The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)

Dave Gerhardt
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Dave Gerhardt (Founder of Exit Five, former CMO) chats with top marketing leaders and CMOs. Join 5,000+ members in our private community at exitfive.com.

  1. 22 HR AGO

    The Strategy Behind Canva’s B2B Growth with Emma Robinson and Kristine Segrist

    #277 Growth | Dave is joined by Emma Robinson, Head of B2B Marketing at Canva, and Kristine Segrist, VP of Consumer Marketing at Canva. Together, Emma and Kristine lead the teams driving Canva’s growth across both enterprise and consumer audiences, helping the company scale into a platform now used by over 95% of the Fortune 500. Dave, Emma, and Kristine cover: How Canva balances brand-building with pipeline accountability, and why they view brand investment as long-term growth.The playbook Canva uses to turn bottom-up adoption into enterprise deals, including how product signals guide upsell and expansion.How their team structure, data science investments, and creative bets (like the Love Your Work campaign) work together to scale B2B marketing without losing Canva’s approachable brand identity.This episode offers a practical look at how one of the world’s most recognizable platforms approaches B2B growth. Timestamps (00:00) - – Intro (03:48) - – Canva’s marketing org structure (06:48) - – Blurring B2B and B2C (11:48) - – How Canva measures marketing impact (16:48) - – Turning free users into enterprise deals (21:48) - – Data science’s role in marketing (24:48) - – Balancing brand bets with ROI (31:23) - – Inside the “Love Your Work” campaign (38:23) - – How Canva executes large campaigns (42:23) - – Building enterprise credibility and trust (45:23) - – FedEx case study on brand governance (49:23) - – Lessons from Google and Meta (53:23) - – Why creativity is a marketing superpower (55:23) - – Closing thoughts Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership *** Today’s episode is brought to you by Walnut. Why are we pouring all this effort into marketing just to push buyers to a “request a demo” or “contact sales” button? Come on, today’s buyers don’t want to talk to sales right away. They want to explore your product themselves, see how it works, and understand its value before booking a meeting. That’s where Walnut comes in. Walnut empowers marketers and GTM teams to create interactive, self-guided product experiences in minutes. Embed these experiences on your site, in emails, or anywhere in your funnel to let buyers engage on their terms, from awareness to close and beyond. That's the beauty of Walnut - you're getting a platform that your sales and CS colleagues can use to showcase the product too. And the best part? You get real intent data—see which features prospects love, where they drop off, and what’s actually driving pipeline. Demo Qualified Leads are the new MQL. Over 500 companies, like Adobe and NetApp, use Walnut to drive 2-3x higher website conversion rates and 7 figures in pipeline on a yearly basis. So do you want to drive more leads, shorten sales cycles, and actually show your product instead of hiding it behind another typical B2B CTA? Go check out Walnut.io. And if you tell them Dave from Exit 5 sent you, they'll build out your first demo for free!

    55 min

  2. 3 DAYS AGO

    How to Evolve as a CMO: Navigating New Markets, Personas, and Business Models with Kady Srinivasan

    #276 Career Growth | Dave is joined by Kady Srinivasan, CMO at You.com, an AI-first company building infrastructure for enterprise agents. Kady has led marketing at some of the world’s most recognizable companies, including Dropbox, Klaviyo, and Lightspeed, where she scaled teams, drove massive revenue growth, and navigated ICP pivots. Now, she’s bringing that experience into the fast-changing world of AI. Dave and Kady cover: How to evolve as a CMO across industries, personas, and business modelsThe three core systems CMOs need to scale teams and drive alignmentHow AI is reshaping marketing roles, workflows, and the skills future CMOs will needYou’ll walk away with lessons you can apply to your own career, no matter what market or role you’re in. Timestamps (00:00) - – Intro (03:03) - – From engineer to reluctant marketer (05:37) - – Gaming years and “coolest mom” cred (07:52) - – The story behind You.com’s domain (09:31) - – Why she jumped into AI (12:00) - – Reinventing yourself as a CMO (14:00) - – Fundamentals that never change in marketing (16:13) - – Aligning marketing with company strategy (19:24) - – Pivoting the ICP at Lightspeed (22:26) - – Lessons on cross-functional alignment (25:08) - – Letting go to grow as a leader (27:53) - – Systems every CMO should set up (34:43) - – Why no single playbook works (36:24) - – How AI is reshaping marketing roles (51:04) - – Building an AI-first marketing org and closing thoughts Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership *** Today’s episode is brought to you by Walnut. Why are we pouring all this effort into marketing just to push buyers to a “request a demo” or “contact sales” button? Come on, today’s buyers don’t want to talk to sales right away. They want to explore your product themselves, see how it works, and understand its value before booking a meeting. That’s where Walnut comes in. Walnut empowers marketers and GTM teams to create interactive, self-guided product experiences in minutes. Embed these experiences on your site, in emails, or anywhere in your funnel to let buyers engage on their terms, from awareness to close and beyond. That's the beauty of Walnut - you're getting a platform that your sales and CS colleagues can use to showcase the product too. And the best part? You get real intent data—see which features prospects love, where they drop off, and what’s actually driving pipeline. Demo Qualified Leads are the new MQL. Over 500 companies, like Adobe and NetApp, use Walnut to drive 2-3x higher website conversion rates and 7 figures in pipeline on a yearly basis. So do you want to drive more leads, shorten sales cycles, and actually show your product instead of hiding it behind another typical B2B CTA? Go check out Walnut.io. And if you tell them Dave from Exit 5 sent you, they'll build out your first demo for free!

    57 min

  3. 21 AUG

    Why Every Founder Needs a LinkedIn Strategy with Brad Zomick

    #275 LinkedIn Strategy | In this episode, Dave is joined by Brad Zomick, a B2B marketing consultant and host who has helped founders and executives build their presence on LinkedIn. Together they break down why a strong LinkedIn strategy is no longer optional for founders, it’s one of the most effective growth levers in B2B today. Dave and Brad cover: Why LinkedIn is still the best channel for founders to build authority, attract talent, and connect with customersHow to turn everyday founder communications into high-impact LinkedIn contentThe unexpected ROI of founder-led content, from recruiting and partnerships to real-time message testingIf you’ve been wondering how to turn LinkedIn into a real growth engine for your brand, this episode is your blueprint. Timestamps (00:00) - – Intro (03:48) - – Early days of LinkedIn (09:18) - – Building Drift with founder brand (15:18) - – Why every founder needs LinkedIn (19:18) - – The hidden ROI of posting (27:53) - – Dave’s personal posting system (31:23) - – How to never run out of content (35:23) - – Unexpected benefits of being visible (39:53) - – Is it too late to start? (42:53) - – Who inspires Dave today (45:08) - – What’s next for Exit Five (46:53) - – Closing thoughts Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership *** Today’s episode is brought to you by Walnut. Why are we pouring all this effort into marketing just to push buyers to a “request a demo” or “contact sales” button? Come on, today’s buyers don’t want to talk to sales right away. They want to explore your product themselves, see how it works, and understand its value before booking a meeting. That’s where Walnut comes in. Walnut empowers marketers and GTM teams to create interactive, self-guided product experiences in minutes. Embed these experiences on your site, in emails, or anywhere in your funnel to let buyers engage on their terms, from awareness to close and beyond. That's the beauty of Walnut - you're getting a platform that your sales and CS colleagues can use to showcase the product too. And the best part? You get real intent data—see which features prospects love, where they drop off, and what’s actually driving pipeline. Demo Qualified Leads are the new MQL. Over 500 companies, like Adobe and NetApp, use Walnut to drive 2-3x higher website conversion rates and 7 figures in pipeline on a yearly basis. So do you want to drive more leads, shorten sales cycles, and actually show your product instead of hiding it behind another typical B2B CTA? Go check out Walnut.io. And if you tell them Dave from Exit 5 sent you, they'll build out your first demo for free!

    50 min

  4. 18 AUG

    Why Marketers Need Great RevOps Partners with Sean Lane, Founding Partner at BeaconGTM and RevOps Expert

    #274 Growth | In this episode, Dave is joined by Sean Lane, Founding Partner at BeaconGTM and RevOps expert, to talk about scaling RevOps in B2B. With over a decade of experience at Drift and other B2B SaaS companies, Sean shares actionable tips for marketers looking to align operations with business goals. Dave and Sean cover: How to build alignment between sales, marketing, and opsWhy early-stage companies must align operational complexity with their growth maturityHow continuous planning helps marketing and ops teams stay agile as business challenges come upTimestamps (00:00) - - Intro to Sean (07:11) - - Going From Founder Led Sales to Having A Professional GTM (09:52) - - How Ops Bridges Business Goals (13:42) - - How To Align Sales, Marketing, and Operations (17:51) - - Why You Need A Clear Marketing Strategy (20:17) - - How To Build A Partnership Between Marketing and Operations (26:41) - - Guidelines for long term vs short term budgeting and planning (32:19) - - Marketing’s Role At The Bottom Of The Funnel (37:14) - - How To Get “Hand-raisers” For Your Product In The Customer Journey (41:06) - - Do Engaged Accounts Measure The Success Of Marketing? (42:56) - - Sean’s Podcast ROI (45:12) - - AI Use Cases In Ops (50:14) - - How To Hire A Good Ops Person (53:42) - - Closing Remarks Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership *** Today’s episode is brought to you by Walnut. Why are we pouring all this effort into marketing just to push buyers to a “request a demo” or “contact sales” button? Come on, today’s buyers don’t want to talk to sales right away. They want to explore your product themselves, see how it works, and understand its value before booking a meeting. That’s where Walnut comes in. Walnut empowers marketers and GTM teams to create interactive, self-guided product experiences in minutes. Embed these experiences on your site, in emails, or anywhere in your funnel to let buyers engage on their terms, from awareness to close and beyond. That's the beauty of Walnut - you're getting a platform that your sales and CS colleagues can use to showcase the product too. And the best part? You get real intent data—see which features prospects love, where they drop off, and what’s actually driving pipeline. Demo Qualified Leads are the new MQL. Over 500 companies, like Adobe and NetApp, use Walnut to drive 2-3x higher website conversion rates and 7 figures in pipeline on a yearly basis. So do you want to drive more leads, shorten sales cycles, and actually show your product instead of hiding it behind another typical B2B CTA? Go check out Walnut.io. And if you tell them Dave from Exit 5 sent you, they'll build out your first demo for free!

    58 min

  5. 14 AUG

    Leading Through Change: Recognition, Retention & Culture for Marketing Teams with Rachel Weeks

    #273 Leadership | Matt is joined by Rachel Weeks, a veteran B2B marketing leader with over 20 years of experience guiding companies through acquisitions, layoffs, and tech disruption. Rachel has led both corporate and field marketing teams and is passionate about recognition-driven team cultures that retain and empower top talent. Matt and Rachel cover: How to build a recognition strategy that actually improves retention (without needing a big budget or fancy platform)Why employee motivation dips during times of stress, layoffs, or AI disruption and what great leaders do differentlyThe role of marketing in internal culture: from branding the program to building peer-driven engagementWhether you’re managing a small team or leading an entire department, this episode is packed with practical insights to help you build a culture where marketers feel valued, motivated, and ready to stay. Timestamps (00:00) - – Intro (03:48) - – Rachel’s background and leadership lens (06:18) - – What actually makes a recognition program work (08:48) - – How marketing supports internal culture building (11:48) - – Recognition during org changes, stress, and funding rounds (14:48) - – The impact of AI on morale and motivation (18:18) - – What happens when recognition disappears (20:18) - – The “10 minutes by Friday” habit (22:48) - – Easy, no-budget ways to recognize team members (25:48) - – Performance-driven vs. values-driven recognition (30:53) - – Monetary vs. non-monetary rewards (and what people really want) (34:23) - – Recognition vs. pay raises: what the data says (38:23) - – Why people leave even when they’re paid well (42:23) - – How to ask for (and give) better feedback (47:23) - – Using AI to create space for strategic work (54:23) - – Final thoughts on leadership, retention, and culture Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership *** Today’s episode is brought to you by Walnut. Why are we pouring all this effort into marketing just to push buyers to a “request a demo” or “contact sales” button? Come on, today’s buyers don’t want to talk to sales right away. They want to explore your product themselves, see how it works, and understand its value before booking a meeting. That’s where Walnut comes in. Walnut empowers marketers and GTM teams to create interactive, self-guided product experiences in minutes. Embed these experiences on your site, in emails, or anywhere in your funnel to let buyers engage on their terms, from awareness to close and beyond. That's the beauty of Walnut - you're getting a platform that your sales and CS colleagues can use to showcase the product too. And the best part? You get real intent data—see which features prospects love, where they drop off, and what’s actually driving pipeline. Demo Qualified Leads are the new MQL. Over 500 companies, like Adobe and NetApp, use Walnut to drive 2-3x higher website conversion rates and 7 figures in pipeline on a yearly basis. So do you want to drive more leads, shorten sales cycles, and actually show your product instead of hiding it behind another typical B2B CTA? Go check out Walnut.io. And if you tell them Dave from Exit 5 sent you, they'll build out your first demo for free!

    1 hr

  6. 11 AUG

    The 4-Part Framework for Presentations That Stick and Get Remembered with Vincent Pierri

    #272 Presentation Skills | Matt is joined by Vincent Pierri, a speaking coach who helps executives and marketers craft compelling, high-stakes talks. With a background as a pastor and public communicator, Vincent has developed a repeatable framework that helps B2B marketers improve how they show up in front of a room, whether it’s a conference keynote, a boardroom pitch, or a weekly team update. Matt and Vincent cover: The 4-part framework behind talks that stick: Tension, Trust, Teaching, TakeawayHow to pick the right topic for your talk (and avoid cramming in too much)Why authenticity and simplicity matter more than slide design, and how to keep your delivery grounded and effectiveWhether you’re prepping for Inbound, Exit Five’s Drive, or just your next big internal presentation, this episode will help you nail the structure and mindset behind a talk that resonates. Timestamps (00:00) - - Intro (02:58) - - Vincent’s unusual path to speaking coach (06:48) - - Why marketers need this framework (not just keynote speakers) (09:28) - - The first step: pick one real person you want to help (12:38) - - How to narrow your talk down from too many ideas (15:48) - - The 4-part structure: Tension, Trust, Teaching, Takeaway (18:38) - - Why your talk should start with a problem (not your points) (20:13) - - How to build trust by showing vulnerability (23:18) - - The 3 Cs: Catchy one-liner, Creative analogy, Concrete example (30:23) - - How to make your points memorable (and not Googleable) (33:28) - - Why authenticity beats sounding “smart” (35:38) - - What a strong closing takeaway looks like (38:53) - - When (and how) to start practicing your delivery (40:08) - - Why you should build your talk before your deck (42:33) - - How many slides is too many? (46:23) - - Connecting without slides: lessons from the pulpit (48:38) - - Final advice for marketers prepping talks this fall Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership *** Today’s episode is brought to you by Walnut. Why are we pouring all this effort into marketing just to push buyers to a “request a demo” or “contact sales” button? Come on, today’s buyers don’t want to talk to sales right away. They want to explore your product themselves, see how it works, and understand its value before booking a meeting. That’s where Walnut comes in. Walnut empowers marketers and GTM teams to create interactive, self-guided product experiences in minutes. Embed these experiences on your site, in emails, or anywhere in your funnel to let buyers engage on their terms, from awareness to close and beyond. That's the beauty of Walnut - you're getting a platform that your sales and CS colleagues can use to showcase the product too. And the best part? You get real intent data—see which features prospects love, where they drop off, and what’s actually driving pipeline. Demo Qualified Leads are the new MQL. Over 500 companies, like Adobe and NetApp, use Walnut to drive 2-3x higher website conversion rates and 7 figures in pipeline on a yearly basis. So do you want to drive more leads, shorten sales cycles, and actually show your product instead of hiding it behind another typical B2B CTA? Go check out Walnut.io. And if you tell them Dave from Exit 5 sent you, they'll build out your first demo for free!

    55 min

  7. 7 AUG

    WTF is GTM Engineering? Everything You Need to Know Before Hiring One in 2025

    #271 GTM Engineering | In this episode, Dave is joined by John Short, CEO of Compound Growth Marketing, along with Cammy Keiler, Justin Johnson, and Dan Guenet. Together, they break down the rise of GTM engineering, what it is, how it differs from RevOps, and why B2B teams are investing in it. Dave and the crew cover: The core difference between RevOps and GTM engineering (and why the latter is more focused on building than just integrating)Real GTM engineering use cases, from AI-powered sales tools to mid-funnel campaigns that go way beyond ebooksHow GTM engineers are driving higher revenue per employee and why this role should be one of your first five marketing hiresWhether you’re hiring or just GTM-curious, you’ll leave this episode with a clear definition of the role, real-world examples, and tactical ways GTM engineers drive impact. Timestamps (00:00) - – Intro (03:33) - – Why this topic resonated with 1,200+ registrants (05:48) - – What even is **GTM engineering? (08:03) - – GTM engineering vs. RevOps vs. Marketing Ops (11:18) - – How AI is driving this role forward (14:28) - – Real examples: ABM campaigns, mid-funnel tools, sales call analysis (19:38) - – Tools GTM engineers are using today (Clay, Unify, GPTs) (23:03) - – Role of GTM engineering in revenue per employee (27:18) - – How GTM engineers enable sales + reduce headcount (31:33) - – What Dan actually does all day as a GTM engineer (36:23) - – Custom GPTs for sales and marketing teams (39:38) - – What MCP servers are (and why they matter) (44:08) - – Claude, Gamma, and AI-powered content systems (46:53) - – Why this isn’t just PLG (or ABM, or RevOps) (50:43) - – When to hire a GTM engineer (53:23) - – Big feelings about the role (and why they exist) (55:33) - – Closing thoughts + what to take away Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership *** Today’s episode is brought to you by Walnut. Why are we pouring all this effort into marketing just to push buyers to a “request a demo” or “contact sales” button? Come on, today’s buyers don’t want to talk to sales right away. They want to explore your product themselves, see how it works, and understand its value before booking a meeting. That’s where Walnut comes in. Walnut empowers marketers and GTM teams to create interactive, self-guided product experiences in minutes. Embed these experiences on your site, in emails, or anywhere in your funnel to let buyers engage on their terms, from awareness to close and beyond. That's the beauty of Walnut - you're getting a platform that your sales and CS colleagues can use to showcase the product too. And the best part? You get real intent data—see which features prospects love, where they drop off, and what’s actually driving pipeline. Demo Qualified Leads are the new MQL. Over 500 companies, like Adobe and NetApp, use Walnut to drive 2-3x higher website conversion rates and 7 figures in pipeline on a yearly basis. So do you want to drive more leads, shorten sales cycles, and actually show your product instead of hiding it behind another typical B2B CTA? Go check out Walnut.io. And if you tell them Dave from Exit 5 sent you, they'll build out your first demo for free!

    1h 1m

  8. 4 AUG

    Scaling B2B Marketing at an AI Startup: Channels, Strategy, and Team Ops with Holly Xiao

    #270 Strategy | Dave is joined by Holly Xiao, Head of B2B Marketing at HeyGen, an AI video generation platform that helps teams produce personalized, high-quality content, fast. Holly has led marketing at high-growth startups and now runs the enterprise GTM motion at HeyGen, where she blends strategy, creative execution, and AI-powered workflows to reach modern B2B buyers. Dave and Holly cover: The 4 channels her lean team is betting on to drive enterprise pipeline (and what’s not working anymore)How B2B marketers are using AI video for event marketing, sales enablement, onboarding, and beyondWhy SEO is falling short and how HeyGen is shifting focus to webinars, events, and YouTube insteadIf you’re figuring out how to use AI in your marketing or just trying to do more with less, this one’s full of practical ideas to help you think differently about team structure, channels, and strategy. Timestamps (00:00) - – Intro (03:48) - – Holly’s nonlinear path to marketing (06:48) - – Getting started in marketing ops (08:48) - – Why she joined an AI startup (10:48) - – How HeyGen’s marketing org works (13:48) - – PLG vs SLG: Key differences (15:48) - – The 4 channels driving pipeline (17:48) - – What’s working: Events + webinars (19:48) - – Booth strategy that stands out (24:23) - – Brand vs demand events (26:23) - – Building community and user events (27:53) - – SEO is declining. Now what? (30:23) - – Running marketing in 2-month sprints (33:23) - – Aligning product and marketing cadence (35:23) - – Her daily AI tools (36:53) - – ChatGPT vs Gemini workflows (38:23) - – Real AI video use cases (40:23) - – Personalized event promos with avatars (41:23) - – Support, training, and onboarding videos (42:23) - – Fortune telling and music videos?! (43:23) - – Why AI won’t replace marketers Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership *** Today’s episode is brought to you by Walnut. Why are we pouring all this effort into marketing just to push buyers to a “request a demo” or “contact sales” button? Come on, today’s buyers don’t want to talk to sales right away. They want to explore your product themselves, see how it works, and understand its value before booking a meeting. That’s where Walnut comes in. Walnut empowers marketers and GTM teams to create interactive, self-guided product experiences in minutes. Embed these experiences on your site, in emails, or anywhere in your funnel to let buyers engage on their terms, from awareness to close and beyond. That's the beauty of Walnut - you're getting a platform that your sales and CS colleagues can use to showcase the product too. And the best part? You get real intent data—see which features prospects love, where they drop off, and what’s actually driving pipeline. Demo Qualified Leads are the new MQL. Over 500 companies, like Adobe and NetApp, use Walnut to drive 2-3x higher website conversion rates and 7 figures in pipeline on a yearly basis. So do you want to drive more leads, shorten sales cycles, and actually show your product instead of hiding it behind another typical B2B CTA? Go check out Walnut.io. And if you tell them Dave from Exit 5 sent you, they'll build out your first demo for free!

    48 min
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Dave Gerhardt (Founder of Exit Five, former CMO) chats with top marketing leaders and CMOs. Join 5,000+ members in our private community at exitfive.com.

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