Huddlers in the News

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 474: Go for Launch: How CMOs Drive Market-Ready Products

Every product launch is a countdown to liftoff. High stakes. High visibility. High chance of failure if systems aren’t in sync. Misaligned messaging, unready sellers, vaporware promises. There are endless ways to completely blow it.

In this episode, Melanie Marcus (Surescripts), Kevin Brooks (Surescripts), and John Hale (Consilio) join Drew to dig into what it takes to pull off a successful launch. They explain why alignment cannot be assumed, how preparation has to be disciplined and ongoing, and why CMOs need to surface tough truths before the market does. Marketing may set the pace, but lasting success only happens when the entire company rallies behind the story and delivers it together.

In this episode:

• Melanie shares how to stretch a brand into new markets without losing credibility
• Kevin explains the launch-tiering framework that keeps efforts focused and sales-ready
• John reveals why the secret weapon is “ours, not mine” and how humble listening drives alignment

Plus:

• How to avoid the vaporware trap that kills trust fast
• Why one sharp value prop beats a laundry list of features
• What leading indicators to track before revenue shows up
• Where the real magic happens once a launch hits the market floor

If you want to hear how CMOs line up a launch and deliver when it matters most, this one’s for you.

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/

“One of our salespeople keeps going rogue, and I’m doing all I can to reel him in,” shared a seasoned CMO at a tech startup. While the other CMOs in the Huddle offered guidance on gaining alignment, it made me wonder: Is it time to completely rethink Sales Enablement?

The problem isn’t just rogue reps. It’s a system that encourages chaos. One CMO shared, “We’ve got great messages that resonate, but Sales Enablement says it’s the wrong time to share them.” Another noted, “Product is producing substandard collateral because Sales went directly to them—cutting Marketing out of the loop entirely.”

It’s no wonder CMOs are frustrated. We build slick decks and elegant one-pagers—yet Sales clings to a 2019 slide with the wrong logo. We set up portals, and no one logs in. We host training sessions, and still get last-minute Slack messages: “Hey, do we have a case study for a mid-sized healthcare firm in Ohio?”

So what’s a savvy CMO to do?

1. Understand Your Rogues

Before condemning, listen. The rogue rep in question was closing deals—but not the kind you’d want. It turns out he was winning on price, undercutting the value proposition and increasing churn. As one CMO put it, “They don’t talk about our real differentiators—just a three-month discount.” If you don’t know what’s being said on sales calls, you can’t fix the funnel.

2. Collaborate, Don’t Dictate

Rather than fighting every deviation, smart CMOs co-create. One suggestion: “Treat the rogue like a partner, not a problem.” Pull them in. Learn what’s working. Then use that to shape flexible messaging frameworks—ones that adapt to buyers without fracturing the brand.

3. Think Co-Creation, Not Vending

Often, the problem isn’t the quality of the materials—it’s the disconnect between what Marketing thinks reps need and what Sales uses. As one CMO admitted, “We created great sell sheets—but one rep told me he never looked at them.” Why? Because they didn’t fit how he sold. Instead of assuming what Sales needs, ask. Sit in on calls. Shadow top performers. Then tailor your materials around real objections, use cases, and buyer personas.

4. Build Smart Systems, Not Static Assets

Sales enablement isn’t about creating more slides—it’s about architecting systems that drive revenue. From AI-powered content recommendations to dynamic digital deal rooms, today’s toolkit can turn random acts of enablement into precision plays. (Need ideas? See link in comments.)

5. Let Sales Be Sales—but Keep Score

Sometimes, the best way to prove the value of your materials is to put on your own sales hat. One CMO noted, “I started running a few calls myself to pressure-test the content.” Another shared, “We gave the events budget to Sales, along with the accountability. That ended the debate quickly.”

Bottom Line

Sales Enablement in 2025 isn’t about policing rogue reps. It’s about empowering the entire team—Sales included—with tools, insights, and guardrails that elevate performance without squashing initiative.

Written by Drew Neisser

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 473: Data Sync or Sink: How Does Your Tech Stack, Stack Up?

Think your tech stack is working for you? Think again.

After analyzing 100 stacks from the CMO Huddles community, Ryan Koonce of Growth Bench exposes what’s broken, what’s bloated, and what to do instead. From misfiring attribution models to misused tools like Google Analytics and Salesforce, this episode offers a fast, practical reset for any CMO serious about smarter growth.

In this episode:

• Why Salesforce isn’t always the answer
• The fatal flaw in Google Analytics you can’t ignore
• The real reason attribution is still a mess
• What “great” data access looks like for marketing teams

For the rest of the conversation, visit our YouTube channel (CMO Huddles Hub) or click here: [https://youtu.be/wRWHIrzsD68]. Get more insights like these by joining our free Starter program at cmohuddles.com.

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 472: AI’s Impact on B2B Marketing Strategy

There is no pause button on AI. Every day brings a fresh flood of tools, demos, predictions, and pressure to keep up. But what’s actually changing inside B2B marketing departments? What’s working, what’s still hype, and where should CMOs focus?

In this episode, Kevin Ruane (Precisely), Gary Sevounts (Simpplr), and Jeff Morgan (Elements) join Drew to wrestle with how AI is being tested, contained, and scaled inside their teams. They push on when an experiment becomes a mandate, how to keep stacks from turning into a pile of disconnected tools, and why clean data is the deciding factor. The message is clear: AI will not rescue weak strategy. But in the hands of disciplined marketers who are willing to rethink the rules, it changes how marketing runs.

In this episode:

• Kevin shares how an AI council and internal champions drive adoption across teams
• Gary explains AI as the pipeline’s central nervous system that tracks stage flow and triggers timely action
• Jeff breaks down SPARK, a Claude prompt framework that defines role, workflow, brand voice, rules, and KPIs

Plus:

• How to set AI goals and metrics your CEO will back
• Why data readiness is the first step to any AI win
• What skills and roles a marketing team needs to run AI safely
• When to graduate a pilot into a standard workflow

If you want to hear how CMOs are experimenting with AI and resetting the rules of engagement, this one’s for you!

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/

“It’s too early to make a big bet on GenAI,” stated a CMO from a $250mil PE-backed SaaS company. “There’s so much hype, but I’ve yet to see the data to show, especially with content creation, that the investment pays out,” he added. Since I’ve added to the hype, his contrarian point of view shocked me into silence. Then I wondered…

Is this CMO putting his job at risk?

Before I answer that, let’s follow his logic. Our AI skeptic didn’t doubt that GenAI helps marketing teams create more content faster. His questions are around effectiveness. Perhaps having more content was helpful in the pre-LLM era, but with SEO-driven site traffic evaporating, does having more content even matter? Probably not. Unless, somehow, that content is optimized for LLM results.

Will LLM-Generated Content Help or Hurt Brand Discovery in LLMs?

Our AI skeptic suspects that LLMs are likely to ignore content created by LLMs. Is he right? I’m not sure. For starters, I would love to know if LLMs can distinguish between human-only, human-mainly, LLM-mainly, and LLM-only content.

GEO (generative engine optimization) is a nascent art form, and though many profess to know what works, few have concrete evidence. Here’s what I’ve heard helps:

• Having extensive Q&As
• Using markdown language that LLMs can crawl
• Having detailed competitive information
• Having pricing data
• Including compliance and security info
• Showing up on Reddit (especially for ChatGPT)
• Positive reviews on review sites like G2 and TrustRadius
• Coverage by trusted news sources 

Let’s assume you want to do all of the above. Does it matter from a GEO standpoint if you use LLMs to create and update this content? Probably not, but again, if you know otherwise, please chime in.

The Job Risk Question

New tech skepticism is always warranted (Is it too late for me to get a refund on my Apple Newton and Blackberry Storm?) Software vendors, particularly those in the martech space, have overpromised for years. In fact, we encourage the leaders in CMO Huddles to audit their tech stack every three months and sunset underperformers. That said, LLM-avoidance is akin to the early telephone-denier who said, “If people want to talk to me, then they can just drop by!”

If you're only considering the abilities of LLMs to create speedier copy for your website, then you’re missing the bigger story—and putting your job at risk.

For example, consider internal meeting management, a seemingly infinite time suck for many CMOs. Teams with LLMs can prepare more effectively, create agendas more quickly, brainstorm more broadly, and assign next steps with ease.

GenAI Will Transform All Aspects of Business

Early adopting CMOs are earning a bigger seat at the table, helping their organizations and departments adopt and adjust to an AI-augmented world.

Written by Drew Neisser

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 471: Dear CEO: This Is What Marketing Actually Does

Most B2B CEOs never spent time in marketing. Fewer than one in five ever held the title. Which explains a lot. From undervalued budgets to misaligned expectations, marketing often gets boxed in as a support function instead of the growth driver it is. If marketing is going to lead, CEOs need to understand what it can really do and what to look for in a CMO who’s built to deliver.

To set the record straight, Drew taps three marketing leaders, Rebecca Stone (formerly Cisco), Grant Johnson (Chief Outsiders), and Jan Deahl (Drake Star), to reframe how CEOs see marketing. It is a strategic engine built to shape markets, guide buyers, and drive growth. Together, they make the case for what’s possible when CMOs are empowered to lead.

In this episode:

• Rebecca on why CMOs need to think and act like a CEO
• Grant on how mismatched expectations set CMOs up to fail
• Jan on aligning marketing’s role to company stage and goals

Plus:

• The key questions every CEO should ask their CMO
• What to fix when marketing is stuck in order-taking mode
• How smart onboarding sets CMOs up to lead
• Why growth depends on more than just demand gen

Tune in for signals that shift how your CEO sees marketing.

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/

“Why is our marketing so damn boring?”

This question is not being asked by roughly 75% of B2B CMOs or 99% of their CEOs, CFOs, CROs, and investors. And in the absence of this question, B2B marketing and B2B marketers are suffering from a self-inflicted malaise.

Let’s review the symptoms of this malaise.

When the Big Ideas Vanish

First, marketing departments are fast becoming the place where fun goes to die. The pursuit of the big idea has been replaced by micro everything. Short-lived disposable campaigns seek nominal bumps in click-through rates. Short-term efficiency has replaced long-term effectiveness, especially as every process gets AI-ified.

CMOs dare not use the word “brand” for fear of appearing fluffy and insubstantial. And don’t even think about having a budget line item with the word “brand” in it. Euphemisms for “brand” like “reputation” have helped a bit in that most executives understand that having a reputation, especially a good one, is critical in this era of self-directed, LLM-informed buying committees. But even using the word “reputation” doesn’t result in less boring content or campaigns.

The negativity about brand-building or reputation-building rolls into an absence of brand health tracking. As the old saying goes, you are what you measure. When all of your measurement energy goes into funnel optimization, there’s little hope of focusing on something extraordinary, like a big, differentiating, highly engaging IDEA that cuts through.

Why Funny Wins in B2B

Boring marketing so dominates B2B that just a dash of humor or creativity rings our collective bells from here to Cannes. I was reminded of this while watching a new video from Iterable (see comments for the line). It expresses an idea. It’s funny. It’s memorable. I like Iterable more than I did before, and I was already a fan.

Full disclosure: The CMO of Iterable, Adri Gil-Miner, is a long-time member of CMO Huddles, and Iterable was a sponsor of last year’s CMO Super Huddle. But if you know me, you’d know I wouldn’t share it if I didn’t think it was worth sharing. Also, I haven’t spoken to Adri yet about the campaign, but I will once she has results to share.

I was also reminded of this when the PR team of ServiceNow reached out for me to interview their CMO, Colin Fleming. Now there’s a company with a long-standing sense of humor. Dare I say it? They’ve built a BRAND that people like. And guess what? That more than pays the bills. ServiceNow’s revenue, earnings, and customer base have all grown faster than the software industry averages. Their operating and gross margins are industry-leading and surpass Salesforce, Adobe, and Workday.

Is it a coincidence that ServiceNow has outperformed the software industry year after year and is one of the few B2B brands with a genuine and consistent sense of humor, with content that simultaneously informs and entertains?

Me thinks not. What do you think?

Written by Drew Neisser

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 469: GenAI Video & Audio: Tools, Tradeoffs & Lessons

It started with a 90-day challenge: make a GenAI-powered video promoting the 2025 CMO Super Huddle using only off-the-shelf tools. What followed was equal parts ambition, frustration, learning, and editing. Along the way, Drew got a crash course in prompt writing, script timing, voice cloning, and the realities of working inside tools that promise automation but still require a certain level of finesse.

With GenAI coach Samantha Stark of Phyusion guiding the early stages and Steve Mudd of Talentless AI stepping in for post, the project quickly became a real test of creative endurance. Each step surfaced a new set of tradeoffs. The tools were powerful, but stitching them together was anything but seamless. What came out the other side is something Drew’s proud to share, along with lessons from two expert AI collaborators and a few fun reveals they brought to the table that show just how weird, clever, and unexpected GenAI production can get.

In this episode:

• Samantha shares how GenAI tools spark ideas but still need human direction to shape tone and story
• Steve explains how editing brings structure and emotion to GenAI content for a more watchable result
• Both guests highlight the importance of adding context to make GenAI output resonate with viewers

Plus:

• What GenAI tools need from you upfront to deliver useful output
• How multi-tool workflows impact timing, syncing, and storytelling
• Where to focus your time during GenAI production for the biggest payoff
• When expert editors can step in to shape flow, tone, and polish

Tune in for a behind-the-scenes look at GenAI video and audio creation, guided by the experts who know how to make it all come together.

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/

“I had to resign to a bot,” exclaimed a B2B CMO who happily moved to a new company after this strange encounter. “The funniest part was that the bot asked me to reconsider,” the amused CMO shared. This AI-first approach hasn’t helped that company’s Glassdoor ratings and begs the question, where are the lines when it comes to automating specific roles, if not entire departments?

Let’s stay on this example before opening the aperture

I can see an investor saying, “Who cares if our Glassdoor ratings decline when our operating costs are much lower?” Well, let’s start with every future potential hire. Unless you never want to hire again, you’re looking at higher recruiting costs and a weaker recruitment base. Even if you can live with that, you’ll likely see the impact on your pipeline since many buyers check Glassdoor for insights, as do LLMs.

I'm Not Saying Don't Automate. Just Think It Through

Earlier this month, Gartner issued a report, “Rehiring Human Agents to Replace AI is 2025’s Latest Trend.” This followed the headline-grabbing stories about Klarna’s now-aborted efforts to replace their customer service agents with bots. Klarna’s customer service ratings tanked during their brief bot-only period. Duolingo faced a similar backlash when it announced it would replace all of its “human contractors” with machines, forcing it to abandon its plan and its once-booming presence on TikTok.

Don't Conflate Efficiency with Effectiveness

This is particularly important for marketers as they evaluate when, where, and how to deploy AI. Most of the marketing leaders in CMO Huddles are using LLMs to crank out a wide range of content. No doubt, the creation time has accelerated dramatically (75-90% faster). Most also swear that their content is as good or even better than before, especially when there is a highly skilled editor or designer in the loop. So far, so good?

Good Isn't Good Enough

Because it is so easy to create good content, your competitors no doubt have flooded the market with equally good stuff. Your content must now be great. To get there will take savvy humans with judgment AND a bot management process that forces the LLMs to help your content cut through. One member of our community has two GPTs, one to draft the content and another to edit it ruthlessly. And a human review process.

Resist the Pressure to Replace Your Staff with Bots

Instead, reimagine your team filled with utility players who can think broadly about your business and help execute in all areas (thanks to their LLM-assistants). The more seasoned the staffer, the more autonomy you can give them (assuming you trust their judgement). Keep hiring junior staffers with high levels of curiosity, expect to train them on your tools, and don’t be surprised when they add value faster than they ever could before.

Human-first marketing will be a competitive advantage. So says this human.

Written by Drew Neisser

Listen Here | From Renegade Marketers Unite, Episode 468: Demand-Side Sales: The Forces Behind Every Yes

Every customer reaches a turning point. Something's not working the way it used to. And now they're ready for change. That's when your product appears as a possibility. But if you lead with features or force-fit personas, you'll miss the real energy behind their decision. That's why Bob Moesta starts with struggle.

In this episode, he joins Drew to discuss how demand forms through struggling moments, not random needs, and why nobody buys any product randomly, ever. As the author of Demand-Side Sales 101 and a longtime builder and educator, Bob shares how to identify that momentum, map the forces behind a decision, and reframe sales and marketing as tools for understanding what buyers are really trying to solve.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why buying decisions start with struggling moments

• How to ask questions that surface energy, not just answers

• The four forces shaping decisions: push, pull, anxiety, habit

• How to spot what customers switch from and why

• Why the buyer vs. user distinction matters in B2B

Tune in to hear how demand really forms and how to spot it when it does.

For full show notes and transcripts, visit https://renegademarketing.com/podcast/