FutureCraft GTM

Why Customer Success Can't Be Automated (And What AI Can Actually Do) In this special year-end episode of the FutureCraft GTM Podcast, hosts Ken Roden and Erin Mills sit down with Amanda Berger, Chief Customer Officer at Employ, to tackle the biggest question facing CS leaders in December 2026: What can AI actually do in customer success, and where do humans remain irreplaceable? Amanda brings 20+ years at the intersection of data and human decision-making—from AI-powered e-commerce personalization at Rich Relevance, to human-led security at HackerOne, to now implementing AI companions for recruiters. Her journey is a masterclass in understanding where the machine ends and the human begins. This conversation delivers hard truths about metrics, change management, and the future of CS roles—plus Amanda's controversial take that "if you don't use AI, AI will take your job." Unpacking the Human vs. Machine Balance in Customer Success Amanda returns with a reality check: AI doesn't understand business outcomes or motivation—humans do. She reveals how her career evolved from philosophy major studying "man versus machine" to implementing AI across radically different contexts (e-commerce, security, recruiting), giving her unique pattern recognition about what AI can genuinely do versus where it consistently fails. The Lagging Indicator Problem: Why NRR, churn, and NPS tell you what already happened (6 months ago) instead of what you can influence. Amanda makes the case for verified outcomes, leading indicators, and real-time CSAT at decision points. The 70% Rule for CS in Sales: Why most churn starts during implementation, not at renewal—and exactly when to bring CS into the deal to prevent it (technical win stage/vendor of choice). Segmentation ≠ Personalization: The jumpsuit story that proves AI is still just sophisticated bucketing, even with all the advances in 2026. True personalization requires understanding context, motivation, and individual goals. The Delegation Framework: Don't ask "what can AI do?" Ask "what parts of my job do I hate?" Delegate the tedious (formatting reports, repetitive emails, data analysis) so humans can focus on what makes them irreplaceable. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and AI Updates from Ken & Erin 01:28 - Welcoming Amanda Berger: From Philosophy to Customer Success 03:58 - The Man vs. Machine Question: Where AI Ends and Humans Begin 06:30 - The Jumpsuit Story: Why AI Personalization Is Still Segmentation 09:06 - Why NRR Is a Lagging Indicator (And What to Measure Instead) 12:20 - CSAT as the Most Underrated CS Metric 17:34 - The $4M Vulnerability: House Security Analogy for Attribution 21:15 - Bringing CS Into Sales at 70% Probability (The Non-Negotiable) 25:31 - Getting Customers to Actually Tell You Their Goals 28:21 - AI Companions at Employ: The Recruiting Reality Check 32:50 - The Delegation Mindset: What Parts of Your Job Do You Hate? 36:40 - Making the Case for Humans in an AI-First World 40:15 - The Framework: When to Use Digital vs. Human Touch 43:10 - The 8-Hour Workflow Reduced to 30 Minutes (Real ROI Examples) 45:30 - By 2027: The Hardest CX Role to Hire 47:49 - Lightning Round: Summarization, Implementation, Data Themes 51:09 - Wrap-Up and Key Takeaways Edited Transcript Introduction: Where Does the Machine End and Where Does the Human Begin? Erin Mills: Your career reads like a roadmap of enterprise AI evolution—from AI-powered e-commerce personalization at Rich Relevance, to human-powered collective intelligence at HackerOne, and now augmented recruiting at Employ. This doesn't feel random—it feels intentional. How has this journey shaped your philosophy on where AI belongs in customer experience? Amanda Berger: It goes back even further than that. I started my career in the late '90s in what was first called decision support, then business intelligence. All of this is really just data and how data helps humans make decisions. What's evolved through my career is how quickly we can access data and how spoon-fed those decisions are. Back then, you had to drill around looking for a needle in a haystack. Now, does that needle just pop out at you so you can make decisions based on it? I got bit by the data bug early on, realizing that information is abundant—and it becomes more abundant as the years go on. The way we access that information is the difference between making good business decisions and poor business decisions. In customer success, you realize it's really just about humans helping humans be successful. That convergence of "where's the data, where's the human" has been central to my career. The Jumpsuit Story: Why AI Personalization Is Still Just Segmentation Ken Roden: Back in 2019, you talked about being excited for AI to become truly personal—not segment-based. Flash forward to December 2026. How close are we to actual personalization? Amanda Berger: I don't think we're that close. I'll give you an example. A friend suggested I ask ChatGPT whether I should buy a jumpsuit. So I sent ChatGPT a picture and my measurements. I'm 5'2". ChatGPT's answer? "If you buy it, you should have it tailored." That's segmentation, not personalization. "You're short, so here's an answer for short people." Back in 2019, I was working on e-commerce personalization. If you searched for "black sweater" and I searched for "black sweater," we'd get different results—men's vs. women's. We called it personalization, but it was really segmentation. Fast forward to now. We have exponentially more data and better models, but we're still segmenting and calling it personalization. AI makes segmentation faster and more accessible, but it's still segmentation. Erin Mills: But did you get the jumpsuit? Amanda Berger: (laughs) No, I did not get the jumpsuit. But maybe I will. The Philosophy Degree That Predicted the Future Erin Mills: You started as a philosophy major taking "man versus machine" courses. What would your college self say? And did philosophy prepare you in ways a business degree wouldn't have? Amanda Berger: I actually love my philosophy degree because it really taught me to critically think about issues like this. I don't think I would have known back then that I was thinking about "where does the machine end and where does the human begin"—and that this was going to have so many applicable decision points throughout my career. What you're really learning in philosophy is logical thought process. If this happens, then this. And that's fundamentally the foundation for AI. "If you're short, you should get your outfit tailored." "If you have a customer with predictive churn indicators, you should contact that customer." It's enabling that logical thinking at scale. The Metrics That Actually Matter: Leading vs. Lagging Indicators Erin Mills: You've called NRR, churn rate, and NPS "lagging indicators." That's going to ruffle boardroom feathers. Make the case—what's broken, and what should we replace it with? Amanda Berger: By the time a customer churns or tells you they're gonna churn, it's too late. The best thing you can do is offer them a crazy discount. And when you're doing that, you've already kind of lost. What CS teams really need to be focused on is delivering value. If you deliver value—we all have so many competing things to do—if a SaaS tool is delivering value, you're probably not going to question it. If there's a question about value, then you start introducing lower price or competitors. And especially in enterprise, customers decide way, way before they tell you whether they're gonna pull the technology out. You usually miss the signs. So you've gotta look at leading indicators. What are the signs? And they're different everywhere I've gone. I've worked for companies where if there's a lot of engagement with support, that's a sign customers really care and are trying to make the technology work—it's a good sign, churn risk is low. Other companies I've worked at, when customers are heavily engaged with support, they're frustrated and it's not working—churn risk is high. You've got to do the work to figure out what those churn indicators are and how they factor into leading indicators: Are they achieving verified outcomes? Are they healthy? Are there early risk warnings? CSAT: The Most Underrated Metric Ken Roden: You're passionate about customer satisfaction as a score because it's granular and actionable. Can you share a time where CSAT drove a change and produced a measurable business result? Amanda Berger: I spent a lot of my career in security. And that's tough for attribution. In e-commerce, attribution is clear: Person saw recommendations, put them in cart, bought them. In hiring, their time-to-fill is faster—pretty clear. But in security, it's less clear. I love this example: We all live in houses, right? None of our houses got broken into last night. You don't go to work saying, "I had such a good night because my house didn't get broken into." You just expect that. And when your house didn't get broken into, you don't know what to attribute that to. Was it the locked doors? Alarm system? Dog? Safe neighborhood? That's true with security in general. You have to really think through attribution. Getting that feedback is really important. In surveys we've done, we've gotten actionable feedback. Somebody was able to detect a vulnerability, and we later realized it could have been tied to something that would have cost $4 million to settle. That's the kind of feedback you don't get without really digging around for it. And once you get that once, you're able to tie attribution to other things. Bringing CS Into the Sales Cycle: The 70% Rule Erin Mills: You're a religious believer in bringing CS into the sales cycle. When exactly do you insert CS, and how do you build trust without killing velocity? Amanda Berger: With bigger customers, I like to bring in somebody from CX when the deal is at the technical win stage or 70% probability—vendor of choice stage. U

Join hosts Ken Roden and Erin Mills as they reflect on an incredible Season 2 of the FutureCraft GTM podcast. From pilot purgatory to agent swarms, they unpack how AI in go-to-market evolved throughout the year, share their biggest lessons learned, and make bold predictions for 2026. Key Topics Covered Season 2 Reflections [00:01:00] The slow start vs. strong finish of AI adoption Pilot purgatory and why 95% of AI rollouts struggled The accordion effect of AI tools throughout the year Guest Predictions Review - "They Called It" [00:04:00] Rachel Tru Air on AI SDRs: Still a work in progress Chase Hannigan on no-code agentic systems: Ahead of the curve Liza Adams on EQ being the edge: Called it perfectly Major Themes That Emerged [00:08:00] Adoption over tools as the key to success AI as teammate vs. AI as output generator The "sandwich model" - humans at both ends, AI in the middle Curiosity and EQ as critical differentiators What Failed This Year [00:10:00] AI vendor spray-and-pray marketing Custom GPT overload (600 GPTs at one company!) Rolling out LLMs without proper change management Business Impact Wins [00:17:00] Speed to market improvements Analytics accessibility for non-technical users 600% more time on site from AI-driven traffic Time auditing as a measurement strategy Personal Lightning Round [00:32:00] Most overhyped buzzword: AIEO Underrated tool: N8N Biggest personal unlock: Self-regulation with AI use Best use case: Digital twins and content workflows 2026 Predictions [00:24:00] Agent swarms and workforces (Erin's pick) Digital twins as the hero (Ken's pick) Closed company-specific LLMs Fractional AI experts with their own agent teams New organizational structures emerging Notable Quotes "AI is like an intern with a PhD who doesn't have any business experience" - Ken "Digital twins are great, but I think it's gonna be swarms" - Erin "It's 90% focus on the people and 10% on the execution now, not the other way around" - Erin "Get your hands dirty. Because this is new to everybody, there's a real need to understand what your team is going through" - Erin Guests Mentioned This Episode Liza Adams Rachel Truair (Simpro) Chase Hannegan Sheena Miles Rebecca Shaddix Chris Penn Key Takeaways Change management is critical - 80% focus on people, 20% on execution Start with boring problems - Don't chase the sexiest AI use cases Define acceptable mistakes - Know when to call a pilot a failure Agent swarms are the future - Moving beyond single-purpose tools Communities matter - AI has opened unprecedented knowledge sharing Speed to market - Months-long processes now taking days or hours Resources Mentioned N8N workflow automation platform Relevance AI Lindy ElevenLabs (voice) Planet Money AI recruiting segment Chris Penn's analytics community Coming in Season 3 (March 2026) Human agentic workflows with verification stopgaps Agent swarm implementations New modalities: voice and video applications More on the Iron Man suit approach to fractional AI work Share what you want to see in Season 3 & Connect with the Hosts: Ken Roden Erin Mills   About FutureCraft Stay tuned for more insightful episodes from the FutureCraft podcast, where we continue to explore the evolving intersection of AI and GTM. Take advantage of the full episode for in-depth discussions and much more. To listen to the full episode and stay updated on future episodes, visit our website, https://www.futurecraftai.media/ Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered advice. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own and do not represent those of any company or business we currently work for/with or have worked for/with in the past. Music: Far Away - MK2

Boring Problems, Big Wins, Community‑Driven AI Adoption AI is not overhyped, it is under-implemented. Ken Roden and Erin Mills chat with Sheena Miles on how to move from tool obsession to behavior change, her three stage framework, and the practical KPIs that prove progress before revenue shows up. We also talk AI policy that unlocks safe experimentation, community as an accelerator, and Sheena demos how she spins up n8n workflows from a prompt. Chapter markers 00:00, Cold open and disclaimer 01:00, Is AI overhyped, what is really failing 03:20, Early indicators versus lagging revenue, set better goals 04:20, Exec view, target 3 percent faster time to market 06:00, Avoid AI slop, find repetitive, boring work 07:00, Guest intro 09:00, Real state of adoption, dual speed orgs and siloed champions 10:45, Teach concepts, not tools 12:00, Policy, security review, AI council 14:00, Behavior beats features 15:30, Community for accountability and shared assets 17:30, Live n8n demo, import a skeleton workflow and adapt 35:00, AI first versus AI native, embed into workflows 36:30, Influence without authority, solve a champion’s boring problem 38:00, Inclusion and usage gaps, why it matters to the business 40:00, Skills that matter now, prompting, rapid testing, communicating thought process 43:00, Why to be optimistic 45:00, Lightning round 48:00, Host debrief and takeaways Key takeaways Hype versus reality, most failures are vague goals and tool-first rollouts, not AI itself. • Measure what you can now, speed to market, cycle time, sprint throughput, ticket deflection, before revenue. • Framework, Activate, Amplify, Accelerate, start small, spread what works, then institutionalize. • Policy unlocks velocity, simple rules for data and tool vetting plus a cross functional council. • Behavior over features, learn inputs and outputs so skills transfer across tools. • Community compounds, accountability and shared templates speed learning. • Start with boring problems, compliance questionnaires, asset generation, ticket clustering, call insights. • AI first versus AI native, move from sidecar to embedded with human review gates. • Inclusion is a business lever, close usage gaps or accept a productivity gap. Sheena’s three stage framework Activate, prove value safely • Define the problem, validate AI fit, run a small pilot. • Track accuracy thresholds and time saved. • Example, auto draft responses to repetitive compliance questionnaires from a vetted knowledge base. Amplify, spread what works • Connect adjacent teams, add light governance, share patterns. • Run cross team pilots and publish playbooks. • Example, connect support tickets, payments, compliance, partner success to detect issues proactively. Accelerate, institutionalize • Assign ownership, embed training, integrate tools, set ROI guardrails. • Roll out across channels and systems with quality gates. • Example, ad copy system owned by demand gen, content as QA, used across paid, email, social. Hot Takes from Sheena “Policy enables speed if you write it to unblock safe experiments.” “Stop memorizing tool steps, learn the concepts so they transfer.” “Solve the boring problem first, that is where AI pays for itself.” “If NRR belongs to someone, it belongs to everyone.” Resources & Links Sheena Miles on LinkedIn Women Defining AI, podcast and community n8n About FutureCraft Stay tuned for more insightful episodes from the FutureCraft podcast, where we continue to explore the evolving intersection of AI and GTM. Take advantage of the full episode for in-depth discussions and much more. To listen to the full episode and stay updated on future episodes, visit our website, https://www.futurecraftai.media/ Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered advice. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own and do not represent those of any company or business we currently work for/with or have worked for/with in the past. Music: Far Away - MK2

What happens when an Atlassian marketing veteran who decorates cakes and rides motorcycles decides the traditional marketing funnel is completely broken? You get Ashley Faus, Head of Lifecycle Marketing Portfolio at Atlassian, author of "Human-Centered Marketing," and today's guest on FutureCraft. Ashley has spent 8+ years at Atlassian revolutionizing how B2B marketers think about customer journeys, replacing linear funnels with her "content playground" framework where audiences can go up, down, and sideways through your content—just like kids on an actual playground. In this episode, we get into: Why ChatGPT 5 might be getting worse for marketing professionals (and what to use instead) Erin's live demo of Gemini's deep research for account-based marketing that analyzes hundreds of sources Ashley's content playground framework that treats audiences like humans, not funnel steps How trust becomes your only defensible moat when AI can fake everything else Why organizational silos are killing your customer experience (and how to fix them) The "18-month rule" for career evolution in an AI-accelerated world Whether you're a CMO fighting for budget, a product marketer drowning in requests, or a lifecycle specialist trying to prove ROI, Ashley breaks down how to keep humans at the center while leveraging AI as your creative co-pilot.   🛠 Tools & Mentions: ChatGPT 5 (improved memory but weaker professional responses) Gemini Pro (superior deep research capabilities) Atlassian Rovo (AI agents and integrations) Notebook LM (content analysis and mind mapping) CASINO Framework (Context, Audience, Scope, Intent, Narrator, Outcome) Content Playground Model (conceptual, strategic, tactical content depths)   🎯 Try This: Map your existing content using Ashley's playground framework: sticky note brainstorm → group themes → classify by depth (conceptual/strategic/tactical) and intent (buy/use/trust/help/learn). 🧠 Learn More from Ashley: Follow Ashley Faus on LinkedIn Read "Human-Centered Marketing: How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI" Explore Atlassian's Team Playbook Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 02:15 Ken's ChatGPT 5 Reality Check 05:45 Erin's Gemini Deep Research Breakthrough 07:30 Live Demo: Account Research That Actually Works 18:20 Interview with Ashley Faus Begins 20:15 From Classical Singer to Marketing Revolutionary 25:40 Why She Wrote "Human-Centered Marketing" Now 32:10 Trust: The Thing You Can't Automate 38:25 Content Playground Framework Deep Dive 52:30 Breaking Down Marketing Silos Without Losing Your Mind 58:45 The 18-Month Rule for Career Evolution 01:02:15 Gladiator Round: AI-Powered Debate Prep 01:08:30 Lightning Round Rapid Fire 01:12:45 Key Takeaways and Episode Wrap   📥 Subscribe & Share: New episodes drop weekly. If Ashley's playground framework changed how you think about customer journeys, leave a review, share it with a friend, and tag us with your biggest takeaway. About our Guest: Ashley Faus is the Head of Lifecycle Marketing Portfolio at Atlassian, author of "Human-Centered Marketing: How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI," and a Forbes contributor. In more than eight years at Atlassian, she's spanned corporate communications, product marketing, and lifecycle leadership. She's become known for replacing traditional marketing funnels with her content playground model, advocating for audience trust over vanity metrics, and showing how creativity—from musical theater to elaborate cakes—makes us better marketers. Resources: Ashley's Book: "Human-Centered Marketing: How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI" LinkedIn: Ashley Faus Stay tuned for more insightful episodes from the FutureCraft podcast, where we continue to explore the evolving intersection of AI and GTM. Take advantage of the full episode for in-depth discussions and much more. To listen to the full episode and stay updated on future episodes, visit the website. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered advice. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own and do not represent those of any company or business we currently work for/with or have worked for/with in the past. Music: Far Away - MK2

Episode Summary: Rebecca Shaddix joins Erin and Ken to blow up tired go-to-market tropes and rewrite what it means to lead with product marketing in an AI-native era. She shares the frameworks behind “acceptable mistakes,” why critical thinking is the superpower in a world of noisy AI outputs, and how to avoid chasing 80 experiments that go nowhere. If you’re a CMO, PMM, or founder trying to separate signal from AI hype, this is your roadmap. About Our Guest: Rebecca Shaddix is the Head of Product & Lifecycle Marketing at Garner Health, Forbes contributor, and GTM strategy pioneer. She’s built GTM engines for high-growth SaaS and EdTech, founded Strategica, and is known for making complex data actionable (without losing trust or speed). Her frameworks are shaping the new AI playbook for marketers who want repeatable results, not just activity. 00:59 Ken's AI Sandwich Framework 04:26 Erin's AI-Powered Book Series 07:10 Interview with Rebecca Shaddix 08:24 Rebecca on Acceptable Mistakes in AI Implementation 17:44 AI's Impact on Product Marketing 23:30 Balancing AI Training and Deep Research 28:41 AI Tools and Budget Constraints 30:32 Navigating the Rapid Evolution of AI in Business 30:59 Balancing Risk and Reward in AI Tool Selection 32:44 Effective Team Collaboration and AI Integration 37:08 Building Trust in AI Insights 45:15 The Future of Product Marketing 54:13 Lightning Round and Final Thoughts   Quote of the Episode: “Trust in AI starts with transparency and ends with collaboration. Bring your teams in early, and let them own the process.” – Rebecca Shaddix 🎧 What You’ll Learn: How to Make (the Right) Acceptable Mistakes: Rebecca’s “acceptable mistakes” framework—why defining what you won’t optimize is the move that unlocks true speed and clarity for GTM leaders. Experiments Without Strategy Are Chaos: Why most teams run too many experiments and how to build a ruthless prioritization model that gets buy-in before the test. The Real Role of AI in Product Marketing: How AI gives PMMs “junior analyst superpowers” but why human discernment, critical thinking, and cross-functional trust still win the day. Segmentation, ICP, and the New Power User: How machine learning is uncovering hidden patterns in the middle of your user base (not just among your superfans)—and why most marketers overweight the wrong signals. Building Trust in AI-Generated Insights: Rebecca’s battle-tested approach to cross-functional buy-in, demystifying black box outputs, and making AI actionable across the org. Budgeting for AI When Cash Is Tight: The no-BS guide to picking AI tools (hint: treat it like every other investment—hypothesis, use case, ROI) and why you should always start manual. 🧠 Next-Level Insights: The difference between motion and momentum in modern marketing—why activity ≠ impact Why the “blank page” problem is now dead for good (and why that changes who wins in marketing teams) How to democratize AI experimentation without losing control—or trust The hidden risk: Over-relying on your top users for feedback and missing the 10x opportunity in the “middle layer” Action Steps Audit your own “acceptable mistakes.” What are you over-optimizing that doesn’t matter? Try running a single, ruthlessly prioritized experiment—get buy-in, define the problem, THEN launch Empower your team to bring AI wins (and failures) to the table—share the learning Stop listening only to your power users. Find what the “middle” is doing and why. Resources Mentioned: Human-Centered Marketing by Ashley Faus ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini (and why switching tools is easier than switching marketing automation) LinkedIn: Connect with Rebecca Shaddix Stay tuned for more FutureCraft episodes at futurecraftai.media Liked this episode? Rate us on Spotify/Apple, share with a forward-thinking marketer, or DM us with what you want to hear next. Let’s keep crafting the future of GTM, together. Music: Far Away - MK2

We talk with Lennard Kooy, CEO of Lleverage, about why nobody actually cares about AI—they care about outcomes. Lennard drops hard truths on why most companies are moving too slow, how to accelerate adoption by assisting before replacing, and where agentic workflows are creating real ROI. He also demos a live “gladiator challenge” of building a cold outreach AI agent from scratch, and outlines what every GTM leader needs to do right now to stay relevant. Whether you're a RevOps pro, a BDR sick of cold calls, or a CMO trying not to get fired—this is your wake-up call.   04:43 Interview with Lennard Kooy 09:36 AI-Powered Recruitment and Sales Automation 14:29 Adopting AI in Business Processes 21:29 Practical AI Workflow Demonstration 23:40 Generating Company Lists and Lead Data 24:24 Simplifying Automation for Users 24:47 User Experience and Customer Support 25:39 Quick Wins for New Users 28:10 Potential of Agentic AI in Go-to-Market 30:59 Guardrails for Adopting AI 32:32 The Power of MCP in AI Integration 35:25 Mid-Market Focus and ROI 37:34 Future of AI in Professional Roles 39:41 Advice for Go-to-Market Leaders 42:29 Quick Hits: Practical AI Tips 44:57 Final Thoughts and Takeaways Key Topics Reality Check: Why most businesses don’t care about AI—and what they do care about The Trust Layer: How “assist before replace” is the cheat code for adoption Recruiting Reinvented: How Lleverage AI automated 70% of their hiring pipeline Agentic GTM: Where agent workflows are replacing cold calls, research, and lead scoring Demo Time: Watch Lennard build an AI agent live, in under 5 minutes MCP Advantage: Why this new spec removes dev bottlenecks and boosts AI usability Speed > Perfection: Why going slow will kill your competitive edge Hard Truths for Leaders: You will get replaced if you don’t move faster Future of Work: What GTM roles look like in a near-agentic future About our Guest: Lennard Kooy is a seasoned tech entrepreneur focused on how emerging technologies can transform business operations. As CEO of AI platform Lleverage, he helps companies automate complex processes without requiring technical expertise, drawing from his experience building and selling martech company Storyteq to ITG. Known for his pragmatic approach to AI adoption, Lennard regularly shares insights on making advanced automation accessible to everyday business teams. He's passionate about strengthening Europe's position in the global AI landscape and frequently writes about the practical realities of implementing AI in enterprise settings. 🔨 Practical Takeaways 3 Quick Wins for New AI Users Start with something visual, with visible output, not backend automations Keep workflows small (≤5 blocks) to understand what’s happening Build in areas where you have subject-matter expertise—test what you know Stay tuned for more insightful episodes from the FutureCraft podcast, where we continue to explore the evolving intersection of AI and GTM. Take advantage of the full episode for in-depth discussions and much more. To listen to the full episode and stay updated on future episodes, visit the FutureCraft GTM website. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered advice. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own and do not represent those of any company or business we currently work for/with or have worked for/with in the past. Music: Far Away - MK2

In this episode of the FutureCraft GTM Podcast, hosts Ken Roden and Erin Mills reunite with returning favorite Liza Adams to discuss the current state of AI adoption in marketing teams. Liza shares insights on why organizations are still struggling with the same human change management challenges from a year ago, despite significant advances in AI technology. The conversation covers practical frameworks for AI implementation, the power of digital twins, and Liza's approach to building hybrid human-AI marketing teams. The episode features Liza's live demonstration in our new Gladiator segment, where she transforms a dense marketing report into an interactive Jeopardy game using Claude Artifacts. Unpacking AI's Human Challenge Liza returns with a reality check: while AI tools have dramatically improved, the fundamental challenge remains human adoption and change management. She reveals how one marketing team successfully built a 45-person organization with 25 humans and 20 AI teammates, starting with simple custom GPTs and evolving into sophisticated cross-functional workflows. The Digital Twin Strategy: Liza demonstrates how creating AI versions of yourself and key executives can improve preparation, challenge thinking, and overcome unconscious bias while providing a safe learning environment for teams. The 80% Rule for Practical Implementation: Why "good enough" AI outputs that achieve 80-85% accuracy can transform productivity when combined with human oversight, as demonstrated by real-world examples like translation and localization workflows. Prompt Strategy Over Prompt Engineering: Liza explains why following prompt frameworks isn't enough—you need strategic thinking about what questions to ask and how to challenge AI outputs for better results. 00:00 Introduction and Balance Quote 00:22 Welcome Back to FutureCraft 01:28 Introducing Liza Adams 03:58 The Unchanged AI Adoption Challenge 06:30 Building Teams of 45 (25 Humans, 20 AI) 09:06 Digital Twin Framework and Implementation 17:34 The 80% Rule and Real ROI Examples 25:31 Prompt Strategy vs Prompt Engineering 26:02 Measuring AI Impact and ROI 28:21 Handling Hallucinations and Quality Control 32:50 Gladiator Segment: Live Jeopardy Game Creation 40:00 The Future of Marketing Jobs 47:49 Why Balance Beats EQ as the Critical Skill 51:09 Rapid Fire Questions and Wrap-Up Edited Transcript: Introduction: The Balance Between AI and Human Skills As AI democratizes IQ, EQ becomes increasingly important. Critical thinking and empathy are important, but I believe as marketers, balance is actually more important. Host Updates: Leveraging AI Workflows Ken Roden shares his approach to building better AI prompts by having full conversations with ChatGPT, exporting them to Word documents, then using that content to create more comprehensive prompts. This method resulted in more thorough market analysis with fewer edits required. Erin Mills discusses implementing agentic workflows using n8n to connect different APIs and build systems where AI tools communicate with each other. The key insight: break workflows down into steps rather than having one agent handle multiple complex tasks. Guest Introduction: Liza Adams on AI Adoption Challenges Liza Adams, the AI MarketBlazer, returns to discuss the current state of AI adoption in marketing teams. Despite significant technological advances, organizations still struggle with the same human change management challenges from a year ago. The Core Problem: Change Management Over Technology The main issue isn't about AI tools or innovation - teams can't simply be given ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity and be expected to maximize their potential. Marketing teams are being handed tools while leaders expect employees to figure out implementation themselves. People need to see themselves in AI use cases that apply to their specific jobs. Joint learning sessions where teams share what works and what doesn't are essential. The focus has over-pivoted to "what's the right tool" when it should be on helping people understand, leverage, and make real impact with AI. The AI Adoption Plateau Many organizations face an AI adoption plateau where early adopters have already implemented AI, but a large group struggles with implementation. Companies attempting to "go fully agentic" or completely redo workflows in AI are taking on too much at once. Success Story: The 45-Person Hybrid Team Liza shares a case study of a marketing team with 45 members: 25 humans and 20 AI teammates that humans built, trained, and now manage. They started with simple custom GPTs, beginning with digital twins. Digital Twin Strategy for AI Implementation Digital twins are custom GPTs trained on frameworks, thinking patterns, publicly available content, and personality assessments like Myers-Briggs. These aren't designed to mimic humans but to learn about them and find blind spots, challenge thinking patterns, and overcome unconscious bias. For executive preparation, team members use digital twins of leadership to anticipate questions, identify gaps in presentations, and prepare responses before important meetings. The progression: Simple digital twins → Function-specific GPTs (pitch deck builders, content ideators, campaign analyzers) → Chained workflows across multiple departments (marketing, sales, customer success). Prompt Strategy vs. Prompt Engineering Following prompt frameworks (GRACE: Goals, Role, Action, Context, Examples) isn't enough if the underlying thinking is basic. AI magnifies existing thinking quality - good or bad. Example: Instead of asking "How do I reduce churn?" ask "Can you challenge my assumption that this is a churn problem? Could this data indicate an upsell opportunity instead?" This transforms churn problems into potential revenue opportunities through different strategic thinking. The 80% Rule for Practical AI Implementation AI outputs achieving 80-85% accuracy can transform productivity when combined with human oversight. Example: A team reduced translation and localization costs from tens of thousands of dollars monthly to $20/month using custom GPTs for eight languages, with human review for the final 15-20%. Measuring AI ROI: Three Strategic Approaches Align with Strategic Initiatives: Connect AI projects to existing company strategic initiatives that already have budgets, resources, and executive attention. Focus on Biggest Pain Points: Target areas where teams will invest resources to solve problems - excessive agency costs, overworked teams, or poor quality processes. Leverage Trailblazers: Identify curious team members already building AI solutions and scale their successful implementations. Handling AI Hallucinations and Quality Control AI models hallucinate 30-80% of the time when used as question-and-answer machines for factual queries. Hallucinations are less common with strategic questions, scenario analysis, and brainstorming. Prevention strategies: Limit conversation length and dataset size to avoid context window limitations Use multiple AI models to cross-check outputs Implement confidence checking: Ask AI to rate confidence levels (low/medium/high), explain assumptions, and identify what additional information would increase confidence Live Demo: Claude Artifacts for Interactive Content Liza demonstrates transforming the 2025 State of Marketing AI report into an interactive Jeopardy game using Claude Artifacts. The process involves uploading a PDF, providing specific prompts for game creation, and generating functional code without technical skills. This "vibe coding" approach allows users to describe desired outcomes and have AI build interactive tools, calculators, dashboards, and training materials. Future of Marketing Jobs and Skills Emerging roles: AI guides, workflow orchestrators, human-AI team managers Disappearing roles: Language editors, basic researchers, repetitive design tasks Transforming roles: Most existing positions adapting to include AI collaboration Critical skill for the future: Balance Innovation with ethics Automation with human touch Personalization with transparency Balance may be more important than emotional intelligence as AI democratizes cognitive capabilities. Key Takeaways The Gladiator segment demonstrates how dense research reports can become engaging, interactive content without engineering resources. Making AI implementation fun helps teams stay balanced and avoid overwhelm. Success comes from starting with tiny AI wins rather than comprehensive strategies, focusing on human change management over tool selection, and building systems that augment rather than replace human creativity. This version removes the conversational back-and-forth while preserving all the searchable content people would look for when researching AI implementation, digital twins, prompt strategy, change management, and practical AI use cases. Stay tuned for more insightful episodes from the FutureCraft podcast, where we continue to explore the evolving intersection of AI and GTM. Take advantage of the full episode for in-depth discussions and much more. ----more---- To listen to the full episode and stay updated on future episodes, visit the FutureCraft GTM website. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered advice. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own and do not represent those of any company or business we currently work for/with or have worked for/with in the past.

Episode Summary: In this packed episode, Lacey Miller joins Erin and Ken to demystify what it means to be a "Go-to-Market Engineer" in today’s AI-fueled marketing landscape. She breaks down how she uses agentic AI workflows to build repeatable, high-output growth systems without the team bloat. If you’ve ever wondered how AI changes content strategy, brand building, or TikTok for B2B... this is your playbook. 🎧 What You’ll Learn: Why the first 100 days in a marketing role now demands a full AI-first mindset How AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) flips SEO on its head and what it means for your content The creative tech stack behind Lacey’s agent-led outbound machine (yes, Lindy + Replit + persona recognition) Why brand visuals and voice need prompt engineering too How AI is changing buying behavior—and what smart marketers are doing in response Practical ways to use podcasts, transcripts, and conversational content to win in LLM search The real ROI of TikTok for B2B and why your team needs a “TikTok hour” 🛠️ Gladiator Round: Behind the Scenes of Lacey’s Stack Lacey walks through how she classifies inbound leads, triggers AI workflows, and scales one-to-one GTM—all without a dev team. You’ll see her build live in Replit and Lindy. 📢 Next Steps Try using NotebookLM to create your own podcast content Share your AI wins or roadblocks with us on Twitter @FutureCraftpod   01:00 Ken's AI Journey: Building Connectors 02:16 Erin's AI Research Project 03:37 Guest Introduction: Lacey Miller 04:24 Lacey Miller's Marketing Insights 07:43 The Role of AI in Modern Marketing 11:37 AI-Driven Search and Content Strategies 16:57 Challenges and Opportunities in AI Marketing 22:12 Future of AI in B2B Marketing 25:01 SEO Strategies for AI Enthusiasts 25:38 Trends in User Engagement 26:50 The Evolution of Search Behavior 29:22 Disrupting Traditional Advertising 36:01 The Rise of TikTok in B2B Marketing 40:20 Practical AI Tools for Marketers 41:17 Lightning Round: Quick Marketing Insights 44:09 Final Thoughts and Takeaways About our Guest: Lacey Miller Lacey Miller is a highly experienced and impactful marketing executive, currently spearheading Growth Marketing at Perigon, an AI context engine. She is recognized for her innovative approaches to AI Visibility Optimization (AIVO), "Answer-Engine Optimization (AEO)," and pioneering TikTok-for-B2B playbooks. She focuses on  how to leverage ai in saas b2b in  content marketing As a proven first-hire marketing leader, Lacey specializes in building robust Go-to-Market (GTM) strategies from the ground up, particularly for B2B, developer, and enterprise AI SaaS products. Her expertise lies in translating complex technical capabilities into compelling narratives that resonate with diverse audiences and drive revenue growth. At Perigon, she is actively driving category creation, positioning the company as a leader in real-time AI context. Prior to Perigon, Lacey served as Head of Marketing at Bezi, where she built the initial GTM framework and integrated AI into product strategy. Her experience also includes building high-performing marketing functions at LoudCrowd, where she significantly contributed to ARR and fundraising, and leading full-funnel GTM strategies at VertifyData. Notable Quotes: “Robots are making us sound more human.” “You can’t blog your way into LLMs—you need conversation.” “AI is not your replacement, it’s your multiplier.” “Your GPT isn't a toy. It’s your co-pilot.” “We’re not just building campaigns anymore—we’re building products.” Resources: Lindy.ai Stay tuned for more insightful episodes from the FutureCraft podcast, where we continue to explore the evolving intersection of AI and GTM. Take advantage of the full episode for in-depth discussions and much more. To listen to the full episode and stay updated on future episodes, visit the FutureCraft GTM website. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered advice. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own and do not represent those of any company or business we currently work for/with or have worked for/with in the past. Music: Far Away - MK2

In this high-velocity, truth-telling episode, Erin and Ken sit down with data scientist, author, and newsletter legend Christopher Penn to cut through the noise and the slop around AI and go-to-market. Chris breaks down how today’s AI isn’t solely about scale or speed it’s about whether your thinking actually changes how people lead. From RAGs and reporting frameworks to the future of SaaS, software, and your own job, this conversation pulls zero punches. 🔹 Why most AI content (and dashboards) still suck 🔹 Frameworks for better prompting (and better results) 🔹 A live demo: turning backlink chaos into a strategy-ready infographic 🔹 What CMOs are really asking about AI (and what they should be) 🔹 The real threat to SaaS, higher ed, and your entry-level bench 🔹 Why personal brand is your last, best insurance policy in an AI world This episode is full of practical frameworks, spicy truths, and no-BS advice from someone who’s been shipping AI before it was cool. A must-listen for anyone serious about GTM in an AI-saturated market.   00:00 Introduction and Podcast Disclaimer 00:24 Meet Your Hosts: Ken and Erin 00:51 AI in Go-To-Market Strategies 02:11 Creative Uses of AI in Daily Life 03:09 Guest Introduction: Chris Penn 04:33 Chris Penn on Early AI and Analytics 06:59 Thought Leadership in the Age of AI 13:07 Frameworks for Effective AI Utilization 18:56 Data-Driven Marketing with AI 23:17 Gladiator Round: Practical AI Demonstration 25:48 Personal AI Preferences 26:07 Creating a Backlink Infographic 27:59 The Power of Infographics in Marketing 29:25 AI Hype and Misconceptions 31:10 Optimization vs. Transformation with AI 33:21 The Future of SaaS and AI 34:12 Guardrails and Ethics in AI 36:02 Challenging the AI Status Quo 41:03 The Impact of AI on Jobs and Education 47:33 Building Personal Brand and Community 49:40 Concluding Thoughts on AI and the Future About our Guest: Christopher S. Penn is a leading expert in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), marketing, and data science. He is widely recognized for his work in helping businesses understand and leverage data and AI for marketing insights and strategies. As the co-founder and Chief Data Scientist at Trust Insights, a marketing analytics consulting firm, Penn focuses on applying data science, AI, and machine learning to help companies achieve their marketing goals. His expertise extends to: Google Analytics Adoption: He has been influential in the widespread use of Google Analytics for marketing. Data-Driven Marketing and PR: Penn advocates for and implements strategies that are heavily reliant on data for informed decision-making in marketing and public relations. Modern Email Marketing: He has shaped approaches to effective and data-backed email marketing campaigns. Marketing Data Science: Penn is a pioneer in the application of data science principles specifically to marketing challenges. AI/Machine Learning in Marketing: His work began in AI in 2013, well before the mainstream emergence of tools like ChatGPT, giving him a deep understanding of its potential and practical applications in the marketing landscape. Christopher S. Penn is a prolific author, with over two dozen marketing books to his name, including the bestsellers "AI for Marketers: A Primer and Introduction" and "Leading Innovation." He is also the co-host of the award-winning "Marketing Over Coffee" podcast, where he discusses new and classic marketing topics with his co-host, John J. Wall. His work has benefited a diverse range of prominent brands such as Cisco Systems, T-Mobile, Citrix Systems, GoDaddy, AAA, McDonald's, and Twitter. He is a multi-time IBM Champion in IBM Data and AI. Penn is also a sought-after international keynote speaker, known for demystifying complex AI concepts and providing actionable insights for marketers. Resources: Almost Timely Newsletter Almost Timeless Book Stay tuned for more insightful episodes from the FutureCraft podcast, where we continue to explore the evolving intersection of AI and GTM. Take advantage of the full episode for in-depth discussions and much more. To listen to the full episode and stay updated on future episodes, visit the FutureCraft GTM website. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered advice. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own and do not represent those of any company or business we currently work for/with or have worked for/with in the past. Music: Far Away - MK2

What do military aviation and AI workflows have in common? According to Chase Hannegan. founder of Chase AI, TikTok viral sensation and today’s guest on Future Craft, it’s all about precision, systems thinking, and being willing to suck at something new. Chase went from Marine Corps Osprey pilot to TikTok-famous agent builder. He’s now helping thousands of creators and founders move from prompt experiments to real agent-powered execution—no coding required. In this episode, we get into: Why n8n is Chase’s go-to platform for building practical, scalable agents The difference between AI workflows and true agents (and why most people get stuck) How to avoid YouTube tutorial hell and actually learn to build with intelligence A live walkthrough of Chase’s personal assistant agent (and how you can steal it) What’s not ready for prime time (yet), and how to build trust into your stack Whether you're a marketer, founder, or just AI-curious, Chase breaks down agent building in plain language—and shows that it's not about replacing people, but unlocking their time. 🛠 Tools & Mentions: n8n (low-code workflow builder) Tavily, Eleven Labs, Supabase, Lovable Chase’s free GPT builder & assistant templates The email agent that drafts your replies before you even open them 🎯 Try This: Start with a “minimum viable agent”—something small that solves one annoying problem in your workflow. Then build from there. 🧠 Learn More from Chase: Follow Chasei on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram Explore templates and workflows at Chase AI School   00:00 Introduction and Podcast Disclaimer 00:24 Meet Your Hosts: Ken and Erin 00:55 Ken's AI Workflow Journey 02:08 Erin's AI Innovations 02:56 Introducing Today's Guest: Chase Hannegan 03:59 Chase Hannegan's Background and AI Journey 05:06 From Military Aviation to AI Building 09:35 Understanding AI Agents vs. Workflows 13:16 Chase's Three-Phase System for AI Projects 18:26 Common Mistakes and Creative AI Solutions 24:27 Scam Stories and Gladiator Round Introduction 24:55 Building a Personal Assistant AI 25:48 Demonstrating AI Tools and Integration 29:09 Voice Interaction and Security Features 32:34 Encouragement for Beginners 34:55 Favorite Time-Saving Automations 43:26 Rapid Fire Questions and Insights 45:33 Final Thoughts and Takeaways 📥 Subscribe & Share: New episodes drop weekly. If this helped you think differently about AI + GTM, leave a review, share it with a friend, and tag us with your biggest takeaway. About our Guest: Chase Hannegan Chase Hannegan is the driving force behind Chase AI, a hands‑on AI learning platform that helps entrepreneurs, creators, and non‑technical professionals harness AI tools—from building agents to automating workflows—through actionable guidance and ready‑to‑use prompt templates. Based in Chicago, he’s currently pursuing a dual MBA/MS in Computer Science at the University of Chicago, bringing a rare fusion of business acumen and technical fluency  As an educator, Chase publishes weekly insights on AI applications, app‑building strategies, and prompt engineering, backed by an engaged community on Instagram and TikTok under “AI Guides”. His flagship Chase AI course delivers a 3‑step, non‑technical framework for building AI‑powered applications, with testimonials highlighting its accessibility and real‑world utility. He has also developed practical tools—like email automation, analytics dashboards, and conversational agents—that serve startups and SMEs with measurable impact across sectors.   Resources: Chase’s website @Chase_AI on Instagram, TikTok Chase’s Community on Skool Stay tuned for more insightful episodes from the FutureCraft podcast, where we continue to explore the evolving intersection of AI and GTM. Take advantage of the full episode for in-depth discussions and much more. To listen to the full episode and stay updated on future episodes, visit the FutureCraft GTM website. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered advice. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own and do not represent those of any company or business we currently work for/with or have worked for/with in the past. Music: Far Away - MK2  

In this episode of Future Craft GTM, Ken Roden and Erin Mills explore how AI is reshaping every layer of go-to-market, from automating rote tasks to powering deep research. They kick off with Ken’s wild DMV robo-caller story and Erin’s bespoke AI-curated newsletter. Returning guest Tahnee Perry shares hard-won lessons on driving revenue with AI, upskilling non-technical marketers, and building scalable AI workflows. You’ll learn how to: Measure true AI impact (hint: tie it to closed deals) Adopt the right mindset for prompt iteration Set up templated prompts and custom GPTs for your team Run fast SEO audits with deep research in under 30 minutes Assemble a lean AI-powered marketing tech stack Strike the optimal balance between human and machine effort They wrap with a live demo of GenSpark—watch an AI agent spin up an eight-slide pitch deck in seconds—and leave you armed with quick-hit AI workflows you can try today.   Key Takeaways Revenue First: Always link AI projects to deal velocity or closed-won impact. Iterate Prompts: 80 % of prompt quality emerges through refinement, not one-and-done. Scale with Libraries: Use spreadsheets or Notion to catalog and tag high-value prompts. DIY SEO Audits: A 30-minute prompt can generate a 20-page SEO audit (36 sources, 292 searches). Tech Stack Essentials: Google/Microsoft agents, Adio CRM, Airtable/Notion PM, plus task-specific AI apps. Human + AI: The winners of 2026 will know exactly where to deploy humans vs. machines. 📢 Next Steps Try auto-generating a sales deck from a call transcript this week. Build or catalog one custom GPT for your top use case. Share your AI wins or roadblocks with us on Twitter @FutureCraftpod 00:00 Introduction and Podcast Disclaimer 00:21 Welcome to Future Craft Go To Market 00:49 AI in Everyday Life: DMV Robocaller Experience 01:50 Building AI Tools for Personal Use 02:32 Guest Introduction: Tahnee Perry 03:44 AI in Marketing: Metrics and Training 05:01 The Importance of Mindset in AI Adoption 08:18 AI Tools and Hacks for Marketers 14:09 Prompt Gladiator Challenge 17:37 Deep Research and SEO Audits 19:31 Top AI Tools and Tech Stack Recommendations 22:03 Exploring SEO and Tech Stack Integration 22:37 Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) Explained 23:42 Building Credibility in AI Search Results 24:10 Future of SEO and AI in Marketing 26:33 Leveraging AI for Workflow Efficiency 28:22 AI's Impact on Product Marketing and Development 29:55 Navigating AI in Recruitment and Team Management 32:37 Overcoming AI Adoption Challenges 34:51 Quick Hits: AI Workflows and Use Cases 39:58 Introducing Gens Spark: A Game Changer for Presentations 43:50 Conclusion and Final Thoughts About our Guest: Tahnee Perry is a leading expert in AI-powered marketing and the author of "Zero to Unicorn." With over a decade of experience in digital marketing innovation, Tahnee helps businesses harness the power of AI to transform their marketing strategies. She has presented at major industry events and contributed to publications like Forbes and Medium. Resources: Zero to Unicorn Newsletter Stay tuned for more insightful episodes from the FutureCraft podcast, where we continue to explore the evolving intersection of AI and GTM. Take advantage of the full episode for in-depth discussions and much more. To listen to the full episode and stay updated on future episodes, visit the FutureCraft GTM website. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered advice. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own and do not represent those of any company or business we currently work for/with or have worked for/with in the past. Music: Far Away - MK2

In this episode of The FutureCraft Go To Market podcast, co-hosts Ken Roden and Erin Mills talk to speaker Mike Sweeney, a strategic executive coach, shares his expertise on leadership, emotional intelligence, and managing paradoxes during times of rapid change. Mike emphasizes the importance of adopting a mindset that balances competing truths, managing stress, and fostering team dynamics in high-pressure environments.    The duo also discusses creating ICP profiles, leveraging ICP insights for content blueprints, and discusses tools like Typeset for professional branding. Erin also demonstrates a new AI tool called 'Lovable' for developing front-end applications effortlessly.    00:00 Introduction and Podcast Overview 00:22 Exploring AI in Go-To-Market Strategies 00:55 Ken's AI Adventures and Content Blueprint 02:39 Erin's AI Prompting App 03:57 Introducing Guest Mike Sweeney 04:45 Leadership in AI and Change Management 07:41 Understanding Leadership Paradoxes 17:45 Creating Common Ground in Leadership 24:31 Advice for Leaders Under Pressure 29:15 Characteristics of Great Teams 31:51 Navigating AI Transition Pressures 33:54 Aligning AI Initiatives with Strategic Goals 35:22 Thriving Through Organizational Change 39:54 Introducing Rally Bright 44:01 Emotional Intelligence in Leadership 52:33 Exploring Lovable: A New Development Tool 01:02:16 Conclusion and Reflections  

This episode covers the transformational impact of AI on go-to-market strategies. The episode kicks off with Ken sharing about his custom baking assistant, Idiot Proof Bake Buddy, which organizes baking recipes and grocery lists using GPT.    The main highlight of the episode is the interview with Jonathan Kvarfordt a.k.a. Coach K. He is the Head of Growth at Momentum.io and CEO of GTM AI Academy. Coach K discusses the current state and future trends of AI in go-to-market functions. He emphasizes the importance of trust, education, and intent when implementing AI solutions. He also explores the mindset shifts necessary for successful AI integration and shares his vision of an 'Iron Man' style AI plugin for enhanced go-to-market efficiency. The conversation covers practical tips for AI adoption, common pitfalls, and the evolving roles of sales and marketing in an AI-driven landscape. The episode concludes with a rapid-fire round where Coach K shares insights on AI tools, prompting techniques, and industry trends.   00:00 Introduction and Podcast Disclaimer 00:22 Meet Your Hosts: Ken and Erin 00:54 Ken's Custom GPT for Baking 02:13 Erin's GPT Tips and Tricks 03:53 Guest Introduction: Jonathan Kvarfordt 04:29 Jonathan's Journey and Roles 05:19 AI in Go-To-Market Teams 06:28 Challenges and Overwhelm in AI Adoption 06:57 Practical AI Workflows and Automations 10:27 Trust, Education, and Intent in AI 13:57 Intentional Use of AI in Teams 18:21 Common Pitfalls in AI Implementation 19:21 The Importance of Creative AI Prompting 19:43 Mindset Shifts for AI Adoption 20:02 The Four C's of AI Mindset 21:26 Leadership and AI Integration 22:52 Sales and Marketing Alignment with AI 25:10 Future of AI in Business Roles 26:48 Human-AI Collaboration in Go-to-Market Strategies 33:26 Rapid Fire Round: AI Tools and Trends 35:00 Conclusion and Final Thoughts  

AI, BDRs & Building a GTM Team of the Future – with Rachel Truair, CMO at Simpro Group Episode Title: How to Scale GTM with AI Agents, Digital Twins & a Growth Mindset Still wondering how AI fits into go-to-market? This episode delivers a masterclass in what actually works—from real AI SDR deployments to digital twins for execs. If you’re leading a GTM team, Rachel Truair's playbook is required listening. What We Talk About: AI SDRs that actually convert: Rachel shares how Simpro's AI BDRs (like Daniella and Sam) are handling warm leads, executing playbooks, and integrating with human reps—cutting "no contact" rates by 80%. Workforce planning in an AI era: Learn why Rachel's biggest surprise wasn’t in sales, but marketing ops. Autonomous strategy, not just execution: She breaks down the shift from AI as a tool to AI as a co-pilot for market insights, segmentation, and campaign direction. Digital twins for leadership scale: How Rachel created a digital twin of herself to scale comms, culture, and visibility across global teams—including writing her monthly team updates. How to evolve your org without boiling the ocean: Practical tips on building a maturity model for AI and where to start with lean teams. AI and culture change: Why adoption isn't a tooling problem, it's a hiring one. And what questions she now asks in interviews. Rapid Fire Round: Best AI tip: Don't boil the ocean. Favorite workflow: Digital twin board members for scenario planning. Go-to AI trend source: Simpro's exec Slack. Hidden gem tool: Peak AI for search visibility. Tool Spotlight: Ken and Erin demo Eleven Labs' conversational AI agent builder and walk through creating a journalist-style interviewer bot that captures SME insights for content, enablement, and more. Call to Action: Not using AI yet in GTM? Let us know. We want to talk to you. Reach out for a chance to be featured on a future episode. Subscribe, Rate & Share: If you got value from this episode, hit subscribe and leave a review—it helps more GTM teams learn how to lead (not lag) with AI. Connect: Simpro Group: https://www.simprogroup.com ElevenLabs: https://elevenlabs.io Six Sense Conversational Email: https://6sense.com Subscribe, give us a rating and share with a friend! It helps us get the word out. FutureCraft is where GTM gets built, not just discussed. Let’s keep crafting the future together.  

We're back. In the first episode of Season 2 of the FutureCraft Podcast, Ken Roden and Erin Mills dig into how AI is shifting the entire go-to-market motion. Not just content, but sales enablement, market strategy, and execution. They share how they're using tools like ChatGPT, Gamma, and structured research to build battle cards that actually move deals. They also break down what’s working—and what’s not—when it comes to driving adoption on lean teams. This episode covers practical ways AI can support speed and clarity without adding complexity. It closes with personal updates and an open call for listener ideas as the show evolves.   Unpacking the AI Toolbox Digital Focus Groups and AI-Assisted Research: Our hosts take us through an intricate process of leveraging AI-driven focus groups and deep research tools to gain valuable insights about customer behavior and preferences. The Power of Synthesis and Presentation Tools: With the help of platforms like Gamma, they illustrate how to transform comprehensive research into polished, actionable battle cards for sales teams, effectively bridging the gap from data gathering to strategic execution. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 00:22 Welcome to Season Two 01:28 Hosts' Personal and Professional Updates 03:58 AI's Rapid Advancements 06:30 Deep Dive into AI Tools and Techniques 09:06 Building a Digital Focus Group 17:34 Leveraging Deep Research for Competitive Intelligence 25:31 Leveraging AI for Content Strategy 26:02 Impact of AI-Driven Traffic on User Engagement 27:20 Credibility and Organic Traffic in AI Models 28:21 Deep Research and Customization in AI 32:50 Creating Consumable Content with AI 34:16 Optimizing Competitive Analysis with AI Tools 40:00 Enhancing Presentation and Design with Gamma 47:49 Integrating AI Tools for Efficient Workflows 51:09 Season 2 Overview and Future Directions

“Assume AI does everything..." In this episode of the FutureCraft Marketing podcast, hosts Ken Roden and Erin Mills discuss prompt refinement with ChatGPT and Claude and how AI can be used for personal health goals. Special guest Matt Hines shares his expertise on leveraging AI for personalization, customer journey mapping, and segmentation. The conversation explores strategic planning, innovation, and the future of AI-driven marketing, highlighting practical tips and ethical considerations. The episode wraps up with a review of Chat Hub GG, a tool for comparing different AI models, and concludes with a call to action for listeners to engage with the podcast community.   00:55 Ken's AI Prompt Enhancements 06:05 Matt Heinz on AI and Job Market Shifts 07:55 AI in B2B Marketing Strategies 11:07 Hyper-Personalization in B2B 14:23 AI's Role in Customer Journey and Decision Making 17:44 The Infinite Loop in Customer Journey 22:20 AI's Role in Content Creation 22:52 Top AI Use Cases in Marketing 24:47 AI for Market Positioning 26:29 Customer Journey and AI 27:45 Personalization and Omni-Channel Experience 29:26 AI in Segmentation and Targeting 34:03 Quickfire AI Tips and Tricks   Key Takeaways: Strategic AI Use Cases: AI can be effectively used for research, synthesis, and understanding market opportunities, which helps create hyper-personalized customer experiences. AI in Customer Journeys: AI can significantly enhance mapping out customer journeys, understanding their needs, and identifying potential churn points, leading to better customer retention and engagement. Competitive Differentiation: Employing AI to analyze competitors and identify market gaps can provide a competitive edge, allowing for more strategic positioning. Job Transformation: AI replaces mundane tasks, enabling marketers to focus on strategic initiatives rather than routine operations. Segmentation and Targeting: AI can help marketers better understand their segments and prioritize their target audiences, leading to more efficient and effective marketing campaigns. About our Guest: Matt Heinz is a nationally recognized, award-winning blogger and the president and founder of Heinz Marketing. With over 15 years of experience in marketing and business development, Matt has worked with various organizations, including Amazon, Seagate, Morgan Stanley, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Known for creating predictable, repeatable sales and marketing engines that fuel growth, Matt is a dynamic speaker and leader of the well-regarded CMO Coffee Chat group.  Notable Quotes: "Assume AI can do everything, and you'll be surprised at how much it can, which you've been doing manually and inefficiently." - Matt Heinz "AI can be a proxy for getting closer to your customer today." - Matt Heinz "Think of AI as a really smart intern that can do a bunch of the dirty work for you." - Matt Heinz "Assume you won't keep up with all of the AI news. Just find a couple of people that align with your worldview and follow them." - Matt Heinz "The ability to create a model of your ideal customer and ask it questions enables more personalized and relevant customer engagement." - Matt Heinz Resources: Connect with Matt on LinkedIn Heinz Marketing Stay tuned for more insightful episodes from the Futurecraft Marketing podcast, where we continue to explore the evolving intersection of AI and marketing. Take advantage of the full episode for in-depth discussions and much more! To listen to the full episode and stay updated on future episodes, visit the FutureCraft Marketing Podcast website. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered advice. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own and do not represent those of any company or business we currently work for/with or have worked for/with in the past. Music: Far Away - MK2

Episode Summary: In this week’s episode of the Futurecraft Marketing podcast, hosts Ken Roden and Erin Mills interview guest Lara Shackelford, a prominent AI strategist and thought leader, about moving beyond use case frenzy and getting strategic with AI-first and focused strategies. Throughout the discussion, they explore the nuances of implementing AI in marketing beyond basic use cases. 00:00 Introduction and Podcast Disclaimer 00:27 Meet Your Hosts: Ken and Erin 00:52 Exploring AI in Marketing 03:14 Guest Introduction: Lara Shackelford 03:42 Diving into AI Strategies with Lara 07:54 The Future of AI in Marketing 16:29 Frameworks for AI Integration 22:39 Creating Effective Focus Groups with AI 23:26 Hyper-Personalization in Customer Experience 24:18 Challenges and Innovations in Telecom Marketing 28:16 Global Economic Trends and AI Strategies 30:52 The Future of Work: Project-Based Engagements 35:01 Measuring ROI in AI-Driven Marketing 41:44 Practical AI Tips and Tools for Marketers 46:21 Reviewing Canva's AI-Powered Features 48:52 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Key Takeaways: AI Integration Strategy: Lara Shackelford emphasizes the significance of AI literacy across all organizational levels and the dual exploratory and exploitative approach to integrating AI in business processes. Customer Experience: Hyper-personalization through AI-driven contextual marketing can significantly enhance customer experience, moving beyond ‘creepy’ personalization to more welcomed and relevant interactions. AI-First vs. AI-Enabled: The nuanced differences between AI-first and AI-enabled go-to-market strategies and their implications for crafting robust marketing plans are the subject of a pivotal discussion. Dynamic Project-Based Work: The potential shift towards project-based engagements and dynamic work structures facilitated by AI could redefine traditional employer-employee relationships, offering more flexibility and efficiency. Future AI Trends: Lara forecasts further advancements in real-time, dynamically adjusting marketing messages and the pivotal role of sophisticated data utilizalization About our Guest: Lara Shackelford is an influential thought leader and executive in AI and marketing. Currently heading Fieri AI, a company that emphasizes building trust between businesses and customers through AI, Lara has a diverse professional background with roles at major tech companies such as Intel, Oracle, and Microsoft. She has also contributed significantly to startups like Datastax and Looker. Recognized as a LinkedIn top voice in AI, Lara strongly advocates diversity in tech and has been lauded for her innovative approach to integrating AI into marketing strategies to boost customer satisfaction and operational excellence. Notable Quotes: “One of the biggest parts is focus groups. We spent a couple hundred thousand dollars on focus groups that took months... In the end, GenAI comes out and I just posed the question... and it gave me back the term we chose.” - Lara Shackelford “We can be more responsive to markets today and look at things like dynamic pricing and offers... AI can feed into our sales process, our proposal creation, and more.” - Lara Shackelford “If you can change and adjust your message in real-time, and that can then dynamically change the message on your website... marketing is going to get the real lift.” - Lara Shackelford “Companies are demonstrating already... with layoffs showing an emerging gig economy where scaling up and down is becoming normalized.” - Lara Shackelford Resources: LinkedIn - Lara Shackelford Fieri AI Website Paul Roetzer Ethan Mollick Stay tuned for more insightful episodes from the Futurecraft Marketing podcast, where we continue to explore the evolving intersection of AI and marketing. Take advantage of the full episode for in-depth discussions and much more!   To listen to the full episode and stay updated on future episodes, visit the FutureCraft Marketing Podcast website. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered advice. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own and do not represent those of any company or business we currently work for/with or have worked for/with in the past. Music: Far Away - MK2

Episode Summary:  Hosts Ken Roden and Erin Mills interview Andy Crestodina, co-founder and CMO of Orbit Media. They discuss the impact of AI on search and SEO, the future of AI in marketing, and how marketers can leverage AI tools to improve their content strategy. Andy shares insights on using AI for on-page optimization, link building, and gaining deeper insights from analytics data. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining a human touch in content creation and offers tips for validating and improving AI-generated content. The conversation also explores the potential of AI in sales enablement and the challenges of keeping up with AI advancements in marketing. 00:55 Generative AI Experiences 04:44 Guest Interview: Andy Crestodina on SEO and AI 06:09 AI's Impact on Search and SEO 23:48 Leveraging AI for Marketing and Sales 24:54 Optimizing Sales with AI Insights 27:18 AI in Content Creation and Strategy 30:03 Future of AI in Marketing 38:36 Practical AI Tips and Tools Key Takeaways: AI is disrupting the search experience with the rise of search generative experiences (SGEs) and the potential decline in traditional search usage. While AI can be useful for generating content ideas and optimizing on-page elements, marketers must add their expertise and personal touch to create memorable and impactful content. Marketers should focus on creating a strong digital footprint and getting their brand mentioned on various online platforms. AI may prioritize mentions with elevator pitches over high-domain authority links. AI can identify gaps in content and persona-based messaging, helping marketers create more targeted and relevant content.   About our Guest: Andy Crestodina: Co-founder and CMO of Orbit Media, a digital agency specializing in web design and development. With 24 years of experience, Andy is an expert in SEO, content marketing, and conversion optimization. He is the author of "Content Chemistry: The Illustrated Handbook for Content Marketing." Notable Quotes: "AI is just another input. It's just another point of view. You can take it or leave it and move on." - Andy Crestodina "Be a person. Draw a line in the sand, plant a flag, have a point of view. Try that. You will sound different." - Andy Crestodina Resources: Orbit Media Digital Marketing Tips Newsletter Content Chemistry: The Illustrated Handbook for Content Marketing   Thank you for listening to the Future Craft Marketing Podcast. Please subscribe and give us a review if you enjoyed today’s content. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered advice. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own and do not represent those of any company or business we currently work for/with or have worked for/with in the past. Music: Far Away - MK2

Episode Summary:  In this episode, hosts Ken Roden and Erin Mills talk AI and brand marketing with guest Karrie Sanderson. They discuss how AI is reshaping marketing and the importance of leveraging AI for customer research and deeper insights. Karrie emphasizes the need for brands to maintain authenticity and build trust with customers in the age of AI. She also shares strategies for safeguarding brand reputation, handling PR and crisis management, and educating customers about AI ethics. The conversation highlights the role of AI in enhancing media outreach, finding the right influencers, and differentiating brands in a crowded market. 00:53 AI in Everyday Life: Ken's Fashion Experiment 04:40 AI's Impact on Brand Marketing 16:58 AI in PR and Brand Protection 24:42 Navigating AI Adoption: Tips and Cautions 25:47 AI's Role in PR and Crisis Management 28:52 AI as a Differentiator in Recruitment 34:18 Practical AI Tips and Tools 41:10 Tech Review: Descript 44:51 Final Thoughts and Takeaways   Key Takeaways: AI is reshaping marketing by providing valuable insights and streamlining processes across the entire marketing team. Leveraging AI for customer research can provide deeper insights and better brand positioning. Balancing AI and human creativity is crucial for maintaining authenticity and building trust with customers. Brands should be proactive in preparing for deepfakes and establishing crisis communication plans. Organizations should have AI ethics committees to ensure responsible and ethical AI usage. AI can optimize media outreach, monitor trends, and enhance PR efforts, but human judgment is still essential in PR and crisis management. About our Guest: Karrie Sanderson is a visionary marketing leader known for driving growth and innovation across industries, including SaaS, healthcare, consumer products, and more. With a background in engineering, Karrie leverages her data-driven approach to provide effective strategies for brand and market development. She is the founder of KES Consulting and has held leadership positions at companies such as Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Typeform, and Smartsheet. Notable Quotes: "Understanding that brand is about reputation and credibility is key when discussing AI and brand." - Karrie Sanderson "AI tools allow you to inject your brand voice and key messages, making it easier to stay on brand." - Karrie Sanderson "Humans are emotional decision-makers, so injecting emotion into your brand messaging is crucial for authenticity." - Karrie Sanderson "Using AI for proactive PR efforts can help identify emerging trends and topics to pitch and avoid oversaturation." - Karrie Sanderson "Educating employees about AI and encouraging them to report any suspicious content can help protect your brand." - Karrie Sanderson Resources: KES Consulting Marketing AI Institute Thank you for listening to the Future Craft Marketing Podcast. Please subscribe and give us a review if you enjoyed today’s content. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered advice. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own and do not represent those of any company or business we currently work for/with or have worked for/with in the past. Music: Far Away - MK2

Episode 4: Marketing Is in Its AI Era: Strategies, Tools, and Insights with Tahnee Perry Interview: Tahnee Perry Episode Summary: In this episode, hosts Ken Roden and Erin Mills explore the ways AI is reshaping marketing strategies with Tahnee Perry, an expert in AI-powered marketing. They discuss the accessibility of AI tools for marketers, the benefits of using AI in content creation and distribution, and the importance of maintaining a human touch in marketing. Tahnee shares practical tips for incorporating AI into marketing workflows and maximizing productivity. She also highlights the impact of AI on personalization and the future of marketing. 00:54 Exploring AI Tools: ChatGPT vs. Claude in Marketing 02:23 Personalizing AI: Crafting Custom GPTs 04:02 Insights: Tahnee Perry on AI-Driven Marketing Strategies 14:21 Maximizing Content Creation with AI: Tools and Strategies 28:19 AI's Impact on Marketing Distribution and Personalization 28:55 Exploring Programmatic SEO and Personalized Content 31:35 Navigating the MarTech Landscape: Selection and Integration 33:51 Implementing AI in Marketing: Challenges and Strategies 35:25 Maximizing Productivity with AI Tools Key Takeaways: AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Gemini, are becoming more accessible and affordable, allowing marketers to experiment and integrate AI into their workflows. Custom GPTs can be created to refine messaging and generate personalized content based on audience insights and brand guidelines. AI can help marketers brainstorm ideas, synthesize customer data, and create targeted content that resonates with their audience. Collaboration and human input are essential for maintaining a human touch in marketing while leveraging AI tools for efficiency and productivity. Marketers should assess their existing tools and resources before investing in new AI technologies, considering integration capabilities and long-term viability. About our Guest: Tahnee Perry is a leading expert in AI-powered marketing and the author of "Zero to Unicorn." With over a decade of experience in digital marketing innovation, Tahnee helps businesses harness the power of AI to transform their marketing strategies. She has presented at major industry events and contributed to publications like Forbes and Medium. Notable Quotes: "AI is not replacing people yet. It helps elevate people who are still developing their skills." - Tahnee Perry "The key is sitting down and figuring out what you want to do and what outcome you're looking for. Then find the right AI tool and experiment to add efficiency to your workflow." - Tahnee Perry "AI can help you think through all the different steps to come up with your marketing plan and identify your ideal customer profile. It adds efficiency and momentum to your work." - Tahnee Perry Resources: Tahnee Perry's newsletter, "Zero to Unicorn": Link Follow Tahnee Perry on LinkedIn Liza Adams’ Frameworks: Link Opus Clips: Link Reclaim: Link Read.ai: Link Veed.io: Link Mutiny: Link SmartCat: Link To listen to the full episode and stay updated on future episodes, visit the FutureCraft Marketing Podcast website. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered advice. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own and do not represent those of any company or business we currently work for/with or have worked for/with in the past. Music: Far Away - MK2