MarTalks- The #1 Ecommerce and MarTech application podcast

Travis Hess - CEO of BigCommerce and veteran of the digital agency landscape (Accenture, LiveArea, PFS) - joins MarTalks to discuss leading a $350M+ public software company through a major strategic pivot. 

• Fixing a broken Go-To-Market: Why "trying to be everything to everyone" is a public market trap and how to narrow focus to ideal customer profiles (ICPs) for real growth. 
• The "Services" Advantage in Software: Why a background in business outcomes and holistic systems beats a traditional "pedigreed" MBA in today’s disrupted landscape. 
• Surviving Economic Cycles: Critical advice for the "generation of plenty" on navigating downturns and the "insourcing vs. outsourcing" swings that define tech cycles. 
• Leading with Radical Authenticity: The mindset shift from "scripted" leadership to improv-ready, collaborative management where the best idea always wins. 
• Software Transformation as a "Full Contact Sport": How to manage the "warts" of integration and the board-level reality of moving from defense to offense in a competitive market. 
• Bonus: The CEO Playbook for Disruption - Learn why Travis believes most leaders rise not from steady growth, but from pushing through professional dysfunction and adversity. 

Perfect for Founders, CEOs, CROs and investors seeking a masterclass in authentic leadership and large-scale platform transformation. Steal the strategy Travis is using to take on industry giants and navigate the "agentic" AI era. 

#ExecutiveLeadership #SaasTransformation #BigCommerce #MarTech #CEOInsights #BusinessOutcome #MarTalks

Rosenstein Group: martech & ecommerce executive search

Rosenstein Group is the only martech-specialist exectutive search firm. For over 20 years, we've been matching leadership talent in sales, marketing and customer success to pioneering startups in ecommerce, supply chain and sales enablement, and for digital agencies.

Our experience with recruiting e-commerce technology leaders for companies like SAP Hybris and Demandware has established us as an authoritative and trusted liaison for startups seeking their first sales leader, and scale-ups on their way to IPO.

Visit RosensteinGroup.com to find out more.

Jamal Reimer – author of Mega Deal Secrets, ex-Oracle Key Account Director, and closer of multiple $50M+ deals – joins MarTalks for a masterclass on landing uncommonly large enterprise deals.

• Why pipeline building is brutally hard in 2025 (and the simple fixes most reps miss)
• The #1 mistake sellers make with executives – and how to speak their language with financial value stories
• How to turn any financial reality (margin pressure, working capital lockup) into a compelling point-of-view that wins sponsors
• Why executives ghost you, how to earn trust fast, and the exact questions that create “aha” moments
• Selling to executives vs. users: the mindset shift that 10x’d Jamal’s deal size
• Bonus: Free Point-of-View Trigger Document (link in show notes) – your cheat sheet to instantly craft executive-level POVs from any financial trigger

Perfect for CROs, enterprise reps, founders, and anyone tired of small deals and endless demos. Steal the playbook Jamal used at Oracle to dominate the largest accounts – and start closing mega deals today.

Get Jamal’s book Mega Deal Secrets and the free POV Trigger Document in the show notes.

#EnterpriseSales #MegaDeals #SalesTips #ExecutiveSelling #ValueSelling #MarTech #MarTalks

Rosenstein Group: martech & ecommerce executive search

Rosenstein Group is the only martech-specialist exectutive search firm. For over 20 years, we've been matching leadership talent in sales, marketing and customer success to pioneering startups in ecommerce, supply chain and sales enablement, and for digital agencies.

Our experience with recruiting e-commerce technology leaders for companies like SAP Hybris and Demandware has established us as an authoritative and trusted liaison for startups seeking their first sales leader, and scale-ups on their way to IPO.

Visit RosensteinGroup.com to find out more.

Vanessa Cartwright – 25-year digital agency titan (Astound Commerce, Blast Radius, Fluid) and the sharpest M&A / transaction-readiness advisor in the game – goes completely unfiltered on MarTalks:

• Why women still walk into mostly-male boardrooms in 2025 (and how the loudest voices in tech are currently celebrating zero-empathy leadership)
• The brutal loneliness of being CEO: no real peers, can’t show weakness up or down, and the myth of “having all the answers”
• The hidden deal-killers in agency exits: client concentration, founder risk, missing recurring-revenue rigor, and profitability by service line
• Why some agencies are waking up to find their beautiful recurring revenue just got eaten by Shopify + composable
• How to productize services without losing the creative soul clients pay for
• Building safe, competitive-free peer groups for first-time CEOs (especially women)
• And yes… restoring 100-year-old wooden sailing boats, hoisting sails next to polar bears in the Arctic, and why every CEO needs a real hobby

If you’re a female founder, first-time CEO, agency owner eyeing an exit, or just want the real talk on power, money, and empathy in 2025 tech, this one hits different.

#WomenInTech #DigitalAgency #FemaleFounders #CEOlife #AgencyExit #Commerce #MarTech #MarTalks

Rosenstein Group: martech & ecommerce executive search

Rosenstein Group is the only martech-specialist exectutive search firm. For over 20 years, we've been matching leadership talent in sales, marketing and customer success to pioneering startups in ecommerce, supply chain and sales enablement, and for digital agencies.

Our experience with recruiting e-commerce technology leaders for companies like SAP Hybris and Demandware has established us as an authoritative and trusted liaison for startups seeking their first sales leader, and scale-ups on their way to IPO.

Visit RosensteinGroup.com to find out more.

Kelly Goetsch (founder of MACH Alliance, ex-ATG, President at Pipe17) just detonated the biggest news in commerce ops this decade:

• He quietly rallied ~62 vendors (every major OMS, WMS, 3PL, ERP) to launch the Order Network Exchange (ONX) – a single, MCP-powered standard that connects ANY selling channel to ANY back-office with zero custom code
• Result? Brands can now rip $500K–$1M in integration cost out of every new commerce project
• Why composability is an absolute prerequisite for AI (and why “AI projects” are mostly nonsense)
• The brutally simple way to start composable: expose one internal service as an API and build muscle
• Reality check on SaaS funding in the AI era (top-quartile still gets money, everything else is toast)
• Why Shopify isn’t even in the B2B conversation and what real enterprise stacks actually need
• The future of agentic commerce and why MCP is the only bridge that lets ChatGPT-style agents touch your orders

If you’re a CDO, CTO, or eCommerce leader, this is the one episode that will save you millions in 2026.

Demand the standard → commerceopsfoundation.org

#ComposableCommerce #MCP #OrderNetworkExchange #AI #eCommerce #DemandTheStandard #MACH #MarTalks

Rosenstein Group: martech & ecommerce executive search

Rosenstein Group is the only martech-specialist exectutive search firm. For over 20 years, we've been matching leadership talent in sales, marketing and customer success to pioneering startups in ecommerce, supply chain and sales enablement, and for digital agencies.

Our experience with recruiting e-commerce technology leaders for companies like SAP Hybris and Demandware has established us as an authoritative and trusted liaison for startups seeking their first sales leader, and scale-ups on their way to IPO.

Visit RosensteinGroup.com to find out more.

Tom Griffin – the man who ran global sales & partnerships at Demandware through its $3B exit and now President at Passport – pulls back the curtain on:

• Why Demandware’s partner ecosystem became legendary (and how to copy it)
• The 4 types of partnerships most founders confuse – and which ones actually drive revenue
• The expensive mistakes he’s made (and seen) building go-to-market from zero
• How to de-risk global supply chains in the middle of tariff chaos
• Where AI and agentic commerce are hitting cross-border logistics first
• Building a truly global culture when your company is multinational from day one
• Bonus: untold stories from the 2025 Demandware reunion

If you’re a founder, CRO, head of alliances, or trying to scale internationally in 2026, this episode is pure rocket fuel.

Listen now and steal the playbook that turned a commerce platform into a billion-dollar outcome… twice.

#eCommerce #Partnerships #GoToMarket #GlobalTrade #Demandware #Startups

Rosenstein Group: martech & ecommerce executive search

Rosenstein Group is the only martech-specialist exectutive search firm. For over 20 years, we've been matching leadership talent in sales, marketing and customer success to pioneering startups in ecommerce, supply chain and sales enablement, and for digital agencies.

Our experience with recruiting e-commerce technology leaders for companies like SAP Hybris and Demandware has established us as an authoritative and trusted liaison for startups seeking their first sales leader, and scale-ups on their way to IPO.

Visit RosensteinGroup.com to find out more.

In this episode of MarTalks, host Darrell Rosenstein sits down with Jonathan Summerfield, founder and CEO of Xiatech, to unpack how modern retailers and SaaS enterprises can finally escape the limitations of monolithic systems and move toward a truly composable, data-driven architecture.

Jonathan shares his journey from Marks & Spencer and Tesco to building one of the leading data-orchestration platforms powering today’s digital-commerce transformations. He explains how Xiatech’s XFUSE platform helps companies “decompose the monolith” by integrating legacy systems, unlocking trapped data, and enabling faster, incremental delivery of business value.

The conversation covers:

• How to prioritize composable transformation use-cases that drive immediate ROI
• Why data orchestration is “the new blood that runs through the body” of digital business
• Real client success stories, including a loyalty-program rollout that cut delivery time from months to weeks
• Jonathan’s leadership philosophy for building high-performing teams and a 93% “great-place-to-work” culture
• Lessons learned from scaling a startup, balancing failure with innovation—and even a little magic 🪄

Whether you’re a CIO, CTO, or founder navigating your own modernization roadmap, this episode delivers practical insight, authenticity, and humor in equal measure.

Listen now to discover why data orchestration—not monolithic overhaul—is the real key to digital agility.

👉 Visit rosensteingroup.com/martalks
for more episodes and insights.

Rosenstein Group: martech & ecommerce executive search

Rosenstein Group is the only martech-specialist exectutive search firm. For over 20 years, we've been matching leadership talent in sales, marketing and customer success to pioneering startups in ecommerce, supply chain and sales enablement, and for digital agencies.

Our experience with recruiting e-commerce technology leaders for companies like SAP Hybris and Demandware has established us as an authoritative and trusted liaison for startups seeking their first sales leader, and scale-ups on their way to IPO.

Visit RosensteinGroup.com to find out more.

How to Crack the B2B Marketplace (Without Losing Your Sanity)

What happens when you mix a passion for B2B eCommerce, a knack for storytelling, and a borderline obsessive drive to educate an industry? You get Justin King, founder of the B2B Commerce Association—and quite possibly the only guy who ranks on the first five pages of Google for "B2B eCommerce." (Seriously, try it.)

Justin joined me on MarTalks to share his wild ride through eCommerce, from shouting into the void via his blog in 2007 (hi, Mom and Dad!) to becoming the go-to guy for B2B strategy at companies like 3M, Home Depot, and Granger.

Key takeaways from our chat:
🛑 Stop using B2C buzzwords. Telling a distributor about "conversion rates" is like explaining TikTok to your grandfather—it’s not gonna click.
🎯 Build a real B2B team. B2B isn't a side hustle for your B2C sales team. You need specialized sales, marketing, and customer success pros who get the space.
📚 Educate your team. Justin's association literally has a course called "How to Speak Manufacturing 101" because knowing your customer's language isn't a "nice-to-have"—it’s how you close deals.
📱 Ditch the polished corporate videos. Gen Z and Millennials are making B2B buying decisions, and they prefer raw, real, and relatable content. (Think TikTok, not TED Talk.)

Justin’s passion for advancing B2B eCommerce is infectious. If you’re selling into this space—or thinking about it—do yourself a favor and start learning the language of your customers.

Rosenstein Group: martech & ecommerce executive search

Rosenstein Group is the only martech-specialist exectutive search firm. For over 20 years, we've been matching leadership talent in sales, marketing and customer success to pioneering startups in ecommerce, supply chain and sales enablement, and for digital agencies.

Our experience with recruiting e-commerce technology leaders for companies like SAP Hybris and Demandware has established us as an authoritative and trusted liaison for startups seeking their first sales leader, and scale-ups on their way to IPO.

Visit RosensteinGroup.com to find out more.

B2B e-commerce is messy, complex, and full of surprises. But what if there was a way to cut through the noise and actually move fast?

In this episode, I sit down with Lorenzo Ramponi, Andrew Martin, and Brendan Gualdoni to talk about:

✅ Why legacy e-commerce systems are a nightmare – and how composable commerce actually makes life easier
✅ How Brendan transformed Wiley’s entire e-commerce stack—without a complete rip-and-replace
✅ Why pricing, subscriptions & CPQ shouldn’t be a separate system—seriously, why is this still a thing?
✅ How VIAX became the secret weapon for digital transformation (hint: it’s more than just headless APIs)
✅ What big-name platforms like Salesforce Commerce don’t do well—and why VIAX fills the gap

💡 Takeaway: The fastest way to win in B2B e-commerce? Break down silos, move fast, and stop waiting for outdated tech to catch up.

🎧 Listen now!

🔹 Are you stuck with a legacy platform that’s slowing you down? Let’s talk! ⬇️

#MarTalks #ComposableCommerce #B2BEcommerce #DigitalTransformation #EnterpriseTech

Rosenstein Group: martech & ecommerce executive search

Rosenstein Group is the only martech-specialist exectutive search firm. For over 20 years, we've been matching leadership talent in sales, marketing and customer success to pioneering startups in ecommerce, supply chain and sales enablement, and for digital agencies.

Our experience with recruiting e-commerce technology leaders for companies like SAP Hybris and Demandware has established us as an authoritative and trusted liaison for startups seeking their first sales leader, and scale-ups on their way to IPO.

Visit RosensteinGroup.com to find out more.

In the latest *MarTalks* episode, I had the privilege of hosting three enterprise sales powerhouses—Brad Habansky, Chris Sterbenc, and Brian McGlynn—to discuss one of the most daunting challenges for startups: landing that first big deal. These seasoned pros shared their war stories, scars, and hard-earned wisdom on navigating the complexities of enterprise software sales. Here’s what stood out:  

---

### **🔍 Selling Innovation is Hard Work**

Brad Habansky recounted his early days at CommerceTools, introducing "composable commerce" to a U.S. market that had no idea what it was. Before he could even pitch flexibility or scalability, he had to convince prospects why they should trust the cloud—a revolutionary concept at the time. His journey was a masterclass in persistence, education, and rapid iteration.  

---

### **📈 Iteration is Key**

Chris Sterbenc shared how selling for startups often requires constant refinement of your pitch. Early on, parts of his presentations fell flat (I hate it when that happens) —but by analyzing what resonated with prospects, he adapted quickly. As he put it, “One bullet point on slide five might eventually become half your deck.” Rapid iteration isn’t just helpful—it’s essential.  

---

### **🛠️ The Right Team Makes All the Difference**

Brian McGlynn emphasized the importance of hiring entrepreneurial sales talent who can navigate uncharted territory. “Your first hire isn’t just a salesperson—they’re an explorer,” he said. But it doesn’t stop there; investing in marketing and technical support is equally critical to set that salesperson up for success in a competitive market.  

---

### **🚀 Leveraging Accelerators**

Chris also highlighted how startup accelerators like Plug and Play and Engage are game-changers for startups looking to break into enterprise accounts. These programs provide access to innovation teams at Fortune 500 companies, opening doors that are often shut to smaller players.  

---

### **💡 Key Takeaways for Founders**  

1️⃣ **Educate Your Market:** Selling a new concept often starts with teaching prospects why they need it in the first place which requires marketing to prepare the ground for sales

2️⃣ **Iterate Quickly:** Be ready to refine your pitch after every meeting until it clicks. Encourage experimentation and celebrate those failures! 

3️⃣ **Find the Right Talent:** Your first sales hire needs grit, curiosity, and an entrepreneurial mindset to succeed in uncharted waters, like a pirate…😊

4️⃣ **Invest in Marketing:** A strong digital presence is non-negotiable when 70% of the sales cycle happens before a prospect even talks to you.  

5️⃣ **Leverage Accelerators:** Programs like Plug and Play can help startups land pilots with major brands and expand into enterprise accounts. 

---

Closing that first deal is tough—it’s a gauntlet of education, iteration, and persistence. But as Brad, Chris, and Brian reminded us, it’s also one of the most rewarding milestones for any startup.  

💡 What strategies have worked for you when closing your first big deal? Let me know in the comments!  

 #MarTalks #EnterpriseSales #Startups #ComposableCommerce

Rosenstein Group: martech & ecommerce executive search

Rosenstein Group is the only martech-specialist exectutive search firm. For over 20 years, we've been matching leadership talent in sales, marketing and customer success to pioneering startups in ecommerce, supply chain and sales enablement, and for digital agencies.

Our experience with recruiting e-commerce technology leaders for companies like SAP Hybris and Demandware has established us as an authoritative and trusted liaison for startups seeking their first sales leader, and scale-ups on their way to IPO.

Visit RosensteinGroup.com to find out more.

Martalks E-Commerce Innovation with Eli Finkelshteyn, Founder of Constructor**

In the latest *MarTalks* podcast episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Eli Finkelshteyn, the founder of Constructor, to talk about how *real* innovation in e-commerce isn’t just about flashy features—it’s about leveraging technology to drive actual business outcomes. Spoiler alert: Eli and his team are doing just that, and then some.  

Here’s why Constructor’s technology is one of the most wildly successful and widely adopted composable solution: 

---

### **🔍 Reinventing Search with Data Science**

Eli’s journey into e-commerce started with a frustration we can all relate to: stinky search engines that don’t deliver. Legacy tools like Elasticsearch and Solr were fine for basic queries, but they couldn’t prioritize what really matters—conversions and revenue. So, Eli built Constructor to deliver just that, and oh boy does it hit the cover off the ball. By leveraging clickstream data and machine learning, Constructor optimizes search and discovery experiences to ensure shoppers find what they want *and* businesses see measurable results.  

---

### **📈 Real-World Wins**

- **Sephora:** What started as a small implementation for Sephora’s U.S. iOS app quickly snowballed into a global rollout across platforms, languages, and even email recommendations. Why? Because Constructor kept winning A/B tests by delivering higher conversions and revenue per visit.  

- **Recommerce Marketplace:** For a secondhand clothing platform, Constructor delivered a 5.5% lift in search conversion rates while also boosting average order value (AOV) and revenue per visit (RPV). That’s not just incremental improvement—that’s game-changing.  

---

### **🤖 AI That Actually Works**

Let’s talk about Constructor’s AI Shopping Assistant. Unlike generic tools that spit out irrelevant results, this assistant handles complex queries like “What should I buy for camping with kids?” with ease. It doesn’t just answer questions; it integrates seamlessly into existing systems, giving even smaller players the ability to compete with giants like Amazon.  

---

### **🧩 Composable Commerce Done Right**

Eli is a big believer in composable architectures—but he’s also realistic. He sees composable solutions as tools that should empower businesses, not overwhelm them. Constructor’s API-first approach allows companies to replace legacy systems like Endeca or Solr in record time (we’re talking as little as nine days to go live for the win!) while delivering immediate revenue impact.  

--- 

### **🎨 Balancing Tech with Creativity**

While AI is great at automating the grunt work—like managing synonyms or correcting misspellings—Eli reminds us that human creativity is still king when it comes to merchandising strategies and brand storytelling. Think Walmart’s iconic pickup truck display; no algorithm could replicate that kind of magic.  

--- 

### **🚀 Moving the Needle**

At its core, Constructor isn’t just about technology—it’s about the ROI. From their unique proof schedule (showing ROI before clients commit) to their 98.5% retention rate over three years, Eli and his team have built a platform that delivers trust alongside innovation.  

---

 If you’re in e-commerce and haven’t explored how cutting-edge tech like Constructor can transform your search and discovery experience, now’s the time to start asking questions—and getting answers that actually move the needle for your business.  

💡 What do you think? Are you seeing opportunities to optimize your product discovery? Let me know in the comments!  

#MarTalks #ECommerceInnovation #SearchAndDiscovery #ComposableCommerce

Rosenstein Group: martech & ecommerce executive search

Rosenstein Group is the only martech-specialist exectutive search firm. For over 20 years, we've been matching leadership talent in sales, marketing and customer success to pioneering startups in ecommerce, supply chain and sales enablement, and for digital agencies.

Our experience with recruiting e-commerce technology leaders for companies like SAP Hybris and Demandware has established us as an authoritative and trusted liaison for startups seeking their first sales leader, and scale-ups on their way to IPO.

Visit RosensteinGroup.com to find out more.