Account Based Beverages

Trying to run ABM solo? You’re not alone — and you don’t have to guess your way through it. In this episode, host Jim Gilkey welcomes Brian Surguine, an “accidental marketer” whose twelve-year career spans neurotech, marketing strategy, and Fortune 500s AI. Brian shares how he leads ABM with just one marketer on a four-person go-to-market team. From real-world event examples to post-meeting follow-ups, Brian breaks down how to coordinate across sales, partners, and senior leadership — and make sure your key accounts get a seamless experience. If your ABM strategy feels overwhelming as a one-person show, this is your playbook.

👤 Guest Bio

• Brian Surguine is a solo marketing leader with a background in neurotech, AI, and B2B strategy. With a hands-on, team-sport approach, he aligns tightly with sales and senior leadership to run effective ABM programs at scale.

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn

📌 What We Cover

• ABM as a team sport and air traffic control
• How to personalize engagement around live events
• The power of pre-event intel and post-event debriefs
• Creating content directly from account conversations
• Why a small team can still create a seamless account experience
• Coordinating handoffs across sales, partners, and marketing
• Brian’s go-to beverage: a daily pour over in Portland

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Scrappy ABM – Build repeatable ABM plays and bring them in-house

Is your team throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping the board buys it? Host Jim Gilkey sits down with Michael Letendre — a recovering IT guy turned marketing ops pro — to tackle the ABM issue no one wants to admit: sales and marketing don’t speak the same language. Michael shares a battle-tested fix that starts with getting in the same room and ends with clear, agreed-on definitions for every acronym and gate. Because when sales and marketing report different numbers to leadership, no one knows what’s real — or who to trust. If your ABM playbook includes terms no one can define, this one’s for you.

👤 Guest Bio
Michael Letendre is a marketing operations leader and former IT pro who brings clarity to chaos. Known for building processes and growing teams, he’s passionate about aligning sales and marketing around shared definitions and clean reporting.
Connect with Michael on LinkedIn

📌 What We Cover

• Why sales and marketing often report “two very different things”
• How misaligned acronyms erode trust at the executive level
• The one meeting that can prevent ABM chaos
• Why you need clear criteria to enter and exit each stage
• A simple rule: always ask, “What does that mean?”
• Michael’s favorite twist on a Manhattan — with cherry wood smoke

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Scrappy ABM – Build repeatable ABM plays and bring them in-house
• Rebel smoking gun (used to add smoky flavor to Michael’s Manhattan)

Most marketing teams are too timid to win. Jim Gilkey (LinkedIn) sits down with Liam MacCormack, a fractional head of growth and founder of Growth by Liam, who’s worked with over 50 B2B SaaS companies at the seed and Series A stage. His message is clear: if you want to 10x your ABM results, you need to place bigger bets. Forget tweaking button colors and obsessing over CTRs. Liam pushes marketers to get back to what marketing is actually for—changing perception at scale. From bold gifting ideas to surprise-and-delight event plays, this episode is your permission slip to stop playing small.

👤 Guest Bio
Liam MacCormack is a solopreneur and fractional head of growth for seed and Series A B2B SaaS companies. Through his company Growth by Liam, he’s helped over 50 startups grow in the past two years. Connect with Liam on LinkedIn

📌 What We Cover

• Why ABM teams must stop relying solely on iterative campaigns
• What 10x expectations from CEOs/CMOs really demand
• The common mistake of over-optimizing LinkedIn ad creative
• What “big bets” actually look like in a marketing org
• Why doing one bold campaign per quarter changes the game
• An example of using creative Hail Marys for tough-to-engage accounts
• Liam’s current ABM drink of choice: iced matcha latte

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• GrowthByLiam.com
• Scrappy ABM

If you’re running ABM without enterprise-level budget—this is the episode for you. Jim Gilkey (LinkedIn) is joined by Sean Sullivan, a self-proclaimed data nerd who’s been orchestrating GTM ops since before it had a name. Sean shares a brutally honest look at why buying an ABM platform too early can cost you way more than just money. You’ll hear why the right architect—not just a salesperson-turned-admin—is critical for your success, how bad data causes trust issues across departments, and what three pillars to hire for if you want ABM to scale cleanly. This one’s for the scrappy teams that want to win.

👤 Guest Bio
Sean Sullivan is a go-to-market ops expert passionate about improving access to healthcare through smarter systems. He brings deep experience across sales, marketing, and customer experience ops—and isn’t afraid to get into the data weeds to clean up tech debt.
Connect with Sean on LinkedIn

📌 What We Cover

• The hidden time cost of buying an ABM platform before your data’s ready
• Why data standardization and orchestration must come before tech
• What makes a great ABM architect (and what doesn’t)
• Why cross-functional ops experience matters more than admin titles
• The 3 hiring pillars: cost-cutting, process improvement, documentation
• How to contain and clean data before it hits your source of truth
• What “lean and mean” really looks like in GTM ops

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Scrappy ABM – Repeatable ABM plays, built for you
• Converge Coffee – Sean’s podcast and platform

Trying to figure out how AI actually fits into your ABM process? Ruth Favela has the playbook. As the first AI marketing specialist hired in the U.S. in 2023, she’s pioneering AI-powered ABM at Tomorrow.io, a weather resilience platform building a radar satellite constellation. In this episode, host Jim Gilkey gets into the exact five-step process Ruth uses to scale hyper-personalized ABM campaigns — powered by ChatGPT, deep research, and tools like Rept. From setting up GPT Projects per account to using AI to build interactive landing pages without engineering support, Ruth shares how to save hours, scale smarter, and never let your ICPs go cold. Forget “garbage in, garbage out” — this is how you train AI to think like your best ABM strategist.

👤 Guest Bio
Ruth Favela is the AI Marketing Manager at Tomorrow.io, a weather resilience platform using AI and satellite tech to close the global forecasting gap. She was the first AI marketing specialist hired in the U.S. in 2023 and now leads the company’s ABM and content strategy through a blend of AI models, demand generation, and practical experimentation.

📌 What We Cover

• The 5-step flow for integrating AI into your ABM strategy
• Why “deep research” in ChatGPT saves hours vs. tab-hopping in Google
• How to set up GPT Projects by account (e.g., Walmart, Kroger)
• Using AI tools like Rept to create personalized landing pages at scale
• Signals vs. intent: what to actually track in your campaigns
• The role of human guidance at every step of the AI-powered ABM flow
• Why reframing your messaging means retraining your AI
• How Tomorrow.io tailors content from execs to speak to one person only

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Tomorrow.io
• Rept (AI coding tool mentioned for no-code builds)
• Ruth Favela on LinkedIn

Betting on ABM? Eddie Casado did just that—and it changed everything. In this episode of Account-Based Beverages, host Jim Gilkey sits down with Eddie Casado, a growth marketer who led Mouseflow's transition into ABM. Eddie reveals what it really takes to make the pivot work, why ABM needs a single operational owner, and how to keep sales engaged with gamification. From rethinking content and ICPs to embedding into sales ops, Eddie shares the exact moves that made their ABM program stick. Bonus: he names the platform and tools that helped make it all click. This one’s a must-listen for anyone considering the ABM leap.

👤 Guest Bio
Eddie Casado is a growth marketing leader with deep experience in campaign strategy and vertical development. At Mouseflow, he led the company's pivot into ABM, taking full ownership of the strategy, execution, and sales alignment.
🔗 Connect with Eddie on LinkedIn

📌 What We Cover

• Why pivoting to ABM was a “professional bet” for Eddie
• The #1 signal for ABM success: full operational ownership
• The risk of letting ABM fall through the cracks between teams
• The role of marketing in guiding accounts from awareness to outreach
• The specific tools Eddie used to gamify sales engagement
• A shoutout to the ABM platform that supported their pivot

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• SalesScreen (gamification tool)
• Enrich (ABM platform)
• ScrappyABM.com/bev — book time with Jim + get a drink on him

A company spent three-quarters of a million dollars on trade shows—and didn’t get the results they wanted. Sound familiar? On this episode of Account Based Beverages, host Jim Gilkey sits down with Amy Mourey, known as “the booth boss” on TikTok, to break down why your events aren’t delivering—and what to do about it. Amy shares how to stop treating trade shows like lead collection drives and start treating them like live-action ABM campaigns. With practical tactics like prebooking strategic conversations, designing booths for micro moments, and personalizing post-show follow-up, she shows how to turn a booth into a boardroom—and leave your competition playing checkers in a chess game.

👤 Guest Bio
Amy Mourey is a seasoned event and booth strategist behind some of North America’s most impactful corporate events. Known as “the booth boss” on TikTok, she’s recognized for transforming trade shows, industry happy hours, and global activations into ROI-driven experiences. Connect with Amy on LinkedIn.

📌 What We Cover

• Why collecting leads isn’t enough at trade shows
• How to treat events like a live-action ABM campaign
• The power of prebooking strategic conversations 2–3 weeks before the show
• How to design a booth for micro moments and meaningful 1:1 interactions
• Why generic follow-up kills momentum—and what to send instead
• Simple ways to turn your booth into a boardroom

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Amy Mourey on LinkedIn
• Scrappy ABM: scrappyabm.com/bev

How built out is your ABM program—really? Jim Gilkey LinkedIn sits down with Patrick Maloney, a self-described Swiss Army knife marketer, to challenge the idea that ABM is “just a tactic.” Instead, Patrick argues it’s a company-wide mindset that must be endorsed from the top down. Whether you’re targeting IBM or your next big logo, Patrick lays out why tiering your accounts is non-negotiable—and how your tier one deserves an “all hands on deck” approach. Expect practical advice on balancing resources across tiers, getting beyond “spray and pray” demand gen, and making it impossible for your top accounts to ignore you.

👤 Guest Bio
Patrick Maloney is a full stack marketer with over a decade of experience spanning startups and large enterprises. Currently at Pinecone, Patrick helps teams build strategic, tiered ABM programs that prioritize the highest revenue potential. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

📌 What We Cover

• Why ABM must be a mindset driven from the top down—not a single tactic
• The importance of tiering accounts to focus resources on highest potential revenue
• How to approach tier one accounts with tailored content, direct gifting, and executive invites
• Using tools like Clay and Sendoso to personalize websites and outreach
• The danger of applying the same strategy to IBM as you do to every other account
• How tier two and three accounts fit into a broader resource allocation plan
• Why inbound marketing alone won’t land your best-fit accounts

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Scrappy ABM
• Clay
• Sendoso
• Temple Coffee Roasters

Want a better way of showing accounts that you really understand their business? Claire Foster joins host Jim Gilkey on Account Based Beverages to break down what it takes to show up prepared in ABM. With 15 years of turning complex industries into compelling stories, Claire shares why knowing exactly how each account is solving their problem today—and how you can help them switch—is critical. You’ll learn why understanding their procurement process, contracts, and integration needs makes all the difference, and why anticipating objections before you approach them sets you apart. Get ready for one clear takeaway: do your homework, and you’ll earn their trust.

👤 Guest Bio
Claire Foster is an award-winning marketer with 15 years of experience turning complex niche industries into compelling stories that drive big decisions. From shaping PR strategies for billion-dollar military contracts to teaching auto retailers how to adopt AI, Claire focuses on using narrative to influence and inspire. Connect with Claire on LinkedIn.

📌 What We Cover

• Why showing up prepared is the key to ABM success
• The three things you must know about each target account
• How to craft a clear, compelling story for why you’re better
• Why you need to understand their procurement and contracting process
• How to anticipate objections before they’re raised
• Tips for making switching to your solution as seamless as possible

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Scrappy ABM

In this episode of Account Based Beverages, host Jim Gilkey welcomes content‑strategy pro Russell Wojcik to unpack how finely tuned content fuels ABM success—without always creating more of it.

Best Moments:

• (00:36) The importance of knowing your specific targeted‑account audience
• (01:35) How to contextualize content effectively for different personas
• (02:13) Leveraging AI tools to streamline content customization
• (03:20) Creating feedback loops with sales teams to improve content
• (03:44) Focus on tailoring existing content rather than creating more
• (04:00) Making content feel personalized for target accounts
• (05:14) The value of context in marketing and sales enablement
• (05:42) Russell’s account‑based beverage: espresso with oat milk

Guest Bio
Russell Wojcik is a content‑strategy and marketing leader who merges SEO, digital PR, AI, and thought leadership to grow brand authority and drive sales. Formerly a barista, he pairs technical marketing savvy with a passion for great coffee. Connect on LinkedIn or visit russellbwojcik.com for more.