C-Suite Sales & Marketing Perspectives

Episode #229:Rebecca Colwell, SVP of Marketing at Yext, explains why AI search adoption is surging and how it reshapes visibility. She shares research on usage and click behavior. She outlines three strategic shifts for marketers and shows how trust and accurate brand facts drive citations.“If you’re not visible in that first moment, you miss the entire opportunity. The goal isn’t just to rank for a keyword, it’s to be cited and trusted by the model so you appear in the answer.” – Rebecca ColwellMarketers are entering a new era of visibility, where AI-generated answers replace search results. Rebecca shares Yext’s findings on how LLMs are changing buyer journeys and what steps leaders can take to earn trust, measure citations, and ensure brands are visible when AI provides the answer.Follow Rebecca Colwell on LinkedIn Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #228:David Reid, CTO & CMO at NOV, shares how enterprise leaders grow by combining near-term cashflow discipline with long-horizon innovation. He explains why corporate groups often reject ideas they did not create. He shows how trust and relationships win complex deals. He closes with practical ways to build healthier, higher-performing teams.“The difference between good and bad strategists is that some people understand this concept, or recognize it as a weakness and compensate for it. You’re always doing something that pays us now so that we can do the big stuff later. It’s a split brain that you need.” – David ReidThis episode explores how leaders can balance innovation and sustainability by pairing entrepreneurial vision with disciplined execution. David also uncovers why internal ownership and trust-based relationships are essential to turning big ideas into scalable growth.Follow David Reid on LinkedInFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #227:Ray Wizbowski, Chief Marketing Officer at ECI Software Solutions, explains how C-suite leaders succeed under a private equity playbook by aligning to exit economics, mastering unit economics, and balancing growth with profitability while reducing churn and investing in practical AI.“You have to understand your unit economics better than anybody else. You have to understand that for every dollar I spend, I get what in return? CAC payback period becomes a lot more meaningful as you're getting through that hold period, being able to say, ‘Well, our CAC payback period is less than 20 months.’ That's now a good story for the next person who wants to invest in the company.” – Ray WizbowskiRay highlights how PE timelines shape strategy and day-to-day decisions. He recommends rigorous unit economics, clear CAC payback, and a disciplined approach to the rule of 50. He also details a churn-first retention motion and practical AI that improve marketing, sales operations, and product value, enabling leaders to protect EBITDA while sustaining double-digit growth.Follow Ray Wizbowski on LinkedInFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #226:Joshua Leatherman explains why many B2B companies stall around 80 to 100 million when a sales-led approach exhausts the easier parts of the market. He shows how to replace random acts of marketing with a scalable go-to-market system that unites demand marketing, sales development, revenue operations, sales, and client success around a shared process and attribution. “Often, private companies hit an inflection point. Once you reach a certain point, around 80 to 100 million, they start to plateau. Usually, this is because they are sales-led and have not built a scalable go-to-market team that includes demand marketing, sales development, revenue operations, and sales and client success. Companies are focused on sales and need to learn how to build scalable teams.” – Joshua LeathermanJoshua highlights a practical blueprint for moving from activity to outcomes. He identifies the core issue as misalignment and missing revenue operations, then outlines how demand marketing surfaces in-market intent while SDR and client success extend pipeline quality and expansion. The result is a predictable motion that scales beyond the plateau and aligns teams with revenue, attribution, and the voice of the customer.Follow Joshua Leatherman on LinkedInFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #225:Naomi Brezi, Chief Revenue Officer at Ruffalo Noel Levitz, explains how to lead through constant transformation without burning out teams or customers. She frames today’s trust recession and shows why credibility must be earned at every touch. Naomi maps a dual-track plan that balances quarterly targets with long-term brand and people investment. She closes with practical ways to protect morale, pipeline, and relationships. “You can't over-communicate when you're leading in times of uncertainty. You have to communicate more and more often, and you have to really make this a practice. This really helps build that trust and honesty.” – Naomi BrezNaomi unpacks the trust recession, dual-track growth, and retaining A-players during reorgs. She shares practical plays like tiered ABM, disciplined ICP focus, transparent town halls, and KPI-aligned accelerators that safeguard culture and pipeline while delivering quarterly results.Follow Naomi Brezi on LinkedInFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #224:Brian Gilman, Chief Marketing Officer at ThetaRay, explains why AI has equalized claims and intensified a B2B trust gap. He shows how quickly getting into the room with C-suite buyers reframes discovery around business outcomes. He details why alignment across product, sales, and finance prevents roadmap drift. He closes with a practical lens for activating authentic customer voice.“As a buyer, I'm more likely to evaluate you as a vendor if you can better articulate what you're going to bring to my business above and beyond just technical specifications, and if your solution can help impact those inherent risks in the business, you provide significantly more value.” - Brian GilmanBrian shows how M&A rigor and an outcomes-first mindset help executives cut through AI-fueled sameness. He explains why quickly getting into the room with the C-suite re-centers discovery on measurable business value. He also highlights how cross-functional alignment protects roadmaps and accelerates adoption in complex deals.Follow Brian Gilman on LinkedInFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #223:Patrick McGuire, Chief Revenue Officer at Kompound, unpacks a trust-first system for scaling sales. He shows how short videos, tailored one-to-one demos, and service-led follow-through turn credibility into revenue, and why involving customer success early keeps wins compounding long after the close.“I really believe that the secret sauce is trust. It's doing business the way it's supposed to be done. If I can't trust you, we can't do business, it's not going to work, and you're not going to close deals. So, I believe the way to 3, 5, 10x your sales is by gaining trust and sharing and loving and giving excellence to people when you get a chance to. It's that trust funnel.” – Patrick McGuirePatrick highlights a practical “Trust Funnel” that maps value-first touches to buying intent. He recommends a lightweight video sequence that diagnoses the buyer’s biggest problem, shifts into focused one-to-one sessions, and brings customer success into motion to sustain momentum with the goal of creating a human-centered path to higher win rates, lower CAC, and repeatable growth.Follow Patrick McGuire on LinkedInFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #222:Stephanie Davis Smith, CMO at The N2 Company, demonstrates how to mitigate channel overwhelm by focusing on areas where execution excels. She explains a six-stage franchise psychology that converts excitement into loyalty. She details budget-efficient content reuse and ROI rigor. She ties it all together with the voice of the customer alignment.“Get down to the people on the ground and talk to them because they always know what they need. Don’t create too many levels where you lose sight of what’s happening on the ground. That’s where the great decisions and ideas come from.” - Stephanie Davis SmithMarketers will learn how Stephanie trims channel sprawl, repurposes content for efficient reach, and uses customer psychology to turn early excitement into lasting advocacy. She shows where to double down, when to pause experiments, and how the voice of the customer aligns teams to measurable outcomes that support revenue and retention.Follow Stephanie Davis Smith on LinkedInFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #221: Amit Shankardass, CMO at VXI Global Solutions, explains why client centricity must guide decisions. He demonstrates how to strike a balance between today’s needs and both near-term and long-term horizons. He explores human biases that block honest listening. He shares practical ways to institutionalize customer voice.“A customer should be the North Star that guides how we begin to think, process, and evaluate.” - Amit ShankardassThis conversation demonstrates how leaders can anchor decisions within the buyer’s frame, mitigate bias when processing feedback, and foster alignment across sales and marketing. Amit outlines habits that scale trust and revenue, from strategic reviews that anticipate tomorrow’s needs to advisory boards that surface hidden opportunities.Follow Amit Shankardass on LinkedInFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #220: Chris Green, Chief Revenue Officer at FreshRealm, explains why process beats outcome chasing in turbulent companies. He shows how accurate and timely communication aligns boards, founders, and teams. Chris connects customer conversations to sharper ICP focus and growth path choices. He closes by emphasizing that relationships are the true compounding asset. “The key is accurate and timely communication of what's happening, what you're thinking, and what you're going to do about it. Today, change is constant and happens at a rapid pace. So, communicate as often as we can and in a meaningful way. It’s the human element of turning a company into a revenue machine.” – Chris GreenChris explains how to cut through chaos by setting precise rhythms, reporting what is happening and what will be done next, and creating space for future-focused customer conversations that sharpen ICP and roadmap choices. He shows leaders how to align boards and founders, rally teams around purpose and relationships, and sustain momentum through frequent, meaningful communication that builds trust and turns scattered effort into a consistent path to revenue across functions and in the face of changing market conditions today.Follow Chris Green on LinkedInFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #219: Jereme Baker, Founder & CEO at Baker Law Group, and Maureen Berkner Boyt, Founder & CEO at C2IQ Inc., share why people are the lifeblood of growth. They detail how culture, values, and incremental improvement keep teams thriving. They also discuss the data and skills behind change resilience. Together, they demonstrate how human connection can become a competitive advantage.“If you want to succeed in business, if you want to grow, if you want to be profitable, you have to center it around the humans.” - Maureen Berkner BoytThis episode explores how culture, values, and resilience to change contribute to sustainable growth. Jereme and Maureen share practical ways to hire for fit, build connections, pace change, and utilize AI to automate routine work, allowing people to focus on higher-value outcomes.Follow Jereme Baker on LinkedInFollow Maureen Berkner Boyt on LinkedInFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #218:Shirin Hameed, CMO at Detroit Engineered Products, explains why trust is the missing link in B2B growth. She shows how post-sale experiences create loyalty. She urges authentic alignment across teams. She shares practical ways to maintain consistent messaging.“It's not the product itself that you're selling, but you are selling a longer relationship with the client. We are enabling mutual success. The more you succeed, the more we grow together.” - Shirin HameedShirin shares why trust after the sale drives real growth. She explains how alignment, feedback loops, and consistent messaging help buyers feel confident in long-term value. You will hear actionable ways to turn post-sale experiences into loyalty, expansion, and measurable revenue impact.Follow Shirin Hameed on LinkedIn Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #217:Aviv Canaani, Chief Revenue Officer at Datarails, breaks down how to engineer a predictable revenue model by treating go-to-market like a factory. He explains the handoffs between marketing, SDRs, AEs, and solution consultants, and why brand trust and creative risk-taking accelerate demand, conversion, and forecasting accuracy.“We generate all the demand and all the leads through marketing. I can actually tell you how much budget we're using in marketing, how many meetings we will be able to generate and become opportunities, and how many will become closed won.” – Aviv CanaaniAviv Canaani highlights a practical model for predictable growth, from budget-to-pipeline math to calendar-level AE focus. He details how brand trust fuels inbound demand, why specialized roles improve velocity, and how paid and organic channels work together to forecast meetings, opportunities, and revenue with confidence.Follow Aviv Canaani on LinkedInFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #216: Tarmo Van Der Goot, Chief Revenue Officer at Frisbii, explains how to reconcile quarterly targets with durable growth. He frames Net Revenue Retention as the North Star that keeps short-term choices tethered to strategy. He details how a unified ICP, tight product partnership, and direct voice-of-customer contact prevent reactive churn. He closes with culture and focus as the foundation for cross-sell at scale."Make sure that your short-term, quarterly goals are aligned with your long-term decision. The way I approach it is making sure that the long-term strategy is my anchor for the short-term decisions.” - Tarmo Van Der GootThis episode examines how a CRO strikes a balance between near-term targets and durable growth by utilizing NRR as a guiding principle, aligning on a single ICP, and translating the voice of the customer into actionable product outcomes. Expect clear examples on cross-sell, operating cadence, and culture so teams can connect daily choices to long-term outcomes.Follow Tarmo Van Der GootFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #215:Cindy White, Chief Marketing Officer at Mitek Systems, traces a global path from B2C brand building to purpose-driven B2B leadership. She explains how advanced AI and biometrics at Mitek safeguard real people and real identities. Her focus is on stopping bots and fraudulent actors before they cause harm. Her personal passions and philanthropy underscore a career centered on using technology for good.“Integration matters in this world of too much information. It's the consistency of message, consistency of approach, and how it's integrated across all the levels in the organization.” – Cindy WhiteCindy highlights how internal alignment and a proper understanding of the customer's voice fuel durable growth. She maps practical steps for making trust repeatable across experiences, reframing ICP beyond demographics, and using customer evidence to guide investments. Her approach centers on one consistent story that teams can execute against to drive ROI.Follow Cindy White on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-white-2915a613/Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensmacdonald/

Episode #214:Baris Vural, Chief Revenue Officer at Smartlinxs, and Rhiannon Staples, Chief Marketing Officer at ClearCompany, unpack the top growth blockers their peer C-suite leaders face. They connect internal misalignment, weak customer insight, and low trust to stalled revenue and show how ABM, if executed through brand and VoC, solves these gaps. As a result, you can expect practical guidance on aligning teams, refining ICP, and ultimately turning trust into pipeline momentum.“People buy because they trust, and how do you build trust? You build it through your brand and through your voice of customers.” - Rhiannon StaplesBaris and Rhiannon demonstrate how alignment, brand, and customer voice translate into measurable outcomes through ABM. You will learn why ICP must go deeper than firmographics, how regular listening disciplines sharpen priorities, and how trust improves win rates and retention. Expect practical steps, such as utilizing churn and win data, aligning leaders in a single room, and rebalancing spend toward brand and expansion.Follow Baris Vural on LinkedIn Follow Rhiannon Staples on LinkedIn Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #213:Felix Bartels, CMO at Serviceplan Group, discusses how businesses can navigate today’s complexity without losing human connection. He explains why customer trust is the foundation of sustainable growth. Felix emphasizes the crucial role of proactive listening and customer engagement in data-driven strategies. He also shares how building peer communities can create a long-term impact.“The solution to today’s complexity is simple to say but hard to execute. It’s all about the human connection.” – Felix BartelsFelix discusses that leaders face more channels, data, and AI than ever, yet trust still determines growth. He shares why human conversations and listening systems must anchor data strategies, how peer communities reveal real challenges, and why relationship management outperforms transactional outreach. The discussion shows practical ways to simplify complexity through people-first marketing.Follow Felix Bartels on LinkedInFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #212:Simon Hodgkins, Chief Marketing Officer at Vistatec, unpacks why true personalization begins with human insight. It’s not just about using technology, it’s about understanding the people behind the data. He also explains how brands can ensure their messages stay relevant across cultures and languages." Machines talking to machines producing non-personalized or generic content will not tick the box and get you connected on a one-to-one level with the audience. You have to have a human at the control panel." – Simon HodgkinsSimon also warns about the growing danger of “AI slop” and its impact on brand trust. He outlines the data strategies that drive meaningful, personal connections with audiences. Finally, he shares practical ways to merge automation with emotion so every touchpoint feels authentic and truly tailored.Follow Simon Hodgkins on LinkedInFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #211:Dawn Werry, Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer & Partner at Chief Outsiders, and Jamie Gier, Chief Marketing Officer at DexCare, dissect the top challenges B2B C-suite leaders face. They reveal why internal alignment, customer understanding, and balancing short- and long-term goals matter most. They share hard-won insights on building plans to restore trust in selling. Their practical advice equips executives to drive sustainable growth.“Having a trust-building program and seeing and embracing it as an imperative, not just a value that sits on the shelf, is strategic for the organization.” - Jamie GierIn this conversation, Dawn and Jamie share strategies for uniting go-to-market teams, using customer voices to guide messaging, and embedding trust-building into company DNA. Their actionable guidance blends leadership wisdom with real-world examples to help executives navigate today’s trust crisis while driving measurable growth.Follow Dawn Werry on LinkedInFollow Jamie Gier on LinkedInFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #210:Luna Shirley, Chief Revenue Officer at ROI Hunter, and Sanja Gabler, Chief Revenue Officer at Trapets, discuss the most complex growth barriers. They unpack internal alignment, customer obsession, and trust as core levers. They share lessons from long cycles and crowded SaaS markets that turn insights into practical execution.“Once you ensure the general direction is aligned, you are good to go.” - Luna ShirleyThis episode brings two CROs together to unpack alignment, trust, and customer obsession. They contrast clarity of direction with interdepartmental micromanagement, explain how narrative consistency builds buyer confidence, and share practical ways to balance quarterly targets with long-term brand work.Follow Luna Shirley on LinkedInFollow Sanja Gabler on LinkedInFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn