Chris was joined by Tom Wentworth, CMO @ Recorded Future, to talk about GTM programs and Marketing ROI. Their discussion focused on guiding marketers aspiring to senior roles, offering rich insights into account selection, demand creation, and the relationship between marketing and finance.

Tom emphasizes the importance of narrowing down account focus, even for large enterprises, suggesting that a smaller, targeted set of accounts can yield better results. They dig into practical challenges and solutions in demand creation, attributing their lower cost per opportunity to a more strategic allocation of marketing spend. Tom’s advocacy for direct mail as a unique, effective tactic highlights an often-overlooked channel. Moreover, the value of robust financial relationships, notably with the CFO, and the innovative use of a news organization to drive engagement and brand authority are discussed in depth.

Then, they spent time on listener questions, going into the specifics of Direct Mail tactics and messaging. 

If you want to have a conversation with Chris and present your current questions, roadblocks, or projects you’re working through, make sure to attend this weekly event every Tuesday at 12 central. ⁠Register here⁠.

Can’t make the event but have a question for Chris? ⁠Submit it here⁠.

Chris Walker joins Erik Jacobson, CEO at Hatch, to host a full hour AMA on Content Creation. This session dives deep into the nuances of content strategy, focusing on the importance of integrating various content forms—such as podcasts, social media, YouTube, and blogs—into a unified strategy that aligns with business goals. Chris and Eric discuss how content is no longer solely a marketing responsibility but should involve the entire go-to-market team, including sales and customer success departments.

Throughout the episode, Chris elaborates on how to establish a strong content strategy by understanding and framing customer problems, exploring various use cases, and differentiating your product through a unique value proposition. They wrap up by addressing practical concerns like when to initiate an organic content strategy, the value of deleting ineffective activities, and methods for balancing SEO with organic content. The conversation also includes practical examples and experiments Chris is currently undertaking to optimize his own content strategies, such as leveraging AI for SEO.

If you want to have a conversation with Chris and present your current questions, roadblocks, or projects you’re working through, make sure to attend this weekly event every Tuesday at 12 central. Register here.

Can’t make the event but have a question for Chris? Submit it here.

In this week’s event, Chris talks marketing budgets, unit economics, and go-to-market strategies. Kicking off with a company update from Passetto, Chris shares the exciting news of their expanding team and the positive trend in customer renewals, signaling early success. He emphasizes the importance of unit economics in marketing, debunking the myth that budget constraints are the primary issue for CMOs.

Chris highlights the stark differences between average and high-performing companies, discussing how effective investment in marketing and SDRs can drastically alter business outcomes. He elaborates on the benefits of deletion over addition in marketing strategy, advocating for the elimination of low-performing investments to enhance ROI. The episode also touches on practical strategies for improving win rates, pipeline value, and overall marketing efficiency. Essential for anyone involved in B2B marketing or executive decision-making, this episode offers a treasure trove of actionable insights and strategic advice

If you want to have a conversation with Chris and present your current questions, roadblocks, or projects you’re working through, make sure to attend this weekly event every Tuesday at 12 central. Register here.

Can’t make the event but have a question for Chris? Submit it here.

In this week’s event, Chris shares his recent reflections and insights following a rejuvenating vacation in Italy. He emphasizes the importance of taking breaks to gain new perspectives on business strategies and operations. Through a holistic approach, he discusses everything from achieving marketing efficiency and improving sales win rates to the evolving role of AI in the marketing landscape. His strategic insights are aimed at optimizing the go-to-market strategy, offering plenty of actionable advice for entrepreneurs and business leaders.

Chris shifts into the concept of a unified go-to-market strategy, discussing how connecting different departments and aligning them towards a common goal can significantly enhance business performance. He touches on topics like setting appropriate marketing KPIs, increasing sales win rates, and the intricate balance between short-term objectives and long-term growth. The episode also explores practical AI applications, including automated content creation, data enrichment for SDRs, and more innovative technologies that are transforming the way companies operate.

Special thanks to Sidney Waterfall and everyone who took over on the call when Spectrum’s regional outage affected Chris’s recording studio!

If you want to have a conversation with Chris and present your current questions, roadblocks, or projects you’re working through, make sure to attend this weekly event every Tuesday at 12 central. Register here.

Can’t make the event but have a question for Chris? Submit it here.

Chris joined Peter Conforti on the Good Content series to discuss a range of critical topics in B2B Marketing and SaaS. From dissecting LinkedIn’s algorithms to redefining go-go-market strategies in the current economic environment, Chris brings a wealth of knowledge and practical insights to the table. 

Chris kicks off the discussion by sharing his observations on LinkedIn’s evolving algorithms and its impact on follower engagement. He then goes into the metrics that really matter for marketers, emphasizing the importance of quality inbound DM’s over mere post reach. The conversation covers the nuanced strategies needed to thrive in today’s B2B SaaS landscape, especially for companies navigating the shift from growth-at-all-costs to a balanced focus on growth and profitability.

If you want to have a conversation with Chris and present your current questions, roadblocks, or projects you’re working through, make sure to attend this weekly event every Tuesday at 12 central. Register here.

Can’t make the event but have a question for Chris? Submit it here.

Chris joined Josh Wagner and Justin Gray on the Cheat Code podcast to explore transformative marketing strategies and the critical role of customer understanding in today’s business landscape. Chris shares his journey from the early days of his career to becoming a leading figure in B2B marketing, emphasizing the need for qualitative research and the ability to pivot based on customer insights. 

Chris believes that the ultimate “cheat code” in marketing is to understand your customers better than anyone else. Highlighting how qualitative research can provide actionable insights, he talks about his personal experiences and the importance of staying close to the customer. He also discusses the difficulties faced by founders who try to be all things to all people and stresses focusing on who genuinely cares about your product. 

If you want to have a conversation with Chris and present your current questions, roadblocks, or projects you’re working through, make sure to attend this weekly event every Tuesday at 12 central. Register here.

Can’t make the event but have a question for Chris? Submit it here.

Chris joined Alan Zhao on a live event for Warmly.ai for a discussion on Signal-Based Sales. Chris provides an in-depth exploration of what signal-based selling entails and why it is revolutionizing B2B go-to-market strategies. He outlines the advantages of using first party and third party signals to optimize sales outreach, detailing how this method outperforms traditional cold outreach or inbound motions reliant solely on MQLs.

The discussion shifts to the practical side of implementing signal-based sales, including how to manage and analyze these signals effectively. Chris offers insights on leveraging data to determine the most impactful signals, highlighting the importance of separating the signal from the noise for optimal sales productivity. With the digital landscape continuously evolving, Chris emphasizes the necessity for agile small teams and startups to capitalize on this approach, explaining how even early stage companies can deploy robust signal-based systems without needing extensive resources.

If you want to have a conversation with Chris and present your current questions, roadblocks, or projects you’re working through, make sure to attend this weekly event every Tuesday at 12 central. Register here.

Can’t make the event but have a question for Chris? Submit it here.

In this week’s event, Chris discusses the recently released 2024 Gartner CMO Survey and its implications for marketing budgets, strategies, and benchmarks within the B2B space. Chris provides his critical perspective on the validity and applicability of this benchmark data for different company sizes and industries. He stresses the importance of interpreting these surveys carefully, especially when they are primarily derived from large enterprise companies, and not necessarily applicable to smaller or early-stage firms.

Throughout the discussion, Chris emphasizes the necessity of marketing leaders understanding and communicating effectively with their finance teams. He highlights how CFO’s skepticism towards marketing reports impacts budget approvals and how CMOs can bridge this trust gap. Furthermore, Chris reflects on the changing dynamics of marketing budgets in the current economic climate, advising companies to focus on efficient, profitable growth instead of getting caught in the "do more with less" mentality.

If you want to have a conversation with Chris and present your current questions, roadblocks, or projects you’re working through, make sure to attend this weekly event every Tuesday at 12 central. Register here.

Can’t make the event but have a question for Chris? Submit it here.

Chris was joined by Kyle Coleman, as they talk about Marketing in competitive categories. Chris and Kyle explore the vital strategies companies need to adopt to stand out in saturated markets, focusing on the power of differentiation, effective positioning, and leveraging novel technologies like generative AI.

They discuss Kyle's rich experience in hyper-competitive industries, from his days at Looker and Clari to his current role at Copy AI. They emphasize the importance of having a unique message and strategy to compel potential customers and drive business success. Kyle shares invaluable insights into the balance between speed and perfection in go-to-market strategies, practical tips on utilizing AI for SEO and content creation, and how to enable smaller marketing teams to punch above their weight with limited resources.

If you want to have a conversation with Chris and present your current questions, roadblocks, or projects you’re working through, make sure to attend this weekly event every Tuesday at 12 central. Register here.

Can’t make the event but have a question for Chris? Submit it here.

The next Expert Session, featuring Tom Wentworth will take place on Tuesday July 23 at 11am CT. Register Here. 

In this week’s event, Chris discusses crucial aspects of a B2B marketing strategy, planning for fiscal years, and the importance of reevaluating business approaches mid-year to ensure targets are met. As Q2 comes to a close, Chris shares his thoughts on navigating the planning process for the rest of 2024, emphasizing the potential shift in investment strategies companies might consider to maintain or adjust their growth trajectories, especially amid varying economic pressures.

Throughout the discussion, Chris critiques traditional approaches in event marketing and budgeting, underlining the importance of measuring actual ROI from events and contrasting it with digital strategies and newer methods of demand generation. He also highlights the growing significance of brand building in B2B, while cautioning companies on the nuanced approach required to truly leverage brand strength. Addressing common challenges in optimizing marketing activities, Chris provides actionable insights and reflective questions that listeners can apply directly to their respective strategies.

If you want to have a conversation with Chris and present your current questions, roadblocks, or projects you’re working through, make sure to attend this weekly event every Tuesday at 12 central. Register here.

Can’t make the event but have a question for Chris? Submit it here.