Huddlers in the News

“Help, our CEO has decided Marketing needs 80% fewer people because of GenAI,” lamented a CMO at a $275M SaaS company. Tempering my outrage for a moment, we tried to laugh off the insanity and then searched for solutions. An untempered rant to follow. Then jujitsu.

First, a few snarky responses to this CEO to clear the air:

• You’re joking, right?
• Why not cut 100% of Marketing and let the bots do the whole thing?
• While you’re at it, why not cut Sales, HR, accounting, and engineering by 80%?
• Which genius guru told you this was a good idea?
• Or did your digital twin recommend this approach? Mine suggested I update my LinkedIn profile.

Rant over. Time for some leadership jujitsu.

Finding the Pony in the AI Panic

My father loved to remind me that if you saw a lot of shit in the paddock, there had to be a pony nearby. My job was always to find the pony. Stay with me.

Like it or not, AI will transform every aspect of business. It won’t happen overnight. It won’t be easy. Many will screw it up, moving too quickly, emphasizing tactics over strategy, efficiency over effectiveness. It will be messy.

The bigger question now is who within the organization will lead that transformation. You can guess who I think could and should find that pony. Hint: It’s not the CEO mentioned earlier.

The CMOs Role in Leading the AI Shift

CMOs are uniquely positioned to grab the reins of this bronco:

• You’re already spending more on tech than any other department
• You were the first to experiment with GenAI
• You know how to run cross-departmental initiatives
• You know how to orchestrate pilot tests
• You know that strategy comes before execution
• You can use both sides of your brand
• You know what matters to your customers
• You have the empathy to help fearful employees gallop through this gauntlet

I could go on.

Change the AI Narrative Before Your CEO Does

So, let’s reimagine the conversation with the CEO, steering it from staff cuts to change management:

CEO: Marketing needs to cut its staff by 80% (because of GenAI)

CMO: I agree with you that GenAI will dramatically improve the productivity of our department. In fact, we could be a model for the whole organization.

CEO: I’m not sure I follow.

CMO: We are currently benchmarking every workflow, from content creation to campaign management, pipeline tracking to sales enablement, and so on. We also have a list of strategic priorities that GenAI can probably help us with.

CEO: That’s nice, but so what?

CMO: With these benchmarks and our strategic priorities in place, we can determine where GenAI could yield the most significant productivity gains. It could also help us be more effective, driving a lot more pipeline and revenue with the same headcount. But first, we need to run some pilots.

CEO: Pilots?

CMO: Yes, by running pilots, we can test our way to success without disrupting everyone at once. Our successes can be replicated across the organization, and others can avoid our failures.

CEO: And you can lead this?

CMO: Damn straight! Let's ride.

Written by Drew Neisser

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 458: Sales + Marketing: The Alignment Equation

Nothing scrambles a CMOs brain faster than parsing pipeline math with sales.

Alignment starts with one number, owned together, and a shared path from first touch to closed won. Miss that, and both sides will be pulling their hair out debating what happened to the pipeline.

In this episode, Drew Neisser is joined by Lisa Cole (2X), Dave Bornmann (Higher Logic), and Marshall Poindexter (yorCMO) to tackle the GTM strategy that frays the most nerves: sales and marketing alignment.

In this episode:

• Lisa shares how GTM teams build trust through shared goals, clean data, and dashboards that leave no room for spin
• Dave explains how strong sales relationships gave marketing influence across the full funnel
• Marshall shows how marketers earn trust by speaking sales’ language and showing they’re in it for the same win

Plus:

• Why sales questions your pipeline numbers and how to rebuild trust
• How shared dashboards and definitions keep teams honest
• How to speak sales without losing your marketing lens

Tune in to hear how sales and marketing alignment starts with shared goals and grows from there.

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/

“My CEO ordered me to never use the word ‘brand’ again,” lamented a CMO from a $75mil SaaS brand. “Then he told me to only spend money on things that drive revenue,” the CMO shared. Ah, yes, the double whammy. Everyone in the huddle sympathized with a “been there” nod. I silently stewed. A productive rant to follow.

Should CMOs Stop Using the Word “Brand?”

Yes. It’s toxic. Time to move on, and this is from the guy whose latest book subhead reads, “12 Steps to Building Unbeatable B2B Brands.” If you must venture into brand-like language, use the word “reputation.” It’s much easier to grasp. Even CFOs can understand the difference between a good reputation and a poor one.

Does That Mean I Can Have Budget Items for Reputation Building?

No, unless you want that part to be cut faster than you can say “brand.” If possible, avoid sharing spending buckets beyond people, programs, and tech.

If you, like many CMOs, divide your budget into demandgen or growth marketing and everything else, your CFO will assume that everything else is unmeasurable and possibly wasteful. Choose your budget-bucket labels carefully. Events, for example, can drive new logos, accelerate late-stage deals, help with expansion, and reduce churn. If events are funded from your “growth marketing” budget, then that’s how they will be measured, and that may limit this invaluable channel.

What About the “Only Spending on Revenue Drivers” Directive?

Live with it. All marketing drives revenue (there, I said it!). It’s just a matter of timeframe and targets. Unless you’re selling an impulse item (Of course, I would buy another penguin hat if it showed up in my Instagram feed), you operate in the world of considered purchases and buyer journeys. Different marketing activities impact different parts of your target at different times in different ways.

Let’s take Analyst Relations. It can take 12-18 months to build a quadrant-shifting relationship with an analyst. When that higher rating or new category of your own making suddenly arrives, you’ll be rewarded with higher consideration and close rates. That’s revenue too. Just a bit slower.

Could We Shift This Conversation Altogether

Yes. Please. Let’s start at the end and work backward. Right now, every B2B brand has a win rate. If you, for example, compete against three better-known brands, your win rate is likely lower than that of the top three. What would it take to improve your win rate? Most likely, it is a combination of product changes, pricing, positioning, CX, and promotion, including analyst relations. Lead that conversation.

The second conversational shift is to pricing power. Conduct a thorough analysis of the discounting required to close deals. Understand how much discounting impacts profit margins. Find out the last time you took a price increase. Reputational strength equals pricing power and higher close rates. Work with your CFO to build the model.

Marketing does drive revenue. But it's not about SQLs.

Written by Drew Neisser

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 456: The B2B Product Launch Blueprint

Drew worked on the team that launched the Panasonic Toughbook by driving a Hummer over it on live TV! 

That stunt turned heads, sure, but it also drilled the product’s promise into buyers’ brains: tough enough to survive anything. The best launches find that one thing that matters, makes it unforgettable, and builds everything else around it.

In this episode, Drew Neisser is joined by Guy Yalif (Webflow), Chris Pieper (ADP), and Ali McCarthy (Amplify Your Voice Studio) to talk about why great launches start with one magical thing: the product’s essence.

In this episode:

• Guy shares how Webflow’s multi-product expansion demanded a rethink of what buyers really needed and why one-size-fits-all launches rarely succeed
• Chris explains why the launch of ADP’s Lyric platform meant wrangling hundreds of voices into one clear story without losing focus on what matters
• Ali breaks down why putting the customer’s pain first is key and why clarity always beats complexity

Plus:

• Why understanding the customer’s pain points beats any feature checklist
• Why selling everything at once kills momentum
• How to keep the story tight so the team’s always on the same page
• Why one person needs to own the launch story from start to finish
  

Tune in to hear how great launches find the product’s essence and turn it into a story buyers can’t ignore.

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/

“Why are so many B2B CMOs miserable at PE-backed companies?” I asked plaintively. The room went silent, awaiting the response from Darren Herman, Managing Director, Bain Capital, at the Imaginarium Summit. His answer was important, and I’ll get to it. But first, the sources of my question.

Misery Source #1: Time Sucks

“I spend 70% of my time prepping for or following up on meetings with our PE firm,” shared a CMO from a $600mil PE-backed tech firm. Pressing for details, the CMO explained that they had to prepare a 200-page document for every board meeting that goes through every available data point. “I don’t have time to think, plan, or lead – instead, I’m buried in the minutia.”

Misery Source #2: Micromanagement

“I have junior analysts going through our Google ad word buys by keyword by bid and asking me questions about them,” explained a CMO from a $300mil SaaS company. Admittedly, this is a subset of Misery Source #1, but it speaks to the hope of the PE firm that they could optimize (via micromanagement) their way to an EBITDA target.

Misery Source #3: Budget Allocations

“When the PE firm merged us with another company, I was told Marketing would be 7% of ARR and Sales would be 18% without any historical data or justification,” noted the former CMO of a $1B cybersecurity firm that had been growing 15-20% per year. The understanding that Marketing is an investment versus a cost seems to be rare among PE-backed companies.

Misery Source #4: Magical Thinking

“Our budget was cut 40% while our growth target was increased by 25%” added the CMO from the $1B cybersecurity firm. “The targets seemed arbitrary without any explanation for how they could be achieved – the pressure was literally killing me,” the CMO shared after leaving the job.

Rant over (for now). On to Darren’s important counsel.

Understand the Investment Thesis

Knowing why the PE firm bought the company and why they believe they can help it grow should help CMOs align their marketing efforts. Fair enough. I want to believe it would make a difference, but I need to check back with a few CMOs who’ve been there and done that.

Prepare to Work Fast

Ubiquitous sneaker wearing is emblematic of Bain Capital’s expectation of performance speed. Got it. Get it. As should any CMO taking a job for a PE-backed company. That’s why we give our "Huddlers" access to a First 90-Days Quick Wins Cheat Sheet.

Unfortunately, not every potent marketing lever responds instantly. For example, improving your ratings with key industry analysts takes time (6-18 months) but can have a huge impact on consideration and close rates. Similarly, building out a new partner channel takes time but can bring significant growth, especially during economic downturns. The same is true for becoming a community-led growth company.

In fairness to Darren, not all PE firms are the same. Some add value. Or at least try. [Link to Darren's thoughtful advice.]

Written by Drew Neisser

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 455: From Positioning to Pitch: Making Your Messaging Stick

B2B CMOs know positioning matters—but too often, it vanishes when sales starts talking.

In this episode, positioning guru April Dunford pulls back the curtain on the disconnect between marketing and sales and shares exactly how to build a sales pitch that wins.

Drawing from her book Sales Pitch and decades of experience, April shares a battle-tested framework for building pitches that set the context, overcome indecision, and spotlight your unique value—without overwhelming buyers or falling into feature hell.

Key Mistakes:

• Mistake #1: Treating positioning as marketing-only
• Mistake #2: Assuming sales will “get it” if you hand them positioning docs
• Mistake #3: Building sales pitches without a clear, compelling structure

In this episode:

• Why positioning is the starting point for every winning pitch 

• How marketing can frame the problem so sales doesn’t chase the wrong story
  

• Why leading with your company history stalls momentum
  

• What smart pitch sequencing sounds like in action

This Episode Is For: CMOs tired of great positioning dying in a sales deck—and want to arm their teams with pitch narratives that close.

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/

“Forrester included social media influencers as part of their buying network concept, but honestly, Drew, I don’t know where to start,” shared a B2B CMO at a $400mil tech company. I sipped my margarita, offered a Cheshire cat smile, and thought this must be what it’s like for Cooper Flagg when he spies an unguarded basket. Do you dazzle with a highlight-reel jam or simply take the layup?

I took the layup, offering a few insights with the promise of more when we spoke later. Had I taken the other approach, the highlight reel would have started with one concept:

Assess Your Currency

By currency, I don’t just mean cash money. Yes, you can cut B2B influencers a check, and if it’s big enough, many will do your bidding. Others won’t. Regardless, this transactional approach will limit your upside. Contracts will be executed to the letter. Brand love will not be engendered. Instead, tap into other currencies. Think of your influencer program as a multi-dimensional value exchange.

Access is Currency

Every company has other forms of influencer currency. Access is an incredibly valuable asset you can exchange. When I worked with Pega as an influencer, they provided access to their founder, Alan Treffler, typically reserved for analysts and journalists. Back in 2017, I was thrilled to have this brilliant exec on my podcast.

Recognition is Currency

About 10 years ago, IBM invited 15 of us to participate in their brilliantly labeled “Futurists” program. We all said “yes.” Who doesn’t want to be called a Futurist? We got front-row seats at their big conferences with signs saying, “Reserved for Futurists.” We also gained access to IBM executives and pre-launch product briefings. These briefings were similar to the ones they gave to "real" reporters, further boosting our egos.

Social Support is Currency

Before the Futurist program, IBM had a less formal influencer program in which I participated. Once again, they provided access to high-ranking execs. I turned one of these interviews into a story that ran on FastCompany.com with the audacious (+ now ridiculous) headline “Why IBM Could Be Bigger Than Facebook in Social Media.” IBM loved the story so much that they encouraged their entire employee base to share it on social media. They did. That story was among the top 10 stories on FastCompany.com for two months. My editor + IBM loved it.

Connecting Influencers is Currency

The best part of the IBM Futurist program was not the name. It was the fact that IBM brought us together to learn from each other. For a couple of years, Gartner did the same thing. Led by ever-insightful Brent Adamson, I met several marketing + sales luminaries with whom I still compare notes + amplify stories.

Eight months ago, LinkedIn started a B2B global marketing influencer group. I’m happy to be part of it and appreciate the inside info they share with the 30 of us. The real highlight? We set up a group chat on LinkedIn that is an insight-packed slam dunk.

Written by Drew Neisser

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 453: The Discipline of Category Creation

Everyone wants to be in a category of one.

But until analysts acknowledge it, customers search for it, and competitors show up, it’s not quite a category—more a call you made before the market did. Creating one means walking a line between leading the story and waiting for the market to catch up.

In this episode, Drew Neisser is joined by Bernd Leger of Cornerstone OnDemand, Charles Groome of Biz2Credit, and Jakki Geiger to share their insights into building a category from scratch.

In this episode:

• Bernd shares how Cornerstone moved beyond LMS into “workforce agility,” backed by acquisitions, analyst engagement, and full-team alignment.
• Charles explains how Biz2Credit is carving out a new lane in FinTech by naming the problem and using familiar language to build demand.
• Jakki outlines what separates true category creation from disruption, and why team-wide clarity is the hidden work that drives both.

Plus:

• Why a real customer problem should shape your category narrative
• How to bring analysts in without losing control of the story
• What it takes to bring your team along when the category doesn’t exist yet

Tune in to learn how category creation starts, builds, and earns its place in the market!

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/

“We had to change some language on our website,” explained a CMO at a $750 million tech company, “to address the lightning rod issues.” Righteous Drew wanted to push back and say, “If every company does this, aren’t we all being complicit?” Coach Drew held his tongue. There’s a lot at stake right now, and not just for businesses with government contracts.

The Weight of a Brand Promise

Enough with the code, what’s the real issue here?

One word: Trust.

Every established brand is a promise. That promise combines both its words and actions over time. A brand that promises to be a good corporate citizen and demonstrates its commitment via actions earns goodwill with multiple stakeholders, including employees, customers, prospects, partners, and influencers. A sudden shift in actions (like dropping DEI or ESG programs) can break that goodwill and or diminish trust.

Get real, Righteous Drew. Aren’t the risks of non-compliance with the new political correctness too great to stand on one’s high horse?

Indeed, much of the S&P 500 thinks so. The New York Times reported last week that the language “diversity, equity and inclusion” has been scrubbed from 200 of the 350 S&P 500 companies that had mentioned it. According to the NYTimes, many felt obligated to do so based on “an executive order that instructed federal agencies to investigate ‘illegal D.E.I.’ in the private sector.”

It’s even more serious for companies or institutions dependent upon government or red-state contracts. If they want to keep these contracts or get new ones, they must scrub their websites of the 30 or so trigger words, such as diversity, equity, inclusion, and climate change. We’re talking about millions of dollars and thousands of jobs.

A Word Swap or a Walk-Back?

Aren’t most of these big companies just using different words?

Yes, some are. These companies are softening or replacing words like “equity” with “belonging” or “inclusiveness” with “fairness.” In these cases, the policies, programs, and staffing behind the words aren’t changing. Coach Drew approves.

Other companies, big and small, have not just abandoned the words; they’ve eliminated the programs. Now we’re in reputational damage territory. Certain stakeholders will wonder if they can ever trust the company again. Righteous Drew is fretting.

Costco decided not to change its DEI policies, while Walmart did. Both brands have a lot at stake. Thus far in 2025, CostCo’s stock is down 2%, while Walmart’s is down 6%. It's too early to measure the impact (if any) these changes will have on revenue, employee retention, etc., but it will be fascinating to watch them play out. Righteous Drew thanks Costco for its bravery.

This Isn’t Just Marketing’s Problem

Bottom line: This decision to change your corporate policies is way bigger than marketing. C-Suites and investors need to be part of the conversation. For a guide on how marketers can help guide these conversations, check out the link to my post on RenegadeMarketing.com.

Written by Drew Neisser

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 452: The New Rules of Marketing Team Design

Marketing org charts may look innocent, but they’re loaded with meaning. Split your team into “revenue” and “corporate” and you’re sending a message, whether you mean to or not. Structure reveals philosophy. And in B2B, that philosophy had better be built for trust, speed, and results.

In this episode, Drew Neisser is joined by Kelly Hopping (Demandbase), Lesley Davis (Waggoner Engineering), and Gary Sevounts (Simpplr) to discuss how they’re shaping marketing teams that reflect clearer priorities, move in sync with the business, and operate at the pace growth demands.

In this episode:

• Kelly built her team around one goal: earning sales love. It reshaped her team’s structure, mindset, and KPIs. 
• Lesley explains how cultural clarity and cross-functional trust helped her team scale fast inside a complex org. 
• Gary shares how “Treasure Ops” became a full-funnel GTM engine, reviving stalled deals and tying ops directly to pipeline.

Plus:

• Why your org structure should follow how your buyers engage 
• How AI is already shifting roles 
• How shared metrics and a single definition of success align marketing and sales

Tune in for a look at how marketing teams are being built to meet the moment!

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/