Burn The Playbook - B2B GTM Strategies with Marc Crosby

Outbound is broken because sellers keep pitching products.
Keenan shows how Gap Prospecting makes buyers stop and care.

Marc Crosby sits down with Keenan, CEO of A Sales Growth Company, Forbes top 50 social seller, and author of Gap Selling, Not Taught, and the upcoming Gap Prospecting.

This episode rips into the old sales habits that keep teams stuck: activity quotas, product-first messaging, weak discovery, generic AI sales tools, and outbound that buyers ignore.

What you’ll learn:
• Why Gap Prospecting is built for SDRs, BDRs, AEs, marketers, and leaders running outbound
• How problem-centric selling beats product pitches in discovery, prospecting, and coaching
• Why the Problem Identification Chart helps reps find business problems, impacts, and root causes
• How symptoms and catalysts turn buyer intent into stronger outreach
• Where AI makes prospecting worse when the method underneath is broken
• Why sales leaders should track win rate, ACV, time to close, and rep behavior, not just quota

Keenan also joins Burn It or Build It to take on daily activity quotas, buyer intent metrics, phone-first prospecting, multi-threading, public-post personalization, long sales emails, video messages, text outreach, gifting, and breakup emails.

[00:00] Intro
[00:31] Who Gap Prospecting is for
[01:13] Why leaders need to understand outbound execution
[02:17] Why prospecting needed a new playbook
[04:17] Why Keenan brought in a coauthor
[05:19] The problem-centric operating system
[08:46] Skills layer, opportunity layer, forecasting layer
[11:08] Why companies screw up sales enablement
[13:26] What makes a good discovery question
[16:17] The first question every discovery call should ask
[18:33] The Problem Identification Chart
[24:04] Why this process will not go away
[25:06] How AI helps or hurts prospecting
[31:47] The Gap Prospecting prompt
[33:37] Catalysts and symptoms
[35:18] Burn It or Build It
[45:20] One contrarian move to lift win rate
[46:47] Where to find Gap Prospecting

This helps:
Sales leaders trying to fix weak outbound without adding more noise.
SDRs, BDRs, and AEs who need better messages, better questions, and better business context.
Founders, CEOs, and marketers who want sales teams focused on problems buyers actually care about.

Guest: Keenan, CEO of A Sales Growth Company, author of Gap Selling, Not Taught, and Gap Prospecting.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimkeenan/
Company: https://salesgrowth.com/

Host: Marc Crosby, founder of Digital Rebels Consulting and host of Burn The Playbook.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcccrosby/
Digital Rebels: https://digitalrebelsconsulting.com/

#BurnThePlaybook #GapSelling #SalesLeadership #B2BSales

• Website → DigitalRebelsConsulting.com
• Linktree → https://linktr.ee/digitalrebelsconsulting
• Socials → Follow us on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/marcccrosby
• Email → [email protected]
• Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/burn-the-playbook/id1828969451
• Burn The Playbook Website → https://www.buzzsprout.com/2522863

Views expressed are our own and do not represent any organizations

© 2025 Digital Rebels Consulting. All rights reserved.

Hiring is getting noisier. Brian Pahl breaks down what still gets people hired in technical manufacturing.
Marc Crosby and Brian call out what leaders miss on succession, interviews, LinkedIn, and remote work.

• Why succession planning should start before the role is open
• What hiring managers actually notice in interviews
• How LinkedIn keywords help recruiters find the right people
• When remote work expands talent and when on-site still wins
• Why networking beats resume polish in a crowded market
• How leaders can look past industry boxes and hire for fit first

[00:00] Intro
[00:41] How Brian got into recruiting
[02:14] Market shifts in chemicals, electronics, and materials
[04:19] The hardest roles to fill right now
[06:03] Soft skills, leadership, and culture fit
[07:41] Gen Z, retention, and clear career paths
[10:32] AI, resumes, and why relationships still matter
[16:18] How companies stop missing strong candidates
[19:17] Internal vs external succession planning
[20:56] Remote, hybrid, and the return to office
[24:09] LinkedIn profiles, keywords, and candidate outreach
[29:45] Why some candidates get hired and others do not
[32:41] Interview prep that actually helps
[35:27] Brian’s advice for leaders and candidates
[37:48] Where to find Brian and Critical Fit Recruiting

This episode is for manufacturing leaders building a stronger bench, candidates trying to stand out without playing keyword games, and commercial or technical teams hiring into specialty markets.

Hosted by Marc Crosby of Digital Rebels. Guest Brian Pahl, President of Critical Fit Recruiting, an executive search firm focused on technical manufacturing and high-growth markets.
Connect with Brian Pahl on LinkedIn and explore Critical Fit Recruiting for open roles and company info. (LinkedIn)
Follow Marc Crosby on LinkedIn and see more from Digital Rebels Consulting. (LinkedIn)

#BurnThePlaybook #ManufacturingHiring #ExecutiveRecruiting #Leadership

executive recruiting;manufacturing hiring;industrial recruiting;technical recruiting;succession planning;LinkedIn;job interview tips;candidate experience;hiring managers;talent acquisition;remote vs onsite work;executive search;specialty chemicals;semiconductor hiring;manufacturing leadership

Most candidates blend in. Brian Pahl explains what actually gets people hired in manufacturing and technical markets. #ExecutiveRecruiting

Remote or on-site? Brian Pahl breaks down when each model helps or hurts your hiring strategy. #ManufacturingHiring

Your resume is not enough. This clip shows why networking and interview prep still decide who gets the offer. #JobSearchTips

• Website → DigitalRebelsConsulting.com
• Linktree → https://linktr.ee/digitalrebelsconsulting
• Socials → Follow us on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/marcccrosby
• Email → [email protected]
• Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/burn-the-playbook/id1828969451
• Burn The Playbook Website → https://www.buzzsprout.com/2522863

Views expressed are our own and do not represent any organizations

© 2025 Digital Rebels Consulting. All rights reserved.

Pricing pressure is real. Here’s how B2B teams defend price and win.
Dr. Steve Laborda shares the value moves most sellers skip.

On this episode of Burn The Playbook, Marc Crosby (Digital Rebels Consulting) sits down with Dr. Steve Laborda, Founder and CEO of Value Biz Booster and author of Master The Art of Value-Based Selling. Steve breaks down why “value-based selling” fails inside most companies, how to stop marketing-to-sales handoffs that die on impact, and what it takes to defend price without turning your reps into discount machines.

What you’ll learn:

• How to break silos with value mapping that forces real alignment (and healthy friction)
• Why “discipline” beats one-time workshops, and how to set recurring checkpoints
• The simplest way to add price transparency without exposing the whole P&L
• How to sell services and terms without throwing the whole menu at the customer
• How to differentiate in true commodities using service levels (and prove it)
• Where AI helps pricing, where it hurts, and why the black-box effect kills confidence

Chapters:
[00:00] Intro
[00:29] Steve’s background: technical to commercial, translating features to value
[02:18] Stop “throw it over the fence” value props: break the silos
[04:14] Discipline, routines, and why value mapping creates alignment
[06:05] Ownership, sales activation, and keeping momentum after workshops
[09:06] Strategy first: profit vs growth, portfolio choices, no one-size-fits-all
[13:44] Price transparency: guardrails, color coding, and commercial acumen
[17:04] Selling add-ons: curiosity, relevance, and helping customers sell internally
[19:34] Buying centers: why one-thread selling gets played by procurement
[26:30] Global value: perceived value shifts by region and culture
[29:18] Commodity reality: differentiate with services (the 20% premium story)
[34:38] Guardrails for service: segmentation, service catalog, and give-get trades
[39:19] AI in pricing: data limits, correlation vs causality, and the black box risk
[45:08] Burn it or build it: cost-plus, discounts, email-only increases, AI pricing
[52:07] One move to reduce pricing headaches: curiosity
[53:03] Where to find Steve: LinkedIn + Virtual Coffee

Who this helps:

• Sales leaders tired of margin erosion and discount reflexes
• Pricing, marketing, and product teams who want sales to actually use value
• Key account teams selling into procurement-heavy, complex buying centers

Credits:
Guest: Dr. Steve Laborda, Founder/CEO at Value Biz Booster
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelaborda/
Host: Marc Crosby, Digital Rebels Consulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marccrosby/

#BurnThePlaybook #ValueBasedSelling #PricingStrategy #B2BSales

Stop discounting out of fear. Sell value like you mean it. #Pricing
Confidence beats concessions. Here’s how to defend the number. #SalesConfidence
Commodity or not, you can still win on value. #ValueSelling

• Website → DigitalRebelsConsulting.com
• Linktree → https://linktr.ee/digitalrebelsconsulting
• Socials → Follow us on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/marcccrosby
• Email → [email protected]
• Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/burn-the-playbook/id1828969451
• Burn The Playbook Website → https://www.buzzsprout.com/2522863

Views expressed are our own and do not represent any organizations

© 2025 Digital Rebels Consulting. All rights reserved.

CRM adoption fails when teams treat it like data entry instead of a communication tool. In this episode of Burn The Playbook Podcast, Marc Crosby sits down with Michael Venman, founder of The Sales Nerd, to break down why the sales-marketing handoff keeps breaking, what “stage zero” really is, and how to build rev ops systems teams actually use.

What you'll learn

• Why CRM adoption fails when departments optimize for their own goals
• How to fix lead quality fights with ICP fit, persona fit, and lead scoring
• The “stage zero” move that makes SDR to AE handoffs measurable
• Why hope keeps deals stuck and how closing lost helps marketing re-engage
• The CEO’s simplest move to improve data quality and CRM usage

Chapters
00:00 CRM is a communication tool
00:58 Intro: Michael Venman and The Sales Nerd
03:10 Where CRMs break: handoffs between teams
04:33 Execs see the CRM differently than reps
06:51 Common mistake: starting with stages, ignoring handoffs
08:13 Stage zero explained: tracking SDR meetings and qualification
10:11 Defining lead vs opportunity is cultural
12:55 Fix lead quality with ICP grade, persona grade, lead score
15:05 Before and after examples: routing and closing lost
19:18 Track win reasons, not just loss reasons
22:05 Why renewals and churn risk come later
23:12 Process beats tools, and AI reflects your system
27:12 Using call transcripts for account summaries
30:23 Low-hanging fruit: email sync and click-to-call
31:07 Burn it or build it: rapid fire rev ops takes
39:19 One CEO move: actually use the CRM
40:14 Where to find Michael and the book

Who this helps

• CEOs and founders of PE-backed or scaling B2B companies
• CROs, RevOps leaders, and sales leaders fixing CRM adoption
• Marketing leaders tired of “lead quality” fights with sales

Guest
Michael Venman, Founder, The Sales Nerd
https://thesalesnerd.com
LinkedIn: Michael Venman https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelvenman/
Book: A Sales Funnel That Scales (Amazon)

Host
Marc Crosby, Digital Rebels Consulting
https://DigitalRebelsConsulting.com
Marc Crosby on LinkedIn

crm adoption; revenue operations; revops; go to market; b2b sales; sales and marketing alignment; lead qualification; mql sql; sdr handoff; sales funnel stages; hubspot; salesforce; data quality; pipeline management; closed lost reasons; win reasons; churn risk; customer success handoff; sales process

#Leadership #BurnThePlaybook #B2B #RevOps #Sales #Marketing

crm adoption starts at the top: CEOs need to use it #RevOps
stage zero fixes the SDR to AE handoff mess #Sales
stop the lead wars with ICP + persona + score #Marketing
hope is not a pipeline strategy: close lost faster #Sales
AI won’t fix bad process, it will expose it #B2B

CRM = Communication Tool
Stop The Lead Wars
Use The CRM

• Website → DigitalRebelsConsulting.com
• Linktree → https://linktr.ee/digitalrebelsconsulting
• Socials → Follow us on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/marcccrosby
• Email → [email protected]
• Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/burn-the-playbook/id1828969451
• Burn The Playbook Website → https://www.buzzsprout.com/2522863

Views expressed are our own and do not represent any organizations

© 2025 Digital Rebels Consulting. All rights reserved.

Win-loss analysis for B2B sales. Learn how to capture clean, candid buyer feedback, stop guessing in CRM, and turn every pursuit into future wins. Author of “Rebirth of the Salesman” Cian McLaughlin joins Marc Crosby on Burn The Playbook to share 15+ years of hard lessons from enterprise pursuits at SAP, Cognizant, and Trinity.

What you’ll learn

• Why seller self-reports distort win-loss data and what to do instead
• How to set debrief expectations during the cycle to boost candor and participation
• The “separation principle” for unbiased feedback buyers will actually share
• How to triangulate truth across multiple stakeholders
• Three frictions that kill enterprise deals but never show up in CRM
• Why risk beats price, and how to surface value drivers that matter
• A simple post-sale loop that turns insights into actions buyers notice
• Where AI helps in prep and follow-up, and where humans must lead

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:31 Meet Cian + why teams guess on win-loss
01:09 The Emperor’s-New-Clothes problem in sales
04:57 Stop making AEs pick “reasons” in CRM
07:27 Set debrief expectations early
10:33 Why rigorous debriefs impress buyers
12:22 Clean intelligence in practice
15:03 5 principles: context, value, teaching, co-creation, professionalism
18:22 Professionalism as the true differentiator
19:01 3 frictions CRM misses: oral phase, risk, value vs price
23:22 How many deals die in the first meeting?
26:31 After the win: manage risk like an incumbent
29:58 AI with a human in the loop
33:29 What AI still misses
35:59 Burn It or Build It: 10 hot takes
43:32 One thing sales leaders can do tomorrow
44:42 Where to find Cian

Who this helps

• Enterprise sales leaders and CROs
• AEs, SEs, and pursuit teams selling complex deals
• RevOps leaders fixing CRM noise
• Founders selling to the mid-market and up

Guest

• Cian McLaughlin, Founder, Trinity; author, “Rebirth of the Salesman”
• Website: https://usetrinity.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cianmcloughlin/

Host

• Burn The Playbook Podcast — Marc Crosby, Digital Rebels Consulting
• https://DigitalRebelsConsulting.com

• 1: Your CRM isn’t truth. Here’s how to get real win-loss signals. #WinLoss
• 2: Stop guessing why you lost. Ask buyers the right way. #B2B
• 3: Risk beats price. Learn to surface and share it. #EnterpriseSales
• 4: Make AEs stop self-reporting reasons. Create separation. #SalesLeadership
• 5: Close the loop. Show buyers what you fixed. #SalesProcess
• win-loss analysis, B2B sales, enterprise sales, CRM accuracy, buyer feedback, stakeholder mapping, deal risk, value vs price, oral presentations, pricing vs value; sales professionalism; co-creation; RFP response; QBR; sales risk; oral presentation phase; AI in sales; Trinity usedtrinity; Cian McLaughlin; Rebirth of the Salesman

• Website → DigitalRebelsConsulting.com
• Linktree → https://linktr.ee/digitalrebelsconsulting
• Socials → Follow us on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/marcccrosby
• Email → [email protected]
• Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/burn-the-playbook/id1828969451
• Burn The Playbook Website → https://www.buzzsprout.com/2522863

Views expressed are our own and do not represent any organizations

© 2025 Digital Rebels Consulting. All rights reserved.

Innovation playbooks that work. In this episode of the Burn The Playbook Podcast, Marc Crosby sits with Tendayi Viki, partner at Strategyzer and author of Pirates in the Navy, to break down how large companies build a repeatable system for real innovation instead of theater. You’ll learn how to run sprints, scorecard bets, and connect sales, R&D, and leadership so ideas turn into revenue.

What you’ll learn

• What an effective innovation playbook looks like and why “traditional” playbooks stall
• How to define innovation outcomes, not activities
• A simple cadence and timeline for sprints (6–12 weeks) that actually ship learning
• How to blend bottom-up rebels with top-down support
• Ways to stop one-customer projects from trapping your roadmap
• How to use AI without speeding in the wrong direction
• The scorecard question every leader should answer tomorrow morning

Tendayi's Bio

Tendayi Viki is an author and corporate advisor specializing in securing buy-in for
innovation, transformation and breakthrough ideas. With a PhD in Psychology and
an MBA, he helps leaders and teams bridge the gap between how organizations
plan change and how people actually experience it. As a Partner at Strategyzer, he
has worked with global organizations like Symrise, Novartis, Unilever and Pearson. A Thinkers50 Innovation Award finalist, he was also named on the Thinkers50 2018
Radar List for emerging management thinkers.

Chapters
00:00 Cold open
00:31 Intro and guest setup
01:07 Tendayi calls in from Harare, Zimbabwe
01:42 Why traditional playbooks freeze innovation
04:01 What “innovation” means beyond a workshop
05:26 Timelines: day workshop vs 6–12 week sprint
06:48 Sales, customers, and avoiding innovation theater
08:12 Pirates in the Navy: rebels plus relationships
10:25 “Show me when it hits the bottom line”
13:17 Culture: bottom-up and top-down at the same time
14:53 Connect sales and R&D with a continuous loop
17:20 The single-customer trap and how to test for scale
19:19 “Moneyball” innovation: start without budget, plan funding early
21:47 AI hype vs. real transformation
24:04 Can AI accelerate in the wrong direction? Guardrails
30:23 Burn it or Build it: rapid-fire takes
40:33 One action to start tomorrow: innovation scorecard
41:40 Where to find Tendayi and Strategyzer

Who this helps

• Manufacturing and industrial leaders with flat growth
• Business unit heads under quarterly pressure
• Sales and product teams tired of “throw it over the wall”
• Corporate innovators who need executive air cover

Guest

• Tendayi Viki, Partner at Strategyzer; author of Pirates in the Navy and The Lean Product Lifecycle
• Website: https://tendaiviki.com
  
  
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tendaiviki
  
  

Host

• Burn The Playbook Podcast — Digital Rebels Consulting
• Site: https://DigitalRebelsConsulting.com
  
  
• Host: Marc Crosby

• Website → DigitalRebelsConsulting.com
• Linktree → https://linktr.ee/digitalrebelsconsulting
• Socials → Follow us on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/marcccrosby
• Email → [email protected]
• Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/burn-the-playbook/id1828969451
• Burn The Playbook Website → https://www.buzzsprout.com/2522863

Views expressed are our own and do not represent any organizations

© 2025 Digital Rebels Consulting. All rights reserved.

Strategy in business is simple: create unique value people can’t get anywhere else. Author and consultant Alex M H Smith breaks down “No Bullshit Strategy” so leaders stop chasing buzzwords and start making real choices.

What you’ll learn

• What “strategy” means in business and why most teams get it wrong
• How to define unique value vs. “better” or “best in class”
• Innovation that counts: new vs. incremental “enhanced”
• Agile where it belongs: execution, not direction
• Differentiation in commodity markets that buyers notice
• Why “customer centric” can mislead strategy, and where customers fit
• Cascading the story so the whole org pulls in one direction
• One practical move you can ship today

Chapters
00:00 Intro and setup
00:24 What strategy really is: unique value, not flabby plans
04:45 Value that counts and why it must be unique
09:36 Emotional vs. utilitarian value in B2B
14:40 What makes a company innovative
17:22 Agile vs. strategy: be agile in execution
23:43 Turning strategy into a clear company story
27:57 “Best in class” vs. being the only in class
30:31 Differentiation in commodity markets
36:09 The limits of “customer centric” strategy
41:21 Burn It or Build It: 10 hot topics
53:28 One actionable idea leaders can use now
54:10 Where to find Alex

Who this helps

• Founders and CEOs who need a clear market position
• Sales and marketing leaders stuck in feature fights
• B2B teams in “commodity” categories
• Operators who want a simple, durable direction

Guest

• Alex M H Smith, Founder, Basic Arts; Author, “No Bullshit Strategy”
• Website: https://basicarts.org/welcome
• LinkedIn: Alex M H Smith

Host

• Burn The Playbook Podcast by Digital Rebels Consulting
• Site: https://DigitalRebelsConsulting.com
• Host: Marc Crosby, LinkedIn: Marc Crosby

business strategy, unique value, differentiation, innovation, agile execution, company story, alignment, B2B marketing, commodity markets, best in class myth, customer centric, Peter Drucker create a customer, Marc Crosby, Digital Rebels Consulting, Alex M H Smith, Basic Arts, No Bullshit Strategy

#BurnThePlaybook #Strategy #B2B #Leadership #Marketing #Differentiation

business strategy; unique value; differentiation; innovation vs enhancement; agile execution; alignment; company story; B2B marketing; commodity markets; best in class; customer centric myth; Peter Drucker create a customer; Marc Crosby; Digital Rebels Consulting; Alex M H Smith; Basic Arts; No Bullshit Strategy; Burn The Playbook

• 1: Strategy = create unique value only you provide. #Strategy
• 2: Stop “best in class.” Be the only in class buyers need. #B2B
• 3: Innovation isn’t “better.” It’s new. Full stop. #Leadership
• 4: Agile belongs in execution, not direction. #Operations
• 5: Your strategy needs a story people remember. #Marketing

• Website → DigitalRebelsConsulting.com
• Linktree → https://linktr.ee/digitalrebelsconsulting
• Socials → Follow us on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/marcccrosby
• Email → [email protected]
• Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/burn-the-playbook/id1828969451
• Burn The Playbook Website → https://www.buzzsprout.com/2522863

Views expressed are our own and do not represent any organizations

© 2025 Digital Rebels Consulting. All rights reserved.

B2B sales for founders: how to run real discovery, align a proof of value, and close without racing to discounts. Outcome: shorter cycles, cleaner handoffs, and deals that stick.

In this episode of the Burn The Playbook Podcast, host Marc Crosby (Digital Rebels Consulting) digs into the WINGS Sales Program with Raz Vicerabin. Raz led revenue teams through IPO at Riskified and now teaches founders the sales fundamentals. We cover mindset shifts, first hires, metrics that matter, and a dead-simple POV alignment that stops deals from dying after the demo. Raz is bringing WINGS to NYC on February 3–4, 2026. (LinkedIn)

What you’ll learn

• Why discovery beats pitching and how to stay in investigator mode
• A 15-minute prep routine that saves wasted meetings
• The POV Alignment: success criteria, effort, economics, green light
• Negotiation basics founders miss and how to anchor high with a pricing ladder
• When to hire your first AE or VP Sales and what must be true
• The two pipeline “cemeteries” and how to build momentum after a demo
• Metrics that matter: stage-to-stage conversion over “big pipeline” vanity

Chapters
00:00 Intro + who is Raz
00:38 Recording at Riverside
01:48 Raz’s path: law, IDF interrogator, first AE
03:21 Builder-to-investigator mindset shift
04:53 The #1 mistake on first calls
06:28 How to prep for discovery
09:22 Teaching sales at universities vs founders
11:34 The WINGS program format
12:14 1:1 consulting vs workshops
13:32 Negotiation influences and ZOPA
15:36 Handling aggressive buyers
17:00 Discount pressure and value gaps
18:25 When to walk from a deal
19:43 Timing the first sales hire
21:05 Bad metrics vs stage conversion
22:25 Why deals get “stuck”
23:13 The POV Alignment framework
27:55 Curiosity as the top trait
29:24 Burn It or Build It: 10 hot takes
41:14 Where to find Raz + NYC dates

Who this helps

• Early-stage founders in B2B or cyber selling into the enterprise
• Technical leaders new to sales who need a practical operating cadence
• Sales leads cleaning up post-demo drift and endless POVs

Guest

• Raz Vicerabin — Founder, WINGS Sales Program for Founders; B2B Sales Lecturer
• Website: https://www.sales-wings.com (Home)
• LinkedIn: https://il.linkedin.com/in/raz-vicerabin (LinkedIn)

Host

• Digital Rebels Consulting — https://DigitalRebelsConsulting.com
• Host: Marc Crosby, Burn The Playbook Podcast

• Website → DigitalRebelsConsulting.com
• Linktree → https://linktr.ee/digitalrebelsconsulting
• Socials → Follow us on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/marcccrosby
• Email → [email protected]
• Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/burn-the-playbook/id1828969451
• Burn The Playbook Website → https://www.buzzsprout.com/2522863

Views expressed are our own and do not represent any organizations

© 2025 Digital Rebels Consulting. All rights reserved.

B2B go-to-market that actually drives ARR. Richard Blundell shares the simple operating cadence founders need to land real customers, cut churn, and scale without burning cash. Richard Blundell is a SaaS sales and go-to-market expert with more than 20 years of experience scaling B2B software companies as a founder, CRO, and CEO. He’s helped dozens of founders grow from first product to recurring revenue, guiding many beyond the $1 million ARR mark and toward investment readiness.
As founder of Vencha and the Vencha Scale Academy, Richard delivers practical, proven strategies that cut through the noise with clarity, structure, and hard-won lessons from the trenches. He’s also an author, creator, and most recently taught his Go-to-Market Playbook at ESCP Business School in London.

What you’ll learn

• How to build a GTM motion technical founders can run
• The “customer at 3 a.m.” test for messaging that stops the scroll
• Why introverts often outsell extroverts
• When to hire sales vs. customer success
• Niching vs. scale: how to choose and when to shift
• War-gaming meetings so deals move faster
• Churn, CAC, LTV: which metric matters when
• Differentiation through simple, visual pain→outcome stories

Who this helps

• Founder-led B2B SaaS teams from zero to $5M ARR
• First-time CROs and product-led CEOs
• CS leaders fixing churn and expansion
• Investors mentoring seed to Series A

Guest

• Richard Blundell, Founder, Venture + Venture Scale Academy
• https://vencha-academy.com/

Host

• Burn The Playbook Podcast — Digital Rebels Consulting
• https://DigitalRebelsConsulting.com

B2B SaaS, go-to-market, GTM strategy, ARR, product–market fit, product–pain fit, churn, CAC, LTV, ICP, positioning, differentiation, introvert sales, customer success, sales hiring, niching, messaging, founder-led sales, pitch deck, LinkedIn content, AI go-to-market

#B2BSaaS #GoToMarket #BurnThePlaybook #Startup #FounderLedSales #SalesLeadership #CustomerSuccess #Churn #ARR #Messaging

B2B SaaS; go to market; GTM; ARR; churn; CAC; LTV; ICP; founder led sales; introvert sales; differentiation; positioning; pitch deck; customer success; SaaS growth; sales hiring; niching strategy; venture scale academy; richard blundell; digital rebels consulting; burn the playbook; marc crosby; ai go to market; sales engineering

• 1: The “3 a.m. customer” test for messages that convert. #GoToMarket
• 2: Stop hiring sales too early. Fix product–pain fit first. #SaaS
• 3: Why introverts quietly win big deals. #Sales
• 4: Churn kills faster than no pipeline. Here’s what to track. #Startup
• 5: Differentiate by simplicity. Show pain → outcome fast. #B2B

• Website → DigitalRebelsConsulting.com
• Linktree → https://linktr.ee/digitalrebelsconsulting
• Socials → Follow us on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/marcccrosby
• Email → [email protected]
• Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/burn-the-playbook/id1828969451
• Burn The Playbook Website → https://www.buzzsprout.com/2522863

Views expressed are our own and do not represent any organizations

© 2025 Digital Rebels Consulting. All rights reserved.

Business storytelling that closes deals. In this episode, Microsoft and Unilever advisor Nir Zavaro shows how to ditch slide-first pitching and lead with a clear, written narrative that aligns marketing, sales, and leadership. If your team talks features instead of a story, this is your playbook.

Nir Zavaro is a global keynote speaker, author, and consultant known as "The Business Storyteller." With over 20 years of experience, he helps founders and top brands like Microsoft and Unilever implement storytelling to improve marketing, sales, and brand identity. Nir's work is centered on the principle that a compelling narrative is the most critical element for connecting with an audience and driving action. 

He travels the world teaching a proven methodology that enables corporate teams and leaders to move beyond a reliance on slides and craft powerful pitches that win deals. His keynotes are high-energy, practical sessions that provide actionable frameworks for building better brands and improving business outcomes through the power of a clear, consistent story. 

He is the founder of the creative agency Streetwise and the author of F*ck the Slides, a book dedicated to transforming presentations and pitches. His narrative-driven approach ensures that a company's marketing, sales, and internal communications are all aligned with a single, powerful story, helping them to scale more effectively.

What you’ll learn

• How to craft a 70-word hook and a 3-minute “trailer pitch” buyers remember
• Toilet deck vs. Babylon deck: what to send, what to present, what to keep in reserve
• Why the brand is the hero and teams play supporting roles
• Turning “no” leads into revenue with a customer-journey funnel
• Sales–marketing alignment that actually works in the field
• Startup vs. enterprise branding: what changes and what never should

Who this helps

• B2B founders and CROs selling complex solutions
• Marketing leaders who need sales alignment
• Enterprise sellers who pitch across buying committees
• RevOps teams mapping handoffs and SLAs

Guest

• Nir Zavaro, “The Business Storyteller,” author of “F*ck the Slides,” founder of Streetwise
• Website: https://nirzavaro.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nirzavaro/

Host

• Burn The Playbook Podcast — Digital Rebels Consulting: https://DigitalRebelsConsulting.com
• Marc Crosby on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcccrosby/

 #BusinessStorytelling #B2BSales #BurnThePlaybook #SalesLeadership #Marketing #Brand #CustomerJourney #Pitching #SalesEnablement; business storytelling; B2B storytelling; sales pitch; pitch deck; fuck the slides; toilet deck; babylon deck; customer journey; sales marketing alignment; enterprise sales; startup brand; narrative selling; Marc Crosby; Digital Rebels Consulting; Nir Zavaro; Streetwise; trailer pitch; buyer enablement; sales workshop

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