In this debut episode of Unpacking the Brand, hosts Ken Theriot (TheRiot Agency) and Randy Kessler (Labels and Labeling) are joined by John Hirko, Director of Growth at TheRiot Agency. Together, they explore the evolving role of growth leaders and how companies can align sales, marketing, and customer success through systems that scale brand intimacy.

From CRM adoption to bridging relationship selling with digital strategy, John shares actionable insights for manufacturers and B2B companies looking to modernize how they grow.

Chapters

• 00:00 – Intro: Why we launched Unpacking the Brand
• 01:28 – Guest intro: John Hirko and his role as Director of Growth
• 03:17 – The evolution of the "Director of Growth" title
• 07:13 – Common growth challenges in manufacturing
• 08:53 – Why sales and marketing misalignment is so common
• 10:52 – From people-to-people to brand-to-people trust
• 13:21 – The importance of systems and centralized data
• 15:17 – Case study: Helping a hidden champion scale up
• 18:10 – Overcoming CRM adoption resistance from seasoned sales teams
• 24:26 – How long does CRM implementation really take?
• 30:06 – Practical branding tips for businesses on a budget
• 32:58 – The 4 pillars of any successful growth effort
• 38:35 – Investing smartly in marketing roles
• 39:23 – Why marketing now leads sales in the B2B journey
• 42:10 – Rapid Fire: John’s favorite brand, Super Bowl ads & more

Mentioned in This Episode

• Book: Traction by Gino Wickman (EOS/Entrepreneurial Operating System)
• HubSpot’s stat: 80% of purchase decisions are made before talking to sales