The Sirkin Research Podcast

Research report season is here, and we’re willing to bet your past ones drove zero demand. 

After reading over 100 B2B SaaS research reports, we’ve narrowed down the 7 key reasons why most are a complete waste of time and money. 

Join us this episode as we break each one of them down.

• What is the point of a research report? (1:38)
• Reason 1:  Scope of report is too broad (2:17)
• Why broad reports do more harm than good (2:59)
• Reason 2: Survey audience is not your ICP (6:31)
• Why more respondents doesn’t equal a “better” research report (6:47)
• Why your survey audience must be your ICP to drive demand (8:16)
• Reason 3: Product > pain points (9:24)
• Reason 4: Using FOMO as a reason to buy your product (12:25)
• Why you can never guilt trip or peer pressure businesses into making a purchase (14:19)
• Reason 5: There’s no analysis (aka it’s just a data dump) (14:51)
• Why reports stuffed with stats are a red flag (15:31)
• What we mean by the “storyline” of your report (17:03)
• Reason 6: Poor analysis (19:30)
• What poor analysis often looks like in a report (20:43)
• Why marketers thinking they can do data analysis is a very serious issue (21:30)
• Reason 7: Inaccurate or confusing visualizations (24:04)
• Data visualization best practices (24:52)

Resources:

Webinar: 7 Reasons Why Your B2B Research Report Isn't Driving Demand

Connect with the Hosts:

Victoria Gamlen on LinkedIn

Jeff Sirkin on LinkedIn

B2B research was never designed to drive demand. But does that mean it’s completely worthless? 

In this episode, Jeff and Victoria dive into how market research’s failings led to the creation of demand research, the six key differences between demand research and market research, and when market research is the right move. 

• The 117-page PDF that started it all (1:37)
• Why a lot of data isn’t impressive, but a red flag (3:48)
• Why no one wants to buy research (9:46)
• The normalization of guesswork in B2B marketing (11:15)
• What B2B research was originally design for (13:34)
• The two sides of scaling a services-based business (16:59)
• DR vs MR difference 1: The scope of the survey (18:07)
• Why most research reports reach like a giant ad (19:04)
• DR vs MR difference 2: Survey audience (19:56)
• How we help clients get clear on their ICP (21:54)
• Why customer research cannot solve positioning and messaging issues (22:27)
• DR vs MR difference 3: Analysis layer (25:17)
• The undiscussed beef between marketers and analysts (26:33)
• DR vs MR difference 4: Objective (27:46)
• How the scientific method is the basis of our work (28:56)
• DR vs MR difference 5: The speed (29:20)
• DR vs MR difference 6: The output (30:03)
• The second important purpose of market research (32:00)
• When market research is appropriate (32:37)
• The misuse of market research by startups (33:04)

Resources:

How to Achieve GTM Alignment

Webinar: Demand Research 101

Connect with the hosts:

Victoria Gamlen on LinkedIn

Jeff Sirkin on LinkedIn

Great design: one thing that all successful brands have in common. Yet, it’s a topic that seems to be absent from B2B marketers’ conversations. We decided to change that. For this episode, we brought on Tommy Treadway, the Head of Design at Measured. From freelance to full-time and from household names and stealth startups, Tommy’s done it all – and well. So who better than to explain all the things that non-designers (and new designers) should know with regards to this rarely discussed, yet critical element of marketing?

Here are some other topics discussed on this episode of the Sirkin Research Podcast:

• Tommy’s unintentional and winding road into design (1:48)
• The differences between design roles in-house, freelance, and at agencies (4:52)
• The issue with W-2 bashing and the risks of freelancing as a writer or marketer (7:29)
• The different paths someone could take to get into a career in design today (10:14)
• Why doing an actual project is better experience than concept or theoretical work (12:42)
• The difference between product design, UX design, and UI design (14:46)
• What makes for a good design program (18:05)
• Things you should never say to a designer (23:02)
• Why both design and copy are integrated systems (27:25)
• The distrust of creatives causing them to relentlessly justify their work (29:06)
• What designers should do to find inspiration (34:59)
• Why “boring” industries can make for more exciting work (35:49)
• The negative impact of design bootcamps are having on the industry (36:19)
• The biggest problem with swipe files (37:09)
• The “Great Blanding” in design and the seeping of the millennial aesthetic into SaaS (38:00)
• Why everyone hates marketers, according to Victoria (41:05)
• Why the most valuable designers, creatives, and analysts get paid for how they think (42:17)

Connect with Tommy

Website

Twitter

Connect with the Hosts

Victoria Gamlen on LinkedIn

Jeff Sirkin on LinkedIn

We dig into the details from Victoria’s 40-page piece on her approach to positioning. We get into her three components of effective positioning, why you don’t choose your positioning, and why point of view (POV) rules all. Here are a few other topics discussed on this episode of the Sirkin Research Podcast:

• How Victoria first got into positioning from writing copy (1:59)
• Why most people writing website copy are also doing positioning (4:14)
• Why there is no such thing as a marketing or positioning expert (9:39)
• Why “we’re the best” is not positioning (11:07)
• The importance of clearly defining terms (12:38)
• Why boring marketing and gated content are not the problems holding B2B marketers back (14:18)
• Attribution isn’t broken, it was built this way (15:24)
• Why you don’t choose your positioning as a company (19:56)
• The fundamental questions a company needs to answer about their business to inform their positioning (22:48)
• Why Victoria didn’t touch on strategic narratives or brand stories in her piece (25:11)
• Why effective positioning requires a compelling point of view (29:37)
• The importance of defining what not to say when it comes to your messaging (37:08)
• Why effective positioning isn’t a linear process and can’t be templated (43:07)
• The risks of category creation and how to do it right (44:54)
• Why StoryBrand is not effective for B2B marketers (50:13)
• Why it’s important that whoever does your positioning has written copy plus who to be wary of taking marketing and positioning advice from (55:00)

Resources mentioned in episode:
The Three Components of Effective B2B Positioning
The Irreconcilable Differences Between B2B and B2C Marketing

Connect with the hosts:
Victoria Gamlen on LinkedIn
Jeff Sirkin on LinkedIn

Long Story Short is now the Sirkin Research Podcast. Jeff introduces Victoria Gamlen as permanent co-host of the show going forward. Victoria turns the tables and interviews Jeff about his career - what led to the founding of Sirkin Research, their positioning, and breakdowns of a few case studies. Here are a few other topics discussed:

Connect with the hosts:
Victoria Gamlen on LinkedIn
Jeff Sirkin on LinkedIn

MJ Smith is the Vice President of Marketing at CoLab Software, a startup focused on helping mechanical engineers collaborate and make decisions faster. Before CoLab, MJ led sales and marketing at Refine Labs, where she worked with more than 50 B2B software startups. She also spent 6 years working at Halma plc, a group of mid-sized manufacturing businesses focused on medical, environmental, and safety technology. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Long Story Short:

• Why product marketing is the first priority for an organization’s first marketing leader
• Focusing on positioning and messaging before scaling through demand gen
• The importance of buyer research, especially when you aren’t in your own ICP
• The 3 types of insights MJ looks for in doing customer research
• The importance of understanding the critical pain points specific to the buyer role
• Leveraging quantitative research and product analytics for content
• How demystifying finance made MJ a better marketing leader and executive
• Why having a podcast as a marketing strategy might be overrated

Matt Malanga is the Chief Marketing Officer at JW Player, the video platform for video-driven companies. Matt is a full-stack, hands-on CMO who is well-versed in disrupting industries, building winning cultures, and driving top-line growth. He has played a key marketing leadership role in five startups across SaaS and Fintech space - each getting to a successful exit either through an acquisition or IPO. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Long Story Short:

• Leveraging original research to create content and drive demand
• Aligning your internal stakeholders around what matters most to your buyers
• How to connect your ICP to your brand to drive awareness and relevance
• The importance of identifying the right survey audience and why it’s like a bullseye
• How to effectively launch a new brand in a competitive market
• Why quantifying buyer insights is the key to gaining alignment from your GTM team
• The importance of building a bridge to finance as a marketing leader
• How Sirkin Research’s work differs from Gartner and Forrester

Connect with Jeff:

LinkedIn

Connect with Sirkin Research:

Website

LinkedIn

Victoria Gamlen is a brand strategist and consultant who establishes positioning, develops messaging, and builds verbal identities for B2B and B2C brands. She is also a fractional head of marketing and creative director across multiple industries. Off of LinkedIn, Victoria owns a cleaning business and is an accomplished photographer. Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Long Story Short:

• How B2B marketing is not broken — it was built this way
• The false enemies B2B marketers create and what the real one has always been
• How B2B SaaS defied business fundamentals, and how things look in the current economic climate
• The impact of Venture Capital funding and business valuations on B2B marketing
• The key to developing effective marketing and copy: making yourself a local
• The important distinction between capturing and earning attention
• Why ‘growth at all costs’ never worked, the consequences were just delayed
• The state of content on LinkedIn and Victoria’s strategy for how to win
• Why creativity might be the most valuable skill in technical fields, and vice-versa
• Why personal branding is overrated

Resources:

B2B SaaS Marketing Isn't Broken, It Was Built This Way: Part 1

B2B SaaS Marketing Isn't Broken, It Was Built This Way: Part 2

In Defense of Corporate Jargon

The Irreconcilable Differences Between B2B and B2C Marketing

"Not Boring" Isn't a POV and the Issues with "Pick an Enemy" Positioning

Connect with Victoria:

LinkedIn

Blog - In the Gray

Connect with Jeff:

LinkedIn

Connect with Sirkin Research:

Website

LinkedIn