C-Suite Sales & Marketing Perspectives

Episode #336:

Liz Emmott, Chief Revenue Officer at CIBT, explores how commercial leaders can rebuild revenue organizations amid changing technology and buyer expectations. She explains why customer understanding, internal trust, and expert collaboration create meaningful differentiation. Her perspective shows how aligned teams can build credibility, improve the customer experience, and drive sustainable revenue growth.

“Being able to articulate, understand, and speak the language of our customers and prospects is actually the only way we are going to win. We have to demonstrate that we know their industry better than they do, and this is why they ne...

Episode #335:

Stephanie Crockett, President and CEO at Eric Mower + Associates, explains why customer obsession should influence decisions across the entire organization. She explores how customer intelligence can align teams, reduce risk, strengthen trust, and support bolder decisions. Stephanie also shows how CMOs can turn the voice of the customer into greater strategic influence and sustainable growth.

“That's where the revenue comes. It's about creating products and services, front of the house and back of the house, where all of the things that a customer experiences demonstrate that obsession with their needs.” - Stephanie Crockett

Cu...

Episode #334:

Zach Calef, Chief Revenue Officer at Infinity, explains how customer obsession becomes a practical revenue strategy. He explores client economics, strategic alignment, innovation, trust, human capital, and disciplined execution. Zach shows why understanding what customers truly need can help revenue teams differentiate, strengthen relationships, and build repeatable growth.

“The obsession is where it starts, and without the obsession, you're going to minimize the revenue that you're capturing for your clients. You have to start with the centerpiece, which is the client.” - Zach Calef

Customer obsession becomes more valuable when it shapes how...

Episode #333:

Jennifer Knecht, Chief Revenue Officer at Western States Lodging, explains how emotional intelligence strengthens B2B revenue performance. She explores how awareness, trust, transparency, and meaningful connections influence buyer decisions. Jennifer also shares how AI can help sales teams understand different perspectives, strengthen human relationships, and reach the emotional level behind buying decisions faster.

“Revenue is driven by the exchange of value. The faster you can get to the emotional level, the faster you can get to a true, solid decision that sticks.” - Jennifer Knecht

Jennifer explores why emotional intelligence is beco...

Episode #332:

Mike Head, Chief Revenue Officer at Orderful, explains how customer understanding can strengthen every part of the go-to-market organization. He shares practical ways to prepare for executive conversations, improve discovery, coach teams with AI, strengthen retention, and align teams around customer priorities. Mike also explains why consistent execution, genuine curiosity, and continuous customer engagement can build trust, improve revenue performance, and create sustainable growth.

“Your technology, your logo slide, all that stuff doesn't matter. What really matters is the customer and what they care about, and if you focus on that across your engagements in...

Episode #331:

Matthias Holder, Chief Sales Officer at Lindner Recyclingtech, explains how customer obsession creates sustainable revenue by helping sales organizations understand customers, their markets, and their needs. He explores how salespeople can become trusted advisors by discussing business needs, market conditions, productivity, quality, costs, and competitive advantage before recommending solutions. Matthias also shows how continuous customer insight can guide sales strategy, product development, internal decisions, and stronger long-term customer relationships.

“Never fall in love with your products. Fall in love with your customers, your customers' success. Products change, technology changes, markets change, customer expectations and ch...

Episode #330:

Brooke Norton Lais, Chief Marketing Officer at Venbrook, explains why relationship-led growth requires companies to build trust long before a buying decision occurs. She shares how marketing can create opportunities for salespeople to reach the right executives and build meaningful one-to-one relationships. Brooke also explains how established C-suite relationships can create internal advocates and open access deeper within prospective accounts.

“Creating situations where we can drive awareness and credibility for our brand while also building relationships is where I’m going to get the most value. When we can get our people in front of p...

Episode #329:

Siddharth Singh, Chief Revenue Officer at Intangles, explains the skills modern salespeople need as buyers become more informed and meetings become harder to secure. He explores deeper discovery, primary research, creativity, and AI-enabled productivity. Siddharth shows why knowing a customer’s business beyond searchable information creates differentiation. He also explains why sales leaders must remain active player coaches as their responsibilities expand.

“Ask the right questions. But if you ask questions without actively listening to what the customer is saying, you dig your own grave. The skill is how fast you go from situation ques...

Episode #328:

Michael Scott, Global Chief Revenue Officer at LoopMe, explains the revenue logic behind customer obsession. He shares how deeper customer understanding helps companies identify problems they are uniquely positioned to solve, create greater value, and become more important to customers. The conversation explores why customer obsession requires C-suite alignment, continuous customer learning, and strong data. Michael also explains why it must become part of how the entire organization operates.

“The better you know your customer, the more you can be a trusted partner, advisor to them, the more you can find problems that you're un...

Episode #327:

Trine Tirsgaard, Group Chief Marketing Officer at Twoday, explains how customer understanding, data, experimentation, and continuous learning can create greater strategic value with AI. She explores how marketing leaders can combine technology with customer intelligence to improve decision-making, strengthen teams, and create more meaningful business value. Trine also shares why curiosity and practical experimentation are becoming essential leadership capabilities for navigating rapid technological change.

“What matters the most in the future is the power of humans. It's the way we put our intellect to work. It's our creativity, and the way to orchestrate concepts an...

Episode 326:

Laura Davis, Chief Marketing Officer at Rimes Technologies, explains why customer obsession must translate into commercial outcomes. She explores customer intelligence, AI, data strategy, internal alignment, and pipeline accountability as markets rapidly evolve. Laura shows why sustainable revenue ultimately depends on continually understanding what customers need and building the business around those priorities.

“The customer is everything. Even in the context of AI and our whole industry changing, and the practice of marketing changing and all the different things, at the end of the day, you need to build and sell something the customer wa...

Episode #325

Nick Malone, Chief Revenue Officer at XTM, explains what separates successful AI-native companies from organizations simply adopting new tools. He explores value-led AI, executive leadership, experimentation, data, and practical workflows that improve productivity. Nick shows why companies that connect AI to measurable outcomes while keeping humans at the core can turn incremental gains into meaningful competitive advantage.

“A company's got to be willing to go into uncharted territories, to be willing to experiment. You must go and dig deep and experiment and understand in what ways you can use the AI capabilities today to im...

Episode #324:

Katie Strout, Chief Marketing Officer at Highspring, explains why sustainable growth requires more than a stronger pipeline. She shares how customer problems can align teams around shared outcomes. Katie explores why sales and marketing should operate as one connected revenue motion. She also explains how customer validation, internal trust, and shared ownership can turn marketing into a commercial growth partner.

“Growth and revenue belong to the whole organization. It's not the responsibility of any one function. It happens when marketing, sales, technology, delivery, leadership, customer success, all of those things come together around customers' pr...

Episode #323:

Alison Richmond, Chief Marketing Officer at Medix, explains why customer obsession requires more than collecting feedback. She explores sales and marketing alignment, customer experience, and the importance of asking better questions. Alison also shows how customer insight can shape decisions, strengthen trust, and support growth across the business.

“Your best marketing campaigns and marketing moments come from that long-running relationship you have with your customer. Start by asking and learning where your customers are today and what they think of you today, and make sure that's always part of the conversation going forward.” - Alis...

Episode #322:

Cristy Garcia, Chief Marketing Officer at impact.com, explains how influencer marketing can build trust and drive measurable B2B growth. She explores buying committees, ABM, performance-based partnerships, UGC, and customer communities. Cristy shows why authentic third-party voices can become powerful assets across the entire revenue funnel.

“Customer obsession doesn't happen because you have a transaction. Customer obsession happens because you believe in a brand, you refer business to them because you trust them, and a brand has to show up in different ways to be considered customer-obsessed.” - Cristy Garcia

Cristy expl...

Episode #321:

Cynthia Gumbert, Chief Marketing Officer at Litera, explains how established companies can compete confidently in an AI-first market. She shares how customer trust, long-range innovation, and a dedicated Voice of the Customer program strengthen brand relevance and revenue growth. Cynthia also reveals why customer advocates often outperform traditional marketing and sales messages.

“Get customers to be your advocates and spokespeople, and never lose sight of the fact that they are your best marketers. They can be your best salespeople. In this age of AI, it is easy to get distracted by product innovations and fe...

Episode #320:

Robert Nicklin, Chief Growth Officer at Compass Group Canada, explains why judgment is becoming a defining competitive advantage. He explores how behavior, adaptability, observational intelligence, trust, and stronger questions shape sustainable enterprise growth. Robert also reveals why leaders should design repeatable growth systems instead of continually chasing short-term outcomes.

“Growth is something that you design. It is not something you chase. A true growth system is built and designed, and once you have created that system, you should have people who can sit within it. That is about leaders creating strong leaders who create st...

Episode #319:

Rebecca Welsher Kaplan, Chief Marketing Officer at Slice Merchant Services, explains why trust, customer obsession, and empowered employees have become the real competitive advantage in modern B2B growth. She explores how AI, personalization, and strong relationships work together to build lasting customer loyalty. The companies that consistently prioritize people alongside technology will earn stronger brands and sustainable growth.

"There is never one solution, there is never one channel, and there is no one right way to build a successful marketing campaign or branding practice. It comes down to who you are as a...

Episode #318:

Eliana Angelova, Global Chief Revenue Officer at iSON Xperiences, explains why customer obsession has become the defining growth strategy in the AI era. She shares practical lessons on exceeding customer expectations, aligning teams around shared outcomes, and using AI to strengthen customer experiences rather than simply improve efficiency. She also provides a practical framework for building sustainable revenue through customer-first thinking.

"Always have the end customer in mind. If every decision starts there, you'll make better choices for your business, your people, and your customers." — Eliana Angelova

Customer expectations are evolving faster th...

Episode #317

John Lamb, Chief Marketing Officer at Elo Touch Solutions, explains why sales and marketing alignment begins long before revenue is generated. He shares how mutual respect, shared priorities, and customer-focused collaboration create stronger execution across every department. The conversation also explores how culture, brand consistency, and organizational alignment help companies build trust, accelerate growth, and create lasting customer relationships.

"You have to realize we perform very different roles, and that's meant to be. But to be aligned is absolutely critical. If you don't have it somewhere, you honestly need to make a change in...

Episode #316:

Justin Steinman, Chief Marketing Officer at ModMed, shares why sustainable growth requires three disciplines working together: brand, demand generation, and product marketing. He explains how a unified message increased market awareness, aligned the organization, and strengthened revenue outcomes. Justin also reveals why the best marketers listen closely to customers to create strategies that drive long-term growth.

"You've got to have brand, you've got to have demand generation, and you've got to have unbelievable product marketing, and it's really all three of those working together that make an effective marketing organization." - Justin Steinman

Episode #315:

Gregory Banning, Chief Revenue Officer at Rithum, explains why customer obsession is the foundation of sustainable revenue growth. He shares how internal alignment, company culture, and customer feedback systems help organizations stay focused on what truly matters. Gregory also reveals why leaders should regularly pause and audit whether the customer remains at the center of every decision.

"Are customers interested in engaging you, talking to you, and then ultimately partnering with you? This isn't about us. We don't exist if the client isn't served, if the client isn't gaining value, if we're not going...

Episode #314:

Lauren Shleifer Goldstein, Chief Growth Officer at Winning by Design, explains why customer obsession is the foundation of sustainable business growth. She shares practical strategies for aligning teams, building trust, and using customer insights to improve decisions across the organization. Lauren also reveals why people, processes, and customer understanding matter more than technology alone.

"Trust is built by understanding what success looks like, and then making sure there's a plan to deliver that. In SaaS or recurring revenue, it's not just one time; it's every day, every month, every year. Trust and customer obsession...

Episode #313:

Bettina Isabelle Berntsen, Chief Marketing Officer at SuperOffice, explains how customer obsession becomes a measurable growth strategy when it drives every business decision. She shares how combining customer insight, market research, and internal alignment strengthened positioning, increased pipeline, and improved deal quality. The result is a practical framework that connects customer trust directly to sustainable revenue growth. It demonstrates why customer obsession must become an operating model rather than a marketing initiative.

"The one most important thing is not to say that you're customer-obsessed, but make sure that you truly are in how you're...

Episode #312:

Christine Ravanat, Group CMO and Executive Committee Member at Expleo Group, explains why customer obsession is becoming the foundation of sustainable B2B growth. She shares how organizations can replace assumptions with deeper customer understanding to improve alignment, trust, and revenue outcomes. She also outlines practical leadership changes that help customer insights influence strategic decisions across the business.

"You need to forget about what you want to sell and really have the deep will to understand where your customer sits, what problems they are facing, and how you can genuinely help them. It all...

Episode #311:

Mike Hlushko, Chief Marketing Officer at Modern Expo, explains why enterprise buyer skepticism has become the new barrier to B2B growth. As buyers work harder to avoid costly mistakes and AI makes information instantly accessible, trust must be earned long before a sales conversation begins. Mike shares how expertise, preparation, and consistent communication help organizations become trusted partners rather than just another vendor.

"The buyer isn't being unfair. They're protecting themselves. The biggest challenge is building real trust with our clients. We build trust through quality, history, and deep expertise in products and...

Episode #310:

Michael Ciancio, Chief Marketing Officer at Expert Institute, shares why customers have become the most important marketing channel in modern B2B growth. He explains how trust, customer voice, and consistent messaging shape buying decisions long before a prospect speaks with sales. The conversation highlights the growing influence of AI search and why authentic customer insights now outperform traditional marketing content. Michael also outlines how internal alignment creates the foundation for sustainable growth.

"It's the highest leverage investment in the entire marketing function right now that the teams that do real voice of customer...

Episode #309:

Margaret Dawson, Chief Marketing Officer at SUSE, shares a practical framework for turning customer insight into measurable business growth. She explains how customer research, AI, cross-functional alignment, and integrated campaigns transformed marketing performance and executive confidence. Learn how customer-first thinking creates a stronger pipeline, better decisions, and sustainable growth.

"If you can make your customer a hero, that is your ultimate goal. Your business goals are revenue and sustainability, but how do you achieve them? You make heroes out of your customers." — Margaret Dawson

Discover how leading organizations combine structured and unstructured cu...

Episode #308:

Mark Crompton, Outsourced CRO and Fractional VP of Sales and Consultant at Sales Xceleration, explains why many growing companies invest heavily in operations while underinvesting in the very function responsible for generating revenue. He shares how leadership, accountability, documented processes, and modern sales tools create sustainable growth. The conversation also explores how customer expectations have changed and why continuous communication has become a competitive advantage.

"Invest in your sales team. Invest in good people, tools, and processes. Don't wait till it's too late. You've got to start today to make those changes and improvements...

Episode #307:

John Laughlin, CEO and President of CTI, shares why earning executive access starts with trust, not selling. He explains how customer understanding, relationship-building, and organizational culture drive long-term growth. The conversation explores why trust accelerates speed, efficiency, and decision-making. John also reveals how leaders can use culture, communication, and AI to strengthen customer relationships while scaling their businesses.

"Nobody ever trusted you in your first meeting. You have to earn that trust." – John Laughlin

This conversation explores how organizations can overcome modern customer access challenges by prioritizing relationships over transactions. John discusses wh...

Episode #306:

Julie Zwissler, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Office Beacon LLC, shares why trust, relationships, and internal alignment have become the foundation of sustainable growth. She explains how the Connector Economy is changing the way businesses build partnerships and generate opportunities. The conversation explores trusted ecosystems, executive leadership alignment, and the growing importance of personal brands. Julie also discusses how organizations can achieve scalable growth by focusing on relationships rather than transactions.

"We're turning to people that we trust. I've really started focusing on what a trusted ecosystem looks like and how we can build...

Episode #305:

Andrea Kayal, Chief Revenue Officer at Help Scout, shares how alignment, trust, and customer centricity drive sustainable growth. She explains why marketing must own trust-building, how product supports revenue creation, and why strong service-level agreements eliminate friction across teams. The conversation also explores enterprise value, AI, competition, and the evolving role of modern revenue leadership.

"Your job is really equity improvement. It really is about the enterprise value that you're creating for the business. The CRO's job is to figure out how we acquire more customers and keep them in a better, healthier version...

Episode #304:

Keith Laska, Chief Growth Officer at GridUnity, explores the leadership principles driving sustainable growth amid an unprecedented AI transformation. He explains why executive alignment, customer obsession, and trust remain foundational growth drivers despite rapid technological change. Keith shares practical strategies for developing stronger customer relationships and preparing teams for AI-enabled operations. He also outlines why organizations that combine human insight with AI orchestration will create lasting competitive advantages.

"You're not at risk of being automated by AI. You're at risk of somebody who understands AI better than you orchestrating it. Those that actually learn...

Episode #303:

Christian Land, Group Chief Marketing Officer at big. bechtold-gruppe, explains why internal communication has become one of the most powerful drivers of external business growth. He shares how culture, trust, employee engagement, and customer centricity are built through consistent communication and leadership. The conversation explores why employees become a company's most influential ambassadors and how internal alignment shapes customer experiences. Christian also discusses the role of listening, trust, and communication in creating sustainable growth.

“Everybody is at the customers every day, so they have to bring our mindset to customer-centricity. This is how we wo...

Episode #302:

Bill Taysom, Fractional Chief Marketing Officer at Savvy Strategic Partners, explains why many organizations become dangerously focused on generating more leads while overlooking the trust, credibility, and customer journey required to convert those opportunities into revenue. He shares how buyers make decisions long before entering a CRM, why the dark funnel shapes modern purchasing behavior, and how trust influences every stage of growth. Bill also outlines why companies that balance brand building with lead generation create stronger conversion rates and more sustainable revenue growth.

"Study after study after study have proven that a 60/40 split...

Episode 301:

Joe Healy, Chief Growth Officer at Fintua, explains why the pursuit of more leads often distracts companies from what actually drives revenue growth. He shares how trust, customer understanding, and relationship building create stronger commercial outcomes than traditional pipeline thinking. He also highlights the importance of diagnosing customer challenges before presenting solutions. The discussion reveals why human trust remains one of the few sustainable competitive advantages left in business.

"The human trust and discernment component is the only true competitive advantage left from a selling perspective. Growth starts with understanding, and everything else, sales...

Episode #300:

Casey Carey, Chief Marketing Officer at TCP Software, discusses how buyer behavior, trust, customer understanding, and AI are reshaping modern B2B growth. He explains why earning a place on the buyer's shortlist before a purchase process begins has become critical. Casey also shares practical strategies for creating preference, improving alignment, and increasing win rates.

"That day one list is the qualifying race. The decision may be made without you. If you're not on that day one list, your chances of winning are in the single-digit percentage." - Casey Carey

In this...

Episode #299:

Emil Reister, Chief AI Sales Officer at BCC Research, explains how AI is transforming modern sales leadership, buyer expectations, and team productivity. He discusses connected systems, AI-powered coaching, sales enablement, and the future of AI-driven customer engagement. He also explains why curiosity, experimentation, and human judgment remain essential as organizations adopt AI-first revenue strategies.

“What does AI say about your organization? More and more buyers are educating themselves and spending time on these tools. From a marketing standpoint and sales standpoint, it's critical for organizations to really invest time in how they best position th...

Episode #298:

Richard O'Connor, Chief Executive Officer at B2B Marketing, shares why traditional growth structures are breaking down across modern B2B organizations. He explains why CEOs and boards must rethink how sales, marketing, brand, and customer understanding work together to drive sustainable growth. He also explains why disruptive thinking is necessary to reinvent the way organizations approach growth.

“We should actively be looking at disruptive approaches to the way we think about growth.” - Richard O'Connor

This conversation explores why shared commercial objectives are replacing siloed departmental goals in modern B2B orga...

Episode #297:

Valeria Balaro, Chief Marketing Officer at Star, explains how AI is forcing companies to rethink growth, talent development, marketing influence, and customer engagement. She discusses why human judgment, differentiated thinking, and cross-functional collaboration are becoming more valuable in the AI era. She also shares why modern CMOs must evolve beyond lead generation into true revenue leadership.

“Company growth is changing completely, and AI is accelerating it greatly. It’s an accelerator, but an accelerator can go both ways, into the positive and into the negative.” - Valeria Balaro

In this episode, Valeria shares...