The Hidden ABM Problem No New Platform Can Solve

Episode #364:Rishi Sharma, Senior Executive and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at GlassRatner, explains why marketing must stay involved throughout the client relationship. He connects thoughtful outreach, customer feedback, sales enablement, and case studies with stronger trust and commercial growth. His approach encourages CMOs to look beyond lead generation, help colleagues advance opportunities, serve existing clients, and connect marketing activity to revenue.“I am hyper-focused on staying connected to our client-facing professionals, and understanding what’s in their pipeline, where things are stuck, and how marketing, brand, and communications can be a value-add to the process.” - Rishi SharmaRishi explores how CMOs can turn closer client relationships into practical commercial support. He discusses useful outreach, direct conversations with client service professionals, and marketing materials that address specific opportunities. The conversation also covers customer feedback, internal trust, and campaign reviews, giving leaders a clearer way to connect brand investment to meetings, proposals, and business outcomes.Follow Rishi Sharma on LinkedInFollow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #363:Andreea Marcu, Chief Marketing, Communication and Sustainability Officer at AROBS Group, explains how leaders can uncover growth opportunities in market disruption. She explores how to help customers adopt AI where it creates business value. She shares how governance can give buyers confidence and help teams address bias. She also connects financial growth with the value companies create for employees, investors, customers, and communities.“Just reading the risk is not good enough. We have to go and implement the measure to extract opportunity from risk.” – Andreea MarcuAndreea explains how teams can use market knowledge to spot opportunity inside a risk and act within clear governance rules. She shares how AROBS Group uses an AI readiness framework, certification, and training to give regulated buyers evidence they can evaluate. The conversation also explores how representative data and human oversight can address bias, and why sustainability performance comes up in enterprise sales and investor reviews.Follow Andreea Marcu on LinkedInFollow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #362:Adam O'Connor, Chief Revenue Officer at Conectys, explains how sales leaders can apply AI to well-defined processes and build stronger customer relationships. He shares how teams can update their ideal customer profile and capture what drives buyer decisions. He also explains where human judgment matters in hiring and how real-time account scoring helps sellers time their outreach. His advice starts with getting the sales fundamentals right.“Give me 10 real conversations rather than thousands a week that you’re throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. I think those 10 powerful conversations, driven by AI, driven by the right time, that’s where we’re heading in the next little while.” - Adam O’ConnorAdam explains how he scores accounts out of 100 using company news, business performance, and recent activity. He shows how hiring signals can give sellers a reason to ask a better question and how customer conversations can surface risks before a complaint. He also shares how sales leaders can turn real calls and emails into training material. Across each example, AI helps the team decide where to focus and when a personal conversation can make a difference.Follow Adam O’Connor on LinkedInFollow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #361:Alison McCue, Chief Marketing Officer at ACA Group, explains how CMOs can help shape growth decisions across the business. She shares how asking about client problems earned her trust, how working with sales cut lead response times from 99 hours to nine, and how a CEO’s question revealed a gap in marketing’s reach. She also explains how trusting specialists with execution gives marketing leaders more time to guide strategy and work with other executives.“I believe that if the C-suite leaders of the organization can really look at your marketing leaders as those strategic advisors and the strategic partners, there’s so much more that we could do.” - Alison McCueAlison draws on her experience building a business and leading marketing in financial services to show how CMOs can contribute to commercial planning. She walks through how her team agreed on a follow-up standard with sales, examined where marketing had the least influence, and brought in internal experts. She also shares what executive teams gain when they involve marketing early in decisions about where to grow.Follow Alison McCue on LinkedInFollow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #360:Daniel Hooven, Chief Revenue Officer at Squire, explains how revenue leaders can make growth targets more attainable by working backward from past performance and identifying renewals and expansion opportunities early. He shows how marketing, business development, and sales can focus their efforts where they have the best chance of success. He also explains how solving an immediate buyer problem earns the trust needed for future conversations.“Once you get somebody in the door and can prove value and prove that you can be trusted to solve the problem they have now, then you have earned the right to have a conversation about how you can solve the problems of tomorrow.” - Daniel HoovenDaniel explains how contract values, billing rates, and client churn help leaders test a growth target before committing to it. He discusses where to deploy the strongest sales and marketing talent, how to guide buyers directly to the expertise they need, and how candid client feedback can surface service issues early. Together, these practices give revenue teams a clearer plan to win new business and grow the accounts they already serve.Follow Daniel Hooven on LinkedInFollow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #359:Ashish Babu, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Global Markets at Tata Consultancy Services, explains how clear direction and customer relationships strengthen B2B marketing. He shares practical ways to uncover insights through conversations and make more deliberate marketing investments. His examples show how memorable experiences and consistent care help marketers build trust, support customers, and become stronger growth partners.“A simple message, how you make them feel, and how you repeat that on a consistent basis. I think that's going to be the key for us to be a good marketer, where we will really deliver value to our business.” - Ashish BabuCuriosity becomes a leadership advantage when marketers turn customer conversations into better decisions. Ashish explores how asking about aspirations, listening beyond public information, and connecting peers reveal insights that can sharpen strategy. From clearer messaging to thoughtful customer experiences, he shows how leaders can apply what they learn to strengthen relationships, guide investment, and make marketing a more valuable business partner.Follow Ashish Babu on LinkedInFollow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #358:Paula Carneiro Cox, Chief Marketing Officer at WonderBotz, explains why effective B2B marketing starts with a clear business outcome. She shares how measuring her team on meetings gives content and campaigns a shared commercial direction. The conversation explores how marketing supports buyer decisions, learns from sales conversations, and applies AI with purpose. Paula also explains how aligning marketing priorities with company objectives strengthens the CMO’s contribution to growth.“Make sure that you understand what the company's north star is, and then put the puzzle pieces in place to point in that direction. I think any plan created without the outcome understood is a futile exercise.” - Paula Carneiro CoxDrawing on her background in sales, automation, and process improvement, Paula describes how marketing can contribute from the first introduction through the deal process. She explains how customer signals guide relevant outreach, how tailored demonstrations help buyers understand potential value, and how lessons from sales can shape future content. Her approach gives marketing leaders a practical way to connect everyday decisions with the outcomes their business needs to achieve.Follow Paula Carneiro Cox on LinkedInFollow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #357:Jordan Bulkoski, Chief Revenue Officer at Jeeves, explains how executives can challenge the assumptions shaping their growth strategy. He connects team performance with internal trust, customer feedback, and AI that gives people more time for meaningful work. Drawing on his leadership experience, he encourages CROs to reconsider markets, products, and incentives when familiar approaches no longer produce the outcomes their business needs.“Changing the rules of the game or making extreme decisions may cause friction that may be unexpected, that may not be the obvious choice, but then it creates a new reality that everyone's operating within.” - Jordan BulkoskiWhat makes revenue performance more predictable when people, markets, and customer needs keep changing? Jordan explores how executive relationships, direct customer feedback, and practical AI use can improve decisions across the business. He also challenges leaders to examine whether familiar markets and compensation plans still support their goals, offering a perspective on owning the conditions that shape growth.Follow Jordan Bulkoski on LinkedInFollow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #356:Brandon Salisbury, Chief Revenue Officer at Tilt, explains how shared revenue accountability brings sales and marketing together around the same outcomes. He connects customer research, early buyer education, and stage-based measurement to a more coordinated go-to-market strategy. Drawing on his experience across both functions, he also shares why strong fundamentals and committed investment matter more than chasing the latest tools.“We wanted to make sure that we viewed our departments almost like a revenue factory. Marketing is going out, generating and creating these opportunities that we're then handing off and passing to sales. The goal of this product is to sell it and to attract and retain customers. Starting from there, we're able to align on the metrics that really matter.” - Brandon SalisburyWhat changes when marketing and sales share responsibility for revenue? Brandon explores how Tilt connects pipeline commitments, buyer education, and customer insights to business performance. He explains why brand investment needs different expectations from demand generation, how buyer-stage metrics reveal obstacles, and why a validated ABM strategy deserves focused resources rather than divided attention.Follow Brandon Salisbury on LinkedInFollow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

Episode #355Alex Wakefield, Chief Revenue Officer at AcuityMD, shares how a deeper understanding of customers can create stronger relationships and support revenue growth. He explains why research, meaningful conversations, and consistent value help sales teams earn customer trust. Alex also discusses how bringing customer-facing teams into the sales process creates a more connected experience.“The way to become a trusted advisor is not to lose focus on the trust piece. Be transparent with your customers and prospects, constantly providing them insights, being selfless, and helping them.” — Alex WakefieldThis conversation explores how customer intimacy can shape the way companies sell, serve, and grow. Alex explains how researching a customer’s business helps teams identify opportunities to provide value, why buyers should meet the people responsible for their success, and how useful insights can keep conversations moving. He also shares why trust must come before a company can earn the role of advisor.Follow Alex Wakefield on LinkedInFollow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn