The Marketer's Journey Uberflip

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Jennifer Griffin Smith, CMO of Brightcove. Jennifer is in her sixth CMO role so far, so she has plenty of words of wisdom to share about what it takes to be a great marketing leader. She also shares her perspective on the realities of virtual engagement today, including advice for adapting to this digital-first landscape and ever-shrinking attention spans.


Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts!
 

Key takeaways from this episode:
Jennifer truly takes a holistic approach to internal collaboration. Work closely with engineering and product leads within your organization to develop a solid understanding of what the market needs, what the customers want, and how the team can develop a value proposition that sets you apart from the competition.The traditional buyer's journey has evolved dramatically in recent years. Now, the funnel has flipped, which means marketers are tasked with targeting their audience using unique messages and creating advocates. Accomplishing this requires a different technology stack, different resources, and a different mindset overall.The average attention span has changed. Jennifer reminds us that over the past few years, the typical buyer’s behavior, daily routines and expectations have shifted dramatically. For this reason, the entire buyer journey needs to be easily accessible, quick, and to-the-point.

Learn more about Brightcove here: https://www.brightcove.com/en/ 
Learn more about Jennifer here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifergriffinsmith/ 

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Udi Ledergor, CMO at Gong. Udi gets vulnerable about the challenges he's faced helping to scale the organization to over $7 billion in value and over 1,200 employees—60 of whom are marketers—as marketer number one. He discusses some of the obstacles and realities of each growth stage, including self-doubt, marketing in a downturn, and more.


Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts!


Key takeaways from this episode:
Get inside your buyer’s head. As someone who has been a marketing leader at five different companies throughout his career, Udi has learned that he always does his best work when he can truly get into the shoes of the company’s buyer persona. From that perspective, he says, it’s much easier to understand what the buyer’s day looks like, why they might care about the product, and how the company can add value to their life.Know when to delegate. As a leader, Udi is wise enough to know that he’s not going to be the right fit for every single project, campaign, or function within the company’s marketing team. He’s big on recognizing his own weaknesses, and he delegates work when he feels someone else will be more skilled or passionate in the role.Be well-rounded. Udi believes a good CMO should balance an analytical mindset with creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. Maintaining a strategic perspective is another key to success: marketers need to be able to see the big picture and take a long-term view of the journey—beyond the current quarter or year. 

Learn more about Gong here: https://www.gong.io/ 
Learn more about Udi here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/udiledergor/

In this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Venkat Nagaswamy, EVP and CMO at telecommunications company Mitel. As someone who's held roles as a CEO, an analyst, a sales executive, and currently as a CMO throughout his 30-year career, Venkat has plenty of perspective, experience and wisdom to impart. 


Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts!


Key takeaways from this episode:
Focus your efforts. According to Venkat’s philosophy, one of the greatest risks most companies face is trying to compete with too many different players at once. In his role at Mitel, Venkat has made it his mission to focus their marketing efforts in just one market (in their case, the U.S.) in order to optimize outcomes and avoid spreading themselves too thin.Tell customer stories. Another big focus of Venkat’s when it comes to his role as CMO includes identifying and sharing Mitel’s most inspiring customer stories. By weaving great storytelling into the majority of their marketing plans, the team is better positioned to connect with new prospects and communicate the value of their products succinctly.Market the way you’d like to be marketed to. Venkat mentioned that part of his mission as CMO is to do away with negative stigmas surrounding marketing, and instead create the kind of marketing campaigns that truly add value to audiences. By making use of the abundance of data we have at our fingertips today, Venkat believes we can become more targeted in our efforts and therefore, reach people in a way that resonates.

Learn more about Mitel here: https://www.mitel.com/en-ca 


Learn more about Venkat here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/venkatnagaswamy/

In this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Randi Barshack, CMO of RollWorks, a division of NextRoll, an account-based marketing platform for B2B marketing and sales, and one of Uberflip’s partners. Randi runs a team that is all about meeting the buyers where they are, prioritizing authenticity, and understanding what you need to continue progressing along your own career trajectory. 


Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts!


Key takeaways from this episode:


Optimize for personal happiness. When it comes to choosing your next gig as a marketing professional, it’s important to take a strategic approach that considers the role from a variety of diverse perspectives. For Randi, prioritizing her own personal happiness is a must when making career moves, because it can be next to impossible to predict what the market will do next or how the financial situation will look in a few years’ time.Believe in your product. For any marketer, it’s an essential part of the role to have a solid understanding of the product you’re selling, and truly believe in its value. To really get on board with the product you’ll be marketing, Randi recommends taking the time to understand it inside and out so you can ignite your own passion and ultimately influence others to do the same.Meet the buyer where they are. When it comes to relating to your buyer, their needs and their unique perspective on your product, Randi believes it’s important to learn how to meet the buyer where they are so they can visualize exactly where it will fit into their lives and add value. By taking this approach, marketers will have a better chance at forming an authentic relationship with the buyer and therefore, influencing their decisions. 

Learn more about RollWorks here: https://www.rollworks.com/ 


Learn more about Randi here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randi-barshack-431a72/

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Nicole Milstead, CMO at FinancialForce—a company that’s a true force in the world of B2B marketing. During our conversation, Nicole explains why she prefers to make her decisions both with a purposeful yet open intent, tending to stick to a carefully designed plan while remaining flexible and adaptable to change. She also explains her unique approach to understanding data across the entire buyer journey, and how to create content that resonates with consumers.


Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts!


Key takeaways from this episode:
A varied background will take you far. Throughout her career, Nicole has carved her own unique path, veering away from the traditional stepping stones along the way to the coveted CMO role. By using all of her varied experiences—from social work to sales—as learning opportunities on the way to her next role, Nicole has been able to offer a nuanced perspective while creating alignment among teams.Prioritize relationships and culture. When making the decision to make the leap to FinancialForce from Oracle, Nicole used her positive working relationships and the company culture as her guiding light. By using these elements as guideposts, she was better able to determine whether the company would be a good fit for her particular skills, working style and personality.Be disciplined when it comes to data. For Nicole, analyzing data to determine the best course of action is an everyday pursuit. By using quantifiable metrics to track their progress, Nicole and the team at FinancialForce have a better sense of where they need to focus their efforts, while also having a chance to find better alignment with the sales team.

Learn more about FinancialForce here: https://www.financialforce.com/ 


Learn more about Nicole here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nmilstead/

On this episode of The Marketer’s Journey, I interview Deena Bahri, the CMO of StockX, an online destination where you can buy and sell trendy sneakers, streetwear, trading cards, collectibles, designer handbags and other luxury items. We chat about the concept of disruption including why content plays such a key role in the process, how to build a culture around your brand and the importance of being intentional every step of the way.


Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts!


Key takeaways from this episode:
Listen and learn. For any leaders who hope to cause disruption in their industry, it’s essential that they keep their finger on the pulse of what’s happening around them. As a CMO, Deena believes that one of the qualities that serves her best is having a willingness to learn, and a keen awareness of upcoming trends before they hit the mainstream market.Balance emotion with data. Marketing as a discipline requires us to keep both the left and right sides of our brain active. Deena’s approach to marketing integrates creative, emotive and brand-forward ideas with facts, figures and data to keep things grounded.Get clear on your content DNA. From the beginning, StockX has placed a high value on storytelling and great content that paints a picture about the brand. Deena believes brands should be creating content across all channels that can meet the customer where they are along their own journey, and help them make shopping decisions that fit their personal style.

Learn more about StockX here: https://stockx.com/ 


Learn more about Deena here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deenabahri/