Today Matt and Craig open the floodgates to actionable marketing insights with seasoned guest, Carlos Hidalgo Co-Founder and CEO of Digital Exhaust. The episode focuses on the landscape of marketing, shedding light on the challenges and missteps related to AI, new technologies, and the tendency to chase after shiny objects. It examines the struggles CMOs face in balancing short-term demands with long-term strategies, emphasizing the significance of mutual respect and alignment between marketing, sales, finance, and product teams for sustainable success. 

Takeaways:

• Treat sales, finance, and product teams as partners. Spend dedicated time to understand their perspectives and needs, just as you would with external customers.
• Avoid reliance on broad ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) definitions. Instead, invest in detailed customer insights and keep them updated.
• Encourage shared goals amongst all business teams to foster a sense of joint accountability and drive consistent messaging and strategy.
• Resist the temptation to engage in short-term tactics at the expense of long-term strategy. Balance immediate actions with initiatives that build sustainable growth.
• Use customer insights to drive the creation of valuable content, campaigns, and product features that genuinely address customer pain points.
• Integrate sales feedback into marketing plans to ensure campaigns and content meet the practical needs of the sales process.
• Celebrate joint successes and publicly acknowledge contributions from different teams to reinforce the value of teamwork.

Chapters:

• 00:00 Introduction / Why Are You Bitter Today?
• 02:08 Guest Introduction: Carlos Hidalgo
• 02:30 Carlos' Story: Meeting Craig
• 07:54 Market Misconceptions and Shiny Object Syndrome
• 08:57 The Importance of Customer Understanding
• 10:38 CMOs and the Seat at the Table
• 18:09 Alignment Across the Organization
• 25:58 Shared Goals and Compensation
• 27:47 Customer-Centric Marketing
• 28:18 Addressing Sales Roadblocks
• 32:41 The People Problem in Alignment
• 35:39 The Role of Marketing in Sales Success
• 38:10 Understanding the Customer
• 42:13 Final Thoughts and Conclusion

Quote of the Show:

• “Growth doesn't go out of style. Growth has always been the goal.” - Carlos Hidalgo

Sponsor:

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

Connect with Carlos:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlosahidalgo/ 
• Website: https://digitalexhaust.co/ 

Shoutouts:

• Phil Fernandez https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-fernandez-6902881/ 
• Ray Rike https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayrike/ 
• AJ Gandhi https://www.linkedin.com/in/anjaigandhi/ 
• McAfee https://www.mcafee.com/ 
• ZoomInfo https://www.zoominfo.com/  

Follow the Show:

• Craig’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigrosenberg/ 
• Matt’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-amundson-91657236/ 
• The Transaction on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-transaction/ 
• The Transaction Website: https://thetransactionpod.com/ 
• Substack: https://thetransaction.substack.com/ 

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3i3r3WLacRZiSa7dOaOgDz 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-transaction/id1734518309 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTransaction?sub_confirmation=1