The Dave Gerhardt Show (from Exit Five)

Gabby Kustner, a lifecycle marketer at Customer.io specializing in behavior-led messaging, joins Alyssa Armstrong, an email strategy expert, and Joe Cunningham, a seasoned email consultant. They discuss how AI complicates inbox dynamics, stressing that human-sounding emails beat generic ones. The trio emphasizes treating the inbox as a personal space, the importance of empathy-driven storytelling, and smart orchestration of email, SMS, and in-app messaging. They also address how to keep 'lurkers' engaged and share tips for personalizing without being intrusive.

Dive into essential marketing principles that outshine AI trends, focusing on what truly matters to customers. Discover how to resonate with your audience by making them look good, saving them time, and ensuring tangible ROI. Enjoy anecdotes from a memorable team retreat in Arizona and the significance of in-person connections. Plus, get personal insights on recovery from hip surgery, recent reads that inspire creativity, and a lighthearted Thanksgiving debate. Exciting leadership changes at Exit Five pave the way for future adventures!

In this engaging conversation, Josh Lowman, Founder & CEO of Goldfront, shares his expertise on category creation in B2B marketing. He reveals why many companies fail at this and emphasizes the importance of becoming irreplaceable in the customer’s mind. Josh outlines four paths to category leadership and critiques the pitfalls of 'fake' category design. He also highlights how personal development fuels creativity, advocating for the power of vibe and soul in marketing over mere data-driven tactics.

April Dunford, founder of Ambient Strategy and expert in product positioning, shares insights from her 25-year marketing career. She reveals how to identify competitor exaggerations and transform confusing features into clear value. April discusses the pitfalls of overthinking categories and emphasizes the importance of having a solid go-to-market strategy before positioning. With humor and honesty, she provides five key lessons for making your product stand out, and stresses the need for unique storytelling that resonates only with your brand.

In this engaging discussion, Jen Allen-Knuth, Founder of DemandJen and a seasoned sales expert, reveals why deals stall despite having superior products. She dives into the distractions created by an overload of shiny tools and how me-centric messaging keeps buyers stuck in the status quo. Jen shares two essential exercises that can highlight lost pipeline, emphasizes rebuilding outbound messaging to spark curiosity, and introduces a framework for crafting effective outreach that challenges buyer assumptions.

In this conversation, Dave Gerhardt, founder of Exit Five and former CMO, shares insights on transforming a Slack group into a thriving community. He discusses the importance of treating community as a product and warns that not all companies should launch private communities. Dave emphasizes measuring community impact through qualitative signals rather than relying solely on data. The chat also covers the current mixed sentiments around AI in professional settings and practical tips for its adoption, proving both energizing and daunting.

Join Sylvia LePoidevin, CMO at Kandji, Trinity Nguyen, CMO at UserGems, and Natalie Taylor, Head of Marketing at Capsule, as they dive into what’s driving B2B marketing today. They discuss how Capsule transformed events into their top pipeline channel and UserGems' innovative approach to account prioritization through AI. Sylvia shares insights on building a media property that gets cited by LLMs. Plus, they reveal outdated tactics they've ditched, emphasizing the importance of engaging, opinionated content over generic approaches.

Brianna Doe, the founder of Verbatim and a seasoned strategist in influencer marketing, shares invaluable insights on B2B influencer marketing. She discusses how influence shapes buying journeys and highlights strategies B2B brands can adopt from B2C. Brianna introduces the Creator Engine Framework and emphasizes the importance of selecting the right creators aligned with campaign goals. She also covers measuring impact beyond vanity metrics and successfully scaling influencer programs to ensure sustainable engagement and outreach.

Tom Wentworth, CMO of incident.io, disrupts traditional marketing with bold, AI-focused strategies. Aditya Vempaty, VP at MoEngage, champions customer obsession and creative distribution. Meanwhile, Lindsay O'Brien heads marketing at Predictiv, advocating for clear messaging and practical AI use. Together, they explore how AI transforms the B2B buying journey, why the old funnel model may be obsolete, and the importance of embracing transparency and creativity in modern marketing. They emphasize leveraging AI for effective research and enhancing team productivity.

Harry Dry, founder of Marketing Examples, shares his expertise as a copywriter and storytelling guru. He dives into the art of conflict-driven narratives and emphasizes the importance of emotion in marketing. Harry explains how simple writing can create powerful connections, illustrating his points with real-world examples. He outlines key storytelling principles and explores how unresolved tension can redefine a brand. With practical tips and engaging anecdotes, he reveals how compelling stories resonate with audiences and drive effective marketing strategies.