Growth Driver

Season 1 of Growth Driver was packed with insightful conversations with some of the brightest minds in B2B, and we’re just getting started. Starting in season 2, we're launching an all new type of Growth Driver episode featuring Expert Deep Dives with Aaron Owens, head of Growth Consulting at Intelligent Demand. Aaron is a growth expert with over 20 years starting companies, leading sales and marketing teams, and advising the fastest-growing companies across industries. Every episode of Expert Deep Dives pulls back the curtain to get deep and detailed in these interviews with real deal experts across all of the practice areas of modern B2B revenue growth. Aaron's guests are real deal expert practitioners that dive deep into the what and the how of their jobs, and are joining us on Growth Driver to share pragmatic, executable better practices, templates, and advice from the trenches.Here are some of the highlights from our first season of Growth Driver, and a sneak peek into what you can expect from the new Expert Deep Dives series. Growth Driver is powered by Intelligent Demand. Visit intelligentdemand.com to see how we help B2B companies grow revenue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amidst the boom of go-to-market (GTM) in B2B, there’s no better time than now to decode the intricacies of the strategy. Is it real? Or, is it hype? Can GTM really unlock efficient B2B growth? Today we’re dissecting the core components and modern trends of GTM strategies, breaking it down from buzzword to game-changer in B2B growth. Because GTM isn’t a buzzword at all; it's a comprehensive process that connects strategy to execution across all customer-facing functions. Tune in with us as we dive into go-to-market with Bryan Brown and explain just why GTM has become a game-changer for B2B growth. If you're a business leader looking to sharpen your GTM strategy, this episode is a must-listen.Bryan Brown is a SaaS pioneer and thought leader in the marketing and sales tech industry and author of MOVE the 4-question Go-to-Market framework. As Co-founder he leads client advisory and analyst research at GTM Partners, a data-driven Go-To-Market Analyst firm helping GTM teams and GTM technology vendors achieve efficient growth by transforming their GTM strategy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People and culture are the bedrock of any successful growth strategy. But it’s easy to lose sight of this amidst the technological tools, trends, and best practices that bombard growth leaders daily. No matter how brilliant your strategy, if you get the people part wrong, it's hard to get the growth part right. From the evolution of leadership fundamentals over the last decade to top mistakes that hold senior executives from being more effective leaders, we’re diving deep into what makes great leaders truly stand out. Whether you're a senior executive, a mid-career leader, or just stepping into a leadership role, this episode is packed with actionable advice and thought-provoking insights. Tune in with us for a candid and insightful conversation with leadership expert Darrell Hammond Sr. Darrell Hammond, Sr. completed a degree in Business Management after earning an athletic scholarship. After college he continued playing basketball and traveled around the world playing exhibition basketball, keynote speaking, and providing custom training. A silver medalist for Team USA, Darrell has first hand executive leadership experience on a variety of high performing teams.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Depending on when you start counting, Account Based Marketing and Selling is 15+ years old as a defined GTM strategy. It’s time we take a fresh look at how and why Account Based started, its current state, and where it’s headed next as a driver of B2B growth.One thing is for certain: it never should have been called ABM. True account-based motions are cross-functional, and the most successful include the entire customer journey–from acquisition to retention and expansion. But whether it’s due to CRM technology’s struggle to accommodate, or simply a lack of market complexity, many B2B organizations are still struggling to effectively execute ABX motions. Join us as we unpack the complexities of ABX and discover how to leverage it for B2B growth with Gabe Rogol, CEO of Demandbase. Whether you're struggling with cross-functional alignment or looking to refine your account-based strategies, you’re in the right place. Gabriel Rogol is the Chief Executive Officer of Demandbase. In his role, Rogol is responsible for fulfilling the company's mission of transforming how B2B companies go-to-market. Since joining Demandbase in 2012, Rogol has been integral in setting the product and corporate strategy for the company. Throughout his two-plus decade career, Rogol has held leadership positions, including managing world-class customer service and sales teams at IDG and other leading publishers. Rogol received his BA in Comparative Literature and Russian Language and Literature from Brown University.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead) is a relic from 25 years ago, yet it remains central to most companies' revenue processes. Running an MQL-centric process offers no more than a 1-2% success rate—when opportunities and buying groups can claim numbers up to 400% increases in conversion rates. It's time to rethink MQLs as the cornerstone of marketing metrics. Old habits die hard, but understanding why and how to transition to focusing on buying groups can greatly improve your efficiency and success rate. Transitioning to a new revenue model involves significant change management, but we’re here today to share a roadmap for transforming outdated revenue processes into efficient, high-performing systems with you. Our guest, Terry Flaherty, is a titan in the realm of B2B waterfalls, funnel metrics, and revenue processes. As the Vice President and Principal Analyst in Demand Services at Forrester, Terry has spent decades shaping the frameworks many companies use today. His expertise offers invaluable insights into the future of B2B marketing and sales. Terry is a senior marketing executive with a passion for sales and marketing integration through effective demand generation. His background includes more than 15 years of experience delivering enterprise-level software solutions, including business process management (BPM), IT infrastructure management, business intelligence, and application development. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What makes or breaks a B2B growth strategy? The pivotal roles of understanding your ideal customer, aligning your product to their needs, and crafting positioning and messaging that not only attracts but wins and retains those very customers. This trifecta can significantly reduce missed revenue, minimize wasted go-to-market spend, and alleviate professional suffering. But these elements cannot merely exist in theory, confined to a PowerPoint presentation or trapped in the mind of a single visionary. They demand to be operationalized, brought to life in the day-to-day of any B2B organization. We sat down with April Dunford, a widely recognized expert in B2B positioning and messaging, to discuss the details of how to actually do this. Throughout our conversation, April emphasized the importance of not just developing strong positioning and messaging, but of integrating these elements into every facet of your operation. This means moving beyond the conceptual phase and ensuring that your strategic positioning and messaging are reflected in how your product is marketed, sold, and supported. With experts like April Dunford, there's no doubt that the path to more effective positioning and messaging—and, by extension, more successful B2B marketing—is becoming clearer for us all.April Dunford is the world's foremost authority on product positioning. As a consultant, April helps companies make complex products easy to understand and love. Boasting an impressive 25-year career as a VP Marketing at various rapidly developing technology firms, she has collaborated with hundreds of growing technology companies such as Google, Epic Games, Postman, and others. April is also the acclaimed author of the best-selling book, "Obviously Awesome," which delves into the art of positioning and the future sales classic, "Sales Pitch," which unveils the secrets to crafting a winning sales narrative in the market.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conflict can have a positive impact on your organization when it’s handled with the right approach and language. When leaders leverage purposeful actions early on and establish a strong foundation of trust, they’re able to leverage difficult situations as growth opportunities for their organizations. It starts by prioritizing deliberate leadership, and equipping yourself with the right tools to ensure intention matches the impact of our actions and sets our teams up for success. From self-awareness to actively engaging in constructive conflict, there are critical steps leaders must consciously take to move from lazy leadership to deliberate leadership–which is what today’s conversation is all about. Join us as we sit down with Julie Holunga, an expert in deliberate leadership who has helped over eight thousand professionals and teams stop practicing Lazy Leadership by developing trust, communicating more effectively, and actively engaging in constructive conflict. Julie Holunga develops professionals to amplify their influence and impact. She works with teams and leaders to instill her Trusted Voice Paradigm to increase effective communications, make conflict constructive, and develop leaders who lead with integrity. Through these programs, leaders get out of their own way, develop trusting relationships with key stakeholders, and positively impact the organization's bottom line. Her expertise lies within professional services: law, accounting, and investment firms, with a specialization in the careers of female leaders. Check out her TEDx talk on the power of leadership language! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the race towards modernizing go-to-market strategies, B2B firms often lose sight of what truly propels growth–the customer. If you've nodded in agreement to buyers’ behavior shifts, the tangle of tech consolidation to drive efficiency, and the explosion of new GTM motions; it’s time to pause. Amidst all this talk and transformation, our customers seem to have been forgotten. Customer obsession is more than a mantra; it's a strategy that infuses customers into the lifeblood of leadership and operations. We’re bringing the concept of 'customer obsession' into the limelight, directly from the start reality sourced from Forrester Research. Join us as we sit down with John Arnold, Principal Analyst at Forrester, as we strip down this buzzword to its core and construct an actionable blueprint tailored for the ever changing landscape that is B2B growth.John Arnold is a Principal Analyst at Forrester, helping B2B organizations grow revenue with marketing strategies for a digital-first world. He is an expert in frontline marketing strategies and the co-creator of Forrester's lifecycle revenue marketing approach. John has been a published marketing author since 2007 and began his career building marketing education programs at Constant Contact (IPO in 2007) and the Mobile Marketing Association. John was also on the advisory board at Wildfire (acquired by Google in 2012). John's marketing leadership roles include product marketing and sales enablement at Return Path (acquired by Validity), account-based marketing (ABM) strategy and consulting at Demandbase, and vice president of marketing at FullContact. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The way today's B2B buyers are actually buying has changed dramatically in the last few years, leaving many B2B companies with out of date and out of sync go-to-market strategies. The good news is we finally have the research and data-back behavior insights to update GTM strategies with the modern B2B buyer. We know the modern buying journey is done almost entirely online, but did you know most buyers are already 70% through their decision-making process by the time they talk with any vendor reps? And when buyers do initiate contact—which they do 83% of the time—they're likely reaching out to the vendor that has already won in their minds.We’re going to anchor today’s episode in some of the best research about B2B buying available today, and we’re going to do it with a true expert–Kerry Cunningham. Kerry Cunningham is a research director, analyst, and thought leader with over 25 years of experience in all aspects of B2B. He’s authored numerous B2B frameworks including the latest versions of the Revenue Waterfall model. Most recently at 6sense, Kerry leads research and insights, including the just-released B2B Buyer Experience Report.  Check out the report from Kerry: https://6sense.com/blog/new-buyer-experience-report-3-insights-and-a-warning/ Other articles mentioned in this episode: https://intelligentdemand.com/resources/sirius-decisions-new-demand-unit-waterfall/ https://www.forrester.com/b2b-marketing/b2b-revenue-waterfall-guide/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before the pivot into efficient growth, and even before AI, the field of B2B sales has been seriously transformed in the last few years. B2B buying behavior has shifted, away from meeting with sellers and toward anonymity. There has been an unprecedented rise of different GTM motions; account-based, product-led growth, customer-led growth, partner ecosystems… And to top it all off, we’re experiencing an absolute explosion in technology, data, and now generative AI. Despite all of this upheaval and innovation in B2B, sales and marketing teams still have to deliver growth, and efficiently. The era of siloed heroics is coming to a close, and smart leaders are leveraging alignment to keep up with the demands of efficient growth. Join guest Dan Gottlieb for a deep-dive conversation with co-host John Common about the vital trends reshaping B2B and how sales and marketing leaders can foster a culture of resilience amid constant change. Dan Gottlieb is a Senior Director Analyst at Garter for Sales Leaders. He covers a range of topics, from generative AI for B2B sales to RevOps data automations, to conversation and revenue intelligence. He describes the current state of the market in a single word: mayhem. Prior to Gartner, Dan was a Senior Analyst leading research in the sales practice at TOPO.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stories of ascent and success don't get more compelling than those penned in the high-stakes environment of the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). We’re taking an honest look at the path to becoming a B2B CMO, followed by a deep discussion about what it takes to be successful as you enter the role and make the right impact.This episode is tailor made for 3 types of folks:1. You want to become a CMO2. You’re currently a CMO and feeling some version of imposter syndrome3. You’re a head of sales or a CEO who’s ready to uplevel alignment at your companyIf you fit into any of those categories, grab a cup of coffee and a pencil–consider this episode your map to navigating the path of leadership, strategy, and success as a marketing leader in a B2B context.We’re diving into the gravity-of becoming a CMO with Aaron Ballew, PhD engineer turned marketer and CMO at Split.io. Aaron has been the CMO at Split.Io for just over 2 years. He came to Split from Ping Identity where he was VP of Demand. Before that, he held senior roles in demand gen, portfolio marketing, segment strategy. Interestingly, Aaron started out in engineering–with a PhD. He has the shortest LinkedIn about section we’ve ever seen: Real data with a human touch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why should businesses shift focus from the old 'growth at all costs' playbook to the more nuanced approach of 'efficient growth'? What's the lowdown on leveraging technology, data, and AI to supercharge your B2B sales and marketing? Striving for not just growth, but efficient growth in the competitive landscape of today's business-to-business marketplace is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’, but a mandatory requirement to surpass the competition. We're rolling up our sleeves and diving into the modern realm of B2B sales and marketing with none other than Scott Albro, CEO and co-founder of Goldie.ai. Join Scott and co-host John Common as they discuss the state of B2B GTM strategy, sales, marketing, and technology in the era of efficient growth. Scott Albro, CEO and co-founder of Goldie.ai, brings to the table deep expertise on the state of B2B GTM strategy. From sales and marketing tactics to the influence of cutting-edge technology in the era of efficient growth, Scott has researched, analyzed, consulted with scores and scores of B2B companies and GMT executives. He’s built and successfully led multiple companies as founder and CEO including co-founding TOPO which got acquired by Gartner. And now the co-founder and CEO of Goldie.ai–a AI Sales Co-Pilot platform–he brings a genuinely deep and wide POV about go to market strategy, B2B sales and marketing best practices, and about technology, data and AI. With one of the best brains for B2B growth out there, we’re thrilled to sit down with Scott for this episode of Growth Driver.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everyone is talking about how the Old B2B Growth Playbook isn’t working any more and it’s time to learn a smarter, more efficient New B2B Growth Playbook. We see and feel it. We’re living it. But What are the real differences? And how do you make that shift? We’re going to bring some structure and rigor to this conversation and do a point-by-point analysis that compares and contrasts the old playbook and the new playbook. At each step, you’ll get insights and advice for how and where to focus YOUR growth improvement efforts as you rewrite the growth playbook with your team at your company.Our guest, Jon Miller, is a real deal marketing technology entrepreneur, executive, and thought Leader. He’s played a pivotal role in category creation in this sector, and as the CMO of Demandbase, Jon revolutionized B2B go-to-market strategies. He also co-founded Marketo, a leading marketing automation platform, and was integral in its IPO success. Jon was also the CEO and founder of Engagio, which merged with Demandbase. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There’s a lot of confusion around the role of the chief revenue officer (CRO). What’s clear, though, is that the right CRO in the right situation can be a powerful force for aligned GTM and for integrated growth.In this episode, host John Common takes a fresh, honest look at the role of a modern B2B CRO with one of the best in the business, Lane Brannan, Executive Vice President and General Manager (Americas) at Pax8, a cloud commerce marketplace. They discuss the role of the modern CRO and how it differs from Head of Sales, CMO, and other roles; what defines CRO success; what the pivot to efficient growth means for CROs, and much more.Lane Brannan started as a bag carrying Sales rep, grew to a sales manager, then head of sales, and now, a multi-time, successful CRO in technology companies across SMB mm and enterprise indifferent industries. Currently the SVP and GM, Americas, for Pax8, Lane is piloting a certified growth rocket. Pax8 is a cloud commerce marketplace focused on the delivery of cloud-based solutions to a global network of channel partners and their customers. So, how does a kid from Odessa Texas end up with a career like Lane's? Tune in to find out.Growth Driver is powered by Intelligent Demand. Visit intelligentdemand.com to see how we help B2B companies grow revenue.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The GTM game is changing quickly, and if you’re focusing your efforts on outdated plays, you run the risk of being left behind. That’s why we’re talking through the most important trends in GTM as we head into 2024. It’s time to step back, review the GTM landscape, and make sure you’re not stepping over dollars to pick up nickels. In this episode we explore 5 strategically important trends with the perfect guest: Craig Rosenberg, a veteran of B2B sales, marketing, and technology and Chief Platform Officer at Scale Venture, where he helps portfolio companies build go-to-market machines. We walk through each of the trends in depth, discussing the risk you need to manage and the opportunities you can unlock.Craig Rosenberg is a veteran of B2B sales, marketing, and technology, with a data lake’s worth of experience and pattern recognition about B2B growth. He’s been a senior market analyst and growth consultant. He was a co-founder of TOPO which got acquired by Gartner. He’s now Chief Platform Officer at Scale Venture Partners - where he helps portfolio companies build go-to-market machines. Growth Driver is powered by Intelligent Demand. Visit intelligentdemand.com to see how we help B2B companies grow revenue.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Anne-Marie Coughlin, co-host of Growth Driver!Director of People Operations at Intelligent Demand, Anne-Marie has years of experience in talent management, talent acquisition, and organizational development across a wide range of industries and companies.In her episodes, Anne-Marie speaks with an exciting variety of people ops experts about many of the most important and interesting topics of the day: finding purpose in work, leadership training, DEI practices, and aligning business goals with culture and values. Growth Driver is powered by Intelligent Demand. Visit intelligentdemand.com to see how we help B2B companies grow revenue.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet John Common, one of the hosts of Growth Driver! A career-long B2B growth and GTM executive, over the past 25 years John has worked with 100s of B2B GTM teams across a range of industries. Today, John is the founder and CEO of Intelligent Demand, an expert B2B growth partner. He started Intelligent Demand 15 years ago because while there were plenty of single point agencies and consulting firms, John wanted to create a company that helps GTM executives drive measurable growth with an integrated strategy that gets executed with expertise and passion. A self-described “B2B growth geek,” John lives and breathes B2B growth. In fact, Growth Driver was born from John’s passion for sharing notes and talking shop with other B2B growth experts. In each episode he hosts, John dives into the intersection of B2B growth theory and practice with an impressive lineup of some of the best minds in the industry. They share war stories, examine case studies, discuss the latest B2B growth trends and insights, dig into various GTM motions (ABM, demand gen, PLG, etc.) and much more. Growth Driver is powered by Intelligent Demand. Visit intelligentdemand.com to see how we help B2B companies grow revenue.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Growth Driver, a podcast about redefining B2B growth! We started Growth Driver because B2B growth needs an intervention. The old playbook and tactical approaches aren’t working as well as they used to. Many companies are failing to meet pipeline targets and experiencing slowing growth rates and rising inefficiency. What’s more, the B2B landscape has become so complex that no one person, no matter how smart or experienced, can ever know enough to be a world-class B2B growth leader. It takes a trusted community to reach your growth targets.Learning to update the B2B GTM playbook is difficult, though, in no small part because most B2B GTM content isn’t very helpful! It’s either too basic for growth executives, comes from an overly narrow set of experiences (Saas/tech startups), is too wordy and academic, or is hidden behind expensive paywalls.We created Growth Driver to address these problems. This is a show for B2B CMOs, heads of sales, and leaders of any GTM function who are feeling the pressure to rethink and re-write how their companies go to market and drive efficient growth. In each episode, our hosts talk with expert B2B GTM practitioners from a wide variety of industries about how to design, build, and run a smarter, more efficient, and more effective growth engine. We cover a broad range of topics, including GTM trends, how to align GTM strategy and execute integrated growth plays that drive ROI, emerging approaches for smarter brand awareness, leadership and culture, and much more.We strive to make each episode fun and engaging, featuring in-depth discussions that yield insights and innovations you can actually execute. If you’re a B2B growth professional bent in re-writing the GTM playbook and leading your company towards a more prosperous future, Growth Driver is the show for you! Growth Driver is powered by Intelligent Demand. Visit intelligentdemand.com to see how we help B2B companies grow revenue.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.