Straight To Voicemail

We live in an age where trends shift by the hour, a single moment can break the internet, and AI empowers anyone to generate content with a simple prompt. But when your organization is constantly chasing the next viral wave, defining who you actually are becomes nearly impossible.  In this episode of Straight to Voicemail , Adam Sockel hears from Mishar Briones , founder of Tala Brand Advisory. Mi...

Every B2B CEO on LinkedIn is echoing the same challenges right now: margin pressure, tight budgets, and the critical need to prove ROI. Yet, many sales teams completely miss what these executives are actually asking for, continuing to lean on cold outreach methods that simply no longer work.  In this episode of Straight to Voicemail , Adam Sockel hears from Heather Bell , a seasoned VP of Sales an...

Every B2B marketer wants to know the secret to a high-ROI podcast, but few actually know what success looks like before they hit record. When it comes to defining the return on investment for a B2B podcast, there is no one better to turn to than Carly Baker , Head of Media Partnerships at the HubSpot Media Network. In this episode of Straight to Voicemail , Adam Sockel hears from Carly on how one...

Senior care has a data problem and a staffing problem. Most facilities are still operating on reactive systems, where caregivers step in after something has already gone wrong. What if care could be predictive instead? In this episode of Straight to Voicemail, Adam Sockel hears from Steve Keys , CEO of NtelCare. Steve breaks down how AI and sensor-driven technology are fundamentally changing how c...

AI is everywhere, but most leaders are paralyzed trying to figure out where to start. The pressure to implement "AI transformation" or build agentic workflows can feel overwhelming, and that overwhelm leads to inaction. In this episode of Straight to Voicemail, Adam Sockel hears from Paul Kortman, Founder of Connex Digital , about his crawl, walk, run framework for implementing AI and automation i...

Empathy at work is not a break from accountability. Leaders often treat empathy and business results as competing priorities, as if caring for people means lowering standards. In reality, the support employees receive during hard moments can influence whether they stay, contribute, and trust they place in their managers. So, how can organizations build more empathetic workplaces without losing sig...

Navigating the software market has never been more complex. As AI reshapes how buyers research, evaluate, and select technology, B2B companies face a new reality: purchasing decisions are often influenced long before a prospect ever visits their website. So how can businesses build trust and stay visible in an increasingly AI-driven buying journey? In this episode of Straight to Voicemail, Rachel...

Standing out in a noisy professional world can feel like an impossible balancing act. How do you build a personal brand that amplifies your voice without overshadowing, or being overshadowed by, the corporate brand you represent? In this episode of Straight to Voicemail, Amanda Smith hears from Anne Murlowski , VP of Marketing at Claravine and an advocate for female leadership, about navigating th...

B2B buyers aren’t following a straight path anymore. Many marketers still rely on traditional SEO, websites, and review pages to capture attention, but today’s buyers are increasingly turning to AI and LLMs to compare their options and validate their decisions. This shift creates a critical question for modern organizations: how do you get discovered when your audience’s first stop isn’t Google, b...

Successful account managers don’t push harder. They listen better.  Too often, account managers rely on territory knowledge, product expertise, or years of experience to close deals, but that’s only half the equation. Real impact isn’t about what you know, it’s about how you show up. So, how can account managers drive results that are truly meaningful, both for their clients and their business? In...

The fastest way to fail as a fractional leader is trying to fix everything. More and more companies are leaning on fractional and contract leaders to bring senior expertise. But with limited time, leaders must quickly grasp the culture, decode the business, and drive change almost instantly. So, how exactly can they deliver impact when time is short? In this episode of Straight to Voicemail, Adam...

If your brand sounds like everyone else, you’ve already lost. In a digital landscape defined by noise, speed, and AI-generated conformity, attention is easy to buy, but trust is not. Differentiation isn’t just a creative choice anymore, it’s a business imperative. So how do media brands enable companies to stand out and earn trust where it matters most? In this episode of Straight to Voicemail, Ra...

Most people don’t lack ambition; they lack alignment. Too often, personal and professional growth are treated as separate paths. People spend years climbing the corporate ladder while neglecting their personal foundations, only to end up stuck in an unfulfilling cycle of work and responsibilities. So how can leaders bring their personal and professional goals into alignment? In this episode of Str...

Personal branding without personal growth is just performance. Too many businesses mistake visibility for influence, skipping the internal work that creates true differentiation. In a world where everyone operates from the same baseline, standing out requires clarity, depth, and alignment, and yet most brands never get there. So what exactly are the common misconceptions businesses have about pers...

The real ROI of events is built long before anyone walks through the door. Yet many entrepreneurs still define ROI by numbers—leads, pipeline, conversions—when not all returns are immediately quantifiable. So what does it take to design events that truly drive ROI?In this episode of Straight to Voicemail , Amanda Smith hears from Jeremiah Berkheimer , Founder at Pact Haus , to talk about the secre...

In a world increasingly powered by AI, human connection remains a powerful differentiator, and that’s especially true in tech marketing. While AI is reshaping the middle of the marketing funnel, the moments that build trust, capture attention, and influence decisions are still deeply human. So how can businesses create meaningful, human-centered experiences that stand out? In this episode of Strai...

The brands people remember rarely play it safe, and in industries where most companies follow the same path, success often comes from doing something different. So, what’s the most effective way to grow your brand? In this episode of Straight to Voicemail, Amanda Smith hears from Ryan Shapiro and Rachel McDougall , President and Founder of peomg , to discuss the strategy that fueled their growth a...

Innovation without direction is a liability. Ideas alone don’t move the business forward. Sustainable companies know that to create real value, innovation must serve customers, solve meaningful problems, and drive revenue. So how do you build innovation that delivers lasting impact? In this episode of Straight to Voicemail, Amanda Smith hears from Darrian Mikell , Director of Finance and Strategy...

It’s a classic story: an exciting vision and a bold team making it big with their entrepreneurial spirit… and as soon as they scale, it starts to fade. Decisions take longer, everything gets bogged down in approval processes, and the culture? It turns into a cycle of meetings, endless back-and-forth, and the dreaded “we’ll follow up next quarter.” What was once a fast, agile team now feels like it...

Scaling a business is thrilling… until you realize you’re chasing every opportunity and losing sight of what really matters. Too many companies spread themselves too thin, making mistakes that could have been avoided with sharper focus. In this episode of Straight to Voicemail, Rachel Elsts Downey hears from Andrew Thompson , Co-Founder of West2East , about the biggest mistakes companies make when...

Most B2B brands think content is just for driving awareness. But what if content could be the key to solving your biggest trust issues with customers? In this episode of Straight to Voicemail, Amanda Smith speaks with Cecilia Romero , Founder and Operator of Miss 7x7 . With her background in event planning, Cecilia has mastered the art of using content to transform the customer experience. By shar...

AI continues to change the way buyers discover and choose brands, with many turning to tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude for answers. This has made content planning and development more critical than ever. So how should brands evolve their content strategy to stay visible in the age of AI? In this episode of Straight to Voicemail, Rachel Elsts Downey sits down with Jennifer Jackson , CMO...

Marketing to blue-collar industries often misses the mark. Many brands lean on polished messaging and big promises, only to lose trust with an audience that values clarity, honesty, and proof. In this episode of Straight to Voicemail, Amanda Smith talks with Bo Dietrick , President of Robert Dietrick Co . Bo shares how his background in creative media helped him see a gap in how blue-collar brands...

Revenue marketing gets messy fast. Multiple teams are involved, pressure is high, and results are expected now and later. In 2025, many teams are still spreading their efforts thin without a clear strategy for what actually drives revenue. In this episode of Straight to Voicemail, Amanda Smith talks with Kate O’Neil , Co-Founder and CEO of Opre . Kate has spent over 20 years building and scaling S...

Getting your brand voice right across multiple teams and locations is tough. Different leadership styles, varying locations, and mixed communication strategies can turn a clear message into a game of broken telephone. So, how do you keep your brand strong and consistent no matter where it’s heard? In this episode of Straight to Voicemail, Amanda Smith sits down with Allison Barber , Senior Marketi...