GTM Disrupted with Mike Smart Mr. Thrive Media

GTM Disrupted host Mike Smart was able to grab a few minutes to chat with Laura Fay, tech industry veteran, enterprise software executive, author and thought leader to discuss the evolution of product leadership and the next growth driver for B2B tech – Experience-Led Growth (XLG). Laura explains the XLG Manifesto, the core values of XLG and shares her views on what product leaders must do now to help prepare for frictionless customer touch to expansion.
Key Take Aways from this episode include:
 Leveraging tools and technologies
 Shifting from products to customer experiences
 How to prioritize data driven decisions
 Evolution of the sales-led culture

Laura’s Bio
Laura Fay is a 30+ year tech industry veteran who partners with product leaders in the tech industry to help them make effective portfolio investment decisions and drive profitable growth. Prior to her consulting career, Laura spent decades as a Product Management, Customer Success and General Business executive directly contributing to the growth and operational velocity of large well-established enterprises and several early-stage businesses.
Laura is an author of multiple widely used industry frameworks on key business, customer, and product management topics. Based on her experience advising dozens of product leaders, she co-authored Digital Hesitation with her TSIA research colleagues where she makes the case for effective value management and its role in launching and growing successful recurring revenue businesses.
To Learn more about Laura to go - https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurafay/

GTM Disrupted host Mike Smart sat with Michael Israel, Vice President of Community at Zuper, a leading provider of field service management software. To discuss the impact service excellence has on go-to-market and growth. Michael shares how prioritizing customer-centric approaches drives growth and customer loyalty.
Key Take Aways from this episode include:
 Small Actions, Big Impact
 Service Excellence as the differentiator
 Integration with Marketing
 Proactive Engagement

Michael’s Bio
Michael Israel has 50 years of industry expertise, positioning him as a leading authority in technology for field service businesses. As Vice President of
Community at Zuper Michael combines deep domain knowledge and experience to create services that accelerate growth and build customer loyalty. Michael’s passion centers on “completed service work,” emphasizing a customer-centric approach to elevate experiences. As a thought leader, he regularly addresses the evolving role of field service technicians and champions the transformative impact of technology.

To Learn more about Michael to go - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelisrael1/
To Learn more about Zuper to go -- https://www.zuper.co

GTM Disrupted host Mike Smart grabs a few minutes with Ben Foster, Co-Founder and Partner at Prodify a product consultancy and co-author of “Build What Matters” a book that explores the Vision-Led Product Management Framework.
Ben offers his take on succeeding as a CPO or VP of Product. His key message is shift to offense to thrive in the role.
Key Take Aways from this episode include:
 Overcoming Product Management Dysfunctions
 Balancing Value Delivery and Value Extraction
 Shifting the Dialogue to Empower Teams
 Using Product Management Art and Science

Ben’s Bio
Ben Foster is a 25-year product veteran who has formally mentored 50+ product leaders. He is co-founder and partner at Prodify, a highly regarded product consultancy, and co-author of Build What Matters. Ben has spoken at top product conferences, is an inventor on over a dozen patents, and co-authored the book Build What Matters, which offers practical guidance for product leaders. Ben has experience leading product and design at B2C companies, like eBay and Whoop, and B2B SaaS companies, such as Opower and GoCanvas, and has found connections between them. Ben lives with his wife and son in Arlington, VA.
To Learn more about Ben to go - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benfoster/
To Learn more about Prodify to go -- https://www.prodify.group/

GTM Disrupted host Mike Smart reconnected with Ed Kless, Senior Director of Partner Development and Strategy for Sage Business Solutions to get his insights on how knowledge-based services are driving customer growth.
Ed provides a unique perspective based on more than 20 years in partner strategy and development at one of the leading cloud business management solutions providers. According to Ed, one of the keys to accelerating growth and improving loyalty is creating and measuring customer value. Creating value as Ed describes it is about delivering knowledge-based services.

Key learnings from this podcast include:
 Shifting Business Models
 Moving Off the Solution
 Measuring Customer Perceived Value
 Embracing Change

Ed’s Bio:
Ed Kless joined Sage in July of 2003 and is currently the senior director of partner development and strategy for Sage Business Solutions in North America. He develops and delivers a curriculum for Sage business partners on the art and practice of small business consulting.

Ed hosts the Sage Thought Leadership Podcast and is a co-host of the VoiceAmerica TalkShow Network’s The Soul of Enterprise. Before joining Sage, Ed worked with Tipping Point Advisors, an organization dedicated to the growth and development of software implementation partners. He co-founded Third Wave Business Systems, a Microsoft Dynamics GP partner.
Ed is a contributor to industry publications and has spoken at many conferences worldwide on project management, pricing, and knowledge workers. He is also active in the Information Technology Alliance (ITA) and has been named to Accounting Today’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in Accounting numerous times including 2019.
To learn more about Ed to go - https://www.linkedin.com/in/edkless/

GTM Disrupted host Mike Smart meets with Laura Marino, CPO, C-suite Advisor, Board Member, and Lecturer to discuss the urgency to adjust product strategies during uncertain business conditions.
Laura provides insights based on a solid foundation in product leadership as well as B2B enterprise software.
She gives us a few invaluable best practices to improve alignment with C-Suite partners on product strategy, especially during a challenging business climate.
Today, product leaders must strike a balance between some of our long-term initiatives and working with sales to make this year’s numbers.

Key learnings from this podcast include:
 Impact of Market Dynamics on Prioritization
 Sales-Led GTM (Go-to-Market) Strategies
 Transparency in Product Roadmaps

Laura’s Bio:
Laura is a Chief Product Officer, Board Member, Advisor to CEOs, and Lecturer. She has over 25 years of experience leading product teams in large and small B2B and B2B2C companies, including Nuance, Microsoft, Intapp, Lever, and more recently TrueML, a fintech company using AI to reinvent debt resolution. She was named a Top 25 Fintech Product Executive by the Financial Technology Report and a Top 25 Product Led Growth Influencer by the Product Led Alliance.
Laura is passionate about teaching and promoting diversity. As a guest lecturer at Stanford University and at Los Andes University in Colombia, she shares her expertise in product management with the next generation of leaders. As a board member of the non-profit Leading Women in Technology, she promotes women's leadership. And as one of the few female Latin American technology executives in Silicon Valley, she strives to serve as a role model for the Latinx community.
To Learn more about Laura to go - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lamarino/

GTM Disrupted host Mike Smart managed to grab a few minutes with Mike Lubansky, SVP of Product Management for one of the leading providers of regulatory compliance technology to discuss how product management has evolved, especially for product leaders.
Mike shares his personal evolution from business development to product executive and his transition from a product leader for a small company to a mid-market company.
The key drivers of the changing landscape for product professionals will be significantly impacted by two factors: increasing influence of go-to-market and the leverage of AI on PM work.
Key learnings from this podcast include:
 Lead an AI initiative that impacts product management work.
 Gather market data from unconventional sources.
 Developing a creative vision for UX

Mike’s Bio:
Mike is an accomplished product leader in the B2B SaaS space with over 15 years or experience building innovative B2B SaaS products across various industries. He has led product teams and initiatives within companies of varying scale-- from startups and growth stage companies to leading a global team of product strategists within a Fortune 500 company. He currently leads the team of Product Managers at COMPLY, a market leader in leveraging the power of regulatory technology to empower compliance professionals in the financial space.
To Learn more about Mike to go https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-lubansky/