EPISODE 22

The most important role in B2B marketing w/ Dave Gerhardt

EPISODE SUMMARY

No one goes to school for B2B marketing— or, B2B product marketing whether you consider it marketing or not. But what if one person — who worked in almost every marketing role in B2B — had a say in this discussion? Better known as the OG of B2B marketing, or should we say DG?

Dave Gerhardt, or “DG” currently leads Exit Five, the largest online B2B marketing community with 3,500+ members (like us three 💀). And, we’re lucky enough to have him on the pod. From a marketing manager in Boston, a fellow podcast host with almost over 150 episodes, a two-time CMO, and now the organizer of Drive in Burlington.

Dave is the perfect guest to ask this one question: are product marketers actually marketers?

In this 46 minutes convo, we chat about:

→One way “frameworks” might hurt your product storytelling.

→Why you can’t just start a podcast in B2B without this obvious skill?

→What Dave said is “the most important role in B2B marketing”.

→Don’t tell sales “what to do”. They almost never listen. Do this instead.

→Why “messaging by committee” sucks.

→Good news! The “80% difference” to great B2B marketing, uses two common PMM skills.

→How can we (product marketers) simplify B2B marketing.

Sit down with us and get ready for a diploma in B2B marketing after this. You won’t regret it.

TIMESTAMPS

01:05 – Dave’s Journey and Podcasting Tips

04:18 – The Importance of Product Marketing

06:16 – Early Stage Marketing Strategies

13:29 – Building Trust and Influence in Startups

20:24 – Positioning and Messaging Challenges

24:42 – Addressing the Decline in Win Rate

25:24 – Importance of Executing Positioning

25:57 – Casual Conversation and Personal Interests

26:58 – Messaging Torture Chamber

27:31 – Marketing Strategies: Brand vs. Content

29:14 – Event Marketing Insights

30:59 – Simplifying B2B Marketing

34:38 – The Role of Podcasts in B2B Marketing

41:23 – Conclusion and Upcoming Events

RESOURCES:

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