The Peerbound Podcast

With over 40 years in the industry, including significant contributions at Braze and Bazaarvoice, Sarah Spivey brings a wealth of experience and insights into the evolution of marketing technology, the crucial soft skills for success, and strategies for building effective teams. She emphasizes the importance of the CEO-CMO relationship, the role of customer marketing, and offers valuable advice for aspiring CMOs on career planning and broadening their experience. Sarah also sheds light on the differences between marketing in private vs. public companies and the impact of specializing in today's marketing landscape. Throughout the conversation, Sarah provides thoughtful leadership advice and future-facing insights, making this episode a valuable resource for current and aspiring marketing professionals.

• (1:09) Sarah Spivey's Journey: From Operations to Marketing Maven
• (4:53) The Evolution of a CMO: Realizing the Dream
• (6:58) Navigating Industry Shifts: Evolutions in Marketing
• (10:28) The Constants in Marketing: Leadership, Teamwork, and Content
• (11:31) From Bazaarvoice to Braze: The Public vs. Private Company Experience
• (13:06) Mastering the First 90 Days as a CMO: Strategy and Execution
• (17:14) Reflecting on Growth, Challenges, and the Importance of Product and Market
• (19:12) Pioneering Customer Marketing: A Game-Changer in Software
• (23:20) Leadership Insights: Building High-Performing Teams
• (26:08) Navigating the CMO Role: Challenges and Opportunities
• (31:51) Advice for Aspiring Leaders: Looking Beyond the Next Job

Stay tuned through the end of the show (33:10) to learn: 

• Which streaming service Sara gets her favorite content from.
• Who Sara thinks we should interview next.

Featuring:

Sara Spivey (LinkedIn)

Sunny Manivannan (LinkedIn, Twitter) 

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In this episode, we hear from Thao Ngo, the SVP of Marketing at Uptempo, a marketing planning software company. Thao discusses her unique path to marketing (she actually went to school for it!) and subsequent career in B2B marketing. She highlights her demanding approach as a leader at Uptempo. She also talks about her strong background in communications, her hiring values, and her day-to-day operations as the Senior Vice President of Marketing. Thao also discusses how AI (the new) and direct mail (the old) are changing the marketing landscape and urges fellow marketers to be fearless, innovative and unique in order to stand out. 

• (1:01) Thao's Journey into Marketing
• (3:15) Building a Curious Marketing Team
• (4:05) Inside Uptempo: A Marketing Planning Software Company
• (5:18) Leveraging Customer Voices in Marketing
• (6:43) Adapting Marketing Strategies during COVID-19
• (9:00) Thao’s Demanding Leadership Style
• (13:46) Marketing Budgets 
• (16:07) How to Deliver Marketing that Stands Out
• (18:19) Examples of Fearless Campaigns

Stay tuned through the end of the show (22:31) to learn about: 

• Thao’s night owl tendencies.
• Who Thao thinks we should interview next. 

Featuring:

Thao Ngo (LinkedIn)

Sunny Manivannan (LinkedIn, Twitter) 

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In this episode, Caroline Solis Wright, the VP of Marketing at 360Learning, discusses her career trajectory from an initial interest in politics to a fulfilling career in marketing. Navigation through a dynamic tech landscape, specifically the 3D printing boom at MakerBot, has helped her hone her skills and focus on operational efficiency and excellence as a team leader. Caroline emphasizes the importance of incorporating customer feedback and the significance of understanding the customer-product connection. She also outlines her leadership values - supporting and upskilling her team, understanding with compassion, and encouraging communication and feedback.

• (00:48) Caroline's Journey into Marketing
• (03:22) Challenges and Lessons from the 3D Printing Boom
• (04:35) Post-MakerBot Reflections and Career Decisions
• (06:23) Current Role at 360Learning
• (07:38) Marketing Strategies and Challenges at 360Learning
• (10:34) Importance of Customer Feedback
• (17:00) Leadership Lessons and Hiring Priorities
• (19:39) Upskilling and Corporate Learning

Stay tuned through the end of the show (22:04) to learn: 

• Caroline’s reality-based vs. aspirational answer to the question “cats or dogs”.
• Who Caroline thinks we should interview next.

Featuring:

Caroline Solis Wright (LinkedIn)

Sunny Manivannan (LinkedIn, Twitter) 

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In this episode, Mike Molinet, co-founder of tech companies Branch and Thena shares his journey from early career days as a mechanical engineer at 3M to a successful software entrepreneur, along with insights into starting a company in 2023 vs. 2014. He discusses the concept of the 'three C's' (context, communication, and collaboration) as crucial factors in effective team dynamics, and reflects on the lessons learned from Branch's decision to conduct layoffs during the early stages of the pandemic. Mike also emphasizes the importance of being customer-centric, spending time with customers, and understanding their needs. 

• (01:01) The Evolution of the Startup Environment from 2014 to 2023
• (03:04) Identifying Market Opportunities
• (05:02) Building Branch 
• (07:06) Identifying the opportunity for Thena
• (09:09) Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs 
• (11:02) How to keep up pace with changing market demands
• (12:52) Soliciting product ideas from customers 
• (14:43) Stages of growth and a company’s product development evolution
• (17:00) Building a customer-centric culture
• (21:33) Challenging decisions as COO at Branch and the lessons learned
• (27:43) Building Effective Team Dynamics in High Growth Environment

Stay tuned through the end of the show (33:21) to learn: 

• Which emoji is Mike’s favorite. 
• What Mike dreams of owning in the future. 
• Who Mike thinks we should interview next.

Featuring:

Mike Molinet (LinkedIn)

Sunny Manivannan (LinkedIn, Twitter) 

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In this episode, Jillian Bejtlich, Community Lead at Calendly, discusses her journey towards community management, which began in an engineering-focused household. Describing her path as non-traditional, she emphasizes the importance of flexibility and adaptability in community management strategies. Jillian shares her experiences working in different industries, including engineering software and defense manufacturing, and how users drive the function and form of communities. She also highlights the increasing role of AI in community management and how it can aid in content creation and strategizing, while also posing new challenges for community moderators.

• (00:40) Jillian's Early Engineering Career and The Unexpected Path to Community Management
• (05:00) Finding The Science in Community Building
• (06:55) Consulting for The Community Roundtable
• (09:25) Innovation in Defense Contracting
• (13:14) Returning to SaaS and Identifying Constants in Community
• (16:02) Customer-Led Community Identity Development
• (17:20) Calendly's Community of Inspiration
• (19:50) Advice for Community Managers 
• (21:43) The Impact of AI on Communities
• (25:18) Peer Nomination

Stay tuned through the end of the show (25:18) to learn: 

• In which country Jillian thinks pineapple can be served on pizza (and in which country it should not). 
• Who Jillian thinks we should interview next.

Featuring:

Jillian Bejtlich (LinkedIn)

Sunny Manivannan (LinkedIn, Twitter) 

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In this episode, we hear from Nisha Baxi, the Head of Community and Digital Customer Success at Gong. Nisha shares her experiences developing programs for world-class software companies like IBM, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Facebook. She describes her journey from her first job at IBM to creating Gong's 'Visioneers' community, customer ecosystems, and her approach to Digital Customer Success. She also shares her insights on the evolution of customer expectations, the importance of creating a seamless customer experience, and the role of technology in shaping customer success. Moreover, she shares her thoughts on what it takes to build a successful company in the competitive software market today.

• (00:50) Nisha's Early Career and Journey into Community Building
• (03:22) Insights from Nisha's First Job Experience
• (04:56) Transition to Gong and the Power of Relationships
• (06:30) Building the Visioneers Community at Gong
• (10:05) The Role of Community in Category Creation
• (15:06) The Evolution of the Visioneers Community and Future Plans
• (18:31) Career Advice and Observations on Building Successful Companies
• (24:22) Shifting Customer Expectations
• (26:55) Digital Customer Success at Gong
• (28:23) What it Takes to Build a Successful Software Company Today

Stay tuned through the end of the show (31:26) to learn: 

• What Nisha’s favorite Slack emoji is. 
• Who Nisha thinks we should interview next.

Featuring:

Nisha Baxi (LinkedIn)

Sunny Manivannan (LinkedIn, Twitter) 

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In this episode, Toby Coulthard, the Chief Product Officer of Phrasee, shares his unique insights on marketing technology, given his blend of deep technical knowledge, commercial strategy, and executive product management. He shares how Phrasee is disrupting content creation with its blend of computational linguistics, data science, and robust experimental designs. The conversation also delves into the evolving question of “what is brand identity in the age of AI?”, the challenges in market expectations, AI's role in businesses, and the value of building differentiated product architectures. Toby discusses his transition from a commercial to a product role, emphasizing customer centricity, agility, effective communication, and enduring passion as keys to advancing in a tech career.

• (00:59) What Phrasee Does
• (03:08) Phrasee's Impact on Brands and Consumers
• (06:10) Brand Identity and Personalized Communication
• (08:07) Evolution of Marketing Technology
• (09:10) Toby's Journey in Tech
• (12:17) Bridging the Gap Between Current State and Art of The Possible
• (14:12) AI in The Enterprise
• (18:12) Product Development and Customer Understanding at Phrasee
• (24:28) Career Advice 

Stay tuned through the end of the show (26:55) to learn: 

• Why Toby doesn’t actually mind jet lag. 
• Who Toby thinks we should interview next.

Featuring:

Toby Coulthard (LinkedIn)

Sunny Manivannan (LinkedIn, Twitter) 

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Junan Pang is the head of customer success at Slack, experienced in helping tech companies optimize their customer relationships and deliver world class customer experience. Drawn to a blend of technology and business, Junan entered the software industry working at Accenture, later transitioning into customer success roles. During his tenure at Optimizely, he led multiple customer success teams and founded the San Francisco Customer Success Meetup. Despite initial setbacks, his faith in the unique customer success community drove him to persist in organizing meetups. Junan's key focus is being proactive and strategic in customer success management, an approach he fosters to maximize value for Slack users.

• (01:07) Junan's Journey into the Software Industry
• (03:29) Junan's Journey at Optimizely
• (04:28) Challenges and Strategies in Scaling Teams
• (06:25) The Role of a Leader as a Customer Success Manager for the Team
• (10:03) Founding the San Francisco Customer Success Meetup
• (13:27) Current Role at Slack and the Importance of Customer Success
• (16:22) Spicy Takes on Customer Success
• (21:37) Peer Nomination and Rapid Fire Round

Stay tuned through the end of the show (21:37) to learn: 

• What Junan’s favorite custom Slack emoji is. 
• Who Junan thinks we should interview next.

Featuring:

Junan Pang (LinkedIn) 

Sunny Manivannan (LinkedIn, Twitter) 

Learn more about the SF Customer Success Meetup on LinkedIn or on their site.  

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In this episode of The Peerbound Podcast: Chief, Chandar and Sunny delve into topics such as leadership, marketing strategies, team building, and the dynamics of the C-suite. Chandar shares his experiences, philosophies, and valuable insights gained from his illustrious career in strategic marketing and management consulting. He discusses the importance of empathy, outcome-driven approaches, and the power of authenticity. Throughout the conversation, Chandar highlights the value of customer journey and the concept of “peer-bound” in B2B marketing.

• (01:37) Deep Dive into the Three Roles of a CMO
• (05:27) Building the Triangle of Trust between the CMO, CEO, and CRO
• (09:18) The Relationship Between CMO and CFO
• (11:30) The CMO's Role as a Marketer
• (13:43) The Concept of 'Peer-Bound'
• (18:11) How Peerbound Fits with Outbound and Inbound
• (20:47) Advice for Leaders Stepping into New Environments
• (24:14) Approaching The First 30 Days with Intention
• (26:28) Hiring and Building Exceptional Teams

Stay tuned through the end of the show (29:08) to learn: 

• Chandar’s favorite football team.
• Why Chandar is team pizza.
• Who Chandar thinks we should interview next.

There are a few articles mentioned in the show:

• Article: Coupa CMO on the Importance of Customer Voice in a Peer-Bound World
• Post: Unlearn or Fail

Featuring:

Chandar Pattabhiram (LinkedIn)

Sunny Manivannan (LinkedIn, Twitter) 

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In this episode of the Peerbound Podcast, host Sunny Manivannan is joined by Alison Bukowski, the incoming Vice President of Customer Experience at Point of Reference. Alison discusses her journey from content marketing to customer marketing and advocacy, and eventually to leading a marketing team. She talks about the importance of continually evolving marketing strategies and placing the customer at the forefront of business decisions. Alison also discusses how to successfully measure customer marketing and advocacy efforts focusing on revenue generation, customer health scores, retention, and embracing account-based marketing when appropriate.

• (01:20) Striking the right give-to-get ratio
• (02:36) How to actually be a customer-led organization
• (04:09) Organizational alignment in marketing
• (05:18) The power of shared KPIs
• (07:30) How to get folks on board for collaboration
• (09:16) The measuring marketing's impact
• (11:36) The implication of savvier buyers for marketing teams
• (13:23) CMO playbooks today vs. of the past
• (15:50) Alison's journey into marketing leadership
• (18:06) What Peerspot does and how they differentiate
• (24:51) Advice for customer marketers with an eye toward a CMO role

Stay tuned through the end of the show (31:50) to learn:

• Whether Alison (an English major) is team physical books or eBooks.
• What time of night Alison’s brain turns off.
• Who Alison thinks we should interview next.

Featuring:

Alison Bukowski (LinkedIn)

Sunny Manivannan (LinkedIn, Twitter) 

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