Afleveringen
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Holly Chen is the Managing Partner of ExponentialX, a Marketing and Growth Advisory Collective for high-growth SaaS startups, advising companies like Miro, Loom, ServiceNow, Appsflyer in their growth journeys. She also guest lectures at Berkeley and NYU, teaches at Section and Maven, mentors at First Round Capital, and is an active angel investor. Previously, Holly was the Global Head of Digital Marketing at Slack, helping it grow $100M to $700M ARR and going public. She was the Head of Growth at Google Store and Global Head of Google B2B Websites. Holly also worked at Gucci, Deloitte Consulting. Kearny and the UN. In her spare time, Holly runs Ceiling Breakers, a group coaching program for underrepresented leaders. Holly lives in San Francisco and speaks Italian and Chinese fluently.
Strategies for AI startups to differentiate, drive retention, and optimize pricingThe importance of strong branding and concrete use cases for AI market penetrationEvolving customer success models to maximize value in AI deploymentsTransitioning from sales-led to product-led growth and key considerationsThe rising role of influencer marketing in B2B and how to leverage it effectively
Discussed in this Episode:Highlights:
11:55 - Top 3 challenges facing AI startups today
14:33 - Differentiating in a crowded AI market
18:43 - Painting a concrete picture of AI use cases
21:42 - The importance of getting hyper-specific with AI applications
24:58 - Best practices for targeting personas and use cases
27:58 - Tackling the challenge of retention in AI startups
31:40 - Transitioning from B2C to B2B for better margins and retention
33:44 - The evolving role of customer success in AI companies
36:30 - Pricing strategies for AI: usage-based vs. seat-based
38:11 - Making pricing tangible by tying tokens to outcomes
43:54 - One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Holly thinks is bull$***.
46:33 - One thing that is working for Holly in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Holly Chen):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly/Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Brought to you by Demandbase. Demandbase helps B2B companies hit their revenue goals using fewer resources by using the power of AI to identify and engage the accounts and buying groups most likely to purchase. Their account-based technology unites sales and marketing teams around insights that you can understand and facilitates quick actions across systems and channels to deliver big wins. It’s flexible, scalable ABM built for you.
Sponsor:The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. -
Description:
Noah Marks is a transformative growth leader focused on building GTM engines and scaling organizations for sustainable growth. He has been in the strategy & operations world for the last decade (with Udemy, WalkMe, Okta and Salesforce), and has spent almost the entirely of his career in the B2B technology market (with the lone exception being a slight deviation into the world of M&A investment banking). Noah currently resides in the Bay Area with his wife, three kids and 3 dogs, and spends as much time as he can in the mountains - fishing, hiking and skiing.
Discussed in this Episode:
The emergence of the "generalist specialist" as a critical skill set in techFostering a culture of experimentation and ownership across the orgMust-have metrics for a CEO dashboard that provides true business insightsBalancing the pursuit of perfection vs speed in a high-growth environmentApplying an investment banker's lens to GTM strategy and operationsTactics for rapidly ramping in a new leadership role at an established companyBuilding strategic alignment and efficient communication across departmentsHighlights:
7:32 - Setting yourself up for success in a new executive role.
12:10 - Navigating the current economic challenges facing tech companies.
17:21 - The concept of a "generalist specialist" and how to empower teams to think that way.
28:02 - Noah's experience working in investment banking and the lessons he learned.
35:14 - How Noah keeps his teams honest when looking at data, even when it doesn't tell the desired story.
44:16 - Must-haves in a CEO/executive roll-up dashboard.
50:27 - One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Noah Marks thinks is bull$***.
52:13 - One thing that is working for Noah Marks in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Noah Marks):
Brought to you by Demandbase. Demandbase helps B2B companies hit their revenue goals using fewer resources by using the power of AI to identify and engage the accounts and buying groups most likely to purchase. Their account-based technology unites sales and marketing teams around insights that you can understand and facilitates quick actions across systems and channels to deliver big wins. It’s flexible, scalable ABM built for you.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noahmarks/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsor:The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. -
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Description:
Eric Gilpin is Chief Revenue Officer of G2, the world’s largest and most trusted software marketplace. In this role he oversees all aspects of G2's revenue generation, including global sales and customer success, enablement, partnerships, and revenue operations. An experienced leader with 20+ years of experience building and scaling large technology businesses, Eric joined G2 from Upwork, where he oversaw a global team of 400+ and helped lead the company to a successful IPO in 2018 (NASDAQ:UPWK) where the business scaled to north of $600 million in annual revenue in 2022 while serving 50% of the Fortune 500. Prior to his tenure at Upwork, Eric held a number of leadership roles at CareerBuilder, most recently as President of Vertical Sales. Eric also serves as a limited partner at the GTMfund investor network as well as an advisory board member at Sales Assembly. He’s been recognized as one of the Industry's top "40 under 40" by Staffing Industry Analysts in both 2017 and 2018 and as a Top 100 Global Sales Leaders in 2020 by The Modern Sale. Based in Chicago, Eric has a Masters of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business.Discussed in this Episode:
Strategies for earning the right to sell to enterprise customersHow to align product, marketing and sales to deliver customer outcomesThe importance of focus and ruthless prioritization in scaling a businessTactics for engaging C-level executives to cut through the noiseLessons learned from losing big deals and how to increase win ratesWhy being effective matters more than just being efficient in revenue orgsHow to develop business acumen in BDRs and SDRs to set them up for successHighlights:
Brought to you by Demandbase. Demandbase helps B2B companies hit their revenue goals using fewer resources by using the power of AI to identify and engage the accounts and buying groups most likely to purchase. Their account-based technology unites sales and marketing teams around insights that you can understand and facilitates quick actions across systems and channels to deliver big wins. It’s flexible, scalable ABM built for you.
4:15 - Eric's lengthy tenures at CareerBuilder and Upwork.
6:31 - Upwork's challenge of the status quo in hiring contract talent.
9:40 - How Eric chooses the right companies to work for.
14:09 - Challenges Upwork faced in breaking into the enterprise.
17:53 - An enterprise strategy is a company strategy, not just a sales strategy.
22:37 - How Eric coaches reps when pursuing sexy logos the company may not be ready for.
25:48 - Deep diving into a $13M enterprise deal at CareerBuilder that led to $100M more.
31:55 - Leadership lessons from managing a 400+ person team.
34:33 - Aligning multiple go-to-market motions across market segments.
37:00 - Listener question: Advice for improving enterprise win rates.
41:28 - One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Eric thinks is bull$***.
46:18 - One thing that is working for Eric in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Links (Eric Gilpin):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericgilpin/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsor:The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. -
Linda Lian is Co-Founder and CEO at Common Room, the all-in-one customer intelligence platform that automatically surfaces signals across 30+ channels, reveals the person and account behind the signal, and automates actions like email messaging and team alerts. Linda founded Common Room in 2020 to unlock siloed, previously untrackable signals to transform how organizations connect with people. Before Common Room, Linda led product marketing for serverless computing at Amazon Web Services, where she saw firsthand the impact connected data and person-level insights had on accelerating product adoption, earning new customers, and expanding account revenue.
The evolution of customer intelligence from intent data to signal-based selling.Why a modern go-to-market approach requires moving beyond legacy CRM systems.How Common Room unifies siloed data to enable a 360-degree view of the customer.Lessons learned from scaling innovative products and go-to-market motions at AWS.Strategies for recruiting exceptional talent and building a customer-centric culture.The power of cold outreach and persistence in finding the right co-founders.Tactics for capturing untapped revenue by leveraging existing customer signals.
Discussed in this Episode:Highlights:
Brought to you by Demandbase. Demandbase helps B2B companies hit their revenue goals using fewer resources by using the power of AI to identify and engage the accounts and buying groups most likely to purchase. Their account-based technology unites sales and marketing teams around insights that you can understand and facilitates quick actions across systems and channels to deliver big wins. It’s flexible, scalable ABM built for you.
4:36 - Linda's background and the story behind founding Common Room.
7:09 - The evolution of data collection and actionability in RevTech.
11:07 - Differences between intent data and signal-based selling.
14:38 - Is Salesforce's legacy architecture holding back the next evolution of RevTech?
21:12 - Linda's strategy for recruiting and retaining exceptional talent at Common Room.
24:25 - Transitioning from VC to operator: Linda's journey and lessons learned.
32:49 - Challenges faced and insights gained during Linda's time at AWS.
38:23 - The lightbulb moment that led Linda to found Common Room.
42:47 - Advice for solo founders on finding the right co-founders.
50:00 - One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Linda thinks is bull$***.
52:41 - One thing that is working for Linda in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Links (Linda Lian):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindamlian
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsor:The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. -
James Kaikis currently serves as the Head of Go-To-Market and Chief Solutions Officer at TestBox, an innovative company revolutionizing the way buyers interact with product demos. Before his tenure at TestBox, James co-founded the PreSales Collective with Yuji Higashi. Under their leadership, the community became a pivotal resource in the presales domain until its successful acquisition in November 2021. James also has a rich history in solution-oriented leadership roles at prominent companies including Salesforce and Showpad.
The power of presales in driving revenue growth and customer successStrategies for scaling a community-based business from zero to millionsThe future of B2B software demos and how TestBox is leading the chargeLessons learned from a successful startup exit in just 18 monthsInsights on go-to-market strategy, product-led growth, and customer-centricity
Discussed in this Episode:Highlights:
6:05 - Bootstrapping a community-based business to multi-million dollar revenue.
8:35 - Secrets behind PreSales Collective's rapid growth and successful exit.
11:05 - Transitioning from founder to Chief Solutions Officer at TestBox.
13:35 - The future of B2B software demos and TestBox's innovative approach.
18:35 - The untapped potential of presales in driving revenue growth.
21:05 - Balancing product-led growth with customer-centricity.
23:35 - Lessons learned from building, scaling, and exiting a successful startup.
28:35 - The importance of aligning presales, sales, and customer success.
31:05 - James' vision for the future of presales and B2B software demos.
33:35 - Advice for entrepreneurs and revenue leaders looking to drive growth.
45:05 - One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that James thinks is bull$***.
48:09 - One thing that is working for James in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Links (James Kaikis):
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameskaikis/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsors:
Brought to you by Pocus. Pocus turns data into revenue. Combine all product usage and intent signals your team needs to prioritize the best opportunities and take quick action. Pocus helps you build pipeline based on real buying signals, not your team’s best guess (whether it’s landing new logos or expanding existing ones). With Pocus, go-to-market teams at Asana, Canva, Miro, and Loom save 10+ hours a week digging through data to find and close deals with confidence. Create focus for your team with Pocus – see it in action by requesting a demo Pocus dot com slash demo. Brought to you by Synch. Synch is a single platform for all of your Sales & Sales Ops tooling. From using natural language to build dashboards that will make your RevOps lead jealous, to getting forecasting, pipeline management, and lead routing from a single vendor, Synch allows you to spend more time driving the business forward. For more information, head over to withsynch.com.The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. -
Daniel Ruiz has spent his career driving growth at high-velocity startups, serving as an early employee at multiple YC companies before co-founding Synch. As CEO, he has successfully raised funding from top investors like Haystack and Jack Altman in a challenging market. With Synch, Daniel is on a mission to streamline the go-to-market tech stack, helping revenue teams spend less time on sales ops and more time actually selling. He brings hard-won insights on leveraging investors, landing crucial first hires, and scaling with in-person sales. Most importantly, Daniel is a founder who leads from the front, always eager to hop on a plane to close a big deal.
The shifting landscape of bundling vs unbundling in the go-to-market tech stack.Key lessons and tactics from Daniel's successful fundraising process.Extracting maximum value from VCs by making specific requests and following up.Why in-person sales and remote work philosophies are crucial considerations for startups.The misguided belief that "outbound is dead" and what's working in outbound sales.How to find and land a critical first sales hire as an early-stage startup.The power of "fake travel plans" for accelerating growth through in-person sales.
Discussed in this Episode:
Highlights:
(04:10) - Bundling vs unbundling in the go-to-market tech stack.
(08:36) - Daniel's fundraising process and lessons learned.
(13:39) - Extracting value from investors.
(17:57) - Daniel's "lightbulb moment" on leveraging investors.
(21:10) - In-person meetings and building trust with investors.
(24:35) - Synch's in-person vs remote work philosophy.
(29:52) - When to let go of sales as a founder.
(32:48) - Finding the right first sales hire.
(36:52) - One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Daniel thinks is bull$***
(41:14) - One thing that is working for Daniel in go-to-market right now.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-ruiz-a73818aa/
Guest Speaker Links (Daniel Ruiz):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
Brought to you by Pocus. Pocus turns data into revenue. Combine all product usage and intent signals your team needs to prioritize the best opportunities and take quick action. Pocus helps you build pipeline based on real buying signals, not your team’s best guess (whether it’s landing new logos or expanding existing ones). With Pocus, go-to-market teams at Asana, Canva, Miro, and Loom save 10+ hours a week digging through data to find and close deals with confidence. Create focus for your team with Pocus – see it in action by requesting a demo Pocus dot com slash demo. Brought to you by Synch. Synch is a single platform for all of your Sales & Sales Ops tooling. From using natural language to build dashboards that will make your RevOps lead jealous, to getting forecasting, pipeline management, and lead routing from a single vendor, Synch allows you to spend more time driving the business forward. For more information, head over to withsynch.com
Sponsors:The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. -
Kyle Lacy spent the last 17 years building, scaling, failing, and winning in high-growth software. He is currently serving the Jellyfish team as their CMO, and before joining the Jellyfish ‘bloom’, He had the pleasure of building a company called Lessonly, employing over 230 people and changed the lives of many more after the acquisition. He has also been fortunate to lead teams at Seismic, OpenView, Salesforce, and ExactTarget. Most importantly, he is the father of two wonderful boys, an energetic dog, and one too many books on World War II.
Aligning marketing and sales is crucial for the success of a company, and marketers should focus on numbers and pipeline models from the early stages.Creativity in marketing should be balanced with alignment to sales goals and objectives.Building personal brands can be beneficial, but it's important to be mindful of what is shared on social media and how it may impact professional relationships.When choosing advisors, look for individuals with relevant experience in the stage and industry of your company.Curated dinners and high-quality content are effective strategies for building relationships and engaging prospects and customers.
Discussed in this Episode:
Highlights:
(04:37) The importance of pipeline models and numbers for early-stage companies.
(06:23) How Kyle gains equal footing with sales leaders
(08:01) Winning over individual sales reps
(09:57) Balancing proactive and reactive marketing
(11:45) The story of winning a 7-figure deal against an incumbent
(15:39) Using donor-choose gift cards in the sales process
(17:00) Converting prospects by asking for feedback and interviews
(18:18) Building a personal brand as a marketer
(21:27) A personal branding misstep that got Kyle in trouble
(24:30) What to look for when bringing on company advisors
(29:10) A widely held belief Kyle thinks is BS
(32:41) A marketing tactic that's working well now
(34:55) Using Lego sets in the sales process
(36:07) Roles Kyle is hiring for at Jellyfish
(31:12) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Kyle thinks is bull$***.
(34:51) One thing that is working for Kyle in go-to-market right now.
Brought to you by Pocus. Pocus turns data into revenue. Combine all product usage and intent signals your team needs to prioritize the best opportunities and take quick action. Pocus helps you build pipeline based on real buying signals, not your team’s best guess (whether it’s landing new logos or expanding existing ones). With Pocus, go-to-market teams at Asana, Canva, Miro, and Loom save 10+ hours a week digging through data to find and close deals with confidence. Create focus for your team with Pocus - see it in action by requesting a demo Pocus dot com slash demo. Brought to you by Synch. Synch is a single platform for all of your Sales & Sales Ops tooling. From using natural language to build dashboards that will make your Re
Guest Speaker Links (Kyle Lacy):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kylelacy/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsors:The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. -
Prior to founding AudiencePlus, Anthony Kennada served as the CMO of incredible companies like Hopin and Front. He was the founding CMO of Gainsight where he and his team are credited with creating the Customer Success category -- a novel business imperative, profession and software category that helps subscription companies grow sustainably by becoming customer obsessed. By focusing on human first community building, content marketing, live events and creative activations, they developed a new playbook for B2B marketing that built the Gainsight brand and fueled the company’s growth from $0 to $100M+ ARR, and eventual acquisition by Vista Equity at a $1.1B valuation.
Owned media is a crucial component of go-to-market strategies, allowing companies to build direct relationships with their audience.Transitioning from a product-first approach to a distribution-first approach can lead to more effective marketing and audience building.The future of media lies in guided journeys and providing value to networks through relevant and personalized content.Building an audience and collecting subscribers can lead to higher conversion rates and provide valuable first-party data for better attribution.It is important to connect brand messaging to the software or product being offered to ensure a cohesive and effective marketing strategy.
Discussed in this Episode:
Highlights:
(02:58) The Gainsight story: Creating a category and building a brand.
(05:46) The power of owned media in B2B marketing.
(17:51) The evolution of media: from content to software.
(20:41) The challenge of measuring media's impact on revenue.
(27:08) Learning from Gainsight: Successes and missteps.
(38:12) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Anthony thinks is bull$***.
(41:00) One thing that is working for Anthony in go-to-market right now.
Brought to you by Pocus. Pocus turns data into revenue. Combine all product usage and intent signals your team needs to prioritize the best opportunities and take quick action. Pocus helps you build pipeline based on real buying signals, not your team’s best guess (whether it’s landing new logos or expanding existing ones). With Pocus, go-to-market teams at Asana, Canva, Miro, and Loom save 10+ hours a week digging through data to find and close deals with confidence. Create focus for your team with Pocus - see it in action by requesting a demo Pocus dot com slash demo. Brought to you by Synch. Synch is a single platform for all of your Sales & Sales Ops tooling. From using natural language to build dashboards that will make your RevOps lead jealous, to getting forecasting, pipeline management, and lead routing from a single vendor, Synch allows you to spend more time driving the business forward. For more information, head over to withsynch.com.
Guest Speaker Links (Anthony Kennada):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/akennada/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsor:The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. -
Katrina Wong is the Divisional CMO / VP Marketing at Twilio Segment. She has a proven track record for launching products in new markets and helping companies move up to the Enterprise. She has also created award-winning integrated campaigns with data storytelling. Prior to Twilio Segment, Katrina worked at Zuora, Salesforce and SAP. She started her career as a management consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers. With over 15 years of marketing experience, Katrina is passionate about helping companies through stages of substantial growth including helping 6 companies exit successfully – from pre to post IPO as well as notable acquisitions.
Marketing plays a crucial role in preparing a company for a successful exit by building awareness, generating pipeline, and creating a compelling narrative.The ability to execute and operate day-to-day is essential for achieving results and improving performance.An operational mindset and execution excellence are key to the success of a company.Building cohesion within marketing teams and aligning on goals and strategies leads to better execution and business results.Hyper-specific messaging and an account-based marketing (ABM) strategy can break through the noise and make marketing efforts more relevant and effective.
Discussed in this Episode:
Highlights:
(05:54) Unlocking the secrets to successful startups and exits.
(08:19) Operational excellence: the key to startup success.
(13:38) Marketing's pivotal role in preparing for a successful exit.
(20:29) Narrowing down your ideal customer profile (ICP) without breaking the bank.
(22:49) A time machine trip: innovative program implementation at Salesforce.
(25:49) Unlocking potential: a leadership journey.
(27:33) Challenging the 'fire fast' mentality.
(32:35) The power of integrated marketing and team dynamics.
(35:26) Navigating company acquisitions: strategies for success.
(39:00) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Katrina thinks is bull$***.
(43:00) One thing that is working for Katrina in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Links (Katrina Wong):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/katrinawong11/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsor:
Today’s episode is sponsored by The ELG Conference, presented by Crossbeam and The ELG Alliance. The smartest companies are embracing Ecosystem-Led Growth, or ELG.Join us at the gorgeous Proper Hotel in Austin on May 15-16 and hear how the top SaaS companies are leveraging partner ecosystems in their GTM motions aka Ecosystem-Led Growth. Early-bird tickets expire next week.
What you'll get at ELG Con:
Case studies from companies like Datadog, Cloudera, and more.A chance to tour (and maybe even race on?) Austin's F1 track.Candid, off-the-record conversations — no recordings here.A highly curated group of 200 GTM leaders, 85% director level and above across Sales, Marketing, and Partnerships.Claim your tickets today, including a limited number of special two-for-the-price-of-one tickets.
The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. -
Bob Moore is Co-Founder and CEO of Crossbeam, an Ecosystem-Led Growth (ELG) platform that helps companies use their partner ecosystems to generate leads, close deals, and grow faster.
He previously co-founded the cloud data pipeline company Stitch (acquired by Talend in 2018) and business intelligence platform RJMetrics (acquired by Adobe by way of Magento Commerce in 2016). Prior to RJMetrics, Bob worked on the Investment Team of Insight Partners.
Bob is a proud Philadelphian, where he serves as a Trustee of The Franklin Institute. He has also previously served as the Board Chair of Philly Startup Leaders and Board Member of Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (PACT).
As a writer and speaker, Bob has appeared in The New York Times, Forbes, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Web Summit, TEDx, Business of Software, and many more. He guest lectures regularly at Princeton University and The Wharton School.
Ecosystem-led growth is about leveraging partnerships to make your go-to-market teams more successful. It involves creating a mesh of interconnected products and services that deliver a joint value proposition to customers.Product-market fit is not static, and both the product and the market need to constantly align. The SaaS industry is experiencing a transition from defense to offense, with leading indicators showing positive signs of growth.Lessons have been learned from previous market cycles, but the challenge lies in passing down this knowledge to future generations of founders and investors.The story of a $2.6 billion mistake that Bob made and lessons learned from it.
Discussed in this Episode:Highlights:
(7:40) Navigating the current SaaS landscape and macro trends.(12:26) Learning from the past: Market cycles and founder experiences.
(17:15) The future of M&A: Ecosystems and strategic partnerships.
(23:10) Diving into ecosystem-led growth (ELG).
(24:14) The misconceptions and realities of partnerships.
(27:41) Building initial partner relationships.
Guest Speaker Links (Bob Moore):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/robertjmoore/
Bob's book, Ecosystem-Led Growth: www.robertjmoore.com/book
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsor:
Today’s episode is sponsored by The ELG Conference, presented by Crossbeam and The ELG Alliance. The smartest companies are embracing Ecosystem-Led Growth, or ELG.Join us at the gorgeous Proper Hotel in Austin on May 15-16 and hear how the top SaaS companies are leveraging partner ecosystems in their GTM motions aka Ecosystem-Led Growth. Early-bird tickets expire next week.
What you'll get at ELG Con:
Case studies from companies like Datadog, Cloudera, and more.A chance to tour (and maybe even race on?) Austin's F1 track.Candid, off-the-record conversations — no recordings here.A highly curated group of 200 GTM leaders, 85% director level and above across Sales, Marketing, and Partnerships.Claim your tickets today, including a limited number of special two-for-the-price-of-one tickets.
The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. -
Stephen Hakami is the Founder and CEO of Wiza - the most accurate way to find verified contact information for B2B prospects. Stephen started the company in 2019 after a sales career of being frustrated with bad data, and set out to build a prospecting tool that's powered by live LinkedIn data.
The frustration with bad data and the inspiration behind building Wiza.The importance of email deliverability and strategies for improving it.The recent acquisition of Drift by Salesloft and the topic of consolidation in the sales tech stack.Stephen's journey from sales to CEO, highlighting the value of creative prospecting. The hardest lesson Stephen learned in sales.Effective tactics of cold email and deliverability.
Discussed in this Episode:Highlights:
(3:27) Strategies for email deliverability.(08:01) The journey from sales to entrepreneurship.
(11:06) Sales technology and the consolidation.
(20:41) Strategies for effective cold emails.
(25:49) Understanding your competitors.
(27:38) The importance of being a true consultant.
(28:32) Redefining your competitors.
(31:55) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Stephen thinks is bull$***.
(34:26) One thing that is working for Stephen/Wiza in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Links (Stephen Hakami):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-hakami-5babb21b0/
Website: www.wiza.co/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsor:
Today’s episode is sponsored by The ELG Conference, presented by Crossbeam and The ELG Alliance. The smartest companies are embracing Ecosystem-Led Growth, or ELG.Join us at the gorgeous Proper Hotel in Austin on May 15-16 and hear how the top SaaS companies are leveraging partner ecosystems in their GTM motions aka Ecosystem-Led Growth. Early-bird tickets expire next week.
What you'll get at ELG Con:
Case studies from companies like Datadog, Cloudera, and more.A chance to tour (and maybe even race on?) Austin's F1 track.Candid, off-the-record conversations — no recordings here.A highly curated group of 200 GTM leaders, 85% director level and above across Sales, Marketing, and Partnerships.Claim your tickets today, including a limited number of special two-for-the-price-of-one tickets.
The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. -
Amanda Cole serves as Chief Marketing Officer, leading the execution of the company’s marketing strategy to drive further business demand and brand awareness. Amanda is a passionate marketing professional with more than 15 years of experience in helping SaaS companies build impactful brands, communicate differentiated value, and grow high-performing marketing teams. She previously served as the company’s Senior Vice President of Global Marketing, having joined in January 2021 through the acquisition of Exponea. Prior to joining Exponea, Amanda served as Vice President, Demand Generation at Blueshift, a Customer Data Platform, and before that served as Vice President of Marketing, Americas and Global Programs at Basware, a financial software company.
The challenges of personalization in marketing and the role of AI in addressing these challenges. Insights on the future of AI in marketing and the importance of storytelling in building impactful brands.Personal journey lessons learned, emphasizing the value of mentorship and the power of vulnerability. Advice on navigating a company rebrand and challenges the belief that marketing generates pipeline. The importance of being a support function for revenue teams and the need for marketers to focus on storytelling and emotional connection.
Discussed in this Episode:Highlights:
(05:11) Challenges of personalization in marketing.(08:01) The role of AI in personalization.
(10:44) Regulations and ethical considerations of AI.
(16:04) The future of AI in marketing.
(19:32) Lessons from personal journey.
(23:09) Hiring and mentoring.
(28:21) Navigating a company rebrand.
(35:17) Shifting perspective on marketing's role.
(40:04) Challenging the belief that marketing generates pipeline.
(44:07) The power of storytelling in marketing.
(34:21) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Amanda thinks is bull$***.
(38:00) One thing that is working for Amanda in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Links (Amanda Cole):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/aelam/
Website: www.bloomreach.com/
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsor:
Today’s episode is sponsored by Flex, a finance super app built around a credit card with unique Net-60 day terms that enables businesses to make an investment today and pay it back 60 days later with zero percent interest. If your business growth is constrained by the cashflow you need for inventory, advertising, or something else, Flex could provide you with an interesting growth lever.The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. -
Helping founders with GTM Strategies and teaching sales reps how to earn the right to ask questions, which questions to ask, and when is the primary driver for Richard Harris. He brings 20+ years of experience, having done all the roles - SDR, AE, Manager, Director, VP of Sales, and Director of Sales Ops - to the table. His client list includes Zoom, Salesforce, Gainsight and 80+ SaaS start-ups. He is also the Co-Founder of Surf and Sales as well as the host of the Surf and Sales Podcast.
What You Will Learn:
Key strategies for handling sales negotiations, including preparing for negotiations with procurement departments, and delivering pricing effectively. Perspective on the future of AI in the sales industry.Common mistakes that Richard sees founders make and how to avoid them. The importance of sales coaching and role playing.Highlights:
(5:13) Unveiling Richard's book: The Seller's Journey.(10:51) The art of negotiation: engaging with procurement.
(19:52) Understanding pricing and commercial terms.
(21:47) The art of negotiation: offering discounts.
(25:31) The future of sales in the age of AI.
(31:26) Common mistakes founders make and how to avoid them.
(36:44) The importance of training and role playing in sales.
(34:55) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Richard thinks is bull$***.
(36:39) One thing that is working for Richard in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Links (Richard Harris):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rharris415/
Phone Number: 415-596-9149
Book: www.thesellersjourney.co/the-sellers-journey-free-preview
Book (Amazon): www.amazon.com/Sellers-Journey-Guidebook-N-T-ebook/dp/B0CV32BJ5K
Surf and Sales Podcast: www.surfandsales.com/the-surf-sales-podcast
Host Speaker Links (Scott Barker):
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsor:
Today’s episode is sponsored by Wiza. If you’ve used big-name prospecting tools before, you know that they all share one, massive problem: bad data. These tools are built on static databases, playing cat-and-mouse to keep up with job titles changes, employee turnover, and bouncing emails. As sales professionals and operators ourselves, we needed more. So, we built Wiza, the only prospecting platform that sources and verifies its data in real-time, the moment it’s requested, using LinkedIn as its source of truth.
Wiza offers an accuracy-obsessed B2B contact database with 99% coverage of LinkedIn profiles as well as a powerful Chrome extension that works on LinkedIn and with Sales Nav. If you’re struggling with inaccurate data from clunky database tools, try Wiza for free today at wiza.co - and see why 300,000+ GTM professionals trust it in their daily prospecting.The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. -
Alexa Grabell is the Co-Founder and CEO of Pocus. Pocus is mission control for your pipeline. Pocus brings together product usage and other intent signals (customer, community, marketing data) to surface top leads, enabling reps to act fast. Alexa’s passion for democratizing data for go-to-market teams began when she led sales strategy & operations at Dataminr, where she built internal solutions to power sales teams with data.
What You Will Learn:
The evolving landscape of go-to-market strategies, including the concept of Go-to-Market 5.0.The significance of shifting from traditional 'predictable revenue engines' to data-driven, personalized, and intention-focused go-to-market strategies to enhance sales effectiveness.The critical role that data plays in tailoring sales approaches, and how certain companies have successfully implemented these strategies to achieve remarkable growth.The importance of incorporating automation and artificial intelligence in sales processes to increase efficiency and relevance in customer interactions.Strategies for fostering a strong, values-based company culture that supports innovative go-to-market strategies and empowers decision-making grounded in both data and intuition.Insightful advice on the initial hiring of salespeople, emphasizing the need for alignment with the company's culture and go-to-market vision.Highlights:
(4:52) The story of how Alexa met her co-founder, Isaac, and the importance of picking the right co-founder.
(6:38) The concept of go-to-market 5.0, including jobs to be done.
(12:48) Examples of companies that are doing a good job of figuring out which signals they should care about and what the playbooks are from there that they should run.
(20:40) Getting to go-to-market fit and the importance of taking advice as a data point.
(26:00) Demanding excellence while fostering an enjoyable experience, and Pocus' company values and expectations.
(30:12) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Alexa thinks is bull$***.
(32:12) One thing that is working for Alexa in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Link:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/alexagrabell/
Blog Post: www.pocus.com/blog/building-your-signal-based-gtm-tech-stack
Host Speaker Links:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsor:
Today’s episode is sponsored by Wiza. If you’ve used big-name prospecting tools before, you know that they all share one, massive problem: bad data. These tools are built on static databases, playing cat-and-mouse to keep up with job titles changes, employee turnover, and bouncing emails. As sales professionals and operators ourselves, we needed more. So, we built Wiza, the only prospecting platform that sources and verifies its data in real-time, the moment it’s requested, using LinkedIn as its source of truth.
Wiza offers an accuracy-obsessed B2B contact database with 99% coverage of LinkedIn profiles as well as a powerful Chrome extension that works on LinkedIn and with Sales Nav. If you’re struggling with inaccurate data from clunky database tools, try Wiza for free today atThe GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. -
Andy Jolls is 25+ year executive with several years in CMO roles. As a full stack marketer, Andy has re-architected six brands and identities, and built three funnels from the ground up. He’s been a B2B leader in businesses from pre-revenue to $600MM. Andy co-Chairs the CMO group for Pavilion (6000+ GTM leaders) and is active in several marketing communities. He’s also a proud alum of Michigan and Northwestern. He began his ML/AI journey several years ago and has been working in Generative AI since August 2022. Currently, he operates his own consultancy helping leaders with marketing strategy and AI in GTM.
What You Will Learn:
Andy's entrance into machine learning and generative AI starting in 2018.Actionable use cases like localization/translation, SEO strategy development, analyzing CRM and other datasets.A framework for thinking about AI initiatives as quick wins, differentiated use cases, and transformational.Approaches for operationalizing AI learnings across go-to-market teams.Tactics individuals and startups can take to get started with generative AI tools.Highlights:
(3:44) Andy’s journey into machine learning and AI.
(6:08) Getting ChatGPT to write Andy's father's obituary.
(8:26) AI's impact on go-to-market, including Gartner's 3-stage framework: quick wins, differentiated use case, and transformational initiatives.
(14:25) Analysis paralysis and how founders can approach AI implementation.
(26:00) Overcoming adversity in business school.
(30:00) Tactical use cases for AI and examples of how Andy is leveraging it.
(40:26) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Andy thinks is bull$***.
(43:20) One thing that is working for Andy in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Link:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ajolls/
Host Speaker Links:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsor:
Today’s episode is sponsored by Flex, a finance super app built around a credit card with unique Net-60 day terms that enables businesses to make an investment today and pay it back 60 days later with zero percent interest. If your business growth is constrained by the cashflow you need for inventory, advertising, or something else, Flex could provide you with an interesting growth lever.The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. -
Amit Pande is CMO and EVP of Strategy at Aviso AI, a leading revenue intelligence platform. Previously, Amit led marketing efforts at startups like Tact AI (1st AI Assistant for Sales backed by AWS, Microsoft, and Salesforce), HP Inc (next-gen computing) and Spire AI (Human Capital SaaS). In a prior life, Amit also led product and UX teams at Yahoo and Oracle. Amit is a Stanford GSB alumnus and has served on its alumni board, and has also studied human-computer interaction and engineering at the University of Minnesota. He is a coffee loving techno-humanist, loves sci-fi and graphic novels, and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
What You Will Learn:
Challenges of entering crowded markets with large incumbents. Repositioning and reframing to differentiate from incumbents.Using events as a way to engage with customers and drive conversations.Building a successful marketing strategy with limited funding.Finding true north and surrounding oneself with inspiring ideas and people.Highlights:
(13:38) Changing narrative and playing field to differentiate from incumbents.
(21:12) Changing the playing field in a competitive market.
(22:15) Competitive strategies against industry giants.
(23:09) Strategies for hacking events to drive conversations.
(27:49) Building a winning marketing strategy with a small budget.
(35:57) Advice for startups entering a market with established incumbents.
(43:00) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Amit thinks is bull$***.
(45:45) One thing that is working for Amit in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Link:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/amitpande/
Host Speaker Links:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsor:
Today’s episode is sponsored by Flex, a finance super app built around a credit card with unique Net-60 day terms that enables businesses to make an investment today and pay it back 60 days later with zero percent interest. If your business growth is constrained by the cashflow you need for inventory, advertising, or something else, Flex could provide you with an interesting growth lever.The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. -
Max Altschuler is the Founder and General Partner of GTMfund, an early-stage fund focused on B2B SaaS startup backed by the world’s best tech GTM leaders.
Previously, he was the Founder and CEO of Sales Hacker, a global digital media company that he grew and successfully sold to Outreach in 2018. He then took over as VP of Marketing for rapidly growing Outreach. In 2023, Max acquired the company he once founded, SalesHacker, bringing it under the GTMfund umbrella and rebranding it as GTMnow.
Max has been published by Forbes, Inc., HBR, MIT Review, Time, Salesforce, and Nasdaq, and was named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices for Sales and Crunchbase’s 25 Sales Leaders to Follow. He is the author of three books and multiple Wiley publications, including bestselling books Hacking Sales and Career Hacking for Millennials.What You Will Learn:
A recap of GTMfund's in 2023, reflected upon by both Max and Scott. Max's 2024 predictions, from topics like remote work to the mergers and acquisitions. Identification of the major beneficiaries of the AI revolution.The changing landscape of VC and go-to-market.Highlights:
(00:33) GTMfund's recent team offsite in Scottsdale.
(02:18) Reflecting on GTMfund's 2023 year.
(04:30) Predictions for remote work in 2024.
(05:15) Impact of remote work on different roles.
(07:34) The future of offshoring.
(09:34) Acceleration of mergers and acquisitions.
(13:02) Which two companies Max predicts will be the first to IPO.
(16:15) The biggest winners of the AI revolution in 2024.
(20:34) The flight to quality in Venture Capital.Guest Speaker Link:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/maxaltschuler/
Website: www.gtmfund.com/
Host Speaker Links:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsor:
Common Room enables you to turn any buyer activity into pipeline. It ingests all of your product usage data, intent data, social activity, community conversations, and CRM insights to automatically surface high-intent leads and timely, relevant context so your sales reps can convert more customers and hit revenue targets faster. You can try it for free today, or book a demo to go deeper at www.commonroom.io.The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. -
Leena Joshi is Co-Founder & CEO of CloseFactor, a GTM strategy and execution platform that helps enterprise tech hone in on the exact right prospective customers and accelerates their conversion by helping your sales and marketing teams be contextually relevant to them.
She has led GTM teams at high scale B2B companies such as Splunk, VMware, Redis and has a unique perspective on the convergence of sales and marketing into an efficient, high performing GTM organization.
What You Will Learn:
The differences in go-to-market motions across different stages of organizations. The theme for the year is go-to-market convergence.Leena's experience finding the right go-to-market motion at CloseFactor. Creating an outbound motion through inbound tracking. How selling value is a tactic that is working for CloseFactor.Highlights:
(14:08) Maintaining focus on the ICP in the early days, including turning revenue down.
(23:13) The importance of curiosity and a beginner's mindset.
(25:38) Finding a leader who has your back.
(28:19) Building a top-down sales strategy while maintaining a bottoms-up approach.
(32:28) The importance of hiring the right salespeople and balancing long-term and short-term thinking in sales.
(32:56) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Leena thinks is bull$***.
(36:03) One thing that is working for Leena in go-to-market right now.
Guest Speaker Link:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ljoshi/
Website: www.closefactor.com/
Host Speaker Links:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsor:
Common Room enables you to turn any buyer activity into pipeline. It ingests all of your product usage data, intent data, social activity, community conversations, and CRM insights to automatically surface high-intent leads and timely, relevant context so your sales reps can convert more customers and hit revenue targets faster. You can try it for free today, or book a demo to go deeper at www.commonroom.io.The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. -
Mike Molinet is the Co-Founder of Branch (branch.io), where he was COO and President, leading the company to $100M in ARR. He oversaw all things GTM there, including G&A and Product. Now, he is the Co-Founder of Thena (thena.ai), a seed-stage startup backed by Lightspeed and First Round, where they're helping companies service and engage their customers in Slack. After taking Branch to $100M, he's doing it all over again, this time with a lot of learnings.
What You Will Learn:
The different micro-phases within each stage of growth (0-1M ARR, 1-10M ARR, etc) and how leaders need to level up and adapt through each one.Hiring the right roles at the right time - AES vs leaders.Maintaining an open and learning mindset even with growing success.Relinquishing control as you scale while still providing oversight.Balancing product requests from large customers vs your overall roadmap.Highlights:
(7:21) How your success comes from the people you hire and retain.
(9:10) Evolving through micro phases through rapid growth.
(15:50) Threading the needle on when to ask design partners for money in the early 0 to $1M stage.
(23:11) Heuristic framework of evaluation for taking on bespoke build requests.
(31:29) How hiring great people makes you feel excited to relinquish control.
(43:20) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Mike thinks is bull$***.Guest Speaker Link:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mikemolinet/
Website: www.thena.ai
Host Speaker Links:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsor:
Common Room enables you to turn any buyer activity into pipeline. It ingests all of your product usage data, intent data, social activity, community conversations, and CRM insights to automatically surface high-intent leads and timely, relevant context so your sales reps can convert more customers and hit revenue targets faster. You can try it for free today, or book a demo to go deeper at www.commonroom.io.The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. -
Eran Aloni is the Executive Vice President of Product Strategy and Ecosystem at Gong.
He has been a leader at Gong for eight years, previously holding titles of Chief Customer Officer and Chief Operating Officer.What You Will Learn:
Eran's career advice to younger go-to-market professionals. Two stages of AI advancements and which is more valuable. The role that data sets have in AI progressions. How to continuously solicit team feedback to level up as a leader.Highlights:
(6:55) How AI solutions are still only scratching the surface in terms of driving deep, strategic value for customers.
(10:00) The competitive advantage players have with their access to rich, proprietary data sets to train AI.
(18:12) Eran's biggest personal surprise from growing with Gong has been constantly challenging himself to develop new skills as the company scales.
(23:15) A story about early feedback Eran received as a young leader and how it shaped his future leadership.
(28:19) Why having core operating principles permeate through all levels of an organization builds trust.
(34:03) One thing revenue leaders believe to be true that Eran thinks is bull$***.
(37:22) One thing that is working for Eran in go-to-market right now.Guest Speaker Link:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/eranaloni/
Host Speaker Links:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/
Newsletter: thegtmnewsletter.substack.com/
Sponsor:
Common Room enables you to turn any buyer activity into pipeline. It ingests all of your product usage data, intent data, social activity, community conversations, and CRM insights to automatically surface high-intent leads and timely, relevant context so your sales reps can convert more customers and hit revenue targets faster. You can try it for free today, or book a demo to go deeper at www.commonroom.io.The GTM Podcast
Don’t miss The GTM Podcast dropping every Tuesday discussing true stories and experiences including trials and tribulations in the Go-To-Market world. - Laat meer zien
