The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)

6 Steps to Building a Customer Insights Program with Shoshana Kordova


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#250 Customer Insights | Matt sits down with Shoshana Kordova, a 3x founding product marketer and former journalist who now helps B2B tech startups craft customer-infused messaging through her consultancy, Peel Product Marketing. Shoshana recently launched a customer insights playbook for the PMM Jetpack, equipping marketers with tools and templates to run more effective customer interviews.


Matt and Shoshana cover:

  • Why a customer insights program is more than “just talking to customers” and how to turn interviews into a repeatable system that drives messaging, positioning, and case studies
  • How to collaborate across teams (especially with CS and product) to get buy-in and avoid stepping on toes
  • The most common mistakes B2B marketers make with interviews and how to get the kind of insights you can actually use

Whether you're a product marketer, content strategist, or leading a GTM team, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways to build messaging that resonates.

Timestamps

  • (00:00) - – Intro
  • (02:44) - – Meet Shoshana: From Journalism to Product Marketing
  • (03:54) - – What Is “Customer-Infused Messaging”?
  • (05:39) - – Why Customer Insights Beat Surface-Level Deliverables
  • (07:39) - – How to Work with CS and Sales Without Stepping on Toes
  • (10:39) - – Navigating Competing Priorities Across Teams
  • (12:59) - – Selling the Value of Customer Interviews Internally
  • (16:59) - – The 6 Steps to Building a Customer Insights Program
  • (18:54) - – Step 1: Aligning Goals with Stakeholders
  • (20:34) - – Step 2: Building a Customer Interview Pipeline
  • (22:39) - – Step 3: Keeping Stakeholders in the Loop (Hint: Use Slack)
  • (28:28) - – Step 4: How to Run a Great Customer Interview
  • (33:58) - – Focus on Problems, Not Just the Product
  • (36:33) - – Uncovering Real ROI with Better Follow-Ups
  • (37:43) - – Step 5: Documenting What Actually Matters
  • (40:03) - – How to Organize Insights into a Shared Database
  • (42:53) - – Step 6: Putting Insights to Work (Case Studies, Messaging, ICPs)
  • (45:13) - – Should You Hire an External Interviewer?
  • (47:28) - – What’s a Realistic Interview Cadence?
  • (48:58) - – Other Places to Find Customer Insights (When Interviews Aren’t Possible)
  • (50:33) - – Final Tips: Mining G2 Reviews, Webinars, and Internal Teams
  • (51:47) - – Wrap-Up and Where to Find Shoshana

  • Send guest pitches and ideas to [email protected]
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    ***

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    The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)By Dave Gerhardt

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