My latest guest on the Marketing Tales Show joined me from the Golden State and helped produce an episode as rich and fruitful as California's Downieville area in the summer of 1849. Lynnice Wolf, a SaaS marketing leader, longtime demand generation expert, PEAK community member, and soon-to-be podcast host, joined the show to share some nuggets from her extensive marketing career. But marketing wasn't always the plan for Lynnice. The dream of being on TV lead her to enroll at California State University Sacramento to pursue a career in broadcasting. However, three years into her studies, she found herself at a crossroads, realizing that broadcasting wasn't for her after all. Thanks to a nudge from her best friend, who worked in marketing, Lynnice took an advertising class and marketing operation course at Cal State, leading down a new path, opening doors at organizations such as McAfee and HP Inc. Most recently, Lynnice successfully led a team of marketers as the Senior Director of Global Demand Generation at Menlo Security Inc. "Success is 20% skills and 80% strategy. You might know how to succeed, but more importantly, what's your plan to succeed?" - Jim Rohn. The way Lynnice succeeds is with a stellar framework. "A framework that has always been good to me," she said, is "S.T.E.A.M." (min. 5:50), which focuses on: S - Strategy T - Target Audience E - Engagement A - Activation M - Metrics One of the primary KPIs Lynnice uses to measure success is marketing qualified accounts, which are accounts that are currently in the market for a product, showing some level of interest and engagement with a brand. An important lesson Lynnice learned over the course of her marketing career is this: "Replace your mouth, grab those ears, and put them there," she says. "A simplified way to the key to your success." Speak less, listen more. Sit with our sales team. Understand their challenges. "We are so quick to push our initiatives (as marketers), but it often doesn't resonate (with non-marketers)," Lynnice says. "The more simple we can make it, the more effective we'll be as a team." Two books she recommends for anyone who wants to become a better marketer are: 1) "The Digital Pivot: Secrets of Online Marketing Book" by Eric Schwartzman 2) "Buyer Personas" by Adele Revella If you'd like to learn more about Lynnice or get in touch with her about marketing-related questions, connect with her on LinkedIn. And be on the lookout for her new podcast called "She Pack," a show created to empower young female professionals to support each other, gain better visibility, and allow female trailblazers to tell their stories and path to success. Thank you to Teri Marks for introducing me to Lynnice to make this episode happen. Catch the entire episode on YouTube and your favorite podcast channel. Until next time. ✌️