Brand storytelling is becoming one of the most critical growth levers for B2B marketers—and in 2026, it's being reshaped by AI.

In this episode of Closing Time, we're joined by brand storytelling expert and author Park Howell to break down what brand storytelling really is, why it matters more than ever, and how B2B marketing leaders can use proven frameworks to stand out in an increasingly automated world. Park introduces his simple but powerful ABT (And, But, Therefore) framework, explains how storytelling builds trust and emotional connection, and shows how it can be applied across landing pages, messaging, and go-to-market strategy.

We also explore how AI is influencing brand storytelling in 2026—what it can accelerate, where marketers need to stay human, and why understanding storytelling fundamentals is essential before handing the work to AI.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

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Explore Unbounce go-to-market solutions: https://unbounce.com/go-to-market-solutions/

Connect With:

• Park Howell: StoryCycle Genie // LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website

Sales and marketing misalignment is one of the biggest (and most expensive) problems facing modern go-to-market teams. It slows down deals, creates internal friction, and leads to inevitable revenue loss.

In this episode of Closing Time, we are joined for a second time by the author of Create Togetherness, Jeff Davis, so he can finish sharing the final two of his five big ideas around sales and marketing alignment: why RevOps is responsible for creating one source of truth and how culture is the foundation for sustainable alignment.

Jeff breaks down what has changed in the modern buying landscape—and why GTM teams can no longer afford to operate in silos. If you're navigating misalignment, struggling to scale your revenue engine, or looking to strengthen sales and marketing collaboration, this episode is for you.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Explore Unbounce go-to-market solutions: https://unbounce.com/go-to-market-solutions/

Connect With:

• Jeff Davis: Create Togetherness // LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website

Running a paid media strategy for one brand is tough. Running it for three—with entirely different go-to-market motions—is a whole new level of complexity.

In this special internal spotlight episode of Closing Time, Val Riley sits down with Unbounce's Senior Manager of Digital Marketing, Alexa Tsongranis, to unpack how her team of one built a unified playbook for scaling paid media across Unbounce, Insightly, and LeadsRx.

From shared infrastructure and flexible frameworks to unified measurement and data-driven decision-making, Alexa shares how operational clarity and focus help her run three distinct paid programs—without reinventing the wheel each time.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Explore Unbounce go-to-market solutions: https://unbounce.com/go-to-market-solutions/

Connect With:

• Alexa Tsongranis: LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website

B2B sales negotiation doesn't have to feel like a high-pressure personality shift the moment a customer says "yes." Too often, sellers tense up, change their tone, and fall back into outdated tactics—but today's guest on Closing Time says there's a better way.

In his new book Four Levers Negotiating, sales leader and speaker Todd Caponi shares his practical framework that transforms the negotiation phase into a natural extension of the sales process. Todd shares immediately actionable negotiation strategies that protect margin while strengthening long-term customer relationships.

If you've ever wished negotiation felt more like value-based selling and less like a tug-of-war, this episode will change how you prep, present, and close—on every deal, big or small.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With:

• Todd Caponi: Todd's Four Levers Negotiation book // LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website

Events are back and bigger than ever. Whether you're new to events or scaling an existing program, this episode is packed with tips to launch or improve your field marketing strategy in 2026.

Accelevents CEO Jon Kazarian joins Closing Time to share a practical, modern take on B2B event marketing, including why micro-events and intimate dinners are outperforming saturated digital channels.

You'll learn how to test your first event, partner with other brands, and build engaging sidecar events that fuel long-term pipeline—not just quick leads. Jon also breaks down real cost-per-head benchmarks, show rates, and the tactics top B2B teams use to create memorable, connection-driven experiences.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With:

• Jonathan Kazarian: Accelevent's website // LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website

A strong holiday marketing strategy can make or break your Q4. November and December drive over $1 trillion in ecommerce spending, with conversions spiking up to six times higher during the Cyber Five. But with ad costs rising and competition at an all-time high, marketers need to move fast and optimize smarter.

In this episode of Closing Time, Val chats with Jonathan Naccache, Co-founder and President of Webistry, a performance marketing agency that helps brands win on Meta. Jonathan shares how to design high-performing holiday campaigns—from choosing the right mix of static and video ads, to building mobile-first landing pages, to structuring campaigns that scale throughout Q4.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With:

• Jonathan Naccache: Webistry's website // LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website

Getting CRM implementation right is one of the biggest levers for improving sales performance and efficiency. Yet many teams struggle to select the right system and see a fast return on investment.

In this episode of Closing Time, CRM consultant Vanessa Hunt shares proven CRM implementation best practices that help companies boost ROI, improve CRM adoption, and reduce the total cost of ownership. She also breaks down the latest CRM trends shaping 2025 and 2026—from smarter integrations to the growing role of AI in CRM—and explains how sales leaders can future-proof their tech stack for the years ahead.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Start a free trial of Insightly CRM: https://www.insightly.com/14-day-trial/

Download the CRM research report: https://www.insightly.com/right-sizing-your-crm-report/

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With:

• Vanessa Hunt: Vanessa's Website // LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website

Sales and marketing alignment is one of the most persistent challenges for go-to-market leaders. While most teams say they're aligned, the reality often looks different—with missed opportunities, broken handoffs, and a lack of shared accountability.

In this episode of Closing Time, Val sits down with Jeff Davis, author of Create Togetherness, to unpack the first three big ideas about sales and marketing alignment: building it as an operating system, fixing the business design flaws that discourage collaboration, and understanding the "misalignment tax" that silently erodes revenue. Jeff shares how leaders can move beyond quick fixes and start designing alignment into the DNA of their go-to-market strategy.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With:

• Jeff Davis: Create Togetherness // LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website

You've built a great ad campaign—but if your landing page doesn't match your ad message, you're losing conversions before they even start.

In this episode of Closing Time, Barry Buckman joins us to explore how landing page message match—the alignment between your ad copy and landing page content—can dramatically boost conversion rates.

A long-time Unbounce power user, Barry helps digital marketers adapt to Google's latest ad policy update and shares the importance of A/B testing every ad-landing page for optimal ROI. Plus, he'll unpack the challenges of training new digital marketers and how his SEMulator tool helps them practice real-world tactics without burning ad dollars.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With:

• Barry Buckman: SEMulator // LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website

You've done a great job getting landing page visitors to convert—but what happens after the form fill? The lead hand-off between marketing and sales is often where revenue leaks begin.

In this episode of Closing Time, Val Riley sits down with Adam Lundquist, founder of Nerds Do It Better, to share practical strategies for improving your post-conversion flow, optimizing your connection rate, and turning more leads into closed-won deals.

Whether you're in marketing, sales, or RevOps, you'll learn how to plug funnel leaks, automate faster follow-ups, and create a smoother lead hand-off process that drives measurable growth.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With:

• Adam Lundquist: Nerds Do It Better website // LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website