Russ Somers 👓 🎸

I meet and talk with 5-10 of the greatest GTM minds on the planet every week. CRO’s, VPs of Sales, CMO’s. 100% agree that getting outbound right is one of the hardest parts of their business, why? 1. Recruiting is hard again The same voices that sold tech sales as an easy path to 6 figures are now the voices saying the BDR role is dead. They sold a bill of goods to people who didn’t understand how hard this role is, are surprised these people who chose a path because it was sold as “easy” aren’t performing, and now have ulterior motives to pivot to a new message. Hard jobs are hard to recruit for. 2. Lack of Leadership 2020 through mid 2022 we had a bunch of capital bloat and talent bloat enter the market. Just like we have overvalued “zombie” companies we have overvalued “zombie” leaders who don’t know how to coach good habits for this type of market. Outbound was easy from 2014ish to summer 2022. 8 years is a long time, most of the voices we hear only know those times or only know what type of sales motion. 3. Absolute statements muddy the waters I've been around the block enough to click on their profile and see their track record. 99.9% of folks make these statements only sold transactional commodity technology, sold to GTM teams, or in most cases – only both. What works depends on multiple factors: ASP, buyer persona, and complexity of your sales process/customer’s buying process. Depending on what you sell – sometimes you are going to need to pick up the phone or send a note to get someone’s attention. That will NEVER change. 4. Generational consideration for career pathing is key BDR is still hands down the best route to market for future AE’s. You have to learn to prospect and get meetings before you can run a meeting, qualify, and manage a deal. No argument from me on CAC math – thousands of products require veracious qualification, deal management, and creating customer consensus. You can not run those types of deals and prospect. If any Voice had EVER done that type of role or ran a team that did, they wouldn’t say what they are. For BDRs to stick around for more than 14 months, you need steps in the BDR path where comp, responsibility and role grow over time. 5. Results are tanking Point 1&2. You are the equivalent of a fire fighter that starts a fire then takes the glory when you put it out. I absolutely loved the movie Backdraft – but stop it. These are the ideas of “not famous” GTM people. People who spend all day serving their customer and developing their people – not posting on this platform. They don’t care about clicks, followers, or impressions. They care about revenue and earnings. Outbound is hard. It (almost) always has been. Ya’ll need to block the noise and focus on what works for your business and try everything. Even the hard stuff. #AllGasNoBrakes #DialedIn

280

32 Comments

So many good data points out of this research from UserEvidence on how buyers buy. (And how marketers think they buy. Ditto sellers.) It’s no secret to any of us (or it shouldn’t be) that buyers want to learn the success stories of customers they can relate to. Same industry. Same use case. This graphic speaks volumes. When buyers tell us what they need in order to believe us, we should listen. #customers #buyersjourney #saas #saasbuyers #saasmarketing

17

2 Comments

If you want to drive impact and influence with your buyers, you want to surround them with the voices they already trust. That’s the simple explanation for the power of nearbound marketing. Including your partners in your GTM motion is a huge unlock for all parties involved. The power of ecosystem at work. At Vena Solutions, we’re focused on growth through this model and the future is bright. Orchestration for greater impact and scale through a combination of partner specialization and account based engagement, will leave you better prepared to withstand whatever comes in the future. Companies and GTM leaders leveraging these ecosystems at scale are driving: 1️⃣ More revenue 2️⃣ More customer delight 3️⃣ Happier sellers 4️⃣ More productive partners 5️⃣ Stronger bonds, both internally and in the market If it sounds too good to be true, that’s because it basically is 😉 If you’re interested in getting into the details, the team at Reveal just released an awesome resource. It’s a blueprint that can help you overlay your account-based segmentation and partner marketing strategy across all GTM teams AND the entire customer journey. Talk about a game changer… You can get a copy (for free!) at the link in the comments. #Nearbound #NearboundMarketing #Partnerships Isaac Morehouse Jessica Fewless Shawnie Hamer

23

2 Comments

Everyone keeps wondering why the average CMO tenure keeps getting shorter. I believe, at the heart of it, there's a communication gap. Marketing has become more complex. But a big part of our job is to provide clarity. When marketers start using jargon and acronyms, it can sound to board members and other C-level execs like they are speaking a foreign language. Likewise, marketing leaders often fail to link their work back to core financial metrics, or to go the extra mile to explain clearly how their efforts (and budget) impact revenue. Fortunately, there's a lot we can do to remedy this. Grateful to The Drum for featuring my advice on this topic, along with some of the things we do at Zappi and with Sumeru Equity Partners to bridge the gap. https://lnkd.in/eNcbw_bx #marketing #cmo

8

My latest article on CMSWire asks CMOs, CEOs, and hiring agencies if industry experience is necessary or overrated. The deeper question I'm getting at here is: are too many great CMO candidates not even getting interviewed because they lack prior industry knowledge? Share your thoughts! Thanks to Sue Keith, Club CMO, Eric Pairitz, James (JD) Dillon, Doug Zarkin and Gaurav Bhatia for being a source! #cmo #marketing #humanresources

16

5 Comments

Yesterday, I ran a GTMsession for GTMfund portfolio company founders and their executive teams with the brand and content marketing legend, Udi Ledergor 🏳‍🌈. (🤔 GTM what now? GTMfund… GTMnow…) Yes, we have more words attached to the acronym GTM, though not widely talked about since they’re internal. GTMsessions are monthly private digital live sessions on various go-to-market topics, led by an executive operator who is an expert in the field. They’re available to GTMfund portfolio companies and their executive teams. Being closed-door and not open to the public, these sessions allow any and all questions to be comfortably asked, the conversation tailored to be hyper-specific to startups and their current concerns, questions, etc. We didn't even get through half of the moderated points that I had prepared because the questions for Udi just kept rolling in (a good thing, that's the point of these sessions). Udi dropped some 🔥 insights that we’ll share more on later, but for now, Stan Rymkiewicz nailed summarizing key takeaways on how Gong thinks about content creation and distribution that I've dropped in the comments. One key pain point discussed in the session was the challenge of keeping up with the ever-changing landscape of content marketing. It often feels like by the time one strategy is implemented, its effectiveness has already diminished. So, what’s next? How do you stay ahead of the curve? Since GTMsessions are private, their recordings aren’t shared openly. However, the feedback was so phenomenal that we knew other revenue leaders could benefit from the conversation. If you’re a revenue leader looking to understand the future of content marketing and stay ahead of the curve: Join me for a GTMnow digital live event with Udi Ledergor 🏳‍🌈 , Jon Miller, and Pete Lorenco. You'll learn from them how to stay two steps ahead and walk away with content tactics and inspiration. 🗓 June 18th at 10:00 AM PST / 1:00 PM EST 👉 To register: https://lnkd.in/gsdsai23 (pictured here: two passionate hand talkers 👋 )

86

38 Comments

What the heck is "fracking the enterprise"? It's ways to think about and plan ABM programming designed specifically to connect buying team members and connect into new buying centers so more revenue can flow from your target accounts. Join us for this fun session where my colleague Kate Jacobsen and I talk through intent data- and content-driven methodologies we're using to create better opportunities and more of them in high-priority accounts. Think data, content, and #buyinggroups. #ABM #revenueprocessoptimization Evan Liang Jeremy Schwartz Terry Flaherty

18

2 Comments

Hey B2B SaaS marketers. This is your periodic reminder that you don't sell software. You sell promotions. Raises. Growth. Be human. Help people.

23

1 Comment

Thank you Velocity Partners. I'm loving your Big, Beautiful B2B Blueprint. 📌 It's practical with the right level of #theory. 📌 It outlines the basics of #marketing with enough detail. 📌It keeps on stressing these few CRITICAL bits that in B2B #marketing is still a nirvana to reach: - connecting #brand to #revenue, and not just focusing on #pipeline and #leads (actually many CEOs actually get it). Showing how it can be done. - #creativity can be our competitive advantage - let's use it! - sales & marketing alignment may be difficult but not impossible. - importance of #MarTech as the delivery mechanism of the plan we make It's comprehensive, easy to follow, with all the right elements that need to be found in the GREAT B2B Marketing Plan. Thank you!

5

Turn your messy ad data into revenue wins! From multiple platforms to single-view insights 👇 Get instant clarity on your ad performance today. Meet Superads (by Superside) ↳ An AI-powered assistant for ad analytics success. It's powerful, simple, and built for modern marketing teams. 💡 Why Teams Love Superads: ✓ See which ads drive real conversions ✓ Make data-driven decisions in minutes ✓ End the struggle with platform-hopping ✓ Get teams aligned on performance data ✨ My Favorite Superads Features: Visual Dashboards: → Create beautiful, dynamic reports instantly → Customize views for different team needs Multi-Platform Integration: → Connect Meta, LinkedIn, and TikTok in one place → Sync data automatically across platforms → View unified performance metrics AI-Powered Analysis: → Get smart recommendations for improvements → Identify winning ad elements automatically → Optimize campaigns with data-backed insights Advanced Segmentation: → Break down performance by any metric → Discover what resonates with your audience → Track ROI across different segments Team Collaboration: → Share insights instantly with whole team → Generate quick reports for stakeholders → Keep everyone aligned on performance Performance Tracking: → Monitor campaign success in real-time → Spot trends across platforms → Make quick optimization decisions Free Forever Access: → Use core features at no cost → 30-day trial of premium features → No credit card needed to start 🛠️ How to Use Superads: Step 1: Create an Account → Sign up for free at Superads website Step 2: Connect Ad Accounts → Link your LinkedIn, Meta, or TikTok accounts in minutes. Step 3: Select Campaigns to Analyze → Choose specific campaigns or accounts for detailed reporting. Step 4: Sync Your Data → Organize your ad data in minutes; full updates happen within 48 hours. Step 5: Explore Boards and Reports → View dashboards for metrics like ROAS and CTR, or create custom Boards to track KPIs. Step 6: Share and Optimize → Generate reports and refine campaigns using AI-driven insights for better results. 👉 Start optimizing your ads today! 📌📌 Try Superads for free: https://bit.ly/3OGwCgS 🔄 Repost to help others use AI

651

433 Comments

“Lack of visibility is the enemy of revenue.” Joe Vitalone (Strategic Advisor, Extreme Networks) said this on a recent Clari webinar. And I couldn’t agree more. Without visibility, CROs and revenue leaders: - Miss critical deal insights that could help prevent slippage or loss. - Struggle to set accurate forecasts because they don’t have a full view of the pipeline. - Lose alignment as marketing, sales, and customer success aren’t operating from the same data. - Fail to spot revenue leaks early, allowing problems to grow unnoticed. Visibility isn’t optional for revenue professionals — it's a must-have.

33

3 Comments

I see an industry wide need to include more functions and teams in the GTM motion, this one reflects pretty closely to what I have in mind https://lnkd.in/ek2iCWXb

11

More and more CMOs are taking 100% ownership of qualified pipeline. In a great SaaStr panel, it was exciting to hear Sydney Sloan, Katrina Wong, and Claire Darling (with some great content from Lisa Horner) talk about owning the full pipeline number and doing away with the ridiculous sales vs marketing attribution battles. Here’s what I loved: Their slides were outdated/out of order and in front of a full room of marketing leaders, they just laughed, shrugged and proceeded to have a fantastic conversation, sifting through the slides to find what they needed. No one attends these looking for perfection. This was genuine, less staged, much better. They talked about pipeline pacing, tight sales and marketing alignment, and the nitty gritty of the internal orchestration needed to hit meeting booking and qualified pipeline goals at the right point in the month/quarter to allow time for sales to work their magic. They showed examples of spreadsheets, meeting cadences and attendees. This wasn’t just talk — they got into the how. They talked about tracking MQLs and program performance as leading indicators, but agreed on reporting qualified pipeline through to closed won at the board level. Couldn’t agree with this more. We don’t do enough real talk about the behind the scenes of the organization change, cross-functional alignment and collaboration a CMO needs to drive in order to successfully own and deliver on qualified pipeline goals. I’d love to see more of this!

184

17 Comments

Watching the next release of Metadata's Spotlight 😍 Exciting news for marketers – no more black box intent! With Metadata's latest release, you can now view all the accounts displaying buyer intent, understand why, and seamlessly push those accounts into workflows like retargeting. Sign up for the waitlist 🪄 Link in the first comment #Marketing #BuyerIntent #Metadata #Spotlight #Automation

50

20 Comments

I've gotten to know Marcus Chan over the past year. He's an incredible coach and mentor for GTM success. When we learned he was a favorite follow for many Aviso AI customers, we knew we had collaborate! We're excited to launch a new, complimentary Sales Leadership Bootcamp! Learn how to blow out your quota in your first 90 days! #GTM #sales #revenue #AE #CRO #RevOps #FLM

13

1 Comment

There's gold in these hills: 👉 Investments in retention can double as acquisition vehicles 👉 Customers do all of the selling to the prospects who join the events 👉 You can do no wrong by doing right by your customers Timeless lessons, Drew Neisser.

12

1 Comment

Hey all 👋 I could use some help from GTM leaders/saas folks... Who is the best *marketing leader/head of marketing* you've ever worked with? For context, we're looking to bring in a Head of Marketing here at Circle to join our GTM leadership team. We're currently approaching $25M in ARR and growing fast (~100% y-o-y). This marketing leader will help us continue to scale to $100M+ in ARR. I'm biased, of course — but this can truly be a career-defining opportunity for the right person. —You'll get to shape how we tell the story of *3* brand new products that we're bringing to market this year. —The product is fantastic. Our product/engineering teams are the best I've ever worked with. The customers are the best I've ever worked with. You have all the raw materials necessary to do truly great marketing. We're already growing fast. You'll just help us go faster. —There are lots of new channels and untapped opportunities to go after. So there's plenty of room to come in and make an immediate impact. —This role sits on our leadership team. It's a group of the highest potential GTM leaders I've ever worked with. And we're ready to truly invest in product marketing as a function. — There's LOTS of momentum in the business. Our leading indicators like pipeline, win rates, word-of-mouth, NPS, retention, etc. are all really strong and getting better week-over-week. If you know a truly great marketing leader - I'd love to connect with them. I'd be grateful if you could tag them below or shoot me a DM. And if no one comes to mind, I'd be grateful if you could share this post for a bit of reach. Thanks! 🙏 Here's the JD: https://lnkd.in/e5fzB7T6

151

13 Comments