Episodios

  • The Rise of the Fractional CMO: How to Accelerate Revenue Growth Without the Overhead
    Jun 29 2025
    Fractional leaders aren’t here for job security—we’re here to build legacies. We remove the internal angst that clouds big decisions. We’re not protecting titles or playing politics. We’re focused on what drives transformation, growth, and lasting impact.Hi there, I’m Kerry Curran, B2B Revenue Growth Executive Advisor, Industry Analyst, and host of Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast.In every episode, I sit down with top experts to bring you actionable strategies that drive real results. If you’re serious about growth, hit subscribe and stay ahead of the competition.In The Rise of the Fractional CMO: How to Accelerate Revenue Growth Without the Overhead, I sit down with Virginie Glaenzer, a fractional CMO, tech entrepreneur, and community builder.We explore how fractional marketing leaders are reshaping go-to-market execution, AI adoption, and executive alignment across today’s most innovative organizations.Be sure to stay tuned until the end, where Virginie shares her advice on how to scope your first fractional engagement and make an immediate impact, without the overhead.Let’s go!Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:02.148)So, welcome, Virginie. Please introduce yourself and share your background and expertise.Virginie Glaenzer, Frac. CMO (00:09.086)Thank you so much, Kerry, for having me on your podcast. I’m really excited—I think the work you’re doing is amazing. My name is Virginie—Virginie Glaenzer. I’m originally from France and am your typical immigrant. I’ve had quite an interesting journey: I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1998, started a couple of software businesses, and had my fair share of successes and failures.After 17 years in Silicon Valley, I moved to New York for about 12 years, where I served as VP of Marketing and CMO for mid-size organizations. I’ve been in D.C. for the last year and a half. Over the past 30 years, most of my career has been in B2B SaaS tech, helping organizations. Today, as a fractional CMO, I enjoy supporting small- to mid-size companies that are trying to disrupt their industries—mostly in tech, where technology is part of their offering. That’s just a little bit about me.Kerry Curran, RBMA (01:21.594)Thank you. I’m very excited to speak with you today. You have a wealth of experience, but I want to start by diving into fractional CMOs and the evolution of fractional executives. I know you serve both as a fractional CMO and as the leader of Acorn Oak, so I’d love to hear what you’ve seen regarding this evolution and why you find it so valuable.Virginie Glaenzer, Frac. CMO (01:54.804)That’s a great question. I actually fell into the fractional model—I never thought I would become a consultant—but it has changed my life, and I love it. I chose the fractional path because I wanted to make real, lasting change. When I was a VP of Marketing, I found that people wanted me to make them feel comfortable instead of guiding them through change. As a fractional CMO, I offer an unbiased outside perspective, removing the anxiety and internal angst that often accompany big decisions—something I couldn’t do as a full-time employee.My focus isn’t on protecting a title or playing politics; it’s about building a legacy, not job security. As a result, I avoid the “drink-the-Kool-Aid” syndrome that can cloud judgment. The fractional model really works, and I think it took off after COVID because companies realized they could hire talent anywhere. When you hire people remotely, you don’t see the hours; you see the output. A fractional executive who works two days a week can deliver the equivalent of four days from a traditional employee—and often, that’s all a company needs.AI is also disrupting organizations. Internal employees may hesitate to rock the boat, but a fractional executive will do whatever is necessary to drive change.Kerry Curran, RBMA (04:01.762)I love that example—doing in two days what others might do in four—because when you can focus solely on the initiative, you avoid the distractions of full-time employment and get more done. Another benefit is that fractional CMOs must stay on top of trends—from AI to strategy—and can apply learnings from one client to another, an opportunity full-time employees don’t always have.Virginie Glaenzer, Frac. CMO (04:59.680)Absolutely. Working with multiple clients gives you a different view of each market. You come in with broad experience, fresh perspectives, and numerous frameworks. It’s a win–win—deeply satisfying for the individual and invaluable for the organization.Kerry Curran, RBMA (05:28.266)I’m seeing a trend: six years ago, most engagements were project-based—solving urgent challenges over three to six months. Now, clients hire me as a fractional CMO for assignments that can last a couple of years. As long as you’re helping the company reach its next growth stage, why not?Virginie Glaenzer, Frac. CMO (05:57.428)Exactly. Hiring a ...
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    26 m
  • Packaging and Pricing: The Key Revenue Strategy Most CEOs Miss
    Jun 17 2025
    “If your team's still selling features, your packaging is broken. Most CEOs focus on scaling sales, but they overlook pricing and packaging as core revenue levers. When your pricing aligns with the value you deliver, value-based selling becomes second nature, discounting drops, and revenue growth accelerates. You don't need a new product—you need a smarter way to package what you already have.” That's a quote from Roee Hartuv and a sneak peek at today's episode.Hi there, I'm Kerry Curran—revenue growth strategist, go-to-market advisor, and host of Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast. Every week, I sit down with the sharpest minds in marketing, sales, and strategy to unpack real-world tactics that drive measurable revenue growth. No fluff—just bold, actionable insights to help you outpace your competition. If you're serious about scaling smarter, hit subscribe and let's boost your bottom line together.Today's episode: Packaging and Pricing—the Key Revenue Strategy Most CEOs Miss. I'm joined by Roee Hartuv, a pricing and packaging expert helping B2B companies unlock hidden revenue and tie pricing to ROI. In this episode, we discuss the critical growth lever most CEOs miss—and how that lever leads to faster expansion, stronger retention, and more confident salespeople.Stay tuned until the end, where Roee shares a practical action you can take today and where to find free resources to help you get smarter about pricing and start driving revenue growth now. Let's go!Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:01.155)Welcome, Roee. Please introduce yourself and share your background and expertise.Roee Hartuv (00:06.326)Hello, and thanks for having me. My name is Roee Hartuv. I currently focus on pricing and packaging as an advisor. Over the past five years, I’ve worked in the broader area of go-to-market excellence, helping transform go-to-market strategies and operations. Before that, I was a SaaS—or software—seller.Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:35.745)Excellent. Thank you, Roee. We’re excited to have you back. This is actually your second time with us. Last time, we covered different stages of go-to-market with a focus on customer success and the importance of net and gross recurring revenue. Today, I want to dive into what you’re focusing on now. Let’s talk about willingness to pay and your specialty at your new company.Roee Hartuv (01:12.236)In the past five years, I’ve helped companies generate more revenue—everyone’s top priority. Most conversations revolve around process improvements, automation, or AI-enabled productivity, all aimed at increasing win rates and reducing churn. I’ve done all that, but I realized one lever delivers the best ROI and is often the quickest and simplest to pull: pricing and packaging.Once I understood that, I decided to spend most of my time there—helping companies increase revenue by getting pricing and packaging right. You don’t necessarily need a new product; you need a smarter way to package what you already have. That’s what we do at Willingness to Pay: pricing and packaging, and we’ve seen great results.Kerry Curran, RBMA (03:02.094)I agree. Companies spend a lot of effort cutting costs and increasing efficiency, yet overlook pricing. When prospects contact you, what business challenges are they trying to solve?Roee Hartuv (03:43.564)When they come to us, they already sense a pricing or packaging issue—and most companies have one. Early on, no single person truly owns pricing. Is it finance, the CRO, product, or product marketing? Because no one owns it, pricing often stays untouched for years while products, features, and value grow. For example, a client recently added a fantastic AI feature but decided to charge only $5,000 a year—far below the value it delivers.The main problem is that companies don’t adapt pricing and packaging to market dynamics. As a result, they leave money on the table. The most common pain we hear: “Our sellers keep talking features instead of value. They give big discounts, and we know we’re underpricing.” That’s the core challenge: enabling value-based selling through better packaging.Kerry Curran, RBMA (05:12.399)Beyond revenue growth, pricing can boost average contract value and reduce churn. Still, many leaders hesitate to raise prices. What objections do you hear most, and how do you address them?Roee Hartuv (05:38.68)Two big fears: First, customer success worries that price increases will trigger churn. Second, sales fears that higher list prices will tank win rates—“We’re already discounting!” We mitigate these with a four-step process:Internal validation—get input from sellers and stakeholders. Customer interviews—talk to 5–20 close customers using a structured methodology. We start with value proposition, then packaging, then pricing model, and only last reveal price levels. Controlled sales test—roll the new model to a small “demo” team and watch results. Phased rollout—once it ...
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    33 m
  • Data Chaos to Clarity: How Smart Marketers Turn Metrics into GTM Momentum
    Jun 11 2025
    “You can't scale on bad data. If marketers don't learn to be data stewards and systems thinkers, no amount of AI or automation will save them.” That's a quote from Kim Tran and a sneak peek at today's episode. Welcome to Revenue Boost, A Marketing Podcast—the show where growth-minded business leaders learn how to turn marketing into a measurable revenue engine.I'm your host, Kerry Curran—revenue growth–obsessed, go-to-market expert, and industry analyst. Each week, I sit down with the brightest minds in marketing, sales, and customer success to unpack the real-world strategies that drive sustainable growth. If you like what you hear, please be sure to follow, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite platform. It helps us reach more leaders like you.In today's episode, Turning Data Chaos Into Clarity: How Smart Marketers Turn Metrics Into Go-to-Market Momentum, I’m joined by Kim Tran, Head of Marketing and Business Development. Together, we take a deep dive into one of the most critical and overlooked challenges in modern B2B marketing: dirty, disjointed, and disconnected data.Kim shares her firsthand experience navigating data chaos, aligning stakeholders, and building the systems and skills needed to transform flawed inputs into strategic growth. Stay tuned until the end of today’s episode to hear how Kim recommends building your data literacy and AI readiness—one tech stack at a time. Let’s go.Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:01.560) So, welcome, Kim. Please introduce yourself and share your background and expertise.Kim Tran (00:07.276) Hi, Kerry. Thank you for having me. Hi, everyone. My name is Kim Tran. I am currently the Head of Marketing and Business Development.Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:18.866) Excellent. Kim, we’re excited to have you back—this is your second time on the show. Last time, you did a great episode on change management and why it’s so important for marketers. We’ll include that episode in the show notes; I learned a lot from it. Today we’re talking about data and data governance. Marketers have access to so much data now that it can be overwhelming. We all want to use it to get smarter and invest more strategically, but how do we know which data to use and how to use it? Can you share what you’re seeing?Kim Tran (01:14.946) Yes. A bit of background: I’ve spent the past decade in tech software, particularly in highly regulated industries—most recently ed-tech and financial services. In those sectors, we dealt with an abundance of sensitive data. A major challenge is that data is often siloed across different technologies and teams, and it’s not always clear who is responsible for it or who can access it. Whether you’re in a small company, where maybe only one person owns the data, or in a Fortune 500 firm with many data “cooks,” marketers need to become good data stewards and stay curious. The days when marketers could focus solely on brand or creative work are gone—especially in the age of AI. We’ve reached a critical inflection point: we now deal with synthetic, AI-generated data in addition to human-created data. Another challenge is systems thinking. Marketers must understand how data connects across teams; too often, we see a single metric and make knee-jerk decisions without context.Kerry Curran, RBMA (04:13.888) Absolutely. For marketing leaders who are just beginning to think strategically about data, what first steps can they take to establish a solid foundation?Kim Tran (04:37.838) Great question. We tend to jump into execution—looking for quick wins and feeling pressure from all sides—but data strategy is a long-term play. Your automation workflows, personalization efforts, and data privacy compliance will all depend on that foundation. First, learn how to learn. Many marketers come from creative backgrounds, and diving into technical tools can feel scary. I encourage hands-on learning: log into your marketing-automation platform or Salesforce and explore the data yourself. You can’t scale on bad data. Second, remember that marketers must be discerning. AI can ingest data faster than humans ever will, but if that data is flawed, the output will be flawed. Finally, create a culture of learning together. My team works closely with IT to clean our data, focusing on quality over quantity. These skills are increasingly non-negotiable as AI and synthetic data become the norm.Kerry Curran, RBMA (08:04.142) Some marketers come from more creative roles and might feel intimidated by data. What misconceptions do you see, and how do you address them?Kim Tran (08:34.636) One misconception stems from fear of becoming obsolete. I started in B2B tech 11 years ago, just as marketing automation platforms were taking off. The same anxieties we now see with AI existed then. If your workflows rely on outdated data, AI will simply generate inaccurate outputs faster. Another misconception is that marketers can remain purely creative. In reality, you...
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    36 m
  • From Siloed to Strategic: How Unified Customer Data Fuels Predictive Marketing
    Jun 9 2025
    Marketers don't need more data—they need smarter data. When you unify your first-party customer data and layer it with predictive AI, you move from generic messaging to precise, revenue-driving actions. Whether it’s suppressing low-propensity audiences, expanding high-value segments, or optimizing media efficiency, organized data is the engine that powers real growth.That’s a quote from Matt Greitzer and a sneak peek at today’s episode. Welcome to Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast—the show where growth-minded business leaders learn how to turn marketing into a measurable revenue engine. I’m your host, Kerry Curran: revenue growth–obsessed, go-to-market expert, and industry analyst. Each week, I sit down with the brightest minds in marketing, sales, and customer success to unpack the real-world strategies that drive sustainable growth.If you like what you hear, please be sure to follow, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite platform. It helps us reach more leaders like you.Today’s episode is all about the power—and the promise—of unified customer data. In From Siloed to Strategic: How Unified Customer Data Fuels Predictive Marketing, I’m joined by Matt Greitzer, CEO and co-founder of Actable. Together, we explore how smart brands are turning fragmented data into actionable intelligence using AI, clean cloud infrastructure, and strategic alignment across teams.Whether you’re dealing with outdated systems or trying to scale predictive modeling, this episode walks through the foundations of better segmentation, smarter media targeting, and lifecycle personalization that drives real results.Stay tuned until the end to hear Matt’s practical advice for data readiness—and what to do if your ESP is still your database. Let’s go!Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:01.432):So welcome, Matt. Please introduce yourself and share your background and expertise.Matt Greitzer (00:06.898):Sure. Hi, Kerry. Thanks for having me. My name is Matt Greitzer and I'm the co-founder and CEO of Actable. Actable is a company that works with enterprises to organize and enhance their first-party customer data to get them ready for AI-driven scoring and segmentation.Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:30.016):Excellent. You've been in the media space, media buying, and strategy. Talk a bit about your background before you got to Actable and how you identified the need for customer data.Matt Greitzer (00:44.5):Sure, yeah. That’s right. I spent 20 years in media, ad tech, and advertising. I started my career in the dial-up era at a company called Avenue A, which became Razorfish. I had a few different roles there, but the most formative one for me was running the search engine marketing practice, where I really got into the quantitative side of marketing.I then started the programmatic media practice at Razorfish and eventually left to start a business with a former co-founder of mine called Accordant Media, one of the first programmatic trading desks in the space—again using quantitative information to make better media buying decisions.We were acquired by Dentsu in 2016. Through that acquisition, we ended up running the programmatic practice at Dentsu. Dentsu had also acquired a much larger company called Merkle that same day. That’s where I first got exposed to first-party customer data. We worked very closely with a group at Merkle that used first-party customer data to build segmentation and use it for targeting in advertising.From that experience, I realized that this would be the future—how marketers would create differentiation in the face of signal deprecation and increasing personalization needs. So I left Dentsu in 2019 and in 2020, co-founded Actable with Craig Shin, a long-time colleague. We worked together at Razorfish and Accordant.Our thesis at Actable was that enterprises would create differentiation with their own customer data—but they’d need help organizing it coherently and bridging the gap between IT (who owns the tech) and marketing (who uses it). We’ve stayed true to that ever since.Kerry Curran, RBMA (03:41.740):Yeah, thank you. You've got such a rich background across both media buying and internal data challenges. I remember in the late 2000s, "big data" became the buzzword—brands and marketers suddenly had an influx of data. But now we’re seeing how much smarter we can actually get with it.So talk about the business challenges you’re helping solve today and how the data connection applies at a strategic level.Matt Greitzer (04:39.362):Sure. The business challenges are the same ones most marketers and advertisers face: reducing customer acquisition cost, decreasing churn, and improving retention.What we see is that companies have spent a lot on tech and data collection, but have suboptimally organized that data. So we come in and say: the problem isn’t the data itself—it’s how it's structured. Most enterprises don’t have a coherent infrastructure to activate customer ...
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    28 m
  • Smarter Targeting, Stronger Growth: How ICP + GTM Rigor Unlock Scale
    Jun 5 2025
    “It’s not just about getting a deal closed. It’s about aligning on shared goals, making sure we’re solving the right problem, and ensuring we can actually scale together. That upfront rigor means faster onboarding, better results, and long-term partnerships that last.” That’s a quote from Lee Aho and a sneak peek at today’s episode. Welcome to Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast—the show where growth-minded business leaders learn how to turn marketing into a measurable revenue engine.I'm your host, Kerry Curran revenue-growth-obsessed, go-to-market expert, and industry analyst. Each week, I sit down with the brightest minds in marketing, sales, and customer success to unpack the real-world strategies that drive sustainable revenue growth. If you like what you hear, please be sure to follow, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite platform. It helps us reach more leaders like you.Today’s episode is for any agency or B2B services leader trying to scale new business smarter. I work with a lot of agencies who need to move from referrals or founder-led growth to a robust go-to-market engine. B2B SaaS and tech companies have mastered the GTM framework—but agencies are still lagging behind. Except for one.In Smarter Targeting, Stronger Growth: How ICP and GTM Rigor Unlock Scale, Lee Aho, CRO of PerformCB, joins us to share how his team applied modern B2B go-to-market best practices to hyper-target the ideal customer profile and drive exponential results with a performance-first model.Stay tuned until the end of today’s episode, where Lee shares how they use a can’t-miss offer strategy to win top-tier clients faster. Let’s go.Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:01.655)Welcome, Lee. Please introduce yourself and share your background and expertise.Lee Aho (00:07.052)Thanks, Kerry.I’m Lee Aho, Chief Revenue Officer at PerformCB. I’m approaching my 17th year with the company, and while I wear many hats, I largely focus on new-business development and strategy execution for key accounts.For listeners who may be less familiar with PerformCB, we specialize in new-user acquisition on an outcome-based model. What that looks like depends on the brand we’re partnering with. For example, brands such as Fetch Rewards, FanDuel, Cash App, and SoFi come to us to acquire new users for their mobile apps. In other cases, brands like LendingTree, Mutual of Omaha, and McAfee rely on us to drive consumers to their websites or landing pages to complete lead forms or make purchases.We also do a great deal in the pay-per-call space: brands such as Allstate, Nationwide, and UnitedHealthcare use PerformCB to increase the volume of high-intent, qualified inbound calls. The common thread is that regardless of the outcome—installs, leads, purchases, or calls—we only get paid for the results we deliver.Even when we’re paid on an install, for instance, we optimize against deeper-funnel metrics that truly matter to the marketer, such as account registrations or first-time deposits. We want to stay lockstep with each client’s most meaningful KPIs when we build and scale their acquisition strategies.Kerry Curran, RBMA (02:02.455)That’s an awesome model and incredibly valuable to your clients. I’m excited to talk about how PerformCB has built its own customer base. Let’s discuss the changes you’ve made in the last year—what you shifted toward and how it’s working.Lee Aho (02:34.626)Absolutely. We’ve really elevated new-business development across the organization, and it wasn’t a single change but a series of steps that have compounded over time. A few highlights:Refined ICP. We spent time defining our ideal client profile—who makes the best prospective partner for PerformCB. Storytelling and pitch revamp. We overhauled our pitch to ensure we’re presenting opportunities in the most impactful way for each brand. Team restructuring. We created a marketer-development team dedicated to onboarding and accelerating new-client results. Cross-team collaboration. Sales, marketing, and account teams now deliver a unified message and experience. Irresistible offer. We developed a can’t-miss pilot proposal in select cases to remove barriers to getting started. Collectively, these changes have significantly accelerated new-business growth for what is already a 20-year-old company.Kerry Curran, RBMA (03:57.527)You mentioned seeing huge results. Can you share some of the numbers?Lee Aho (04:10.572)We’re just coming off our Q1 board meeting, and the results are exciting:Launch value: The value of new-business launches in Q1 2025 is up 1,000% versus Q1 2024. Conversion rate: Our discovery-call-to-closed-won conversion rate has more than tripled. Because we’re paid on performance, that growth also means our clients are gaining many more high-quality customers.Kerry Curran, RBMA (04:40.974)Let’s dig into the cross-functional alignment between sales, marketing, and customer success that enabled ...
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    28 m
  • Beyond ABM Platforms: How Predictive ICP and GTM Alignment Drive Revenue Results
    Jun 3 2025
    "It’s not about throwing tech or SDRs at the problem. If your teams aren’t aligned, your content isn’t differentiated, and your ICP isn’t predictive, you’ll keep spinning your wheels. ABM has to be a full go-to-market motion not just better targeting.” Kristina Jaramillo In this episode of Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast, titled Beyond ABM Platforms: How Predictive ICP and GTM Alignment Drive Revenue Results Kerry Curran sits down with Kristina Jaramillo, President of Personal ABM, to dive deep into the real meaning of an account-based go-to-market strategy (GTM) and why tech platforms alone won't fix your revenue challenges. Kristina reveals why many B2B teams misfire with ABM—treating it as a marketing campaign or demand gen add-on rather than a full-funnel revenue strategy. She breaks down: The difference between segment-level intent and predictive ICP How to build messaging that teaches for differentiation not just against competitors, but against the status quo Why content needs to align with enterprise priorities, not just pain points How to activate and align sales, marketing, and customer success for long-term customer value Why expansion and retention need the same strategic rigor as net-new acquisition Whether you're in SaaS, services, or B2B tech, this episode will help you rethink how your team is going to market and who you're truly built to serve.🎙️ Thanks for tuning in! Struggling with flat or slowing revenue growth? You’re not alone. That’s why Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast brings you expert insights, actionable strategies, and real-world success stories to help you scale faster. 🚀 🔥 If you’re serious about growth, hit follow, subscribe, and drop a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating—it helps us keep the game-changing content coming! New episodes drop regularly—don’t miss out! 🎧 Follow us on Apple Follow us on Spotify Watch on YouTube Read Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast transcripts. To learn more about Kerry Curran and the RBMA: Revenue Based Marketing Advisors, go to www.revenuebasedmarketing.com and be sure to follow us on Kerry's LinkedIn Profile and The RBMA: Revenue Based Marketing Advisors Profile. RBMA specializes in business transformation to drive revenue growth. We lead companies move from an ABM strategy to a company wide Go-to-Market program that sets you up for sustainable, year-over-year revenue growth. If you're in the market for a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer or Fractional Chief Revenue Officer be sure to reach out to Kerry. Kerry is also available for speaking, panel moderation, and other professional presentation services. For services and contact information check out the RBMA: Revenue Based Marketing Advisors website here.
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    34 m
  • Operationalizing Marketing for Revenue Growth: Cut the Drag, Scale the Impact
    Jun 1 2025
    “If people show up to a meeting and spend the whole time on their laptop, they probably don’t need to be there. Let’s call it out—and give them permission to opt out.” That’s a quote from Matt Heinz in today’s sneak peek at today’s episode. Welcome to Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast—the show where growth-minded business leaders learn how to turn marketing into a measurable revenue engine.I’m your host, Kerry Curran—revenue-obsessed go-to-market expert and industry analyst. Each week, I sit down with the brightest minds in marketing, sales, and customer experience to unpack real-world strategies that drive sustainable growth.If you like what you hear, please follow and review the podcast on your favorite platform—it helps us reach more leaders like you.Today’s episode tackles one of the silent killers of go-to-market success: collaboration drag.Matt Heinz, longtime CMO and industry expert, joins me to break down how aligning your processes, tech stack, and roles can radically improve pipeline creation and team productivity—especially as AI becomes part of your execution layer.Stick around until the end, where Matt shares his top diagnostic questions to uncover hidden inefficiencies—and how to fix them fast.Let’s go!Kerry Curran (00:02.144)Welcome, Matt. Please introduce yourself and share your background and expertise.Matt Heinz (00:07.362)Yeah, thank you, Kerry. My name is Matt Heinz, founder and president of Heinz Marketing. For over 16 years, we’ve helped companies with long, complex sales processes create more predictable pipelines. Too often, companies in that environment rely on random acts of marketing and experience pipeline lumpiness. So we focus on strategy, process, and playbooks—helping sales, marketing, and customer success teams work more closely together to build predictable, repeatable, and scalable pipelines.Kerry Curran (00:37.066)Excellent. Thank you, Matt. I know you spend a lot of time talking with CMOs and other executives. What common challenges are you seeing brands struggle with most right now?Matt Heinz (00:53.806)Yeah, there’s a lot—the list is long. But the one that comes to mind first is something called collaboration drag. Gartner listed fighting collaboration drag as a top-three CMO priority in 2024, and by 2025, they named it the number one thing CMOs should address. A simple way to understand what I mean is to ask this question:Matt Heinz (01:23.022)On average, how many meetings does it take your company to produce a webinar? When I ask that in a room full of marketers, the audible groans are loud. It’s too many meetings, too much back and forth. Even if you run webinars all the time, it feels like you’re reinventing the process every single time. That’s collaboration drag.Matt Heinz (01:52.812)Now think about today’s go-to-market motions—multiple channels, steps, buying committee members. We’re asking sales and marketing to work more closely together. We’re asking humans and AI agents to collaborate. It’s a mess. As a result, projects get delayed, agility disappears, and people burn out from inefficient systems.Matt Heinz (02:22.298)And as complexity grows—which it will—this issue only becomes more urgent. That’s why Gartner’s focused on it. Solving collaboration drag helps CMOs truly do more with less, which is the new anthem from boards and investors.Kerry Curran (02:38.688)Yeah, especially now. Marketers are feeling that pinch—tighter budgets, fewer resources, layoffs—but the pressure to hit business goals hasn’t eased. How do you help your clients identify and close those gaps?Matt Heinz (02:59.566)If you have a sales process or buying journey that spans 6, 9, or 12+ months, you're likely running complex plays already. That’s one signal. Another is team size—once you have 15+ marketers, collaboration drag is already setting in. At 20 to 25, the pain is visceral.We created a Collaboration Drag Diagnostic with four key areas of internal go-to-market orchestration. It’s a maturity model. You look at “good, better, best” descriptions and choose where your team lands. And be honest—CMOs often think they’re better than the team thinks they are. It’s not uncommon for CMOs to say, “We’re good,” and their team replies, “We’re drowning.”Matt Heinz (03:56.566)It’s just a one-page tool, but it surfaces the pain quickly. That clarity is step one before you unlock agility, faster execution, and happier employees.Kerry Curran (04:21.248)So walk us through those four areas of maturity.Matt Heinz (04:27.468)Sure.Collaboration & Communication: What channels are used? What meetings happen? What rhythms do teams follow? Just documenting those gives you a baseline to optimize. Roles & Processes: Who’s doing what? Without clarity, politics creep in. You get too many people involved just to be involved. RACI or DACI frameworks are great tools here. Project Management Tools: What ...
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    28 m
  • The Future of AI in Marketing: How Smart Teams Are Upskilling Now
    May 29 2025
    “If you haven’t used AI this week, you don’t really know AI. Things are changing so fast—and the teams that upskill together are the ones unlocking real transformation.” That’s a quote from Pam Boiros and a sneak peek at today’s episode.Welcome to Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast—the show where growth-minded business leaders learn how to turn marketing into a measurable revenue engine.I’m your host, Kerry Curran: revenue growth–obsessed, go-to-market expert, and industry analyst. Each week, I sit down with the brightest minds in marketing, sales, and customer experience to unpack the real-world strategies that drive sustainable growth.If you like what you hear, please be sure to follow, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite platform—it helps us reach more leaders like you.Today’s episode is packed with practical advice on how to bring AI into your marketing organization without the overwhelm. Pam Borges shares her approach to team-based AI training, the real blockers CMOs face, and how to shift from chaos to confidence.Whether you're just beginning to explore tools or are ready to scale adoption, this conversation is your strategic edge.Be sure to stay tuned until the end, where Pam shares a powerful tip for turning AI skeptics into super users—especially your strongest writers.Let’s go!Kerry Curran (00:01.452)Welcome, Pam. Please introduce yourself and share your background and expertise.Pam Boiros (00:06.870)Hi, Kerry—so happy to join you today. My name is Pam Boiros, and I’m a Boston-based fractional CMO, consultant, and advisor. My background is in B2B tech, particularly HR technology. I run my own firm, Bridge Marketing Advisors, and I’ve moved in and out of in-house CMO roles and fractional work.My early career was in publishing (which we might get into later), and I’ve spent time at Skillsoft, meQuilibrium, and other companies in the space. I’ve tried to ride the wave of every tech innovation since 2000—from mobile and social to, certainly now, AI.Kerry Curran (00:53.486)Definitely—the rapid evolution of marketing technology keeps things exciting. You talk with a lot of CMOs and business leaders. What themes or challenges are you hearing?Pam Boiros (01:24.034)Many CMOs feel like deer in headlights when it comes to AI. They’re squeezed in the middle: CEOs, boards, and investors read AI headlines and ask, “Can’t you cut your budget—or your team—in half and do twice as much?” Meanwhile, their teams send mixed signals: AI enthusiasts experiment with every tool, while some colleagues keep their heads in the sand.It’s hard to keep up with all the news and tools in a demanding CMO role. I recently had a CMO friend say, “At 4:45 last Friday, after putting out all my fires, I decided to learn AI.” You really do need dedicated time and mind-share to get familiar with these tools.Kerry Curran (03:04.854)I agree. How did you first lean into AI?Pam Boiros (03:47.918)Everyone has a ChatGPT moment. Mine was at a work event at the end of 2022. A colleague mentioned “this ChatGPT thing,” and on the T ride home I tried it. My mind was blown. It reminded me of 1995—the first time I saw a webpage.Back then, I worked for a print-book publisher. One day we got a letter from a company called Amazon.com claiming it would be the world’s biggest bookstore. I thought, “That’s a dumb idea.” Of course, that letter should have put me on a plane to Seattle!That memory stuck with me. Since then, I’ve vowed never to miss a tech revolution. I dove into AI newsletters, podcasts, and local Boston events. I took an MIT course and played with every tool I could find.Kerry Curran (04:43.022)And what challenges do CMOs face as they get started?Pam Boiros (05:52.950)I see lots of “random acts of AI.” Pilots are fine, but soon you need a strategy—and you need to close the gap between AI enthusiasts and AI-averse teammates. Everyone needs a baseline AI literacy.In my upskilling program, we start with mindset. AI stirs unique emotions—Is it cheating? Will it replace me?—especially among writers. But writers often become the best prompt engineers; they understand nuance and see their writing improve with AI.Kerry Curran (09:45.494)Give us a few prompt-engineering tips for non-writers.Pam Boiros (10:22.399)Be specific—treat AI like a very smart five-year-old intern. Define its role, give context, and state clear instructions. After the first output, refine: “Simplify this,” or “Write at a sixth-grade level.” Avoid negative instructions (“don’t do X”); rephrase them positively. And never publish raw AI output—always edit in a doc first.Kerry Curran (11:47.040)What about data protection and brand voice?Pam Boiros (11:52.950)Marketers need three things from a gen-AI tool:Data security—no leaking customer or product data. Low hallucination risk. Brand voice control. I use CustomGPT.ai—a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) ...
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