In case you missed it, my co-host Klaudia Tirico and I kicked off season 10 of the “B2B Marketing Exchange Podcast” two weeks ago! This season, we’re bringing you a mixture of episodes that feature on-site recordings from the B2B Marketing Exchange West, as well as net-new interviews with upcoming speakers for the B2B Marketing Exchange East.
As Klaudia and I were plotting out the season, we knew we needed to give fan-favorite (and #B2BMX veteran!) Pam Didner the first episode. She’s a B2B marketing consultant, author and speaker, and she’ll be keynoting the upcoming #B2BMX East, as well as hosting a workshop and campfire-style keynote on-site. She also hosted a workshop at #B2BMX East, which gave us the opportunity to chat with her on the show floor at the event. Klaudia and Pam sat down to talk through all things go-to-market (GTM) strategy, including the role of content, AI and alignment.
Sadly, I missed the recording because I was hosting a panel discussion, so I know all too well how FOMO-inducing it is to miss an opportunity to learn from Pam. I’d hate to put my dear readers in the same boat, so I’m here to share a brief overview of her blueprint for successful GTM strategies (though you’ll have to head over to your podcast player of choice to unlock all of Pam’s expertise!).
1. (Properly) Structure A GTM Plan With Clear Goals & Timelines
Pam emphasized the importance of structured GTM plans and advised practitioners to start building their strategy by first determining what departments need to be involved, which typically includes the product team alongside marketing and sales. From there, she suggested businesses scope out the timeline while also being very specific about what they want to accomplish.
2. Prevent Misalignment By Understanding The Root Of The Issue
Pam explained that the primary hinderance to sales and marketing alignment lies in how each department approaches their responsibilities — marketing traditionally focuses on top-of-funnel, while sales prioritizes lower-funnel activities. The two departments essentially speak different languages, which causes them to approach the same goals with varied actions.
3. Shift Marketing Over To A Sales Mindset
To help bridge that mindset gap, Pam suggested that marketers start thinking like a salesperson — and the first step is to move away from nurture initiatives and into “hunting.” Next, she reminded marketers that their content isn’t necessarily applicable to sales and suggested they create more relevant assets for sales. For example, given sales’ stage-based approach, Pam suggested marketers break up their content accordingly.
4. Allow Content To Power The GTM Journey
Speaking of content, we all know it’s king, and in the ever-lengthening B2B buyer’s journey, one of the primary ways to keep buyers’ attention is through a compelling piece of content. According to Pam, the same ideology applies to GTM strategies. She explained that when a company launches a product, nobody knows about it or its features, and the best way to educate is via engaging assets.
5. Embrace AI On An Individual Level
Pam was one of the first industry bigwigs to discuss AI and its role in B2B sales and marketing, so we naturally had to ask her about the current landscape. She shared two primary pieces of advice for our listeners:
- Don’t worry about falling behind, as AI is still in its inception and has a long road ahead; and
- Don’t get overwhelmed by the oversaturated landscape, because the power is ultimately in users’ hands to pick and choose the AI tools they use.
We’ve barely scratched the surface of all the nuggets of wisdom Pam shared — to learn more about the topics we briefly discussed, make sure to tune into episode one of the 10th season of the “B2B Marketing Exchange Podcast” now! If you’d like to hear Pam speak in-person, make sure to register for the B2B Marketing Exchange East now!