Building ABM That Drives Real Pipeline

Most marketing budget requests fail for the same reason: marketing wants to be treated as an investment but talks like a cost centre. If you want CFO buy-in, especially in a PE-backed business, stop asking for budget and start asking for capital, with clear returns, timelines and risks attached.Dan and Josh unpack why CFOs say no out of uncertainty rather than hostility. Rarely is a marketing budget presented in terms of risk and return, and channel attribution spreadsheets only invite doubt. They make the case for a joint revenue plan agreed with sales, risk-adjusted returns and a plan for when results miss.One client’s events took around 70% of budget yet drove under 4% of pipeline, while branded Google Ads campaigns flattered ROAS without creating new demand. They also explain why a 10% test budget gives you room to place bets, why you should build the financial model with your CFO rather than for them, and why slashing spend before an exit can lower your valuation multiple.What we cover:Why marketing talks like a cost centre while asking to be treated as an investmentWhy channel attribution debates weaken your marketing budget case with financeHow to tie your investment proposal to what sales needs to hit its numberWhy big trade shows tie up cash for 12 to 24 months before paying backWhy last year’s budget is the wrong starting point for next year’s planWhy a 10% test budget beats a test too small to matterHow branded Google Ads inflate ROAS for conversions you’d have won anywayWhy a sophisticated buyer pays less for a business that torched its pipelineChapters: (00:00) Why CFOs say no to marketing budgets (04:01) Ditch attribution, align on pipeline (11:08) Events, cash flow and CFO uncertainty (17:30) Don’t start from last year’s budget (21:04) Building a joint revenue plan (26:53) Test budgets and where to fund them (37:34) Building the model with your CFO (42:00) Hold periods and cutting spend pre-exit Click here to get your free AEO visibility auditClick here to subscribe to the new Demand Decoded YouTube channel.Click here to see how we can help you drive demand for your business.

Account-based marketing is one of the most effective ways to win high-value accounts when you build it as a system. Dan shares a practical ABM strategy blueprint, from deciding whether it suits your business to turning intent data into timely plays.He walks through a five-step framework (qualify, define, connect, activate, measure) that gives every stage a clear job. Your total addressable market tells you which approach fits: one-to-many, one-to-few or fully bespoke one-to-one. So when does account-based marketing work best? When deal values are high, sales cycles are long, five or more people sit in the buying group and sales have the capacity to follow up on signals.Dan shows how to make your CRM the spine of the programme, layer signals into scoring thresholds and let data trigger every play. LinkedIn ads, sequences, gifting, private dining and your podcast all help you earn a place on the day one shortlist. For ABM measurement, he maps leading, middle and lagging indicators through to pipeline, win rate and deal size.Essential listening for marketing managers ready to launch ABM with confidence and show the board real pipeline.What we cover:What separates a true ABM programme from a list of target accountsWhy account-based marketing works best as a shared commercial strategyHow your total addressable market shows which ABM approach fitsWhat makes ABM a strong fit: deal value, sales cycle, buying group, capacityHow to invest across one-to-many, one-to-few and one-to-one ABMWhy making your CRM the spine connects intent data, outreach and reportingHow scoring thresholds let data trigger the right ABM play at the right timeWhat to measure at each stage, from engagement scores to win rate and deal sizeChapters: (00:00) What account-based marketing really is (06:56) The five-step ABM framework (09:03) Is ABM the right fit for you? (13:20) One-to-many vs one-to-one ABM (16:28) Connecting intent data to your CRM (24:42) Triggering plays with data, not dates (32:35) How to measure ABM at account level (36:27) Getting every ABM stage right Click here to get your free AEO visibility auditClick here to subscribe to the new Demand Decoded YouTube channel.Click here to see how we can help you drive demand for your business.

Most marketers in PE-backed businesses can’t explain how their work drives PE value creation through its three levers: EBITDA growth, a higher exit multiple and paying down debt. Dan and Josh show where sales and marketing teams make the biggest difference, and when.They start with the first 100 days, when PE firms look for revenue that doesn’t need a sales cycle, such as price increases, tighter discounting, upfront billing and cleaner CRM reporting. Then the focus shifts to expanding your existing customer base and building qualified pipeline instead of reporting vanity metrics, including why big trade show spend so often produces leads but no pipeline.On the exit multiple, they explain why quality of revenue, forecast accuracy and consistent inbound demand count for more than one standout campaign or star seller. Why? Because a PE firm is buying a repeatable process, not a hero. They finish with how commission structures and payment terms affect cash.Essential listening for marketing and sales leaders in PE-backed businesses, or those preparing for investment, who want to speak the language of value creation.What we cover:What the three levers of PE value creation are, and why multiples are unpredictableHow PE firms lift EBITDA in the first 100 days without a sales cycleWhy a 10% price increase is often worth the risk of losing customersWhy expanding existing accounts is the fastest route to EBITDA growthWhy marketing in a PE-backed business must report pipeline, not likes or leadsWhy a small booth at a big trade show won’t build your brandHow forecast accuracy and founder reliance shape your exit multipleHow paying multi-year sales commission upfront drains cash meant for debtChapters: (00:00) Intro (02:58) The three levers of PE value creation (07:44) Quick wins in the first 100 days (18:14) Expansion, pipeline and trade shows (28:25) Efficiency metrics as a shared language (31:18) How to raise your exit multiple (41:24) Sales commission, cash and debt (45:54) Two things to fix next week Click here to get your free AEO visibility auditClick here to subscribe to the new Demand Decoded YouTube channel.Click here to see how we can help you drive demand for your business.

You probably understand your CMO’s metrics. But the revenue metrics your CRO, CEO and board are judged on are a different scorecard, and knowing them, from pipeline velocity to the Rule of 40, shows how your work moves the numbers leadership cares about.Josh walks Dan through the numbers, from net revenue retention and forecast accuracy to pipeline velocity, with benchmarks for what good and great look like. He also explains why CAC must include every sales cost, not just marketing spend. Then it’s on to the investor’s view. Josh shows how debt boosts fund returns, why cash conversion and days sales outstanding matter, and why the value creation bridge should rely on EBITDA growth rather than multiples that rise and fall with the market.Essential listening for marketing managers who want to understand how leadership and investors judge performance, and why decisions get made the way they do. Click here to get your free AEO visibility auditClick here to subscribe to the new Demand Decoded YouTube channel.Click here to see how we can help you drive demand for your business.

A strong quarter feels great until nobody can explain where it came from or how to repeat it. Predictable pipeline is what turns those lucky quarters into repeatable growth, and gives leadership a number they can plan hiring, budget and sales targets around.In this solo episode, Dan explains what pipeline predictability really means: a number, a tolerance range and a track record. He shows why hitting your target once isn't enough, and why even beating your forecast by too much counts as a miss.From there, he walks through the CRM foundations that make pipeline forecasting reliable, three layers of pipeline source data, and how self-reported attribution and split funnel analysis reveal which channels create pipeline that converts. He also shares how to choose the one to three channels to bet on, set test windows that match your sales cycle and use decision rules to avoid tactic hopping.Essential listening for marketing and growth leaders who want a pipeline number they can trust, plus a quick exercise to see where they stand this week.What we coverWhat predictable pipeline means: a number, a range and a track recordThe CRM hygiene that undermines pipeline forecastingThree layers of pipeline source data, including self-reported attributionUsing split funnel analysis to find the sources that convertSetting test windows and decision rules to stop tactic hoppingA one-hour exercise to see where your pipeline comes from today Click here to get your free AEO visibility auditClick here to subscribe to the new Demand Decoded YouTube channel.Click here to see how we can help you drive demand for your business.

Generating plenty of inbound leads but not seeing pipeline turn into revenue? The issue may sit further upstream than your sales team.In this solo episode, Amanda McGrath, Blend's Director of Growth Consulting, shares what she learned moving from customer success into new business sales, and what it revealed about lead quality, ICP and the link between marketing and sales. With up to 12 new inbound enquiries a week, opportunities stacked up and it became hard to spot the best fit leads. The fix was hard triage: ruling out poor fit enquiries before discovery calls even happen.Amanda explains why win rate is a downstream symptom of positioning and ICP decisions, and how redefining Blend's ICP around private equity backed businesses improved both triage and the quality of sales conversations. She also covers why the service instinct to say yes to every brief can backfire in sales, and why expertise is what prospects really buy.A useful listen for marketing managers who want their demand generation to create better fit pipeline, not just more leads, and a clearer view of what happens after the handover to sales. Click here to get your free AEO visibility auditClick here to subscribe to the new Demand Decoded YouTube channel.Click here to see how we can help you drive demand for your business.

If your LinkedIn strategy still revolves around the company page, your content is reaching very few people. Organic company page reach has fallen sharply, while personal profiles now take the lion's share of the feed and earn far higher engagement. So which LinkedIn post formats are driving reach and engagement right now?In this solo episode, Dan draws on recent algorithm research to break down the five formats performing best on personal profiles: unpolished images and selfies, scripted conversations built on real tensions, raw product demos, original data and LinkedIn articles. He explains the algorithm signal behind each one, from early comments to saves and sends, and why a slightly wonky event photo will beat an infographic that took a day to design. He also covers how to stop these formats tipping into cliché or performative posting, where smaller teams can find original data, and why LinkedIn articles are becoming a route into AI search citations.A practical listen for B2B marketers building personal brands across their business who want LinkedIn engagement that turns into lasting trust, not just impressions. Click here to get your free AEO visibility auditClick here to subscribe to the new Demand Decoded YouTube channel.Click here to see how we can help you drive demand for your business.

Dan's back from HubSpot's Unbound with a recap full of energy, insight and practical takeaways, starting with Demand Decoded's first ever live show recording on the main stage.He breaks down the panel he ran with HubSpot's Kyle Denhoff and Asja Frost on The Loop, HubSpot's framework for modern B2B marketing, built around expressing, tailoring, amplifying and evolving your message. Dan shares why dropping gated forms from LinkedIn content can multiply your reach, and a sharper way to judge whether your strategy is really paying off.He also unpacks the biggest opportunity that came up in conversation after conversation on the show floor: bringing marketing, sales and finance data together into one source of truth, and what that unlocks for teams who take it on. He wraps up with the standout ideas from the event itself, including the activation that had queues forming at the booth all week.Great listening for any marketer after fresh inspiration and practical ideas for their next event or marketing strategy. Click here to get your free AEO visibility auditClick here to subscribe to the new Demand Decoded YouTube channel.Click here to see how we can help you drive demand for your business.

When private equity buys your business, everything about your go-to-market has to change, and most marketing and sales leaders aren't ready for it. In this episode, Dan is joined by Josh, who brings hands-on experience from both sides of PE deals, to break down what a private equity-backed GTM transformation actually looks like once the deal closes.They explain why recurring revenue suddenly becomes the only metric that matters, how CAC payback period reveals whether your go-to-market model is capital efficient, and why marketing needs to hold the line when finance tries to force attribution into a simple formula. They also cover why disconnected marketing and sales systems put your job at risk during due diligence, and why over-investing in Google Ads because it's "measurable" often leads to bad decisions.If you work in marketing or sales at a PE-backed B2B company, or think you might be acquired soon, this is a practical look at the mandate you'll be operating under, the metrics your board will actually care about, and how to prepare before the pressure hits. Essential listening for anyone navigating go-to-market under private equity ownership. Click here to get your free AEO visibility auditClick here to subscribe to the new Demand Decoded YouTube channel.Click here to see how we can help you drive demand for your business.

Most B2B marketers are still guessing when it comes to AI search. Some are pouring effort into listicles that never get cited. Others don't realise that promoting bigger competitors in "best of" lists can push their own brand out of the answer entirely.In this episode, Dan and Phil unpack how large language models actually retrieve information, including the "fan out" process that determines what gets cited and what gets ignored. They break down real examples from Blend and its clients, covering listicles, pillar pages, PPC landing pages, and product-led blog content, showing exactly which structures are earning citations right now and why saturation levels change the right approach for different markets. They also cover how to measure AEO properly, and why YouTube is fast becoming a critical citation source.Essential listening for any B2B marketer trying to move beyond guesswork and build an AEO strategy backed by evidence, not assumption. Click here to get your free AEO visibility auditClick here to subscribe to the new Demand Decoded YouTube channel.Click here to see how we can help you drive demand for your business.