM strategy for your organization; and Much more. Tune into this candid and fun interview to get quick and easy tips toward true alignment. RELATED LINKS: Learn more about Courtney Beasley and cobe marketing here. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Register for the B2B Marketing Exchange in Scottsdale, Ariz. (It's not too late!)

It’s a turbulent time to be a CRO: Revenue leaders are tasked with uncovering new revenue opportunities and confronting the realities of implementing these strategies in today's competitive market. With that in mind, it’s vital to have valuable insights and practical tips for finding success. This session replay from the B2B Sales & Marketing Exchange shares insights from the best in B2B, which includes an esteemed panel from companies such as OutSystems, TechnologyAdvice and Pickit. The speakers tackled tons of CRO and revenue-facing priorities and challenges, such as: Tools and tactics to better engage buyers; The critical role of data and insights in understanding buying behaviors and patterns; The importance of people and processes behind the technology tools; and Steps to improve pipeline performance at critical stages. Tune in now to learn tips, tricks and receive advice from CRO experts! RELATED LINKS Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Register now for the B2B Marketing Exchange!

The Women in Revenue movement is a powerful initiative to unite dynamic women from various B2B industries who play vital roles in revenue generation. The platform serves as a beacon, illuminating the significant contributions of women in B2B and empowering them to reach new heights. In this interview on the show floor of last year’s B2B Sales & Marketing Exchange, hosts Klaudia and Kelly chat with Hana Jacover, a Leadership Coach and Board Member of Women in Revenue. They share experiences and tips to help allies learn from one another in our journey toward creating a more balanced and fair business landscape. Tune in to learn about: The top challenges facing women in revenue roles; How allies can help by understanding the issues, being mentors in a partnership approach, and speaking up about important issues like pay equity; and The new Speakers Bureau initiative from Women in Revenue, which aims to get more women's voices and stories heard through speaking opportunities. RELATED LINKS Connect with Hana here! Learn more about the Women In Revenue Speakers Bureau here. Listen to Hana’s presentation here. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Register now for the B2B Marketing Exchange!

As the “quiet quitting” discussion continues across a variety of industries, brands are rethinking how they manage their human resources. Prioritizing well-being can enhance performance and discover practical strategies to achieve peak productivity without sacrificing mental and physical health. Let’s kick off the New Year right by listening back to a wonderful session presented by Hana Jacover, a Leadership Coach and former Director of Demand Generation at MadKudu. The session encouraged attendees to experiment with different techniques and build customized protocols for employees’ and their own brain, body and energy levels. Some of the key points she discussed included: Prioritizing tasks using frameworks like the Eisenhower matrix; Tracking time to improve estimates and accountability; Leveraging brainwave states for different mental tasks; Incorporating breaks according to ultradian rhythms; and Auditing energy usage to improve boundaries. RELATED LINKS Connect with Hana here! Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Register now for the B2B Marketing Exchange!

Every step of the marketing journey presents unique obstacles and opportunities, whether it’s building brand awareness or generating high-quality leads. With those challenges in mind, the biggest concern for marketers is how they can overcome those difficulties to grow and scale their company at the same time. The latest episode of the B2BMX Podcast highlights a great discussion from the B2B Sales & Marketing Exchange show floor between Nirosha Methananda, Chief Marketing Maven of Sati Marketing, and hosts Klaudia Tirico and Kelly Lindenau. Throughout the discussion, the trio chatted with Methananda about scaling a B2B marketing program for company growth. Specifically, they touched upon: The importance of understanding the business’s needs and key stakeholders’ priorities to align marketing strategy; How to select marketing technologies based on a company’s maturity; Why early-stage companies should focus on functions like brand, demand generation and product marketing; and How to communicate the value and impact of marketing through the right metrics and storytelling to different audiences. RELATED LINKS Connect with Nirosha here! Learn more about Sati Marketing. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Register now for the B2B Marketing Exchange!

In today’s episode, Hosts Klaudia Tirico and Kelly Lindenau roll the tape of a B2B Sales & Marketing Exchange session hosted by Nirosha Methananda, former Head of Marketing for companies like Influ2 and Bombora and now the Chief Marketing Maven for Sati Marketing. The presentation explored key strategies and insights from industry experts that empowers listeners to take their B2B marketing to new heights. Methanada highlighted the importance of having a marketing strategy that aligns with business goals and even helps marketers understand how to get buy-in from other departments. She also touched on how to prioritize building different marketing functions and shared some tips on how to build a marketing team. Specifically, she outlined: Factors to consider when selecting marketing technology and tools, such as needs, resources and ability to scale; The importance of measuring marketing metrics that are relevant to business goals like ROI and driving recurring revenue; and How to connect every marketing role and program to ROI to demonstrate value. RELATED LINKS Connect with Nirosha here! Learn more about Sati Marketing. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Register now for the B2B Marketing Exchange!

Marketers are constantly looking out for ways to scale their efforts and achieve more with less. However, this is challenging in today's saturated market, where consumers are bombarded with messages from all directions. In today’s episode, Hosts Klaudia Tirico and Kelly Lindenau replay a session hosted by Elle Woulfe, SVP of Global Marketing at Formstack. Throughout her presentation, Woulfe uncovered how practitioners can skillfully navigate the hurdles of rapid marketing transformation, even with limited resources. With an ingenious squad structure and a sharp focus on marketing objectives, she unveiled the secrets behind Formstack's impressive growth across all the company’s KPIs. Tune in to learn about how: Breaking teams into focused squads focused on specific metrics helps organize work and create accountability; Standardizing processes and collapsing duplicate efforts extracts more value from existing work; Synchronizing communication and keeping work visible help smaller teams work efficiently together; and Verticalizing marketing efforts where the business sees success can help double down on wins. RELATED LINKS Connect with Elle here! Learn more about Formstack. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Register now for the B2B Marketing Exchange!

Marketers might not know it, but their segmentation and persona strategies might be hurting them. The urgency of customer needs should drive segmentation strategies, but most companies take a flawed, inside-out approach that obscures accurate signals in buyer behavior. In today’s episode, Hosts Klaudia Tirico and Kelly Lindenau replay Neil Baron’s session from the B2B Sales & Marketing Exchange. As Managing Director of Baron Strategic Partners and a contributor to Harvard Business Review, Baron shares hard-won lessons and stories from his experiences working with top companies on their segmentation and persona strategies. Throughout his session, he revealed common pitfalls in customer segmentation that stifle revenue growth while providing his proven framework to segment and target customers more effectively. Tune in to learn about: Baron’s personal experience with poor B2B market segmentation and its consequences; Marketing and sales strategies for addressing urgent buyer needs; and Effective segmentation strategies that put customer expectations first. RELATED LINKS Connect with Neil here! Read Neil’s work in Harvard Business Review. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Register now for the B2B Marketing Exchange!

Standing out from the crowd is essential in B2B marketing, but it’s difficult to truly connect with customers on a deeper level. By harnessing the power of storytelling and crafting compelling narratives, marketers can create memorable and relatable moments with lasting impact on their target audience. In this episode of the B2B Marketing Exchange Podcast, Host Kelly Lindenau interviews Jeanne Kirby, VP of Marketing at full service marketing and communications agency Inviso Corporation, from the show floor at #B2BSMX. The pair explore the art of crafting compelling stories and discover how it can help B2B marketers forge stronger connections with their customers. Tune in to learn: Why you should prioritize storytelling; How to stay close to customers through your content creation; and Where AI fits into the grand scheme of creating compelling stories. RELATED LINKS Connect with Jeanne here! Learn more about Inviso Corporation. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Register now for the B2B Marketing Exchange!

In a world filled with endless content and fleeting attention spans, captivating your audience has become more challenging than ever. But fear not, for AI is here to revolutionize the way we approach storytelling in marketing. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies, AI can unlock a world of creativity, personalization and immersive experiences that will captivate your audience like never before. During this episode, we’re listening back to a session presented by Jeanne Kirby, VP of full service marketing and communications agency Inviso Corporation. She discussed how stories are more memorable than facts and statistics, and how AI can help you find the right stories to tell. Tune in to: Hear examples of how telling stories about personal experiences or customers can help form connections; Get tips for how to craft effective marketing stories, such as finding a relatable hook, using video and AI, keeping the message simple and evoking emotions; and Learn why storytelling is a powerful way for businesses to engage customers and generate sales. RELATED LINKS Connect with Jeanne here! Learn more about Inviso. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter! Register now for the B2B Marketing Exchange!

In the keynote session at the 2023 B2B Sales & Marketing Exchange this past August, industry thought leader and author Roderick Jefferson dove into the profound significance of consistency, collaboration and success, emphasizing their role in driving business growth and customer satisfaction. During this episode, we’re going back to Boston to listen in on Roderick’s session. Throughout his presentation, he showed attendees how they can embark on a journey to unlock the true potential of sales enablement and revolutionize their organization's approach to sales. Tune in to learn how to: Personalize the customer experience by focusing on helping customers rather than just selling; Use AI to improve processes like lead scoring, content generation and role playing; Measure outcomes and high-value activities rather than just activities; Align business functions by bringing them together regularly to ensure everyone is on the same page; Continually iterate sales processes, playbooks and strategies based on customer feedback; and Speak the language of each business function to partner with them effectively. RELATED LINKS Connect with Roderick here! Learn more about Roderick Jefferson. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter! Register now for the B2B Marketing Exchange!

Innovation has always been a game-changer in the marketing world, constantly shaping and reshaping strategies to stay ahead of the curve. But what happens when things get a little weird in the economy? How do marketing leaders deal with the unexpected and find new opportunities in unusual circumstances? During this episode of the #B2BMX podcast, we’re going back to Scottsdale to revisit a keynote session presented by Ali Haeri, SVP of Marketing at the Connected TV advertising platform company MNTN. Ali shared terrific insights into what the company believes innovation looks like in marketing during a weird economic moment and what it means for those at the top of the marketing game. Tune in to learn: Why innovation beats technology in marketing, and the best marketing ideas are low-tech; How this innovation enables companies to “cut through the noise” in the marketplace; What it means to play the “long game” with your content; What channels benefit from these innovations, like TV and social media. RELATED LINKS Connect with Ali here! Learn more about MNTN. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter!

As the world shifts and adapts to new ways of living and working, so are B2B buyers! Sellers must adjust their tactics to meet new demands. People don't want to be sold to anymore — they already have access to a lot of information and are looking for confirmation to buy or not from your company. It's like buying a car, people hate the experience because they feel like they'll be sold something that costs more than they want to spend and with a poor ROI. During this episode of the #B2BMX podcast, our host Klaudia Tirico chats with Roderick Jefferson, a Sales Coach for Growth Companies and author of “Sales Enablement 3.0.” The pair discuss the difference between sales enablement and sales training and talk shop about how sales teams can break the mold and build better relationships with prospective clients. Tune in to learn: The importance of enablement in onboarding; How to adapt onboarding for different generations; The concept of “ever-boarding” and how it can impact your sales team; Tailoring Assessment, Management and Learning Management Systems to the company's maturation cycle; and How to move beyond smiley sheets and attendance reports with your sales enablement efforts. Plus, get a sneak peek into Roderick’s upcoming keynote at the B2B Sales & Marketing Exchange! RELATED LINKS Connect with Roderick here! Check out Roderick’s book here. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter! Check out the agenda and register for B2BSMX 2023 — use code PODCAST25 at checkout and receive 25% off your ticket!

When it comes to closing deals, there's no one better at it than the CIA. They are experts in the art of persuasion and building long-lasting relationships with clients — skills that are just as crucial in the world of B2B sales. During this episode of the #B2BMX podcast, we're returning to a fantastic session hosted by Jeremy Hurewitz, creator of the Sell Like A Spy program. He's a pro at using spy tradecraft and applying it specifically to B2B marketing and sales practices. Hurewitz draws parallels between the day-to-day work of CIA officers and the responsibilities of BDRs and account managers. He takes listeners on a journey through the unique psychological skills that spies use to make sales and build lasting relationships with clients. Tune in to learn: What it means to “sell like a spy;” The real challenges of getting to know your prospect; How vulnerability cultivates intimacy and humanity breeds credibility; and How to learn about people without asking them a question! RELATED LINKS Connect with Jeremy here! Learn more about Sell Like A Spy. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter! Check out the agenda and register for B2BSMX 2023 — use code PODCAST25 at checkout and receive 25% off your ticket!

In the fast-paced business world, companies are always looking for smarter ways to align sales and marketing teams to achieve shared goals and objectives. It's no easy feat, but luckily, companies can see success when they use artificial intelligence (AI) effectively. By leveraging AI tools, practitioners can streamline this alignment process, making it more efficient and effective than ever! During this episode of the #B2BMX podcast, Host Klaudia Tirico chats with Dani Buckley, VP, and General Manager at the sales performance agency LeadG2. The pair discuss how AI is used in marketing and sales alignment and its benefits to businesses. Tune in to learn: The true role marketing plays in successfully enabling sales teams to sell smarter and faster; Tips and tricks for keeping your teams aligned; What are the key components of making a sales play and why they’re essential; Best practices for our audience to use when building a sales play to ensure it’s strategic, valuable and practical; and Why it is so important for sales to have a framework to work from! RELATED LINKS Connect with Dani here! Learn more about LeadG2. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter! Check out the agenda and register for B2BSMX 2023 — use code PODCAST25 at checkout and receive 25% off your ticket!

In today's crowded and ever-evolving market, marketers are increasingly working to create content that stands out. However, the key to success lies in going beyond the norm and telling bigger stories that break the sea of sameness. This was the take-home message from a session presented by the one-and-only Jay Baer at the 2023 B2B Marketing Exchange. He encouraged attendees to give themselves, and their teams, permission to find their edge and go-to-market in new, innovative ways. During this episode of the #B2BMX podcast, we listen to Jay’s session to learn more about the importance of passion when creating content and marketing efforts that delight customers. If marketers are passionate about what they make, everyone else will embrace it, too! Tune in to learn: Whether it’s truly possible to “do more with less”; Why bravery is currently in short supply in the B2B market; Why time-to-win is more important than your pricing model; and Tips and best practices to create impactful and bold customer experiences. RELATED LINKS Connect with Jay here! Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter! Check out the agenda and register for B2BSMX 2023 — use code PODCAST25 at checkout and receive 25% off your ticket!