Revenue on the Rocks

In this bonus episode of the Revenue on the Rocks - we collaborated with the We're Not Marketers team to discuss the disconnect between sales and product marketers. Specifically, we cover: 1) Why salespeople think they understand the customer better 2) How win-loss research can fill in gaps from loss reasons 3) Marketing and sales not understanding each other's metrics or daily pressures 4) How fo...

In the last episode of Season 2 - we discuss the relationship between go-to-market and product with our co-founder and Head of Product at Navattic, Randy Frank. Specifically, we cover: 1) How to identify when a product role is needed 2) Ways to align on a product roadmap and not get distracted 3) Why you need to filter customer feedback to prioritize valuable features 4) Balancing innovative featu...

In Episode 14 of Season 2 - after throwing our first-ever CMO dinner we share the behind-the-scenes of what goes into planning a B2B dinner. And we bring on our co-sponsor and events expert Regina Magaril from Mutiny to rehash learnings from the events. Specifically, we cover: 1) Event planning timeline and how we pull in other partners 2) How to assign clear owners to event tasks 3) What are our...

In Episode 13 of Season 2 - Ben and I talk about the stress of hitting quota at the end of the quarter for sales teams (fresh off of end of quarter at Navattic). Specifically, we cover: 1) Why sales is laser-focused on hitting quota 2) Ben's experience with quota at other companies 3) How marketing can not bother sales near the end of the quarter 4) Ways to involve the entire sales team in setting...

In Episode 12 of Season 2 - Ben and I go over our "failure lists" from being first-time startup leaders. We reflect on failures and lessons learned as startup executives and talk about the general benefits of keeping track of your failures. Specifically, we cover: 1) Struggling to balance IC work and managing others 2) Realizing a lack of documentation when onboarding new hires 3) Ways to improve...

In Episode 11 of Season 2 - Ben and I reflect on our first official sales kickoff and the B2BMX conference. Plus we discuss the benefit of focusing in-person company events on just getting to know each other. Specifically, we cover: 1) Why Ben decided to structure the SKO the way he did 2) Connecting with employees to understand what motivates them 3) How trust at the leadership level plays into r...

In Episode 10 of Season 2 - a month into 2024 Ben and I give our take on how the software buying market compares to 2023.  Specifically, we cover: 1) Why everyone was so excited about 2024 vs 2023 2) Continued budget concerns for 2024 3) How more stakeholders/ departments are involved in the buying process 4) A shift away from PLG to more wholistic self-serve buying 5) Why the market has been so c...

In Episode 9 of Season 2 - Ben and I discuss our process for creating our new State of the Interactive Demo Report 2024. Specifically, we cover: 1) How we sourced questions from our sales team for the report 2) Why we use first-party product data vs survey data 3) Ways we promoted the report and got early feedback 4) How we designed the report to make it more sharable 5) What we changed about this...

In Episode 8 of Season 2 - Ben and I talk with Molly Bruckman from Mutiny about their widely successful Surv-ai-vor campaign and how they got sales bought into a unique, time-intensive, and creative campaign. Specifically, we cover: 1) The origin story behind the Surv-ai-vor campign 2) How sponsors were brought in and decision process for big prizes 3) Our experience as a sponsor and why we decide...

In this bonus episode, Ben and I talk about how to be a better software buyer. We usually talk about how to be better software sellers, but in this mini episode, we poke fun at ways that buyers could make the sales process a little smoother. Hope you enjoy and happy holidays ☃️

In Episode 6 of Season 2 - Natalie and Ben talk with Arthur Castillo (who has worked in both sales and marketing roles) to discuss the differences between the two departments. Specifically, they cover: 1) Arthur's journey from sales to marketing and back to sales 2) How B2B selling has changed in the past few years 3) The perspective shift from switching from one role to the next 4) How marketing...

In Episode 5 of Season 2 - Natalie and Ben dive into the nitty gritty of sales data, attribution, and intent with Kevin White to figure out what is the most helpful data for sales teams and how to best share that data. Specifically, they cover: 1) How to group data into digestible cohorts for sales teams 2) What types of data reps look at right before a sales call 3) Ways to use tech stack enrichm...

In Episode 4 of Season 2 - Ben, our guest Dee Acosta, and I discuss what motivates salespeople and marketers. Specifically, we cover: 1) Why salespeople are often motivated by things like winning, money, and fear of failure 2) Finding out in the interview process what a sales rep is motivated by 3) Why marketers are often motivated by things like creativity, recognition, and a seat at the table 4)...

In Episode 3 of Season 2 - Ben and I discuss the growing pains of startups as they transition from scrappy upstarts to more established companies. Specifically, we cover: 1) The challenges of scaling processes and people as a company evolves 2) How founders and early employees must adapt as their roles change 3) Striking a balance between structure and innovation 4) Getting candid feedback from yo...

In Episode 2 of Season 2 - Ben interviews me on the realities of being a solo marketer. Specifically, we cover: 1) My background and how I fell in love with marketing 2) Why I have chosen to be a solo marketer so far and the pros and cons 3) How I prioritize and manage requests with limited resources 4) My process to decide what tools or freelancers I need 5) Wins from my career including our appr...

In Episode 1 of Season 2 - Ben and I debate what factors actually sway prospects in a deal cycle. Specifically, we cover: 1) What drives B2B buyers' decisions 2) How much does positioning and branding affect buyer behavior 3) Three reasons why prospects choose one company over another 4) Pricing strategies and adjustments in a down economy 5) Why sales reps may be fearful of a brand overhaul 6) Ho...

In Episode 12 we discuss what it was like to create a podcast and what we learned about sales and marketing departments over the season.  Specifically, we cover: 1) Why we're taking a little break from the podcast for the summer 2) How marketers are involved in a lot more and are much more analytical than they get credit for 3) Ways to use sales intuition to your marketing advantage 4) Why startup...

In Episode 11 we speak with Brittany Brown Head of Enterprise Marketing at Lokalise. We talk all about how to ensure any new campaign or initiative is revenue driven and how to best collaborate on these initiatives with sales. Specifically, we cover: 1) Why sales teams perceive marketing as not revenue driven 2) Balancing brand-building marketing with revenue-driven marketing 3) How to align on on...

In Episode 10 we speak with Nick Bennett founder of ClubPF , podcast host of the Anonymous marketer, and B2B creator. We talk all about how to adopt a people-first approach to your sales and marketing strategy and how to create a sales process prospects actually enjoy. Specifically, we cover: 1) Why B2B sales is usually so frustrating for prospects 2) How only listening to VCs and sales leaders at...

In Episode 9 we speak with Peter Kirk who runs RevOps at MadKudu and has built operations functions at multiple product-led and sales-led companies, including Lucid and BentoBox. We talk all about data, attribution, and the role of Revops in helping drive alignment - instead of damaging it. Specifically, we cover: 1) How Revops can build trust with sales when they first join an org 2) Sales confus...

In Episode 8 we speak with Jason Oakley - founder of productive PMM and founding product marketing lead at amazing SaaS companies like Klue, Chili Piper, and Uberflip. We talk all about product launches - how to make them successful and pitfalls to avoid. Specifically, we cover: 1) Which sales reps are best to work with for product launches and enablement 2) Sales frustrations around lack of visib...

In Episode 7 we have our second guest - growth and PLG expert Andrew Capland who is the founder and a growth advisor at Delivering Value. We discuss why sales teams can be hesitant around PLG and how to reduce some of those fears as leadership and individual rep. Specifically, we cover: 1) Blended PLG and sales-led strategies 2) Why PLG can feel like a loss of control for sales and marketing 3) Sa...

In Episode 6 we have our first guest! We talk with Mark Huber - Head of Brand & Product Marketing at Metadata about sales content (testimonials, blog posts, one-pagers, etc) and how they seem to always be a source of frustration for product marketers. Specifically, we cover: 1) Why sales reps constantly request different sales content 2) How to organize and prioritize content request 3) Re-usa...

In Episode 5 we talk about how to combat imposter syndrome at a startup - both from the individual and company perspective.  Specifically, we cover: 1) How imposter syndrome shifts as your company hits different growth stages 2) Tips we've used to deal with imposter syndrome in our day to day 3) Overcoming the "How big is your company" objection 4) Tips for targeting and partnering with companies...

In Episode 4 we cover how we set quotas and marketing goals at Navattic for the next quarter.  Specifically, we cover: 1) The difference between Ben's and my approach to sales forecasting and quota setting 2) Challenges of presenting quotas to reps 3) How to create forecasting models that take into account economic uncertainty 4) Finding a balance between sales math and empathy when setting sales...