Most marketing teams are testing. Headlines, creative, landing pages, CTAs the activity is there. So why do so few experimentation programs produce sustained, meaningful growth?

According to Shamir Duverseau, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Smart Panda Labs, the problem usually isn't the volume of tests. It's the expectation behind them. Teams go into experimentation hoping to watch a conversion-rate line climb steadily up and to the right — and that graph is never coming. Experimentation is a decision-making framework, not a conversion dial. Its real output is better decisions across the organization over time.

In this episode, Shamir joins host Steffen Horst to unpack what's actually happening inside a high-consideration buying journey — and why uncertainty, not price or competition, is the thing freezing your customers in place.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why experimentation programs stall even when teams are running hundreds of tests
• The decision hierarchy buyers move through: relevance, trust, motivation, orientation
• Why uncertainty — not your competitor or your price point — is the real conversion killer
• Optimizing for clicks vs. optimizing for decisions, and why click quality changes everything
• The "traffic accident" approach to analysis: why one data source always tells the wrong story
• Where AI genuinely accelerates insight work — and why it makes experts better without making non-experts competent
• Trust, security, and stimulation: the three psychological barriers that stall high-ticket purchases
• Mining chat logs, support calls, and exit surveys for the objections analytics will never show you
• What a healthy experimentation culture looks like when marketing, product, and IT actually align
• Why a losing test can be worth more than a winning one — and how it saves real money

"More than any competitor, more than any price point — uncertainty is the marketer's greatest enemy." — Shamir Duverseau

When your customers are governments, nonprofits, and humanitarian organizations, the traditional B2B playbook falls apart. Sales cycles stretch from six months to two years, buyers are complex, and trust is everything.

In this episode, host Steffen Horst talks with Caroline Ang Wright, Vice President of Marketing at AidKit — a venture-backed public benefit corporation and certified B Corp that builds aid and benefits delivery infrastructure for governments and nonprofits at scale.

Caroline has built marketing functions at early-stage startups working at the intersection of technology and public good. Before tech, she was a journalism fellow for the UN Environment Programme and a management consultant at Monitor Deloitte. She holds a BA in English literature from Brown University and master's degrees from the London School of Economics and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

In this conversation, Caroline shares how to build a high-touch marketing engine when you can't rely on capturing existing demand — and how she pairs relationship-building with scalable, data-driven systems.

In this episode:

• Why the "capture demand" SaaS playbook breaks in B2G — and what to do instead
• The real length of a government sales cycle (and one deal that took 78 touches to close)
• How AidKit vets conferences: ICP, seniority, themes, speaking slots, and geography
• Why events are AidKit's strongest channel — and how digital works best as an amplifier, not a standalone
• Measuring ROI when deals take 18 months: leading indicators, MQLs, and pipeline created
• The anatomy of their best-ever webinar (250 live attendees, ~50 of 60 minutes average watch time) with former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell
• Using AI honestly — the "PhD intern" that still needs taste, QA, and direction
• Advice for small marketing teams deciding between high-touch events and scalable digital

Most marketers still treat webinars as a one-and-done content play — or worse, write them off as dead. Nicole Gates disagrees. As VP of Global Growth Marketing at Varonis, she's turned webinars into one of her top-of-funnel lead drivers and a repeatable, scalable revenue engine.

In this episode, Nicole joins host Steffen Horst to break down how she structures webinar programs across the entire funnel, scales them globally without burning out a small team, and is now using AI to go further.

What we cover:

• Why "webinars are dead" is wrong — and the mindset shift that makes them work
• Structuring webinars across the funnel (awareness → consideration → demo) and the metrics that matter at each stage
• How the monthly "State of Cybercrime" series became a brand of its own — with zero product pitching
• Using webinar data to uncover positioning and audience (the Salesforce upsell story)
• Scaling across regions: when to invest in local languages vs. just shifting time zones
• Where AI fits today (deeper audience analysis, reactivating churned customers) and tomorrow (dubbing, semi-live replays)
• Live vs. on-demand — what actually converts
• Nicole's advice for teams starting from scratch: consistency, thought leadership, and giving it a year

Marketing and sales alignment is one of the most talked-about, least-solved problems in B2B. In this episode, Steffen Horst talks with Gerardo A. Dada, CMO at Catchpoint and former marketing leader at Microsoft, SolarWinds, Rackspace, and Motorola — about why the fix isn't more meetings or Slack channels, but shared systems and shared metrics.

Gerardo explains why marketing should be measured on revenue instead of MQLs, tells the story of a team that gamed its PQL numbers with free t-shirts (and what it cost the sales team), and lays out a practical path for aligning on ideal customer profile, buying-stage gates, joint budget decisions, and "reverse forensics" on won deals. He also makes the case against merging marketing and sales under one leader, and shares how to keep messaging consistent between marketing content and sales conversations.

Topics covered:

• Why misalignment is a systems problem, not a communication problem
• The cost of measuring marketing on leads instead of revenue
• How to define ICP, buyer personas, and true buying-stage gates
• Keeping marketing and sales in sync on long sales cycles
• Why a shared org chart isn't the fix
• Building a consistent narrative across marketing content and sales conversations

Most marketing teams are using AI to produce more: more content, more campaigns, more output. But the marketers pulling ahead are using it to decide better. In this episode, host Steffen Horst talks with Ashley Bowlin, a marketing and growth executive with nearly 20 years of experience helping SaaS and professional services companies grow through smarter go-to-market strategy, about what that shift actually looks like.

Ashley specializes in the "glue functions" that connect brand, product, sales, and partnerships — and she's here to talk about using AI to think more clearly, not generate more noise.

In this episode:

• [02:05] Why teams default to using AI for output instead of better decisions
• [04:38] Pressure-testing brand positioning and differentiation with AI
• [08:07] How AI search is changing buyer behavior — and why there are now 20-70 touchpoints in a B2B buying journey
• [11:40] Closing the gap between data insight and action
• [12:48] Using AI to align brand, product, sales, and partnerships without adding fragmentation
• [14:14] Why LLMs are "notorious for pleasing" — and how to train them not to
• [15:23] The "post-mortem" technique: asking AI to critique its own recommendation
• [16:49] Holding the line against content for content's sake
• [21:45] Where AI helps executive-level decisions — and where human judgment has to lead
• [24:58] Preserving the human element in an AI-driven marketing org

About Ashley Bowlin: Ashley Bowlin is a marketing and growth executive with nearly 20 years of experience across SaaS and professional services. She currently works at Top Echelon, a staffing and recruiting technology company with an ATS, CRM, and split-placement recruiter network. Connect with her on LinkedIn: Ashley Bowlin.

Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Performance Delivered and leave us a review on your favorite podcast app: https://lovethepodcast.com/65692bc40e90de09ac168689

Growing B2B companies often have products that can do dozens, even hundreds, of things — but that doesn't mean they should market all of them. In this episode of Performance Delivered, host Steffen Horst sits down with Rob Karel, Principal of GTM Perspective and former marketing executive at Precisely, Informatica, Lattice, and Okta, to break down a repeatable framework for identifying the handful of use cases where your company has a genuine "right to win."

Rob shares:

• Why the busiest websites often signal the least focused go-to-market strategy
• How to separate real market opportunity from internal wishful thinking
• A two-axis scoring model for prioritizing use cases (and how to weight it for your market)
• Why 3–5 use cases beats 15–20, even at enterprise scale
• How Precisely narrowed 70+ sales plays down to 11 owned "right to win" use cases for 2026
• The difference between outbound and inbound GTM strategy — and how AI fits into the long tail
• Why executive misalignment is the #1 reason prioritization frameworks turn into shelf-war

Learn more about Symphonic Digital: symphonicdigital.com 

AI has made content creation faster than ever — but for most B2B SaaS teams, it has also made messaging more generic, not more effective.

In this episode of Performance Delivered: Insider Secrets to Marketing Success, host Steffen Horst is joined by Christopher Silvestri, Founder of Conversion Alchemy, to break down how SaaS companies can use AI personas, synthetic research, and AI-assisted workflows without losing clarity, differentiation, or brand voice.

They explore why most messaging problems are not copy problems, but clarity problems, and why AI should be treated as an input system rather than an output shortcut. The conversation covers how to ground AI personas in real customer research, how to structure messaging frameworks that scale across teams, and where human judgment remains essential.

This episode is especially relevant for B2B SaaS marketers, founders, product leaders, and growth teams navigating the intersection of AI, positioning, and go-to-market strategy.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why AI tools do not fix messaging problems
• The difference between prompting and context engineering
• How to build AI personas based on real customer data
• Common mistakes SaaS teams make with AI-generated copy
• What a real AI-assisted messaging system looks like
• How to scale brand-consistent messaging without losing nuance
• The future of synthetic research in SaaS go-to-market teams

🔗 Learn more about Christopher Silvestri: https://conversionalchemy.net

🔗 Learn more about Symphonic Digital: https://www.symphonicdigital.com

Subscribe to Performance Delivered for weekly conversations on performance marketing, AI strategy, and scalable growth.

In this episode of Performance Delivered, host Steffen Horst speaks with Natasha Nikolaeva, founder of StretchIt, a leading wellness app and workplace platform helping people improve flexibility, mobility, and mindfulness through movement.

Natasha shares her journey from practicing corporate law to becoming a wellness entrepreneur — and how she turned a personal struggle with back pain into a purpose-driven business that empowers people and organizations to move, feel better, and thrive.

She reveals how StretchIt grew from an Instagram community into a global digital brand, the strategies behind its early marketing success, and how it continues to innovate in both the consumer and corporate wellness space.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• 
  How Natasha turned her personal wellness journey into a purpose-driven business.

  
  

• The early marketing strategies that helped StretchIt gain global traction.

  
  

• Why consistency and community were key to building long-term engagement.

  
  

• The shift from consumer fitness to workplace wellness — and what Natasha learned entering the B2B market.

  
  

• How StretchIt uses competitions, challenges, and personalization to boost retention.

  
  

• The metrics that truly matter when scaling an app-based wellness business.

  
  

• How purpose, storytelling, and product design drive user trust and brand growth.

CONNECT WITH OUR HOST & GUEST

🎙️ HOST: Steffen Horst  – Host, Performance Delivered Podcast
🔗 LinkedIn:Steffen Horst 

👩‍💼 GUEST: Natasha Nikolaeva – Founder, StretchIt
 🌐 Website: stretchitapp.com
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-nikolaeva-b108b92/
📱 Instagram: @stretchitapp

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Intro: From law to wellness entrepreneurship
 01:20 – The spark behind StretchIt and Natasha’s personal story
03:30 – Building an app before launch and early marketing prep
05:00 – Instagram as the foundation for brand awareness
07:00 – Launching globally through community engagement
09:15 – Positioning StretchIt in a crowded wellness market
12:00 – Expanding from flexibility training to workplace wellness
13:50 – The shift to B2B and offline marketing strategies
15:00 – How StretchIt keeps users and employees engaged
17:50 – Retention strategies and the upcoming AI Coach feature
19:40 – The key business metrics that drive StretchIt’s growth
21:50 – How engagement differs between consumers and corporate users
24:40 – The power of small, consistent movement habits
25:30 – Where to connect and learn more about StretchIt

The views and opinions expressed on the Performance Delivered podcast are solely those of the host and guests and should not be attributed to any other individual or entity. This podcast is an independent production of Performance Delivered, and all rights of ownership and reproduction are retained. © 2025

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how audiences search, discover, and engage with information — and that means PR is evolving, too. In this episode, Jackson Wightman joins Steffen Horst to unpack how AI is reshaping media visibility, credibility, and the future of public relations.

From Google’s shrinking search dominance to the rise of AI-driven “answer engines,” Jackson explains why earned media now plays a critical role in what AI surfaces and how brands can adapt before the landscape becomes fully commercialized.

He also shares actionable steps for PR pros and brands to monitor their AI presence, tailor campaigns to different AI engines, and build true authority in the new era of intelligent search.

Trust is one of the most overlooked yet powerful drivers of business growth. In this episode of Performance Delivered: Insider Secrets for Digital Marketing Success, host Stefan Horst speaks with Kristin Oelke, founder of Bright Rock Services and author of Trust: Unlocking B2B Growth in Today’s AI World.

Kristin shares why trust erosion is the hidden growth killer, how companies can uncover blind spots, and what leaders can do to embed trust into every part of their business strategy.

If you’re in B2B marketing, sales, or leadership, this conversation shows why building a strong “trust profile” is no longer optional—it’s your competitive advantage.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why trust erosion is often the biggest unseen barrier to growth
• The role of marketing, sales, and customer success in building a public trust profile
• Blind spots leaders face when assuming customers and employees trust them
• How to measure trust in meaningful ways with real-time signals
• Case studies: how Bright Rock Services helped companies like CIS Group and Feedback Now strengthen their trust profile
• How AI is both accelerating outreach and unintentionally eroding trust—and how to navigate that paradox

Connect with Us

Visit symphonicdigital.com
Follow us on X: @SymphonicHQ

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed on the “Performance Delivered” podcast are solely those of the author and guests and should not be attributed to any other individual or entity. This podcast is an independent production of Performance Delivered, and the podcast production is an original work of the author. All rights of ownership and reproduction are retained—copyright 2025.

AI is transforming SEO, but the skills that make great marketers remain timeless. In this episode, Steffen Horst sits down with Lindsie Nelson (Symphonic Digital) and Andreas Voniatis (Arteos) to explore how empathy, validation, and adaptability can keep SEO strategies both smart and human-first.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why chasing algorithms is the wrong approach
• How empathy sharpens SEO decisions
• The value of cross-channel collaboration in AI search
• How to validate AI insights with real customer data
• The evolving skills SEOs will need to thrive

Featured Guests:

• Lindsie Nelson – Head of SEO, Symphonic Digital
• Andreas Voniatis – Founder, Arteos

Resources & Links:

• Connect with Andreas on LinkedIn or visit Arteos at rtos.ia
• Learn more about Symphonic Digital at symphonicdigital.com

The views and opinions expressed on the “Performance Delivered” podcast are solely those of the author and guests and should not be attributed to any other individual or entity. This podcast is an independent production of Performance Delivered, and the podcast production is an original work of the author. All rights of ownership and reproduction are retained—copyright 2025.