The Transaction

Udi Ledergor, Chief Evangelist at Gong and seasoned B2B SaaS marketer, shares stories about a near-disastrous email mistake and the three leadership lessons it taught. He explains building a deliberately human, trusted brand, creative uses of AI to cut the obvious, and clever tactics like plain-text event invites and platform-hacking to boost engagement.

Stacey Epstein, CEO of Structured and former CMO who advises on positioning and AI-driven marketing, discusses why a clear positioning framework must sit at the heart of every campaign. She explores hiring for taste over task execution. She explains how to put customer voice into your brand and where AI shifts team roles and ownership.

James Kaikis, founder of GTMshift and AI Sales Studio, is a go-to-market and pre-sales expert. He discusses AI's rapid impact on sales, why personalized demos with customer data beat rigid qualification, and the rise of SE-led and data-first selling. He also argues for prioritizing customer expansion and using experimental, risk-sharing motions to win deals.

Omar Akhtar, Founder of Benchmarker and Director of Content at UserTesting, brings research-driven B2B SaaS marketing benchmarks. He explains why top teams spend as much or more on brand as demand. He breaks down when paid channels win for new-account growth. He also highlights high-ROI events and why basics like positioning beat chasing shiny hacks.

For our first episode of the new year, we’re thrilled to welcome special guest Kathy Macchi,  the Executive Vice President, Innovation & Co-Founder at Inverta.Kathy joins co-hosts Craig Rosenberg & Matt Amundson to discuss where so many go-to-market leaders go wrong with their segmentation, why your message matters more than the channel you deliver it through, and how to design a successful mid-market marketing org amidst massive pressure for budget cuts.Also, Craig bemoans eating vegetables, Matt gives an update on Craig’s health, and some may have been kidnapped at Producer Sam’s house. Critical TakeawaysBefore chasing hyper-specifc and fancy AI tools, codify ICP, targeting, messaging, and what “good” outreach looks like. Then use AI to scale research and execution (with humans judging output), instead of hoping automation will invent strategy from scratch.If the account list is wrong, everything downstream gets harder (sales cycle, conversion, retention, even CSM load). Institutionalize segmentation by use case and continuously prune/refresh the target universe instead of debating tactics in the abstract.Stop obsessing over which channels you’re using and start focusing more on whether you have something worth saying to a specific buyer group. Then should ship that personalized, relevant message across every relevant channel as an integrated system, not as disconnected one-off campaigns.Chapters00:00 Harrowing Health Foods, Rave Recaps, & Tennis Talk08:30 Introducing Kathy Macchi, Co-founder at Inverta12:40 The Business Concerns Coming up In CMO Councils, Primarily AI & Budget Cuts18:43 Why Cultivating Good Taste Transcends AI Advancements & Solving The Problem Before Adding AI Tools30:27 AI's Impact on B2B Marketing Jobs and Economy32:37 Rethinking Marketing and Business Processes with AI34:06 The Role of Effective Targeting for Account-Based Marketing in the AI-era37:02 Effective Use of AI in Marketing42:13 Messaging + B2B Marketing Channel Strategies and Multi-Channel Marketing53:04 B2B Sales and Territory PlanningJoin our Newsletter to never miss an episode & get bonus content: https://thetransaction.substack.com/Epic Quotes“The who is everything” - Kathy Macchi“ We forgot that early pipeline, until you figure it out, costs money.  It costs money and you're going to fail.” - Craig RosenbergConnect with KathyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathy-macchi-aa148b/ Inverta Website: https://www.inverta.com/ ShoutoutsGeoffrey Moore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffreyamoore/ Jason Lemkin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmlemkin/ Carlos AlcarazDavid Boskovic: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dboskovic/ Our Episode with David: https://open.substack.com/pub/thetransaction/p/building-an-ai-first-go-to-marketOmar Akhtar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omarbilalakhtar/Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!

Ray Rike, Founder of Benchmarkit and a B2B SaaS metrics guru, joins industry veteran Dave Kellogg, co-host of The Metrics Brothers podcast, to tackle the frustrations of B2B SaaS metrics. They discuss overcoming dashboard chaos and the pipeline crisis, emphasizing the importance of a unified metrics framework. Ray reveals his method for calculating Marketing CAC, while Dave shares his disdain for certain SaaS metrics. The duo advocates for branding investment and answer engine optimization as keys to thriving in the AI-driven era.

In this engaging discussion, Alex Raymond, founder of AMplify and host of the Account Management Secrets podcast, reveals the often-overlooked power of account management in driving SaaS revenue. He emphasizes that account management should be viewed as the growth department, advocating for proactive account expansion instead of reactive support. Alex shares insights on building account management capabilities early, ideal profiles for account managers, and the need for a structured approach to customer growth. Prepare for a mix of valuable strategies and lighthearted banter!

Gabe Larsen, Chief Revenue Officer at Signals and former CMO at Kustomer, dives into the world of agentic AI and its impact on signal-based marketing. He critiques traditional Account-Based Marketing, revealing how AI can enhance customer engagement through omni-channel execution. Gabe shares his views on the challenges of building vs. buying AI tools and suggests that flexible vendor solutions will dominate. He also discusses the future of AI pricing, advocating for salary-based models for agentic employees, envisioning a shift from tools to cloud-based teammates.

The vast majority of companies that think they are running ABM (Account-Based Marketing) are not actually running ABM. Not only that, they wouldn’t recognize a real ABM strategy if one came up and slapped them in the face with a stack of direct mailers.Davis Potter is the CEO & Co-Founder of ForgeX, a research and advisory firm that helps B2B companies modernize their Account-Based Go To Market and AI strategies. Davis joins co-hosts Matt Amundson and Craig Rosenberg for an exploration of the current state of ABM (Account-Based Marketing), what it takes to drive impact of using AI in GTM Execution, and how to right-size the B2B marketing tactics to each account. Also, Craig uses a ‘Matt-ism’, Matt distinguishes cuddling from canoodling, and Producer Sam fixes a problem with his face. Critical TakeawaysThere are three core account-based marketing models: Enterprise ABM (1:1 and 1:few), Growth ABM (1:many at scale), and Deal Acceleration (targeted support for individual opps).Shift from short, one-off marketing campaigns to holistic, always-on programs that run continuously throughout the year. Build a playbook of ABM tactics (e.g., webinars, executive dinners, personalized landing pages, LinkedIn ads) and deploy them based on account tier and industry segment. This enables ongoing engagement and better adapts to complex B2B buying cycles.Select and tier accounts based on informed revenue potential, not just logo desirability or gut feel. Analyze first, second, and third-party signals, as well as customer LTV and microsegments, to prioritize accounts for deeper personalization and resource allocation. For example, reserve direct mail and executive engagement for tier one, while using scalable digital tactics for lower tiers.Unify your target account lists across sales, marketing, and customer success to drive alignment and efficiency. Instead of each function working from separate lists, create a single Go-To-Market account portfolio informed by revenue potential and engagement signals. AI can dramatically accelerate research, content personalization, and account list building, but only if you have a clear strategy first. Many companies are underutilizing AI or using it without a defined goal, leading to mediocre results.Chapters00:00 - Introducing Davis Potter, Founder of ForgeX08:00 - Quick Coldplay Concert Conundrum Recap10:00 - Davis’ first ABM Webinar horror story16:00 - Redefining Account-Based Marketing: Beyond the traditional pyramid18:00 - A new ABM segmentation model24:00 - The case for a unified Go-To-Market account portfolio27:00 - Growth ABM tactics that actually scale31:00 - Where AI fits into an ABM strategy  (and where it doesn’t)39:00 - How shadow AI is reshaping GTM45:00 - Reporting, the board deck problem, and the MQL hangover49:00 - What your Revenue Team needs to measure in modern ABM53:00 - Replacing the Market Qualified Lead industrial complexJoin our Newsletter to never miss an episode & get bonus content: https://thetransaction.substack.com/Epic Quotes“One practitioner can't cover 50 accounts and actually leverage one-to-one.” - Davis PotterConnect with DavisLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davispotter62/ ForgeX Website: https://www.forgex.ai/ Revenue Xchange: https://open.spotify.com/show/7v2449do8UGuLAbilezi29?si=1a56c9a9a18d4550 ShoutoutsDemandbaseSangram Vajre: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sangramvajre/Sam McKenna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsalesli/ Sam McKenna’s Episode: https://open.substack.com/pub/thetransaction/p/social-selling-secrets-to-supercharge Dan Gottlieb: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielpgottlieb/ Dan Gottlieb’s Episode: https://open.substack.com/pub/thetransaction/p/triple-t-pov-with-dan-gottlieb?r=3iae7z&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false Kerry Cunningham: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerrycunningham/ Jon Miller: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonmiller2/ Jon Miller’s Episode: https://open.substack.com/pub/thetransaction/p/building-trust-and-reputation-in 

Rachel Dines, an advisor and former Forrester analyst, dives into the crucial world of analyst relations for SaaS startups. She emphasizes the importance of building genuine relationships with analysts before spending on subscriptions. Rachel shares her insights on focusing on a single use case to streamline go-to-market strategies and insists that the first marketing hire should be a product marketer for effective messaging. Plus, she recounts a humorous career advice mishap. Tune in for invaluable tips and entertaining banter!