ayeQ Answers

This episode is Part 1 of The Great GTM Reset for B2B, a three-part series based on a recent webinar featuring Dana Marxer (ayeQ) alongside Juanita Baker and Marta Turek from Valmaris Group.

In this conversation, we focus on the buyer layer — and why modern B2B deals stall even when everything appears to be going well.

Drawing on research from the B2B Institute, we unpack how buying power is split between visible technical buyers and largely invisible process buyers — and how this dynamic leads to late-stage deal stalls, quiet rejections, and “no decision” outcomes.

You’ll learn:

1. Why half of the real decision-makers in B2B buying groups are invisible to marketing and sales

2. How process buyers quietly veto vendors late in the buying process

3. Why defensibility matters more than differentiation in modern B2B decisions

4. How social proof, relationships, and brand familiarity influence buyer confidence

5. Why Millennial and Gen Z buyers are reshaping trust and credibility inside buying groups

This episode sets the foundation for the series by reframing how B2B buying actually works — and why GTM strategies must evolve to support confidence-driven decisions.

Next up: Part 2 explores brand as a confidence-driving growth system, and why brand and demand must operate as one adaptive GTM engine.

Malbek has made remarkable strides in growth over the past two years — achieving more than 50% annual growth and, most recently, recognition in the Gartner Magic Quadrant as an industry leader in Contract Lifecycle Management.

In this episode, ayeQ Founder and Host Dana Marxer sits down with Ed Breault, Malbek’s Chief Marketing Officer, to discuss how his team built the infrastructure for growth — one rooted in process discipline, data-driven execution, and a culture that embraces measurable progress.

Ed shares what it really takes to transform a marketing organization into a predictive, AI-led growth engine; how Malbek positioned itself as a market disruptor in a $30 billion industry; and the leadership mindset required to scale efficiently, sustainably, and with purpose.

In this episode of ayeQ Answers, host Dana Marxer, Founder of ayeQ, sits down with Wendy Warner, a transformational growth leader who’s scaled B2B manufacturing companies from $600M to $2B through private equity ownership, IPO, and acquisition.

Wendy shares her framework for building sustainable, scalable growth — the Solution-Oriented Relationship Approach (SORA). Together they unpack what it takes to align strategy to execution, create value through partnerships, and increase enterprise value in a PE-backed environment.

🎧 Tune in to learn how SORA helps companies defend their base, open new markets, and scale with structure, transparency, and resilience.

What does it take to break out of the founder grind and actually scale a SaaS business?

In this episode of ayeQ Answers, host Dana Marxer sits down with Jason Bennett—2x founder, B2B SaaS coach, and ex-SpecOps operator—to unpack the real barriers that keep technical founders stuck. From stalled sales to go-to-market chaos, Jason helps CEOs rebuild the foundation so they can lead—not just survive.

You’ll hear what most founders get wrong about growth, how to step back without losing control, and what it really means to scale with clarity, confidence, and a team that can run without you.

In this episode of ayeQ Answers, host Dana Marxer sits down with Leah Russo—strategic CMO, RevOps advisor, and founder of Novara—for a candid conversation about growing B2B SaaS companies without losing yourself in the process.

They dive into:

• Why GTM leaders burn out—and how to prevent it

• How authenticity fuels alignment and performance

• What it really takes to build sustainable growth

If you're leading go-to-market strategy and want to grow smarter—not just faster—this episode is for you.

What happens when a CMO becomes a CRO? In this episode, Dana Marxer sits down with Sanja Gabler, Chief Revenue Officer at Trapets, to unpack the powerful perspective she gained by crossing over from marketing to sales. Sanja brings a rare blend of empathy and insight—she’s lived both sides of the growth function and now champions alignment from the top.

You’ll hear what surprised her most when she stepped into sales leadership, the advice she wishes every CMO understood about the pressures of revenue accountability, and why finger-pointing between sales and marketing is a sign of deeper organizational misalignment. If you're in either function—or leading both—this is a masterclass in bridging the gap, building trust, and creating one unified go-to-market engine.

What does it take to scale a go-to-market function when everything is moving fast—and breaking even faster?

In this episode, Dana Marxer speaks with Isabelle Papoulias, Head of Strategic Operations and Marketing at EliteOps, about navigating the complexity of hypergrowth. Isabelle brings a rare blend of CMO, Chief of Staff, and now cross-functional operations experience—including finance and HR. She shares how B2B companies, especially those backed by private equity, can align strategy, people, and execution in a high-pressure, founder-led environment.

This conversation dives into the evolving role of marketing and ops in GTM success, how to lead through scale without losing focus, and why understanding the mindset of founders is crucial when building a platform for sustainable growth.

In this episode, Dana Marxer sits down with Dan Albaum—servant leader, B2B marketing strategist, and host of the award-winning Market Impact Insights podcast—to explore what truly makes a great leader in today’s B2B world.

Dan shares his perspective on the six dimensions of exceptional leadership, drawn from decades of experience guiding high-performing teams and elevating brand and demand strategies across the B2B tech space.

Whether you're an executive or emerging leader, this conversation will challenge how you think about influence, alignment, and leading with impact.

• What servant leadership really means in a B2B context  
• How leadership affects go-to-market success  
• Developing leadership at every level of the organization  

• Practical takeaways for leading with purpose and clarity

Listen now and discover what it takes to lead in a way that truly matters.

In this episode, Dana Marxer sits down with Kristen Rachels, Chief Marketing Officer at Itential, to explore one of the most pressing challenges for B2B marketing leaders today: proving marketing’s true contribution to growth. Kristen shares how modern CMOs must move beyond vanity metrics and lead with data that reflects impact on revenue, pipeline, and company strategy. You’ll hear why so many organizations struggle to get these metrics, how marketing can gain credibility with the C-suite, and what it really takes to become a strategic growth driver in a B2B business.

Whether you’re a marketing leader trying to elevate your influence—or a CEO wondering what marketing should be accountable for—this episode will give you actionable insight and a fresh perspective on marketing’s evolving role in the growth function.

Kristen Rachels is a full-stack CMO who’s spent over two decades growing B2B tech companies. She currently serves as the CMO at Itential, an enterprise IT SaaS company, where she’s spent the past 6+ years helping take the business from its early days defining a market to becoming a recognized leader in it. Kristen’s a true startup-to-scaleup CMO who’s not afraid to get into the weeds—whether that’s shaping strategy, building pipeline, or partnering with sales to make the numbers real.

In this episode, B2B CMO and Go-to-Market strategist Lisa Sharapata dives into the essentials for creating high-performance teams. Hear Lisa’s experience developing a culture of creativity, innovation, and dedication that has true impact in the path to hypergrowth for B2B companies. Don’t miss her 3 takeaways that you can take back to your organization and change the game for success.