Ops Cast

MarketingOps.com

Ops Cast, by MarketingOps.com, is a podcast for Marketing Operations Pros by Marketing Ops Pros. Hosted by Michael Hartmann, Mike Rizzo & Naomi Liu

  1. 6d ago

    Consulting, Client Relationships & Career Growth with Mike Rizzo

    Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show! What does consulting teach you that working in-house cannot, and when does it make sense to leave agency life and return to an internal Marketing Operations role? In this episode of the Society of Marketing Technology Consulting Podcast, Courtney Makara and Grant Gregorian sit down with Mike Rizzo of WeWork to talk about his journey from in-house Marketing Operations to consulting at Digital Pi, then back into an internal enterprise role. Mike shares why agency life appealed to him in the first place, how working across different clients and projects changed his confidence as a consultant, and why realizing that consultants do not need to know every answer was such an important lesson.  He also reflects on the skills he developed through consulting, from project management and stakeholder communication to emotional intelligence and relationship building. In this episode, we discuss: Why Mike moved from an in-house Marketing Operations role into agency consulting The initial hesitation he felt about calling himself a consultant Why consultants do not need to know every answer to provide value How agency support helped Mike build confidence in client-facing situations What working across multiple clients taught him about common Marketing Operations challenges How consulting improved his project management, communication, and people skills Why emotional intelligence matters as much as technical expertise The difference between building a system for a client and owning that system long termMike also explains why his time in consulting became a career-changing experience. Working with different clients, teams, and business problems gave him a broader perspective that he later carried back into an internal role. For Marketing Operations professionals deciding between agency consulting, independent consulting, and in-house work, this episode offers a practical look at the benefits and tradeoffs of each path, and how moving between them can help build a stronger, more versatile career. If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe and rate the SMTC Podcast, and join the Society of Marketing Technology Consulting community through MarketingOps.com. Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Support the show

    Consulting, Client Relationships & Career Growth with Mike Rizzo
  2. Sep 16

    Really Listen To Your Customers with Andrea Lechner-Becker, CMO at LeadMD

    Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show! What happens when a career in sports marketing leads to marketing automation, consulting, and eventually the CMO seat? In this episode of the Society of Marketing Technology Consulting Podcast, Courtney Makara and Grant Gregorian sit down with Andrea Lechner-Becker, CMO at LeadMD, to explore her journey from working with the Phoenix Suns to becoming deeply immersed in B2B marketing, marketing automation, analytics, and consulting. Andrea shares how her experience in sports entertainment shaped the way she thinks about customer psychology and measurement, and why B2B marketers need to connect marketing activity to meaningful sales outcomes. The conversation also explores the business side of consulting, including pricing expertise, packaging services, managing client expectations, and knowing when to establish clear boundaries. In this episode, we discuss:  Andrea’s journey from the Phoenix Suns into B2B marketing and marketing automation  How she developed expertise across platforms like Eloqua and Marketo  What sports marketing taught her about customer psychology and buyer behavior  Why marketing analytics should connect marketing activity with tangible sales outcomes  What B2B marketers should actually focus on when measuring performance  Why consultants should price based on expertise and value, not simply hours workedAndrea also offers an important perspective on what clients are really paying for. Consulting value is not necessarily determined by how long a task takes, but by the experience and expertise that allow a consultant to identify the right solution and deliver it effectively. For MarTech consultants, agency professionals, and marketers considering a move into consulting, this episode provides a practical look at building expertise, communicating value, navigating client relationships, and understanding the business behind the technology. If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe and rate the SMTC Podcast, and join the Society of Marketing Technology Consulting community through MarketingOps.com. Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Support the show

    Really Listen To Your Customers with Andrea Lechner-Becker, CMO at LeadMD
  3. Sep 9

    Be Confident In Your Expertise With Julia James

    Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show! What does it really take to build a MarTech consulting practice while keeping a full-time role, and how much experience do you need before clients will trust you as the expert? In this episode of the Society of Marketing Technology Consulting Podcast, Courtney Makara and Grant Gregorian sit down with Julie James, a multiple-time Marketo Champion, professor, consultant, and practitioner who has worked across in-house, freelance, and consulting roles. Julie shares how she moved from working client-side in Marketo to teaching marketing technology in academia, then gradually built her own consulting business after realizing how much demand existed for independent specialists outside large agencies. She also explains how working across roughly 20 clients and 25 Marketo instances dramatically expanded her perspective on what “best practice” really means. In this episode, we discuss: How Julie moved from in-house Marketing Operations into teaching, freelancing, and consulting How a simple post in the Marketo community led to her first consulting opportunities Why many companies prefer working with an independent consultant instead of a large agency What Julie learned from working across dozens of different Marketo instances Why best practices often need to be adapted to the specific needs of each business How her PhD in marketing and experience as a professor influence the way she approaches MarTech consulting  Why teaching skills are valuable when clients need more than just technical execution Julie also explains why strong consulting is not simply about knowing Marketo. Understanding the customer, the wider technology stack, integrations, sales processes, and how teams work together can be just as important as knowing how to build inside the platform. For anyone thinking about becoming a MarTech consultant, freelancing alongside a full-time role, or building deeper expertise before making the move into consulting, this conversation offers a practical look at how Julie built her career one client, one instance, and one lesson at a time. If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe and rate the SMTC Podcast, and join the Society of Marketing Technology Consulting community through MarketingOps.com. Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Support the show

    Be Confident In Your Expertise With Julia James
  4. Aug 24

    So Long, Farewell - The End of an Era

    Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show! After nearly 250 episodes and more than five years of conversations, Ops Cast is signing off, at least in its current form. In this final episode, Michael Hartmann is joined by longtime co-hosts Mike Rizzo and Naomi Liu to look back at how Ops Cast began, how the Marketing Operations profession changed alongside it, and what they learned from hundreds of guests who shared their experiences, ideas, challenges, and careers with the community. Rather than focusing on technology, analytics, or another Marketing Ops framework, this conversation reflects on the people behind the profession. The hosts revisit episodes that tackled leadership, career development, mental health, parenthood, workplace pressures, and the personal realities that inevitably become part of professional life. In this episode, we discuss:  How Ops Cast grew from an experiment in 2021 to nearly 250 episodes  The conversations and guests that stayed with Michael, Mike, and Naomi  Why understanding human psychology remains an important Marketing Ops skill  Giving first-time podcast guests a platform to share their experiences and build confidence  Some of the more personal conversations around parenthood, mental health, career challenges, and life outside work  How remote work changed the separation between professional and personal life  The growth of Marketing Ops, RevOps, and the wider operations community during the life of the podcast  How the Marketing Ops podcast space expanded over the past five years  What the hosts learned from CMOs and other executives about how they view Marketing Operations The episode is also a reminder of what made Ops Cast work in the first place: there was never one prescribed path into Marketing Operations or one correct way to approach the work. Across hundreds of conversations, guests brought different backgrounds and opinions while repeatedly returning to the importance of curiosity, authenticity, human connection, and learning from one another. While this marks the end of Ops Cast in its current form, the conversations, relationships, and community built around it continue. Thank you to every guest who shared their story, every person who helped produce the show, and everyone who listened over the years. Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Support the show

  5. Aug 17

    From Search and Retrieve to Solve My Problem with Len Ward

    Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show! AI is changing how people search for information, evaluate options, and make buying decisions. But what happens when customers stop searching for information themselves and start asking AI to solve the problem for them? In this episode of Ops Cast, Michael Hartmann is joined by Len Ward, Managing Partner and Head of AI at Commexis, to discuss the shift from a traditional “search and retrieve” model to a “solve my problem” model and what it could mean for Marketing Operations. Drawing on more than two decades of experience across traditional marketing, digital, analytics, and AI, Len explains why the rise of LLMs could challenge long-standing assumptions about websites, SEO, content, lead generation, and the customer journey. In this episode, we discuss: How Commexis evolved from traditional and digital marketing into analytics and AI What the shift from “search and retrieve” to “solve my problem” means for marketers How LLMs could change the role of websites, content, SEO, and owned channels Why traditional search and lead-generation models may come under increasing pressure Len’s prediction about Google and what declining search dependence could mean for marketers What organizations should consider building as traditional acquisition models change How agent-to-agent marketing could reshape the way buyers and companies interactWhat Marketing Ops leaders should prioritize over the next 12 to 18 months The conversation also explores a much bigger question for Marketing Operations. If AI increasingly handles research, comparison, and decision support for customers, how should companies rethink the systems and processes they have spent years building around the traditional buyer journey? For Marketing Ops and RevOps leaders trying to prepare for what comes next without chasing every new AI development, this episode offers a thought-provoking look at where AI may have its biggest impact and why the goal should be solving customer problems better, not simply doing existing work faster. Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Support the show

  6. Aug 12

    Follow Your Curiosity

    Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show! In this episode of the Society of Marketing Technology Consulting Podcast, Courtney and Grant sit down with Bryan D’Andrea, a San Diego-based MarTech consultant, to talk about his journey from agency life to independent consulting and what it takes to build a successful consulting career. Bryan shares practical lessons from his experience in marketing technology operations, working with platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot, building strong client relationships, and helping organizations bring sales, marketing, and customer success teams into better alignment. In this episode, we discuss: Bryan’s transition from agency life to independent MarTech consultingThe realities of building a consulting career and working for yourselfHow Salesforce, HubSpot, and MarTech operations fit into effective business processesAligning sales, marketing, and customer success teams around shared goalsHow networking and professional relationships can lead to new consulting opportunitiesWhether you're considering making the move into consulting, already working independently, or looking to grow your MarTech consulting business, Bryan's experience offers practical advice on building credibility, finding clients, delivering value, and creating a sustainable consulting career. Listen to the full episode for an honest conversation about MarTech consulting, freelancing, networking, client relationships, and building a business around your expertise. Learn more about SMTC and join the community at MarketingOps.com. Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Support the show

    Follow Your Curiosity
  7. Aug 5

    Is Moonlighting Cheating?

    Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show! What does it really take to build a successful consulting business while keeping a full-time job? In this episode of the Ops Cast, hosts Courtney McAra and Grant Gregorian sit down with Tom Keefe, Director of Marketing Operations at Engagio (now part of Demandbase), to discuss his experience building a consulting practice as a side business. Tom shares how he launched his first consulting engagement, why referrals became his primary source of new business, and the lessons he learned about pricing, scoping projects, and managing client expectations. The conversation also explores the practical realities of moonlighting, from balancing a full-time career with consulting work to understanding taxes, LLCs, retainers, and hourly pricing. Whether you're considering freelance consulting, growing a side hustle, or planning to transition into independent consulting full-time, this episode offers an honest look at the opportunities and trade-offs that come with the journey. In this episode: Why Tom started consulting while working full-time Managing the balance between a W-2 job and freelance clients Landing consulting work through referrals instead of outbound marketing How to scope projects and run effective discovery audits Hourly pricing vs. retainers: when each model works best Common pricing mistakes new consultants make and how to avoid them Setting boundaries and expectations with clients from day one Understanding the hidden costs of consulting, including taxes, insurance, and LLC expensesIf you're looking to build a consulting business, take on freelance projects, or simply better understand the business side of MarTech consulting, this episode is packed with practical advice from professionals who have been there. Subscribe to the Ops Cast for more conversations with experienced consultants sharing real-world lessons on building a consulting practice, serving clients, and growing a successful career in MarTech consulting. Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Support the show

    Is Moonlighting Cheating?
  8. Jul 29

    Introducing the Society of Martech Consultants

    Text us your thoughts on the episode or the show! What does it really take to become a successful MarTech consultant? In this episode of Stories from the Martech Community (SMTC), Courtney McAra and Grant Gregorian share the realities of building independent consulting careers, from leaping out of full-time roles to navigating the business side of consulting. Drawing from their own experiences, they discuss the freedom, challenges, and lessons that come with running a consulting practice. Whether you're considering consulting for the first time or looking to strengthen your existing business, this conversation is packed with practical advice and honest reflections. Topics covered include:  Making the transition from employee to consultant  Building confidence before taking the leap  Pricing your services and finding your first clients  Legal, financial, and operational considerations  Staying productive while working remotely  The value of networking and community support  Lessons learned from years of MarTech consulting Consulting is about far more than technical expertise. It's about building relationships, creating trust, and continuously learning as your business evolves. Courtney and Grant offer practical guidance for anyone looking to carve out their own path in the MarTech consulting world. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to SMTC, leave a review, and join the conversation with fellow MarTech professionals. Episode Brought to You By MO Pros The #1 Community for Marketing Operations Professionals Support the show

    Introducing the Society of Martech Consultants
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Ops Cast, by MarketingOps.com, is a podcast for Marketing Operations Pros by Marketing Ops Pros. Hosted by Michael Hartmann, Mike Rizzo & Naomi Liu

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