Episodios

  • Selling to the Enterprise From the Start with Sheila Stafford - Ep 50

    Selling to the Enterprise From the Start with Sheila Stafford - Ep 50

    · The Transaction

    Sheila Stafford is the Founder and CEO of TeamSense and joins Co-Hosts Matt Amundson and Craig Rosenberg to dig into how to land enterprise clients as a startup, how to build out a B2B sales team from scratch, and why NRR (Net Revenue Retention) is the most important metric for founders to focus on. Shelia also shares why she thinks email is a dead sales channel and why she is betting on modern PR tactics for growing TeamSense.

    Also, Craig shares his Instagram Shopping habits, Matt shows off his support for the Dodgers, and Sam the Producer tells a story about a field trip he went on.

    Critical Takeaways

    NRR (Net Revenue Retention) is the most important metric for startup founders because it is a direct reflection of customer love, which is the only real moat in software. When it comes to assessing new opportunities and verticals, founders need to ask themselves if it’s worth taking on a crappy client to get a short-term revenue bump, but a longer-term decrease in NRR. For Sheila and TeamSense, the answer has been a resounding, “No.”Discipline is such an important factor for founders in a number of ways, including niching down on a single vertical. This can ensure that your resources are optimally utilized, maintain a strong product-market fit, and ensure long-term sustainability and scalability of your offerings.Deep subject matter expertise in the industry you are trying to serve is invaluable. For example, Sheila's extensive experience in manufacturing allowed her to understand and address the unique challenges faced by her customers. This level of insight informed the development and marketing of TeamSense, ensuring the product met real, pressing needs.Concentrate all resources on one primary vertical before expanding to adjacent markets. TeamSense initially focused solely on manufacturing and logistics, applying all their efforts there until other verticals started showing interest naturally. This approach ensures a strong foundation before diversification.Implement a culture of continuous improvement and maintain active feedback loops. Sheila listens to her team’s Gong calls to ensure messaging remains effective and aligned with customer needs, and she provides direct feedback to her team. This practice ensures that the team continuously refines their approach based on real-time data and feedback.

    Sponsored Segment

    Ringmaster Conversational Marketing - The Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through Branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 - Preview & Craig’s Christmas related-shirt

    04:21 - The Sometimes Life-saving Impact Founding a Company Can Have

    10:03 - Email is a Mostly Dead Channel

    14:17 - How to Get Your First Enterprise SaaS Deal & TeamSense’s Founding Story

    20:38 - Learn Your Customers' Native Language & Use It When Communicating Impact

    27:24 - Why Building Deep Expertise & Building Something For Someone is Critical for Startups

    33:11 - How Do You Measure the Value Your Product Delivers to Customers & Why Founders Need to Focus on NRR

    35:45 - How to Drive Alignment Between Founders and Their Boards

    38:53 - How to Build out a Sales Team from Scratch & Growing Beyond Founder-Led Sales

    45:16 - Modern Marketing Experiments & Can PR Still Pack A Punch?

    Sign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Epic Quotes

    “ Net revenue retention KPIs are probably one of the most important things that you should pay attention to as a founder.” - Sheila Stafford

    Connect with Sheila

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheila-stafford-451976b/ Website: https://www.teamsense.com/

    Shoutouts

    FortiveVantaChristina Cacioppo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ccacioppo/ Brett Queener: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettqueener/

    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

  • Double Down on What’s Working & Stay Focused with Eric Spett - Ep 49

    Double Down on What’s Working & Stay Focused with Eric Spett - Ep 49

    · The Transaction

    Is your main go-to-market channel driving sustainable growth? Good, double down on it, don’t start splitting up your resources into a bunch of other directions.

    Eric Spett is the Founder and CEO of Scalebound, providing operator-led coaching that helps CEOs scale with clarity and lead with confidence. Many in the audience may know Eric better as the Co-Founder of Terminus and his work evangelizing Account-Based Marketing. Eric joins co-hosts Craig Rosenberg and Matt Amundson to discuss the importance of focus for founders, why you shouldn’t wait to start selling until you find the perfect pricing model, and the power of in-person events and communities.

    Also, Craig starts hearing voices and Matt shares his encounter with Andre 3000 in an Atlanta Shake Shack.

    Critical Takeaways

    Stay focused on your primary demand channel. So many companies shift focus to secondary channels prematurely. If a primary channel like organic social selling on LinkedIn or cold calling is working well, it’s crucial to thoroughly exploit this channel before diverting resources to a new one.Avoiding "shiny object syndrome" ensures that the company’s energy and resources are directed toward proven strategies and tools that truly add value. It helps in maintaining strategic clarity and ensures the team remains aligned on critical business goals, thereby driving more sustainable growth.Don’t overcomplicate your early-stage marketing strategies. Focus on a single selling proposition. For instance, ZoomInfo successfully built its business purely on outbound tactics. Finding and honing in on the company’s single greatest strength or 'superpower' can lead to substantial growth.Building a community around your product or service can significantly enhance customer engagement and retention. In-person events are a great way to improve the activity and engagement within online communities. Structured, curated communities can lead to higher customer retention and more effective peer-to-peer marketing. This helps in creating a robust, organic promotional network that can significantly impact long-term growth and customer satisfaction.Experiment with new channels and strategies but avoid overcommitting to unproven methods at the cost of what’s already working.

    Sponsored Segment

    Ringmaster Conversational Marketing - The Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through Branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 Intro

    01:46 Introducing Eric Spett

    04:21 First Deal Stories and Lessons Learned

    13:05 Is Your Go-to-Market motion working? Good, Keep doing it.

    23:47 Navigating Business Growth and Go-To-Market Strategies

    24:11 The AI Dilemma in Business

    25:41 Why LinkedIn can be A Double-Edged Sword for B2B Founders

    34:00 The Power of Community Building for SaaS companies

    46:14 Concluding Thoughts on Focus and Community

    Sign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Epic Quotes

    “Founders, CEOs, go-to-market executives are so quick to put a lot of focus and eggs in experimental baskets when the thing that they're doing really well is still working really well. Do it and keep doing it, keep your focus.” - Eric Spett“I'm just really bullish on the need for human community and human connection.” - Eric Spett

    Connect with

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericspett/ Website: https://scalebound.com/

    Shoutouts

    Sangram Vajre: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sangramvajre/ TerminusAtlanta Tech VillagePhil Fernandez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-fernandez-6902881/ Scott Albro: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottalbro/ Scott’s Episode: https://thetransaction.substack.com/p/helping-every-founder-tell-their?r=3iae7z TOPOEverstringDavid Politis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidpolitis/ David’s Episode: https://thetransaction.substack.com/p/narrow-down-your-damn-icp-with-david?r=3iae7z Pavilion: Rob Forman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robforman/

    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

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  • Social Selling Secrets to Supercharge Your Sales with Sam McKenna - Ep. 48

    Social Selling Secrets to Supercharge Your Sales with Sam McKenna - Ep. 48

    · The Transaction

    It’s painfully pitiful what passes as personalized prospecting presently. However, we’ve got just the guest to help sales reps get back on the right track.

    Sam McKenna is the Founder of SamSales Consulting and is the foremost expert on social selling and leveraging LinkedIn to drive revenue. Sam and her team are redefining the go-to-market status quo for modern organizations through unmatched sales training and LinkedIn branding. Sam joins co-hosts Craig Rosenberg and Matt Amundson for a very fun and fascinating dive into how to improve your personalized sales messages to prospects, the secrets to successful social selling, and the best time to prospect. Plus, we share stories from some of our worst webinar fails.

    Also, Craig denies claims that he was in fact the heavy breather while hosting a webinar with Guy Kawasaki a decade ago and Matt reveals the truth about the size of a certain actor’s mouth.

    Critical Takeaways

    Sales reps, please take 3 seconds to THINK before sending another stinky, smelly, no-good, automated email to a prospect. If you want to stand out to them and get their attention, earn it by doing the work that none of the other reps reaching out to them won’t. Show them you know them.A simple way to stand out to decision makers at target accounts is to engage with their LinkedIn posts. However, hitting “like” does not qualify as engaging in a way that will stand out. The smart play is to comment something insightful.Prospecting during non-working hours, like weekends and evenings, can capture the attention of busy executives. Emails sent during these times can stand out because prospects are usually less overwhelmed and more likely to engage with content beyond their regular work distractions.Don’t buy a ‘great new tool’ until you know what you’re going to do with it. Figure out how to solve the problem you’re addressing before you ever get close to buying a tech solution.

    Sponsored Segment

    Ringmaster Conversational Marketing - The Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through Branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 Intro Sales Insights with Sam McKenna

    04:38 Introducing Sam McKenna, Founder of SamSales Consulting

    08:02 Announcing The New Sam McKenna Award For The Best Guest

    10:13 A Particularly Titillating LinkedIn Controversy

    11:44 The Airing of Our Webinar Woes

    22:41 Companies Suck at Solving Problems & Try to Techstack Their Way Out of Issues

    28:50 How to Run the “Been Awhile” B2B Prospecting Play using LinkedIn Sales Navigator

    30:24 How to Use Social Selling in SaaS

    34:40 Spearfishing for B2B Leads Using This Tactic on LinkedIn Sales Navigator

    41:44 Why Putting in the Work is the Way to Wow Prospects and Customers

    45:50 Why the "Show Me You Know Me" Method Works so Well for B2B Sales Reps

    Sign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Epic Quotes

    “ Why is it that so few people will just put in the actual work that that converts?” - Sam McKenna“ Anything that you can't automate won't be done.” - Matt Amundson

    Connect with Sam

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsalesli/ Website: https://www.samsalesconsulting.com/ Sam’s new Podcast: https://www.samsalesconsulting.com/showmeyoukknowmeshow/

    Shoutouts

    Hayley Hoad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-hoad-2565549/ Bobby Axelrod (Billions)Jill Rowley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillrowley/ Paige Tills: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paige-tills/ Joy Wilder Lybeer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joywilderlybeer/ Gail Moody-Byrd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gailmoodybyrd/ Adam Robinson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retentionadam/ Adam’s episode of The Transaction: https://open.substack.com/pub/thetransaction/p/asymmetrical-marketing-and-personal Toby Carrington: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobycarrington/ DocuSignON24 MarketoEngagioGuy Kawasaki: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guykawasaki/ Jon Gray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-d-gray/ DailyMail Article about the “LinkedIn Boobs Post”: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14406563/linkedin-post-fury-comparing-woman-breast-size-confidence.html Bobby Axelrod/Damian Lewis Tiny Mouth Investigation: https://www.maxim.com/entertainment/damian-lewis-tiny-mouth-2016-3/ Reddit discussion of Bobby Axelrod/Damian Lewis’s tiny mouth: https://www.reddit.com/r/Billions/comments/8jcnx5/anyone_else_getting_annoyed_by_damian_lewis_tiny/

    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

  • Steak Dinners Don’t Close Deals with Maria Boulden - Ep 47

    Steak Dinners Don’t Close Deals with Maria Boulden - Ep 47

    · The Transaction

    You’ll be hard pressed to find a more energetic and experienced sales expert than our special guest, Maria Boulden!

    Maria Boulden has spent over 3 decades creating and leading world-class sales teams at leading enterprise organizations like DuPont and Gartner. She brings her incredible experience in multiple verticals and truly unstoppable energy to one of the best conversations yet with co-hosts Matt Amundson and Craig Rosenberg. Maria drops some serious insight bombs in this one, including why steak dinners aren’t the deal closer that they once were, why top execs need to get down to the frontlines to talk with employees, and why ‘not broken’ is not good enough for your company to succeed.

    Additionally, there is some great advice in here about effectively leading change management efforts in your organization, why building personal relationships in SaaS has become so important for B2B sellers, and why you shouldn’t hold a deal signing at a Japanese gentleman’s club. Fueled by an ungodly amount of Coke Zero, Maria really brought it this episode and delivered some incredible stories, which make this a must-watch!

    Also, Craig tests out a new hat and Matt admits he can be bought with a burrito.

    Critical Takeaways

    Senior leaders need to be visibly and vocally present with front-line sellers periodically. This not only boosts team morale but also ensures the leader understands the day-to-day challenges and can directly impart strategic guidance.Sales teams should focus on providing value and building genuine connections rather than relying on traditional wining and dining strategies.Waiting for 'normalcy' to return so you go back to old tactics is not viable. Leaders must guide their teams to adapt to the current market conditions and be prepared for continuous change.Conducting “pre-mortem” sessions can be an effective way to anticipate potential failures and mitigate risks before executing significant strategic changes. This approach can foster an environment of proactive problem-solving and better preparedness among the team.Helping clients understand their own business better and providing insights creates stronger, more trusting client relationships.

    Sponsored Segment

    The Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through Branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 Intro

    00:44 Craig’s Special Hat

    02:35 Introducing Maria Boulden

    10:39 The Challenge with Channel Partners

    19:31 Brazenly Baring It All

    23:03 A Quick Conversation Regarding Caffeine

    23:43 Steak Dinners have Gone Stale in Sales

    33:42 Stories from the Signing Party & Where NOT to Hold One

    36:48 Taking a Hands-on Approach to Leadership in Sales

    38:17 Unbatten the Hatches & Adapting to Market Changes

    41:56 How Executives Should Engage with Their Sales Teams

    50:59 Delving into some Delicious Additions to Business Dictionaries

    55:30 Wrapping Up

    Sign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Epic Quotes

    “ It was not my aspiration that they would have world-class sales skills, it was my expectation.” - Maria Boulden“ Not broken is not good enough in this environment.” - Maria Boulden

    New Terms

    Donut Run (v): When a rep brings a box of joe and a box of donuts to meet with their distributor and ‘shoot the breeze’ for an hour.Ask Hole (n): Someone who continuously asks the same question, but never does anything with the suggestions they receive.Pre-Mortem (n): A proactive meeting held before executing a decision, campaign, etc., where the risks are clearly laid out along with what indicators should be monitored to determine real-time progress and what actions need to be taken mid-course.

    Connect with Maria

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-boulden-8a778b11/ Website: https://www.jsjrehoboth.com/

    Shoutouts

    Dan Gottlieb: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielpgottlieb/ Dan’s Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/danielpgottlieb_good-luck-with-that-ai-theres-no-ai-on-activity-7293698734540955648-rNIz Dan’s Episode: https://open.substack.com/pub/thetransaction/p/triple-t-pov-with-dan-gottlieb?r=3iae7z Nick Toman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicktoman/ Nick’s Episode: https://thetransaction.substack.com/p/the-commercial-efficiency-crisis?r=3iae7z Neil RackhamSpin Selling: https://a.co/d/1FSFtS1 Mark Gustaferro: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-gustaferro-3894aa1a5/ Kyle Porter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleporter/ Kyle’s Episode: https://thetransaction.substack.com/p/startup-stunts-and-loving-your-customers?r=3iae7z Brent Adamson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentadamson Brent’s Episode: https://thetransaction.substack.com/p/reframing-b2b-sales-to-drive-buyer?r=3iae7z Ted Purcell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tedpurcell/ Bill McDermott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billrmcdermott/ GartnerDuPontSalesforce

    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

  • Overcoming Epilepsy & How to Hire with Michael King - Ep. 46

    Overcoming Epilepsy & How to Hire with Michael King - Ep. 46

    · The Transaction

    Michael King is one of the leading marketing executive recruiters working today and is also the author of a new book, Be There When I Return, a memoir of epilepsy, love, and success. Michael joins co-hosts Craig Rosenberg and Matt Amundson to discuss his personal journey with both epilepsy and his career, along with crucial career advice for marketing leaders looking for their next roles. Michael shares how the CEO should factor into your job search, why you shouldn’t chase titles, and the state of the job market for B2B marketing executives.

    Also, Craig tries out a new look and Matt relives an epic beach party in Vegas.

    Critical Takeaways

    Ensure the people you hire have relevant experience at companies similar in size and stage to your own. Avoid hiring someone just because they’ve been part of a larger company’s success unless their role aligns directly with what your company needs now.Chase companies over titles. Titles shouldn't be the defining factor when considering new positions. Joining a strong, growing company should be the priority as it offers career growth opportunities in the long run. Focus on the company's potential rather than the initial title, as the ultimate career growth lies in sustainable company success.

    Sponsored Segment

    The Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through Branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 Intro

    02:58 Introducing Michael King

    04:15 Michael's New Book & Incredible Personal Journey

    09:29 Recruiting Career & Success Stories

    18:54 Amazing Event Marketing Anecdotes

    27:44 Falling in Love with a Brand

    28:33 The Importance of Relevant Experience

    33:55 Chasing Titles vs. Chasing Companies

    39:14 The Value of Good Companies

    49:03 Epilepsy Awareness and Personal Stories

    Sign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Epic Quotes

    “ If you go to a good company, you will never look for a job again.” - Michael King“ For success in your career, you chase companies, you do not chase titles; you do not chase money, you chase companies” - Michael King

    Connect with Michael

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelking/ Website: https://kingrecruiting.net/ Book Website: https://www.michaeltking.com/ Book signing in San Francisco: https://www.bookpassage.com/event/michael-king-be-there-when-i-return-ferry-building-store

    Shoutouts

    George WallaceMaria PergolinoWill Smith & DJ Jazzy Jeff Reunion at Everstring’s Pool Party: https://youtu.be/v6-QoeusjEs?si=2CynMyahkkqG1mT8 Jessica CrossStephanie Stacey EpsteinDavid Mylam Dave ArnoldMichael LundgrenMiles KellyRob BernsteinUdi LedergorRussell UdySuccessFactorsSalesforceBroadvisionOktaCoupaSiebelGongCresta

    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

  • Fixing Your Awful Onboarding & Problematic Pipeline Progression with Katherine Andruha - Ep. 45

    Fixing Your Awful Onboarding & Problematic Pipeline Progression with Katherine Andruha - Ep. 45

    · The Transaction

    Employee churn is a serious problem that is seldom discussed, especially given how much of a detrimental impact it has on even the best companies.

    To help illuminate this problem and how to fix it at your organization, Katherine Andruha joins co-hosts Craig Rosenberg and Matt Amundson for a much-needed conversation filled with tips, tricks, and a few flamingos.

    Katherine Andruha is the Vice President of Business Development at Fivetran and has led top-performing sales teams for decades at cutting-edge SaaS companies such as Simpplr, Cloudflare, Coursera, Eightfold.ai, Anaplan, Apttus, and Aruba Networks.

    Katherine sheds light on where current onboarding programs fall short and shares what can be done so that employees are actually put in the best position to succeed. Additionally, Katherine dives into the importance of properly managing pipeline progression.

    Also, Craig recounts getting “flocked”, Matt compliments Craig’s athletic abilities, and Sam the Producer grossly mispronounces someone’s name.

    Critical Takeaways

    A comprehensive onboarding process for BDRs is critical. Make sure new BDRs aren’t making live calls until week four. This allows them to become fully comfortable with the systems, processes, and their pitches, minimizing the risk of errors and increasing their initial successes.Utilize AI tools for mock calls to simulate real-world environments. This allows BDRs to practice handling objections and refine their pitches in a risk-free environment before they contact actual leads. Incorporate various channels such as live calls, LinkedIn voice notes, and personalized videos. Ensure that new BDRs are trained to use these channels effectively as people are now more responsive to phone calls and LinkedIn interactions.Ensure that managers have a consistent checklist for onboarding and supporting BDRs. This will help maintain consistency and high standards across teams.Regularly review pipeline stages to ensure there are no stale leads. Utilize automated reminders for deals that have been stagnant for too long to push progression actively.

    Sponsored Segment

    Ringmaster Conversational Marketing - The Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through Branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 Intro

    06:30 Introducing Katherine Andruha

    11:23 Onboarding and Training Challenges

    19:25 Effective Onboarding Practices for B2B SaaS Companies

    29:05 The Importance of Confidence in BDRs

    30:37 The Sales Manager's Role in Onboarding

    33:26 Territory Ownership and AE Handover

    35:15 Creating a Fun and Productive Environment as a B2B Seller

    37:45 Pipeline Progression and Accountability

    42:48 The Role of CMOs in Pipeline Progression

    44:57 Closed Lost Analysis and Product Feedback

    48:01 The Importance of Phone Calls

    48:41 Using Swag to Engage Prospects

    Sign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Epic Quotes

    “Know your business. It's the only way you will be taken seriously.” - Katherine Andruha“Just call the leads” - Katherine Andruha

    Connect with Katherine Andruha

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherineandruha/ Website: https://www.fivetran.com/

    Shoutouts

    Doug Landis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglandis/ Sangram Vajre: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sangramvajre/ Alan Berkson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanberkson/ Nooks: https://www.nooks.ai/

    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

  • The Commercial Efficiency Crisis in B2B SaaS Sales with Nick Toman - Ep. 44

    The Commercial Efficiency Crisis in B2B SaaS Sales with Nick Toman - Ep. 44

    · The Transaction

    There are more people than ever involved in deals on both the vendor side and customer side, and it’s having a massively negative impact on B2B growth.

    Nick Toman is the Chief Product and Transformation Officer at SBI (Sales Benchmark Index) and is the third and final co-author of The Challenger Sale we’ve had on the show. Nick brings some amazing new sales and business research to dive into with co-hosts Matt Amundson and Craig Rosenberg. Nick unveils the effect that having more sellers involved has on win rates, the three behaviors of B2B salespeople that lead to the best commercial relationships, and why actions that seem like they would slow down deals are actually the key to closing them faster. Matt sparks an interesting discussion around sales compensation and the impact it has on both the behaviors of B2B sellers and the growth of the company on the whole. Toward the end, Nick teases his new concept of 'Headway Selling,' which focuses on actually helping customers reach their goals rather than simply selling them as much useless crap as possible.

    Also, Craig recounts his childhood trauma of growing up a Dodgers fan in San Fransisco, Matt practices to be a court stenographer, and Sam the Producer confesses to an affinity for gnomes (?).

    Join our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Critical Takeaways

    Not only have buying groups grown immensely, but the number of people working on deals with those buying groups has also exploded. There are now an average of 12 people in buying groups and 5 people involved with the sale from the vendor side. This has led to a spike in confusion for buyers and a sharp decline in win rates for salespeople.The role of CSMs (Customer Success Managers) has devolved to have an extremely broad remit that is too big for them to actually deliver on effectively. In an ideal world, the CSM role should be to use very clear signals to identify customers who are struggling with adoption or retention issues and help them solve those issues. As it stands, many CSMs provide ongoing services and end up competing with account managers to land expansion and renewal opportunities. The competition on its own is one thing, but once the business is compensating both the CSM and the AM, there’s an issue with cost and efficiency.B2B sales reps need to focus on deeply understanding and aligning with customer initiatives. Sellers should be thinking about how they can help customers grow in their own businesses and avoid roadblocks. Gaining this deeper understanding of customer needs drastically shortens sales cycles and increases deal sizes.There are 4 main archetypes of behavior for people in commercial roles: 1. Narrowing- Closing early, Closing often. 2. Provoking - Provocative insights to redirect customer thinking (AKA: Challenger). 3. Translating - Detail & data-oriented to help customers understand impact. 4. Anticipating - Help customers think through the process and future challenges. Of those 4 archetypes, the two that perform best in sales are Translating and Anticipating. The research showed that sellers exhibiting those behaviors actually closed deals more quickly and for more money than sellers using the Narrowing or Provoking behaviors.

    Sponsored Segment

    Ringmaster Conversational Marketing - The Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 Coming Up in this Episode...

    00:40 Will the Real Nick Toman Please Stand Up

    01:53 Introducing Nick Toman, Co-Author of The Challenger Sale

    03:09 The Impact of The Challenger Sale in B2B Sales

    13:55 Commercial Efficiency is Crippling B2B SaaS Growth

    21:22 Is Sales Commision Getting out of hand for B2B Companies?

    28:22 Why Don't Buyers Want to Talk to Sellers Anymore?

    31:05 Key Behaviors for Successful Commercial Relationships

    33:53 Why Starting Fast Is So Critical for Sales Success All Year Long

    36:27 Strategies for Effective Sales Execution to Start the Fiscal Year Strong

    41:08 Understanding The Four Commercial Role Archetypes & Their Impact on Deal Velocity

    48:54 Customer-Centric Selling and Trust Building

    53:56 Headway Selling & Delivering Real Customer Success

    Epic Quotes

    “ You’ve got to help the customer make headway and you don't want to make headwinds.” - Nick Toman“ Commercial efficiency- the yield on dollars spent in sales and marketing- has gone down 50 plus percent.” - Nick Toman“ Those who really do situate themselves in a path of helping the customer evolve their business and get things right do much better than those who are like ‘Buy this thing.’” - Nick Toman

    Connect with Nick Toman

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicktoman/ SBI Website: https://sbigrowth.com/ Latest Research - How a Fast Start to the Year Defines Your Growth Outcomes: https://sbigrowth.com/tools-and-solutions/how_a_fast_start_defines_your_growth_outcomes

    Shoutouts

    Matt Dixon: https://thetransaction.substack.com/p/decoding-sales-indecision-with-matt?r=3iae7z Brent Adamson: https://thetransaction.substack.com/p/reframing-b2b-sales-to-drive-buyer?r=3iae7z The End of Solution Sales - HBR Article: https://hbr.org/2012/07/the-end-of-solution-sales Dave Brock: https://thetransaction.substack.com/p/really-knowing-your-customer-with?r=3iae7z Mike Bosworth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikebosworth/ Neil RackhamHarvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/ Karen Freeman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenefreeman/ Stop Trying to Delight Your Customers - HBR Article: https://hbr.org/2010/07/stop-trying-to-delight-your-customers AJ Gandhi: https://thetransaction.substack.com/p/navigating-market-success-with-aj?r=3iae7z Vantage: https://www.vantage.sh/ Ben Schaechter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bensign/ Marlin Equity Partners: https://www.marlinequity.com/ Gartne...
  • Identifying & Developing a Champion Buyer with Krysten Conner - Ep. 43

    Identifying & Developing a Champion Buyer with Krysten Conner - Ep. 43

    · The Transaction

    There’s a lot of confusion about how to find the champion of your product within a buying group.

    To help sort things out for B2B sellers, we invited Krysten Conner on the show! Krysten is an extraordinary sales coach who is hired by top SaaS revenue organizations to train their sales teams into incredible teams. Krysten has also made a number of courses available for purchase through her website and through pclub.io. Krysten joins co-hosts Matt Amundson and Craig Rosenberg to break down three ways to identify and develop strong champions within the buying group to help you close more deals. Krysten also shares the secrets to mastering multi-threading for sellers and how to maintain deal momentum with prospects so they become customers.

    Also, Craig shares the playbook he used to land his first girlfriend, Matt adds an “s” where he shouldn’t have, and Sam the Producer puts his foot squarely into his big mouth.

    Critical Takeaways

    There are three ways to proactively discover a champion within a prospect's buying group: 1. Do they do work asynchronous of your meeting with them? 2. Do they bring other people to follow-up meetings? 3. Do they have a point of view on the next steps?The first person to reach out or take a meeting with a seller is not necessarily the champion within that organization for your product or service. Don’t make the mistake of assuming they are the champion. Talking with you makes them a contact, not a champion, by default.“Typically” is a magic word to use in your sales calls. Buyers are very risk-averse and want to be sure they’re not doing something wrong that will get them fired. By sharing what other buyers “typically” do when it comes to things like next steps, you can give buyers peace of mind. Buyers aren’t experts at buying your product, so you need to teach them and guide them to make the right decision. This process of educating buyers and helping them avoid common pitfalls makes them feel much more comfortable.

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    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 - Intro

    03:44 - The "Let Me Help You Get this Car" Story

    07:24 - Krysten’s Embarrassing Sales Stories

    13:22 - Develop a Champion, Don’t Wait For Them to Show Themselves

    18:39 - Examples of Asynchronous Work that Champions will Do

    25:58 - Champions will Bring More People to Follow Up Sales Calls

    32:36 - Craig Details how he Landed his First Girlfriend

    33:35 - Who Should be Doing Asynchronous Work Within The Buying Committee

    41:54 - Does Your Buyer have a Point of View on the Next Steps

    44:54 - Mass Email Does Not Count as Multi-Threading

    51:10 - Who a Champion Is and What They Will Do in The Buying Cycle

    Sign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Epic Quotes

    “ You multi-thread, by single threading.” - Krysten Conner“ When I'm sending actually any email, if it's no one's baby, it's an orphan.” - Krysten Conner

    Connect with Krysten Conner

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krystenconner/ Website: https://krystenconner.com/ Access the Free Slides Krysten Shared in this Episode: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DOf9bsPh0m7WtQxwhlJfT7Yg22LkD3iukivIk0W1cOA/edit?usp=sharing

    Shoutouts

    Chris Orlob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisorlob/ Chris Orlob's Episode of The Transaction:Krysten’s Multi-Threading Course with pclub: https://go.pclub.io/multi-threading-masterclass Mark Kosoglow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkosoglow/Mark Kosoglow's Episode of The Transaction: https://open.substack.com/pub/thetransaction/p/unlocking-sales-success-creativity?r=3iae7z&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=falseScott Barker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Scott Barker's Episode of The Transaction: https://open.substack.com/pub/thetransaction/p/selling-like-a-real-human-being-with?r=3iae7z&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

  • Positioning is a Key Pillar of SaaS Growth with Bob Wright - Ep. 42

    Positioning is a Key Pillar of SaaS Growth with Bob Wright - Ep. 42

    · The Transaction

    Without a real point of view, your company, your product, and all of your amazing features will drift into irrelevance amidst the soothing currents of the sea of sameness we see in the state of SaaS. (Just learned about this thing called alliteration!)

    To help you avoid that terrible fate and aid you in developing your positioning, we are thrilled that Bob Wright, the Founder of Firebrick Consulting, joined co-hosts Craig Rosenberg and Matt Amundson on the show. As a B2B Marketing expert, Bob has helped hundreds of B2B companies define and refine their positioning over the last several decades and is one of the foremost authorities on the subject working today.

    In this episode, Bob illuminates the criticality of ‘selling the problem, not the solution’, why B2B positioning should be a CEO-led initiative, and the three questions that your positioning must answer for buyers.

    Also, Craig eats the world’s loudest piece of chocolate and Matt tries to hire another guest while live on the podcast.

    Critical Takeaways

    Sell the Problem, Not the Product. Focus on identifying and articulating the key problem your product solves for the customer. This creates urgency and relevance in the buyer's mind, making them more likely to engage with your solution.Your positioning should answer three key questions: 1. Why now? 2. How are you different? 3. Why does it matter to the customer? These answers create a compelling narrative that drives customer interest and action.Stop focusing on the features. Emphasize the broader business impact and outcomes in your B2B marketing, rather than detailed product features. This approach resonates better with executive buyers who are more concerned with strategic advantages.Shift from explaining how your product works, to inspiring the customer on why it matters to them. This makes your marketing message more compelling and memorable, driving stronger customer engagement and commitment.

    Sponsored Segment

    The Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through Branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 Highlights

    01:56 Introducing Bob Wright, the Founder of Firebrick Consulting

    07:36 Differentiate your B2B Brand or Die

    17:22 Portfolio Positioning Challenges

    22:00 Targeting the Right Buyers with your B2B Marketing

    23:55 Expanding into New Markets

    28:56 Maintaining Focus While Growing

    31:06 The Importance of CEO Involvement

    33:34 Effective Business Positioning Strategies

    37:15 AI’s Impact on Positioning

    41:52 Measuring Positioning Success for Your B2B company

    42:48 Analyst Influence and Market Trends

    44:51 Explaining Positioning to the Board

    47:11 The Role of Storytelling in Positioning and B2B Marketing

    Join our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Epic Quotes

    “Sell the problem, not the product.” - Bob Wright“ Don't waste all your go to market investments on shitty messaging.” - Bob Wright

    Connect with Bob

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/findurtruegenius/ Website: https://firebrickconsulting.com/

    Shoutouts

    AJ Gandhi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anjaigandhi/ OktaMicrosoftOracleSAPHPEGartner

    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

  • Selling like a Real Human Being with Scott Barker - Ep. 41

    Selling like a Real Human Being with Scott Barker - Ep. 41

    · The Transaction

    Selling B2B has always been hard. The crazy buying frenzy of the ZIRP era was the exception, not the rule, so if you’re expecting the current buying climate to change any time soon, you need to readjust your perspective.

    Scott Barker, Partner & Co-founder of GTMfund and Host of The GTM Podcast, joins Host Craig Rosenberg and special guest-host Scott Albro to talk all things sales, venture capital, and go-to-market. Scott (Barker) shares why focus can give sales reps superpowers, the outsized impact of warm introductions when building pipeline, and how focusing on uniquely human skills can help you excel in sales. There’s also some great discussion around the importance of accountability and ownership throughout your go-to-market team.

    Also, Craig pitches both Scotts on launching a legal practice, Scott Albro relives the glory days of selling TOPO services, and Sam the Producer attempts to crack the case and catch the Bottle Cap Culprit.

    Critical Takeaways

    Invest time in becoming an expert in the problems you are solving for your customers. Offer valuable insights that make clients see you as invaluable.Focus on the human side of sales, including trust-building and relationship management; that’s what closes deals. Rely less on pure automation or technology and more on human connections.Sellers can emulate what works in founder-led sales by using personal testimonies about why they joined the company or how the product solved a problem for them. This can make their pitch more relatable and compelling.Warm introductions are the best way to build pipeline in what is quickly becoming an AI-dominated selling landscape

    Sponsored Segment

    The Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through Branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 Intro

    00:26 Retreading Brent Adamson’s Maggots on a Plane Story

    02:30 Introducing Scott Barker

    05:10 Funny Fundraising Stories

    08:33 The Importance of Humanizing Sales

    12:59 Overcomplicating Pipeline Generation

    16:25 The Human Side of Sales

    19:39 How to Build Trust in Sales

    22:08 Expertise in Sales: Lessons from TOPO

    29:46 The Concept of “Opinionated Software”

    34:39 Overcomplicating Pipeline Generation

    38:19 The Power of Warm Introductions

    43:36 Scaling Founder-Led Sales

    52:59 The Value of Human Skills in the Age of AI

    Sign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Epic Quotes

    “ If you even have the thought of an excuse as a sales leader, as a seller, as a marketer, you're already dead in my books.  It requires full and complete accountability.” - Scott Barker“ If there are things that are stopping you from doing your job, it is nobody else's problem, but your own” - Scott Barker

    Connect with Scott Barker

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/ GTMfund Website: https://www.gtmfund.com/ GTMfund’s new fundraising announcement: https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/04/how-max-altschuler-accidentally-founded-a-vc-firm-that-just-raised-another-54m/ GTMnow Website: https://gtmnow.com/ The GTM Podcast: https://gtmnow.com/tag/podcast/

    Shoutouts

    Brent Adamson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentadamson/ Brent Adamson’s Episode of The Transaction: https://open.substack.com/pub/thetransaction/p/reframing-b2b-sales-to-drive-buyer?r=3iae7z&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false Max Altschuler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxaltschuler/  Javier Soltero: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsoltero/ ZendeskAnthropicMicrosoftGoogleNeil Harrington: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neildharrington/ Jim Cyb: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimcyb/ Vinny Pazienza, AKA Vinny Paz and Vinny “The Pazmanian Devil" PazienzaBleed For This (2016, Ben Younger)

    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

  • Reframing B2B Sales to Drive Buyer Confidence with Brent Adamson - Ep. 40

    Reframing B2B Sales to Drive Buyer Confidence with Brent Adamson - Ep. 40

    · The Transaction

    When your buyer isn’t confident in the decision they’re making, they will choose not to decide. Meaning, that you’re not going to close that deal, which is a serious problem in B2B.

    To help solve that problem, we’re thrilled to welcome Brent Adamson, the co-author of The Challenger Sale and renowned sales speaker, to the show. Brent joins hosts Matt Amundson and Craig Rosenberg to discuss the crucial sales topics in his new upcoming book, The Framemaking Sale. They get into the problem with value-selling, why sellers need to teach buyers how to buy with confidence, and where thought leadership is falling short in today’s environment.

    Also, Craig pitches an idea for a radical new podcast and Matt cuts to the front of the line to call dibs.

    Critical Takeaways

    Focus more on building customer confidence in their own decision-making abilities rather than just showcasing the value of your product. If customers are reluctant or unsure, they will likely delay or avoid purchasing altogether.Bring implementation and customer success representatives into pre-sale discussions. This helps reassure the customer that post-sale support will be robust and demonstrates your commitment to their success.Instead of just showcasing customer success stories, position them as a tool to show customers how to buy so that new customers understand the buying process and pitfalls to avoid. This gives prospects practical advice and increases their confidence in making a complex decision.Optimize your sales process to lose deals quickly. If a deal is likely to be lost, aim to lose early rather than late. This saves your sales team time, resources, and focus for more promising opportunities.

    Sponsored Segment

    Ringmaster Conversational Marketing - The Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through Branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 - Trailer

    01:25 - Introducing Brent Adamson

    03:51 - I’m Tired of these MFing Maggots on this MFing Plane

    10:08 - The Impact of Buyers’ Low Confidence in Themselves

    18:42 - Buyers Don’t Know How to Buy

    23:44 - Implementing a Objectives, Tactics, Results Approach to Sales

    30:49 - The Problem with Replicating Successful Sellers

    36:26 - Thought Leadership & Content Marketing’s Role in Building Confidence

    40:49 - How to Building Customer Confidence

    45:16 - The Role of Founders in Sales

    51:39 - Wrap Up

    Sign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Epic Quotes

    “Solve for customer’s confidence in themselves” - Brent Adamson“ It's not that I'm selling badly, it's that customers are buying badly.” - Brent Adamson

    Connect with

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentadamson Website: https://www.brentadamson.net/ A to B Insights Website: https://atobinsight.com/Maggots on a Plane Video: https://youtu.be/BFp30CkVcLo?si=aDSKIeQOTfyt9IZ5

    Shoutouts

    Karl Schmidt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karl-schmidt-q/ Bryan Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankeithsmith/ Tyler Harnish: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerharnish/ Marc Benioff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbenioff/ Sense-making for Sales in HBR: https://hbr.org/2022/01/sensemaking-for-sales Matt Dixon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewxdixon/ Stephen Powell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-powell-06996785/ Kevin Hendrick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinhendrick/

    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

  • Leading in Your Own Voice with Dia Bondi - Ep. 39

    Leading in Your Own Voice with Dia Bondi - Ep. 39

    · The Transaction

    When you can tell your story in a compelling, confident way, you can change the lens through which everyone views you, your accomplishments, and your potential.

    Dia Bondi, a TEDx speaker, author of Ask Like An Auctioneer, and executive coach, joins Hosts Craig Rosenberg and Matt Amundson for an exceedingly energetic and entertaining conversation focused on communicating effectively as a leader. In between some fun tangents, they dig into how to uncover and craft your origin story to tell a more compelling narrative, why doing live demos on stage needs to go the way of the dodo, and how to raise more funding without a pitch deck. They also discuss their favorite examples of leaders who are actually doing this well and showing the world who they really are. Strap in for a fun and informative fifty-two minutes that every aspiring leader needs to hear (or watch if you’re on Spotify or YouTube).

    Also, Matt mixes up 1960s movie characters named Felix and Craig channels his inner Sully as he desperately attempts to land multiple planes.

    Join our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Critical Takeaways

    When someone asks you who you are, don’t rifle through the bullets of your resume. Instead, tell them the narrative of your origin story. Include the core things that drive you, the context around why you set out to do X, and who you really are.Speaking on stage is too expensive for you to have a live demo of your product that doesn’t work. It’s much better to have a pre-recorded demo for your presentation and then give people an opportunity to interact with a live demo at your booth where things are lower stakes if the product fails.Founders need to realize when to hand off the tactical duties in their all-hands meetings, such as being the emcee or running a slide deck. Your team needs you to show up at the status that matches the role that people need you to play in the world.All-hands meetings are extremely expensive, especially the ones that are run poorly and time-intensive. You need to allocate your team’s time carefully based on what is most important to the company’s mission, so make sure not to squander that precious time.Being a compelling communicator is not about being perfectly polished, it’s about staying true to yourself and adapting your natural approach to each context while maintaining authenticity.

    Sponsored Segment

    The Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through Branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 - Intro

    00:20 - Craig comes Straight Outta Compton

    00:58 - Fun Facts about Dia Bondi, Matt, & Softball

    04:09 - Introducing Dia Bondi

    08:20 - The Impact of Establishing Your Voice

    12:13 - What is Founder Unrest & When Does It Show Up?

    15:19 - How Founders can Find Their Own Voice & Unlock Their Origin Story

    20:42 - Why Understanding How to Tell Your Origin Story Matters

    31:12 - Dump the Live Demos from your Presentations

    33:15 - Wait, How Expensive are All-Hands Meetings?

    38:20 - Two Big Misconceptions about Communication

    43:44 - Examples of Leaders with Great Perspectives & Well-Developed Voices

    50:04 - Craig Compliments Sam for Displaying Basic Competence

    50:24 - Wrapping Up

    Epic Quotes

    “ Founders are always going into conversations that are bigger than their britches. That's kind of like a job requirement.” - Dia Bondi“ To win and to differentiate today, we need the founder to reach trusted superstar status as fast as possible.” - Craig Rosenberg“ I think of founder voice as something you lend to your venture.” - Dia Bondi

    Connect with Dia

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dia-bondi/ Website: https://www.diabondi.com/ Dia’s TED Talk: https://youtu.be/mFtHKTgyjyU?si=oElL9kWENAiSMary Ask Like An Auctioneer (Book): https://www.asklikeanauctioneer.com/ Dia’s Resource Library: https://www.diabondi.com/resources

    New Terms:

    Buttwing (v): To guesstimate. See Also: Ballpark

    Shoutouts

    Claire Sua-Amundson: https://uclabruins.com/news/2013/4/17/208207255 Claire Pitching to Dan Le Batard: https://youtu.be/o-HM5Sm5omA?si=3yzu1TtT_tD5mUyq Funny Article about Claire and Matt: https://vault.si.com/vault/2005/06/06/-hitting-the-big-time Dan Le Batard: https://lebatardaf.com/ The Odd Couple (1970-1975)Howard Schultz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howardschultz/ Howard Schultz Interview on Acquired: https://youtu.be/A0fvX-wV70Y?si=-Ljn1jqTYP5aGEaR Starbucks: https://www.starbucks.com/ Jensen Huang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenhsunhuang/ Jensen Huang Interview on Acquired: https://youtu.be/y6NfxiemvHg?si=bfv8w-1wgTZk5l6A Nvidia: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/ Nick Mehta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickmehta/ David Solomon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-m-solomon/

    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

  • Unlocking the Cheat Code for Go To Market with Justin Gray - Ep. 38

    Unlocking the Cheat Code for Go To Market with Justin Gray - Ep. 38

    · The Transaction

    Justin Gray, author of the brand new The Go-to-Market Cheat Code and Co-Founder of In Revenue Capital joins Hosts Matt Amundson and Craig Rosenberg to share how to build more effective and efficient B2B partnership programs, why nothing seems to be working in marketing, and his cheat codes to go-to-market success in B2B. Justin explains how and why LeadMD evolved from being a competitor to building an extremely strong partnership with Marketo. There’s also a great discussion about what VCs and other investors look for in founders when investing in startups and how this has changed in recent history.

    Also, Matt vehemently opposes accusations of being hyperbolic and Craig recants on one of his ill-concieved New Years resolutions.

    Critical Takeaways

    The success of any partner progam depends first and foremost on executive alignment. Without buy-in from leadership, 99% of B2B partnerships will fail.No matter how good your content may be, you still have to earn the right and access to get your content in front of your target audience by building strong relationships.Stop looking for copy and paste playbooks to use that are being used by everyone else in the market. If you don’t you’ll just be adding your content and brand to the endless pile of lifeless, gray ooze of things that get ignored. Take a risk and you’ll at least have a chance of sticking out.Any partner motion begins with building a relationship with one person. Find the right people to focus on and start one at a time. This is a much quicker way to build real relationships and trust than trying to boil the ocean and make a play for everyone at once.

    Sponsored Segment

    Ringmaster Conversational Marketing - The Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through Branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 Introducing Justin Gray

    00:50 The Origin Story of LeadMD and how they Partnered with Marketo

    09:55 The Go-To-Market Cheat Code Book

    16:47 Craig makes fun of Justin’s Office

    18:12 Lessons on Relationships from The Wild West of the Payment Processing Industry

    30:26 The Cycle of Innovation and Imitation

    32:09 The Importance of Knowing Your Buyer

    40:34 What Venture Capital looks for in Founders

    46:50 Building Effective Partnerships

    1:05:02 18th Book Plug of the Episode

    Sign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Epic Quotes

    “ What's working is what has always worked which is trusted relationships” - Justin Gray“Innovators look for ideas” - Craig Rosenberg

    Connect with Justin

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inrevenue/ The Go-to-Market Cheat Code (Book): https://inrevenue.capital/cheat-code/ Order The Go-to-Market Cheat Code on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4hjtrbA In Revenue Capital Website: https://inrevenue.capital/ The GTM Cheat Code (Podcast): https://inrevenue.capital/insights/?article_category=podcast

    Shoutouts

    Essentials/Fear of God Clothing: https://fearofgod.com/ FocusMAAS ImpactChris Selland: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cselland/ LeadMDMarketoBill Binch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-binch-302a4a2/ Margaret Hoogerbeets: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mhoogerbeets/ Amy Guarino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyguarino/ Phil Fernandez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-fernandez-6902881/ Scottsdale Princess: https://www.scottsdaleprincess.com/ Josh Wagner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshwagneraz/ Jon Miller: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonmiller2/ Jon Miller’s Post about the Tragedy of the Commons in Marketing: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jonmiller2_mpb2b-b2bmarketing-marketingautomation-activity-7262460572032483328-hs0J? Dirty Money, Season 1, Episode 2: https://www.netflix.com/us/title/80118100?s=i&trkid=258593161&vlang=en Bessemer: https://www.bvp.com Nick Mehta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickmehta/ Marc Beniof: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbenioff/ Founder’s Fund: https://foundersfund.com/ Asher Mathew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashermathew/AWS Marketplace: https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace

    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

  • Helping Every Startup Founder Tell Their Story with Scott Albro - The Transaction - Ep. 37

    Helping Every Startup Founder Tell Their Story with Scott Albro - The Transaction - Ep. 37

    · The Transaction

    Every Founder has a story to tell and by telling that story in a compelling way, they can give their company an outsized advantage and the leg up they need in order to grow.

    The founder of multiple companies and a veritable thought leader in his own right, Scott Albro, joins Hosts Craig Rosenberg and Matt Amundson, for a rollicking romp through the big AI questions now getting asked, the fundamentals for building a successful founder brand, and how to create high-quality content that is worthy of your buyers’ time and attention.

    The crew dives into an intriguing debate over whether AI Co-Pilots or multitudinous AI Agents will win out in the future as AI is integrated into more go-to-market jobs and processes. Scott shares his three-part framework for helping founders tell compelling stories and everyone, including Sam, shares their favorite examples of successful founder brands.

    Also, Craig is complimented on his militaristic sleeping abilities and Matt begins the long journey to recovery by admitting to his reprehensible road rage.

    Sign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Critical Takeaways

    For the love of god, please prioritize quality ahead of quantity. For example, your sales and marketing teams should focus on producing high-quality content and interactions that resonate with target customers, rather than just attempting to increase touchpoints indiscriminately. Just because you can, definitely does not mean that you should (You should have learned this from Jurassic Park).Publishing quality content consistently is critical for anyone building a following on social media platforms. A good cadence for growth on most platforms is posting three times a week. This helps you stay on top of your audience’s feed and top of mind for buyers.Create content in the medium and format that is most comfortable for you. Whether it’s writing, video, or audio, the point is to not make the content production process more painful for you.The three types of stories that Scott recommends founders telling are: 1. How well you understand customer pain points, their priorities, and how to solve their problem. 2. How the market will change and how to navigate it. 3. Your personal journey.Using AI to write crappy, clearly fake comments on LinkedIn posts from contacts within your target accounts will cause major damage to your brand. Automated comments on LinkedIn are extremely easy to spot and

    Sponsored Segment

    Ringmaster Conversational Marketing - The Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through Branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 - Walking Through a Winter Wonderland
    03:23 - Introducing Scott Albro
    10:51 - AI Adoption is Taking Us Down the Wrong Path
    13:20 - The Important AI Debates Happening Today
    16:03 - Where AI Agents & Co-Pilots Fit into Go-To-Market
    27:20 - Using AI on LinkedIn
    37:47 - Creating Quality Content
    47:29 - Scott's Framework for Which Story Founders Want To Tell
    50:22 - Examples of The Best Founder Brands
    57:21 - The Impact of Scott's Shoe Game on the Market

    Epic Quotes

    “ AI feels like a market where we are going to experiment our way into the right use cases. Because they're not obvious” - Scott Albro“Every founder has a story to tell. Otherwise they wouldn't have started a company.” - Scott Albro

    Connect with Scott Albro

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottalbro/

    Shoutouts

    Chris Orlob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisorlob/ Chris Orlob’s Episode of The Transaction: https://substack.com/@thetransaction/note/p-143505807?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=3iae7zMatt Dixon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattdixon/ Matt Dixon’s Episode of The Transaction: https://substack.com/@thetransaction/note/p-153859244?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=3iae7zDavid Politis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidpolitis/ David Politis’ Episode of The Transaction: https://substack.com/@thetransaction/note/p-152597131?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=3iae7zJohn M. Jack: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmjack/ Bland.ai: https://www.bland.ai/ Dan Gottlieb: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielpgottlieb/ Dan Gottlieb’s episode of The Transaction: https://substack.com/@thetransaction/note/p-149757433?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=3iae7zGartner: https://www.gartner.com/en AI Adoption Study from Scale Venture Partners: https://www.scalevp.com/insights/ai-gtm-flash-survey-how-marketing-teams-are-actually-using-ai/ Regie.ai: https://www.regie.ai/ Outreach: https://www.outreach.io/ Salesloft: https://www.salesloft.com/ Srinath Sridhar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sridharsrinath/ Jensen Huang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenhsunhuang/ Marc Beniof: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbenioff/ Tobias LĂŒtke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiaslutke/ Shopify: https://www.shopify.com/ ServiceTitan: https://www.servicetitan.com/ Adam Robinson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retentionadam/ RB2B: https://www.rb2b.com/ Nick Mehta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickmehta/

    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

  • THE Blueprint for B2B Go-To-Market with Adam B. Needles - The Transaction - Ep. 36

    THE Blueprint for B2B Go-To-Market with Adam B. Needles - The Transaction - Ep. 36

    · The Transaction

    What is your GTM strategy built on? The cool new motion that's popular this minute? Tons of research on users? Well, it should be built from a blueprint and this guest just so happens to know how to create said blueprint.

    Adam B. Needles, the CEO of ANNUITAS, joins Craig Rosenberg and Matt Amundson for a barn burner of an episode that starts off with Adam’s seriously spicy take that the CMO’s role is a major part of the problem in the current B2B buying experience (Sounds like someone got into the Commsor hot sauces). After unpacking that hot tamale, Adam shares some great insights on the three parts to setting up and monitoring your Go-To-Market Blueprint, why you need to educate your board on how you go to market, and what buyers actually want from sellers during their buying journey. As if that wasn’t enough to include in this edition, Adam also drops a great nugget that AI can’t cover up your poor GTM Strategy.

    Pretty sure the B. in Adam’s name stands for B2B Badass or something like that based on this episode. (Yes, that was corny and stupid and yes, a human, albeit not a very bright one, wrote that)

    Also, Craig reminisces about his viral, rebellious past and Matt sits in a corner and cries at the downfall of his fiefdom.

    Critical Takeaways

    The three core components of a go-to-market blueprint are understanding the buyer's journey, identifying all relevant decision-making stakeholders, and grasping their content consumption habits. This helps in synchronizing b2b marketing and sales efforts to ensure value-added interactions at every touchpoint.Every b2b marketing touchpoint should focus on adding value to the prospect's journey. That means every email, meeting, and piece of content prospects receive serves a purpose and helps them arrive at a quality decision faster.Don’t treat your go-to-market plan as if it’s set in stone. You should regularly meet with crossfunctional leaders to review the gtm blueprint, examine your performance against that blueprint, and update your go to market strategy based on new data and insights.

    Sponsored Segment

    Ringmaster Conversational Marketing - The Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through Branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 - Freeing The Funnelholic

    07:18 - The Problematic Role of the Chief Marketing Officer for B2B companies

    20:52 - Creating a Value-Added Demand Motion for Buyers

    34:11 - Building Your Go-To-Market Blueprint

    40:47 - How to Get Your Board
 On Board

    49:53 - Daring to Peek Outside of the Tech Industry

    56:17 - Your B2B Go-To-Market Playbook Needs a Playbook

    Sign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Epic Quotes

    “ I don't think that AI is the solution to your bad go to market.” - Adam B. Needles“It's not about funnel management. It's really about just understanding where someone is in the journey.” - Adam B. Needles“If you don't have a clear sense of who owns what by stage, then nobody owns it.” - Adam B. Needles“ The new playbook is to have a playbook.” - Matt Amundson“ We talked about the CEO and COO, actually, now, the biggest education point for this change is board level.” - Craig Rosenberg

    Connect with Adam

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abneedles/ Website: https://www.annuitas.com/

    Shoutouts

    Carlos Hidalgo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlosahidalgo/ Jason Stewart: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonhstewart/ MonotypeNinan Chacko: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninan-chacko-54b527/ Bob Seiler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertjseiler/ Schneider ElectricProcter and GambleQA SymphonyForresterGartnerEvan Kent: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evankent/ SalesloftOutreachHubSpot

    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

  • Your Buyers Are People Too with Mini Peiris - The Transaction - Ep. 35

    Your Buyers Are People Too with Mini Peiris - The Transaction - Ep. 35

    · The Transaction

    If people are the ones buying software, then it’s probably important that your brand appeals to those people.

    Fresh off a successful Dreamforce, Mini Peiris, the Chief Market Officer of Nintex, joins co-hosts Craig Rosenberg and Matt Amundson for an examination of how a brand should make buyers feel about themselves, the problems they face, and the solution provided. Mini also gets into when is the best time to ask customers for referrals, why playing nice with sales is key to being a successful Chief Marketing Officer, and how to reinforce a brand internally so that every customer touchpoint and interaction feels right. In a seeming first for the show, the conversation takes us past the point of transaction to look at the CMO’s role in the customer’s post-sale experience.

    Also, Craig reveals his favorite source of apple fritters and Matt says something that is very succinct and to the point.

    Critical Takeaways

    Even though you’re in B2B, it's still humans making the purchasing decisions. Focus on the people behind the accounts, the problems they face, and what their goals are to create more impactful B2B marketing messaging.Marketing’s job isn’t over when the customer signs on the line which is dotted. It’s crucial to continue engaging with customers post-transaction to ensure they derive value from your product and can become powerful and vocal advocates of your brand.The CEO is critical in developing and or pivoting the internal brand and culture of a company. Understanding them and getting their buy in and support is step number one for any Chief Marketing Officer looking to establish or adjust their company's brand.Great B2B marketing and storytelling can gloss over a product’s inferiorities and position a brand as the category leader. If you can articulate the customers’ problem and your solution better than your competitors, your brand will win, giving you time and resources to then shore up product deficiencies.

    Sponsored Segment

    Ringmaster Conversational Marketing - The Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through Branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 - Live from San Fran, It’s Matturday Night Live

    04:10 - What Makes a Great CMO and B2B marketing leader

    07:34 - Don’t Forget that People Buy Software in B2B

    13:38 - How Mini Built a Customer Community with Donuts

    18:57 - Developing Your B2B Brand’s Core Identity

    21:59 - The CEO’s Influence on Brand & Culture

    27:19 - Examples of Great B2B Brands

    32:34 - The CMO’s Role in The Post-Transaction Customer Experience

    40:19 - How Execs Buy B2B Software Today: Friends over Funnels

    Sign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Epic Quotes

    “You have to know yourself before you can go tell others your story.” - Mini Peiris“ Nobody buys anything these days without calling up three of their friends. So if a friend's already making the intro, cause they took the leap, you have a better shot.” - Mini Peiris

    Connect with Mini

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mini8ture/ Website: https://www.nintex.com/

    Shoutouts

    Matthew Luhn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-luhn-52a40629/ Geraldine McGinty: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geraldinemcgintymd/ Drift: https://www.salesloft.com/platform/drift HubSpot: https://www.salesloft.com/platform/drift Zendesk: https://www.zendesk.com/ Rippling: https://www.rippling.com/ Lifetime Fitness: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lifetimeinc/ Qualtrics: https://www.qualtrics.com/ Maria Pergolino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariapergolino/

    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

  • Narrow Down Your Damn ICP with David Politis - The Transaction - Ep. 34

    Narrow Down Your Damn ICP with David Politis - The Transaction - Ep. 34

    · The Transaction

    What would you say if your CEO told you they wanted to speak with 100 customers in 100 days? That’s exactly what our guest, David Politis, did and he still thinks it’s one of the best things he’s done in his career.

    David, the Founder and Executive Chairman of BetterCloud and Host of Not Another CEO Podcast, joins co-hosts Craig Rosenberg and Matt Amundson for a must-listen episode for founders, CEOs, and B2B execs. David explains why having a smaller TAM (Total Addressable Market) is actually good for smaller or newer-stage companies. There are also great discussions about when landing a big customer can be a bad thing for your company’s roadmap, why meeting with customers is so critically important for leaders, and how to stand out as a sales rep to book meetings with decision-makers at ideal customers.

    Also, Matt gets a very meaningful head nod and Craig is called an inspiration, a high that his ego may be chasing for a long time.

    Critical Takeaways

    Narrow down both your ideal customer profile and your ideal buyer persona. While this may seem counterintuitive, the larger your TAM (Total Addressable Market), the slower your company will grow. When you try to go after too many customer profiles and buyer personas, your budget, time, and effort get dispersed across them and it’s harder to gain a real foothold in any niche from which you can later expand beyond.When you focus on one key buyer persona within one ICP (Ideal Customer Profile), you can delve deeper into understanding not only how they will use your product, but also what your product actually means to them. For example, when Matt was working in marketing automation, he was able to understand that his product gave buyers a seat at the revenue table and made their jobs easier.Especially for early-stage startups, there is nothing that is more valuable than talking with your customers. Those conversations function as critical data points that you can use in every aspect of the company, from writing messaging and crafting sales narratives to building new features and raising funds. Proving to people that you and your email or message aren’t just automated is harder than ever now, so to really cut through the noise and get noticed, you need to do things that can’t be automated. In-person and handwritten things work well for this.

    Sponsored Segment

    Ringmaster Conversational Marketing - The Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through Branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 When Craig Met David, His Forever-23-ish Wunderkind

    06:07 Stop Supersizing Your TAM, Narrow Down Your ICP

    09:34 The Dangers of Landing a Whale Client & How To Handle Your Big Fish

    18:11 Which Comes First, The Product or The Persona?

    23:19 Why a CEO Would Want to Meet 100 Customers in 100 Days

    30:48 Sales Reps Need To Take The Opposite Approach to Automation

    41:50 Creating Memorable Moments for Prospects & Customers Through Events

    47:50 Matt Provides His Expert Critique of David’s Art Exhibition

    Sign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Epic Quotes

    “In the early stage, every customer conversation is gold.” - David Politis“There's nothing that you can do that's as valuable as meeting customers, once you're an executive.” - Matt Amundson

    Connect with David

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidpolitis/ BetterCloud Website: https://www.bettercloud.com/ Work-Bench Website: https://www.work-bench.com/ Not Another CEO Podcast: https://podcast.notanotherceo.com/ The StartUp Founder Survival Guide: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/davidpolitis_startup-founder-survival-guide-david-politis-activity-7158455968194875393-QVdh

    Shoutouts

    Chris Degnan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-degnan-524470/ Nick Mehta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickmehta/ Phil Fernandez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-fernandez-6902881/ Jon Miller: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonmiller2/ Ryan Azus: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanazus/ Megan Eisenberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meageneisenberg/ Warburg Pincus: https://warburgpincus.com/

    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

  • Startup Stunts & Loving Your Customers with Kyle Porter - The Transaction - Ep. 33

    Startup Stunts & Loving Your Customers with Kyle Porter - The Transaction - Ep. 33

    · The Transaction

    How do you steal the spotlight from Marc Benioff at Dreamforce? By hiring a Benioff impersonator. Yes, Kyle Porter and the Salesloft team ACTUALLY did that. But they didn’t stop there


    Joining co-hosts Matt Amundson and Craig Rosenberg to chat about the amazing stunts pulled in the early days of Salesloft and how to build a healthy company culture is Kyle Porter himself, the Founder and Board Chair of Salesloft. Beyond bringing a Benioff doppelganger to Dreamforce, Kyle shares some brilliant plays his team used to drive brand awareness and become the biggest story at their competitor’s conference. Kyle also dives into how he built a loving culture within Salesloft and how that loving culture was extended to and felt by their customers.

    Also, Craig provides a gripping tale about his experience with an elevator and Matt sets the record straight on whether a presentation he gave was sweaty or swear-y.

    Sign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Critical Takeaways

    When you really love your customers and they can actually feel that love, they are willing to go to bat for you and your company. Because Matt felt that Kyle loved him-as a customer-he would defend and promote Salesloft when others were defending or promoting a competitor.Building a strong company culture is more important than ever. It should be built on love–in a platonic way–for the members of your organization. A healthy organizational culture translates to better team dynamics, productivity, and ultimately, better customer interactions and satisfaction.Dare to be different, especially when it comes to events. People will only really remember 1-2 things from an event, so it’s critical to make that shortlist. A bigger booth doesn’t necessarily make you more memorable. Most event booths zig, so find a way to zag, even if it means doing something other than a booth (Sorry if that one hit too close to home).

    Sponsored Segment

    This episode is presented by Ringmaster Conversational Marketing, the go-to branded podcast team. To discover how your company can leverage B2B podcasts to deliver outsized ROI, visit ringmaster.com.

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 Introducing Kyle Porter!

    08:25 Awesome SaaS Stunts from the Salesloft Team

    26:00 The Importance of Organizational Culture and Leadership

    30:18 Loving Your Customers

    32:54 Building a Community & Leveraging Customer Advocacy

    44:28 How to Build a GREAT Sales Deck and Engage with Key Decision Makers

    50:36 The Impact of Kyle’s Brand as a Founder

    Epic Quotes

    “We're going to continually love and serve our customers and our people better than anyone else. And when you care more than anyone else, you're going to win ultimately.” - Kyle Porter“When a customer bought SalesLoft, I had the mentality that they had just saved my life and I was going to treat them as such” - Kyle Porter“Taking care of your employees Actually helps you take care of your customers” - Matt Amundson

    Connect with Kyle

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleporter/ Website: https://www.salesloft.com/ Kyle’s post about the Marc Benioff Impersonation (with pictures): https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141022175506-2446560-how-we-impersonated-the-salesforce-com-ceo-for-one-of-the-best-marketing-hacks-at-dreamforce/ The Puppy Party for #Unleash17: https://x.com/Salesloft/status/872167164123459584

    Shoutouts

    Jon Birdsong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/birdsong/ Mike Damphousse: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damphoux/ Behind the Cloud by Marc Benioff: https://amzn.to/3CE8WXS AJ Gandhi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anjaigandhi/ AJ Gandhi’s episode of The Transaction: https://thetransactionpod.com/episodes/navigating-market-success-with-aj-gandhi-the-transaction-ep-26 Cam Melson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronmelson/ Anthony Zhang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theanthonyzhang/ Tami McQueen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamimcqueen/ Business Insider Article about Benioff for President Campaign: https://www.businessinsider.com/dreamforce-2015-adrian-grenier-wants-to-be-marc-benioffs-running-mate-2015-9 Sean Kester: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theseankester/ Mac Reddin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mac-reddin/ Kevin O’Malley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omalley/ Peter Kazanjy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kazanjy/ Carolyn Feibleman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynfeibleman/ Nick Mehta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickmehta/ Maria Pergolino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariapergolino/ Trish Bertuzzi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trishbertuzzi/ Steve Richard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saleskickoffspeaker/ John Barrows: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ Jason M. Lemkin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmlemkin/ Mark Suster: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marksuster/ Brad Feld: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bfeld/ Ken Krogue: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenkrogue/

    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell what you loved!

  • Defining Metrics & Aligning Goals Between Sales & Marketing with Tricia Gellman - Ep 32

    Defining Metrics & Aligning Goals Between Sales & Marketing with Tricia Gellman - Ep 32

    · The Transaction

    What does a sales opportunity mean to you? Would the rest of your company give the same answer? Probably not. But not to fear, GTM leader, because Tricia Gellman, the Chief Marketing Officer of Box joins hosts Matt Amundson and Craig Rosenberg to explain how to fix the cracks between sales and marketing in B2B. Tricia outlines the importance of having shared goals across B2B sales and marketing teams, why defining terms clearly is so critical, and what it’s like for those selling AI tools to B2B buyers.

    Also, Craig recounts his time spent hanging out with reps at Dreamforce and Matt gushes about the events TOPO used to run.

    Critical Takeaways

    A crucial component in driving B2B sales and marketing alignment is using the same metrics and dashboards to accomplish shared goals. Consistency and agreement on these metrics will help streamline the goal-setting process, reduce friction, and ensure everyone is working towards the same company objectives.Clearly define what constitutes an opportunity and different stages within the pipeline. Aligning these definitions across marketing and sales will prevent discrepancies and confusion, leading to more accurate performance tracking and reporting.Invest in brand building. A strong B2B brand is essential for long-term success and helps in making conversations happen at the C-suite level. This investment continues to pay off by fostering word-of-mouth recommendations and creating a lasting impression in the minds of decision-makers.Building a customer or peer community, especially around high-level executives and key decision-makers, can significantly enhance your brand's reach and credibility. Hosting events and creating opportunities for peer networking add tremendous value and deepen customer loyalty.

    Sponsored Segment

    This episode is presented by Ringmaster Conversational Marketing, the go-to branded podcast team. To discover how your company can leverage B2B podcasts to deliver outsized ROI, visit ringmaster.com.

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 Tricia's Italy Trip & Career Advice

    03:08 Overcoming the Challenges of a B2B Chief Marketing Officer

    04:51 Managing Pipeline in the Current SaaS Environment

    08:56 How to Align B2B Marketing and Sales Teams

    23:26 Aligning Incentives Across Go-To-Market Teams

    24:01 Defining Opportunities and Meetings

    25:18 Adapting to AI in B2B Sales

    27:13 Transitioning to a New CMO Role in a B2B company

    32:22 Building a Customer Community and Product Alignment

    Sign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Epic Quotes

    “Saying you can't do it because you don't have the data is just a cop out.” - Tricia Gellman“Everybody works to their goals. Whatever the incentive is, that's what people work towards.” - Tricia Gellman “One of the key roles of leadership across sales and marketing is really being clear on who are we going after? Why are we going after it? And then, how are we going to go after it?” - Tricia Gellman

    Connect with Tricia Gellman

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gellmansfmarketing/ Website: https://www.box.com/home

    Shoutouts

    Mini Peiris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mini8ture/ Maria Pergolino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariapergolino/ Sydney Sloan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydsloan/ Ted Purcell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tedpurcell/ Latané Conant: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latane-conant/

    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

  • AI Idea Starters, B2B Influencers, & Organic LinkedIn Tactics with Dave Gerhardt - Ep 31

    AI Idea Starters, B2B Influencers, & Organic LinkedIn Tactics with Dave Gerhardt - Ep 31

    · The Transaction

    Wow, Season Two is kicking off strong with this incredible episode with Dave Gerhardt, an astonishing marketer and the Founder & CEO of Exit Five. Dave joins Craig Rosenberg and Matt Amundson to share how he approaches using AI for B2B marketing, why LinkedIn influencers present a huge opportunity for B2B brands, and the outsized impact that building a strong Founder Brand can have for startups.

    Also, Matt shares his innermost feelings about Dave and Craig examines his own facial hair.

    Critical Takeaways

    Social media should be treated as the primary marketing channel for B2B SaaS brands, not just a supplementary piece of your strategy.AI tools are best used as an “idea starter” to get your writing going, rather than relying on the artificial intelligence to do the actual writing itself.Working with micro-influencers who have a strong, niche following can be highly effective in B2B SaaS. To see good results, it's important to create offers and content that align with what their audience wants to see. Narrowing down your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is crucial for B2B growth. Starting with a more specific market allows for easier traction and learning which you can later apply more broadly as your company scales.

    Sponsored Segment

    New Sponsor coming soon!

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact [email protected]

    Chapters

    00:00 Matt provides a safe space for Dave

    02:06 Discussing Founder Brand and B2B Marketing Strategies

    04:45 The Power of Personal Branding and Social Media for Startups

    09:42 AI Tools in B2B Marketing: Opportunities and Misconceptions

    20:00 B2B Influencers and LinkedIn Strategies for SaaS companies

    26:19 Understanding the Full Funnel in B2B Marketing

    27:26 The Power of LinkedIn and Social Media

    31:18 Narrowing Down Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

    37:03 The Story Behind Drift's Success

    40:00 Building a Strong B2B Brand and Content Strategy

    46:56 An In-depth Review of Craig’s Facial Hair

    Sign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

    Epic Quotes

    “Social media is the way marketing happens in our lives today.” - Dave Gerhardt“I use [AI] a lot as my writing partner, you can't really have writer's block anymore because you kind of always have something to get going” - Dave Gerhardt“I love you.” - Matt Amundson

    Connect with Dave

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davegerhardt/ Website: https://www.exitfive.com/ Podcast: https://media.exitfive.com/podcast

    Shoutouts

    Adam Robinson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retentionadam/ Bland AI: https://www.bland.ai/ HeyGen: https://www.heygen.com/ Danielle Messler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellemessler/ Natalie Taylor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliecstaylor/ Capsule: https://capsule.video/ Planful: https://planful.com/ Mac Reddin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mac-reddin/ David Politis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidpolitis/

    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

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