Growth Driver

It’s time to go beyond the AI-hype and dig into what it really is: an inflection point reshaping the foundations of how we work, compete, and create value. “Inflection point” is a term that gets throw around a lot, just like AI. But today we’re here to unpack it’s current trajectory, the undeniable transformation still to come, and how AI is moving from niche academic pursuit to a force that will...

How do you redesign your marketing operating model to align with modern growth strategies—without blowing up your team or budget? In this episode of Growth Driver, we dive deep into one of the most overlooked yet mission-critical challenges facing B2B marketing and revenue leaders: marketing org transformation. Host John Common and guest Jen Ross examine why even the most hard-working and well-int...

The reality for most B2B organizations is that go-to-market teams—marketing, sales, customer success—are still operating in silos, creating inefficiencies that hurt pipeline conversion and customer experience. RevOps is the unlock. Today we’re digging into how RevOps has become the critical, behind-the-scenes growth driver for today’s B2B enterprises. When executed well, it transforms disconnected...

How can B2B organizations transform product marketing into a strategic driver for go-to-market success? Some companies have already cracked this code and realized that product marketing is no longer a handoff function—it’s the connective tissue aligning product, sales, marketing, and customer success. In this episode, we dig into the critical relationship between product marketing and a precise IC...

When companies feel the pressure to hit revenue growth goals, leadership often finds itself at a crossroads: deliver short-term results or focus on building long-term team trust and accountability. But what if the two aren’t at odds? In today’s world of hybrid work, top talent has endless opportunities—and keeping them engaged, productive, and motivated requires more than quotas and KPIs. It requi...

Sales enablement has long been a buzzword in B2B, but how can organizations truly transform this concept into a strategic advantage? For companies navigating complex, multi-dimensional markets, the challenge of aligning sales and marketing efforts is especially difficult.  In this conversation, we explore how marketing can partner with sales in meaningful, measurable ways. From integrating fi...

It’s no secret, most B2B content feels lifeless and overly cautious. And even though we have proven research that says the bolder and braver the content the better your engagement will be, it’s rare to find B2B content that isn’t bland–or another obvious statement labeled as the latest ‘hot take.’  Today we’re exploring why traditional approaches to B2B content often fail to captivate audienc...

With today’s B2B buyers, every word counts. Getting your messaging right can mean the difference between closing a deal or losing it to a competitor. Crafting messages that resonate and convert is more than just a creative exercise—it's a strategic imperative. Yet, many organizations fall into the trap of using the same messaging tactics across all stages of the customer lifecycle, missing opportu...

Theory & Practice, a special subseries within the Growth Driver podcast, is where John Common, CEO of Intelligent Demand, cuts through surface-level strategies and explores what truly drives B2B growth. Season 1 brought insights that challenged assumptions and transformed growth into more than just a metric—here are some of the standout moments! From John Common’s advice to have the CMO, CRO,...

In this episode of Growth Driver, John welcomes AJ Gandhi, Chief Growth Officer at Marlin Equity Partners, for an in-depth exploration of the emerging role of the Chief Growth Officer (CGO) in modern B2B growth. They unpack what makes this role unique—its core responsibilities, how it compares to other C-level titles, and how CGOs drive aligned growth across diverse functions. AJ shares insights f...

What if your account-based strategy needs to become your business's lifeline? More and more organizations are claiming ABX is the cornerstone of their go-to-market strategy, but they didn’t get there overnight. The journey from simply “ABX curious” to running a full-scale pilot highlights how companies can elevate both engagement and conversion rates by focusing their efforts on the accounts that...

Welcome to a world where the role of CMOs is rapidly evolving, demanding not just creative genius but strategic acumen and data-driven decision-making. It’s up to today’s marketing leaders to understand how their responsibilities intertwine with sales, product, and finance to drive cohesive growth strategies.  Today, we’re diving into the art of driving efficient growth as an enterprise CMO,...

As revenue leaders, we spend the majority of our time working on strategy, processes, and metrics... And we should. But when you step back and look at how our customers and prospects actually get to know us, what they really interact with, it’s our content.  Content is the heartbeat of B2B growth—yet, let's face it, much of it is uninspired and forgettable. B2B content is often generic, jargo...

B2B buyers have changed—and your strategy should too. Are your strategies still centered around the outdated MQL model? You're not alone, but it's time to break free and step into the realities of new buyer behavior, buying teams, and multi-threading. These challenges are more connected than you might think. Today we’re tackling the monumental shifts in B2B buyer behavior and why clinging to Marke...

An Ideal Client Profile (ICP) and Target Account Lists (TAL) are nothing new in B2B. Yet, what data to leverage–and when–is something many organizations have struggled to operationalize, leading to wasted resources and lagging efficiency.  That’s why we’re breaking down the steps to build a precise ICP and TAL using firmographics, technographics, and exegraphics–and where intent signals, even...

We’re kicking off Season 2 with a deep dive into the mindset and methods of the new model Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). The B2B field is undergoing a monumental transformation—marked by disruption, innovation, and a significant generational shift in leadership, so it’s no surprise that innovative leaders are spearheading the change.  As many of us know all too well, marketing is often the fi...

Welcome to the all new series on Growth Driver, Expert Deep Dives, with Aaron Owens.   Aaron, Head of Growth Consulting at Intelligent Demand, 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: technology and Revenue Operations; paid media; digital experiences and web best practices; me...

Season one of Growth Driver took listeners behind the scenes of B2B growth, where industry leaders candidly shared their experiences, wisdom, and human moments that shaped their journeys. In this special trailer, we’re revisiting some of the most impactful insights on leadership, mentorship, and the real-life challenges that come with driving growth. From the weight that senior leaders carry on th...

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 mark...

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 p...

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 mistake...

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 inc...

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 understa...

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 can...

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...