Claim OwnershipClosing Time: quick insights from sales & marketing experts
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Closing Time is a weekly podcast with insider tips and insights for go-to-market leaders. In each episode, you'll meet a luminary in the sales, marketing, or customer success field and get actionable tips and tactics to elevate your game. Each 15-minute episode will go deep on skills to close deals, see the latest on marketing tech, or check out trends to elevate the customer experience.
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Are MQLs dead? Marketers have relied on generating Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) for years, using them as a critical metric to measure success. But treating all MQLs the same is a mistake. John Short, CEO of Compound Growth Media, joins Chip House in this episode of Closing Time to talk about the paid media strategies that drive MQLs. He'll also talk through how the source of your MQLs results from the level of intent and how bucketing them differently is the key to conversions. Watch the episode on YouTube. Want to stock your bookshelf on us? Enter the giveaway to win a $100 Amazon gift card to purchase books authored by Closing Time guests. Connect With: • John Short: LinkedIn • Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn • Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube
Is 2026 your year for a career change into sales? And what if that next chapter offers more flexibility, income potential, and ownership over your future? In this episode of Closing Time, we explore why sales is emerging as a powerful option for career reinvention—especially for women considering a midlife career change or looking for a more autonomous, growth-oriented path. Val is joined by reinvention coach Katia Vlachos, author of Uncaged, to unpack what really drives a career pivot, the benefits of changing direction, and the internal barriers—like fear, identity, and confidence—that often hold people back. Watch the episode on YouTube. Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw Explore Unbounce go-to-market solutions: https://unbounce.com/go-to-market-solutions/ Connect With: • Katia Vlachos: Website // LinkedIn • Val Riley: LinkedIn • Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website
Rising ad costs and tighter performance expectations are forcing SaaS marketers to rethink their paid media strategy in 2026. On this episode of Closing Time, Jonathan Bland, paid media strategist and co-founder of Omni Lab, breaks down the paid media trends shaping the year ahead—from rising CPCs and shifting Google Ads economics to what's actually working on LinkedIn ads for SaaS. Covering seasonal pricing dynamics, creative formats like thought leader ads, and when it makes sense to rethink channel mix altogether, this conversation offers practical guidance to help digital marketing leaders plan for 2026 with confidence. Watch the episode on YouTube. Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw Explore Unbounce go-to-market solutions: https://unbounce.com/go-to-market-solutions/ Connect With: • Jonathan Bland: omni lab Consulting // LinkedIn • Val Riley: LinkedIn • Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website
Brand storytelling is becoming one of the most critical growth levers for B2B marketers—and in 2026, it's being reshaped by AI. In this episode of Closing Time, we're joined by brand storytelling expert and author Park Howell to break down what brand storytelling really is, why it matters more than ever, and how B2B marketing leaders can use proven frameworks to stand out in an increasingly automated world. Park introduces his simple but powerful ABT (And, But, Therefore) framework, explains how storytelling builds trust and emotional connection, and shows how it can be applied across landing pages, messaging, and go-to-market strategy. We also explore how AI is influencing brand storytelling in 2026—what it can accelerate, where marketers need to stay human, and why understanding storytelling fundamentals is essential before handing the work to AI. Watch the episode on YouTube. Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw Explore Unbounce go-to-market solutions: https://unbounce.com/go-to-market-solutions/ Connect With: • Park Howell: StoryCycle Genie // LinkedIn • Val Riley: LinkedIn • Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website
Sales and marketing misalignment is one of the biggest (and most expensive) problems facing modern go-to-market teams. It slows down deals, creates internal friction, and leads to inevitable revenue loss. In this episode of Closing Time, we are joined for a second time by the author of Create Togetherness, Jeff Davis, so he can finish sharing the final two of his five big ideas around sales and marketing alignment: why RevOps is responsible for creating one source of truth and how culture is the foundation for sustainable alignment. Jeff breaks down what has changed in the modern buying landscape—and why GTM teams can no longer afford to operate in silos. If you're navigating misalignment, struggling to scale your revenue engine, or looking to strengthen sales and marketing collaboration, this episode is for you. Watch the episode on YouTube. Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw Explore Unbounce go-to-market solutions: https://unbounce.com/go-to-market-solutions/ Connect With: • Jeff Davis: Create Togetherness // LinkedIn • Val Riley: LinkedIn • Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website
Running a paid media strategy for one brand is tough. Running it for three—with entirely different go-to-market motions—is a whole new level of complexity. In this special internal spotlight episode of Closing Time, Val Riley sits down with Unbounce's Senior Manager of Digital Marketing, Alexa Tsongranis, to unpack how her team of one built a unified playbook for scaling paid media across Unbounce, Insightly, and LeadsRx. From shared infrastructure and flexible frameworks to unified measurement and data-driven decision-making, Alexa shares how operational clarity and focus help her run three distinct paid programs—without reinventing the wheel each time. Watch the episode on YouTube. Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw Explore Unbounce go-to-market solutions: https://unbounce.com/go-to-market-solutions/ Connect With: • Alexa Tsongranis: LinkedIn • Val Riley: LinkedIn • Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website
B2B sales negotiation doesn't have to feel like a high-pressure personality shift the moment a customer says "yes." Too often, sellers tense up, change their tone, and fall back into outdated tactics—but today's guest on Closing Time says there's a better way. In his new book Four Levers Negotiating, sales leader and speaker Todd Caponi shares his practical framework that transforms the negotiation phase into a natural extension of the sales process. Todd shares immediately actionable negotiation strategies that protect margin while strengthening long-term customer relationships. If you've ever wished negotiation felt more like value-based selling and less like a tug-of-war, this episode will change how you prep, present, and close—on every deal, big or small. Watch the episode on YouTube. Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw Connect With: • Todd Caponi: Todd's Four Levers Negotiation book // LinkedIn • Val Riley: LinkedIn • Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website
Events are back and bigger than ever. Whether you're new to events or scaling an existing program, this episode is packed with tips to launch or improve your field marketing strategy in 2026. Accelevents CEO Jon Kazarian joins Closing Time to share a practical, modern take on B2B event marketing, including why micro-events and intimate dinners are outperforming saturated digital channels. You'll learn how to test your first event, partner with other brands, and build engaging sidecar events that fuel long-term pipeline—not just quick leads. Jon also breaks down real cost-per-head benchmarks, show rates, and the tactics top B2B teams use to create memorable, connection-driven experiences. Watch the episode on YouTube. Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw Connect With: • Jonathan Kazarian: Accelevent's website // LinkedIn • Val Riley: LinkedIn • Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website
A strong holiday marketing strategy can make or break your Q4. November and December drive over $1 trillion in ecommerce spending, with conversions spiking up to six times higher during the Cyber Five. But with ad costs rising and competition at an all-time high, marketers need to move fast and optimize smarter. In this episode of Closing Time, Val chats with Jonathan Naccache, Co-founder and President of Webistry, a performance marketing agency that helps brands win on Meta. Jonathan shares how to design high-performing holiday campaigns—from choosing the right mix of static and video ads, to building mobile-first landing pages, to structuring campaigns that scale throughout Q4. Watch the episode on YouTube. Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw Connect With: • Jonathan Naccache: Webistry's website // LinkedIn • Val Riley: LinkedIn • Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website
Getting CRM implementation right is one of the biggest levers for improving sales performance and efficiency. Yet many teams struggle to select the right system and see a fast return on investment. In this episode of Closing Time, CRM consultant Vanessa Hunt shares proven CRM implementation best practices that help companies boost ROI, improve CRM adoption, and reduce the total cost of ownership. She also breaks down the latest CRM trends shaping 2025 and 2026—from smarter integrations to the growing role of AI in CRM—and explains how sales leaders can future-proof their tech stack for the years ahead. Watch the episode on YouTube. Start a free trial of Insightly CRM: https://www.insightly.com/14-day-trial/ Download the CRM research report: https://www.insightly.com/right-sizing-your-crm-report/ Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw Connect With: • Vanessa Hunt: Vanessa's Website // LinkedIn • Val Riley: LinkedIn • Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website
Sales and marketing alignment is one of the most persistent challenges for go-to-market leaders. While most teams say they're aligned, the reality often looks different—with missed opportunities, broken handoffs, and a lack of shared accountability. In this episode of Closing Time, Val sits down with Jeff Davis, author of Create Togetherness, to unpack the first three big ideas about sales and marketing alignment: building it as an operating system, fixing the business design flaws that discourage collaboration, and understanding the "misalignment tax" that silently erodes revenue. Jeff shares how leaders can move beyond quick fixes and start designing alignment into the DNA of their go-to-market strategy. Watch the episode on YouTube. Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw Connect With: • Jeff Davis: Create Togetherness // LinkedIn • Val Riley: LinkedIn • Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website
You've built a great ad campaign—but if your landing page doesn't match your ad message, you're losing conversions before they even start. In this episode of Closing Time, Barry Buckman joins us to explore how landing page message match—the alignment between your ad copy and landing page content—can dramatically boost conversion rates. A long-time Unbounce power user, Barry helps digital marketers adapt to Google's latest ad policy update and shares the importance of A/B testing every ad-landing page for optimal ROI. Plus, he'll unpack the challenges of training new digital marketers and how his SEMulator tool helps them practice real-world tactics without burning ad dollars. Watch the episode on YouTube. Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw Connect With: • Barry Buckman: SEMulator // LinkedIn • Val Riley: LinkedIn • Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website
You've done a great job getting landing page visitors to convert—but what happens after the form fill? The lead hand-off between marketing and sales is often where revenue leaks begin. In this episode of Closing Time, Val Riley sits down with Adam Lundquist, founder of Nerds Do It Better, to share practical strategies for improving your post-conversion flow, optimizing your connection rate, and turning more leads into closed-won deals. Whether you're in marketing, sales, or RevOps, you'll learn how to plug funnel leaks, automate faster follow-ups, and create a smoother lead hand-off process that drives measurable growth. Watch the episode on YouTube. Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw Connect With: • Adam Lundquist: Nerds Do It Better website // LinkedIn • Val Riley: LinkedIn • Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website
Trying to be everything to everyone rarely works in B2B sales. Many teams start with a horizontal sales strategy—going after anyone who could use the product, across any industry. And that can work… until it doesn't. When reps start losing momentum, getting buried in research, or struggling to differentiate, it's often because they're spread too thin. In this episode of Closing Time, we welcome back Todd Caponi—author of The Transparency Sale and The Transparent Sales Leader, and a well-known speaker and advisor in the sales world. Todd shares how firmographic sprints in sales can help your reps build confidence, drive momentum, and sell like true industry experts. Todd talks through when might be a good time to hone in on a vertical, how to train your reps, and how it impacts your entire organization. Watch the episode on YouTube. Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw Connect With: • Todd Caponi: Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn • Val Riley: LinkedIn • Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website
Are you ready for the next generation of search? AI search is coming…now. About 2.5% of searches are currently run on sites like ChatGPT, but the experts say that number will grow exponentially—and fast. Marketers need to know what GEO is and how to optimize for AI search to stay ahead. This week on Closing Time, we welcome Anthony Chiaravallo, CEO of Vallo Media, to talk us through the steps to adapt current content, generate new AI-friendly assets, and ensure your strategy is future-proofed for both GEO and traditional SEO. Watch the episode on YouTube. Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw Connect With: • Anthony Chiaravallo: LinkedIn // Vallo Media • Val Riley: LinkedIn • Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website
What happens when a fast-growing consulting firm removes the bottlenecks in their marketing workflow? For Viva Executive Assistants, the results were dramatic: a 6x increase in landing page output and a 7.5% increase in conversion rates. In this customer edition of Closing Time, host Melinda Prescher, Senior Director of Product and Customer Marketing at Unbounce and Insightly, sits down with Dania Maduro (Senior Executive Assistant) and Desiree de Leon (Organic Growth Manager) from Viva to unpack their story. Viva's small but mighty marketing team cut landing page build times from eight weeks to minutes, scaled output without relying on developers or agencies, and used A/B testing to refine messaging for different audiences. With the agility to pivot quickly and integrations that streamlined their stack, they reduced wasted spend and boosted overall marketing efficiency. Watch the episode on YouTube. Try Unbounce for free (no credit card required): https://bit.ly/46dwxej Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw Connect With: • Viva Executive Assistants: LinkedIn // Website • Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website
Can a sales mindset shift unlock better performance? According to today's guest on Closing Time, the answer is a resounding yes. Join Jaime Diglio, Founder of The WIN Room, as she breaks down how sales leaders can move their teams from the WAR Room (working against revenue) to the WIN Room ("What I Need" to succeed). Jaime has taken the TEDx stage, coaches students at Harvard Business School, and now she's here to share practical ways to build confidence, clarity, and lasting performance in sales teams. Learn how to recognize negative "WAR words," strengthen your reps' self-awareness, and create a culture where every seller leads with confidence. Watch the episode on YouTube. Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw Connect With: • Jaime Diglio: LinkedIn // The WIN Room • Val Riley: LinkedIn • Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website
Ready to make the leap from W-2 to 1099? As the global macroeconomic environment continues to shift, gig work is becoming more and more common. And if you've got experience, you're in a good place because fractional executives are in demand. On this episode of Closing Time, join Sangram Vajre from GTM Partners as he walks through how his consultancy can help experienced sales, marketing and customer success leaders build a fractional GTM business. He covers the biggest obstacles, how to land your first five clients, and the steps to build long-term success. Watch the episode on YouTube. Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw Connect With: • Sangram Vajre: LinkedIn // GTM Partners • Val Riley: LinkedIn • Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website
Most marketers understand the basics of attribution. First touch. Last touch. Maybe even multi-touch. But here's the thing: there are seven different attribution models—and each one tells a slightly different story about what's driving your conversions. Larry Todd, who leads the team at LeadsRx by Unbounce, has spent years helping marketers figure this out. He's seen firsthand how attribution can transform decision-making—and how the wrong model can skew results. In this Closing Time episode, Larry will break down the 7 types of marketing attribution models, explain how they work, their pitfalls, and when to use them. Get a demo of LeadsRx's multi-touch attribution software today: https://bit.ly/4dziJv2 Watch the episode on YouTube. Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw Connect With: • Larry Todd: LinkedIn // LeadsRx • Val Riley: LinkedIn • Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website
All sales leaders want to make good sales hires. But what defines "good?" In this week's episode of Closing Time, Kevin Gaither, CEO of InsideSalesExpert.com, reflects on a tough moment in his career—laying off more than 50 sales reps—and how it shaped his approach to hiring B2B sales reps. He's identified 6 essential traits that predict long-term success in sales. Join Kevin and host Val Riley in this episode to not only learn what those traits are, but also get real interview questions you can use to identify them in your next hire. Watch the episode on YouTube. Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw Connect With: • Kevin Gaither: LinkedIn // Get Kevin's interview guide • Val Riley: LinkedIn • Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website
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