In this episode, Dave is joined by Andrew Davies, CMO at Paddle, a company providing complete payments infrastructure for 4,000+ software businesses globally. Prior to Paddle, he was VP of Corporate Marketing at Optimizely, following the acquisition of his startup. Dave and Andrew talk about the marketing strategy at Paddle, managing a team of 30 marketers, the fundamentals of effective B2B marketing, and their mission of being the most helpful brand in their space.

Dave and Andrew also cover:

• The importance of first principles in B2B marketing
• How to structure and scale a marketing team
• How to differentiate in a crowded market

Timestamps

• (00:00) - - Intro to Andrew
• (07:13) - - From Startup Founder and CMO to Head of Marketing
• (12:48) - - Starting Out at Paddle
• (15:34) - - First Principles for Building Out Marketing
• (18:12) - - Positioning and Messaging in a Crowded Market
• (19:27) - - Leading a 30-Person Marketing Team at Paddle
• (25:32) - - The Key to Being an Effective Leader
• (28:01) - - Distributing and Prioritizing Tasks on the Marketing Team
• (33:28) - - Marketing Strategy at Paddle
• (35:09) - - What is Your Marketing Team NOT Doing That is Considered a Best Practice for Every Other Company?
• (38:41) - - AI in B2B Marketing
• (41:34) - - Closing Remarks

Send guest pitches and ideas to [email protected]
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by our friends at Knak.  Launching an email or landing page in your marketing automation platform shouldn't feel like assembling an airplane mid flight with no instructions, but too often that's exactly how it feels.

No more having to stop midway through your campaign to fix something simple. Knack lets you work with your entire team in real time and stops you from having to fix things mid flight. Check them out at knak.com/exit-five/

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

• They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
• Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
• Visit hatch.fm to learn more

In this episode, we’re delivering another B2B marketing lesson in under 10 minutes—no fluff, just practical insights.

Matthew Carnevale, Marketing Manager at Exit Five, discusses the difference between goals, strategies, and tactics—a framework every marketer needs to plan effectively.

Matthew explains why strategy is the guiding principle behind your plan, how it keeps your team focused, and shares real-world examples of aligning tactics with strategy. 

Send guest pitches and ideas to [email protected]
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by our friends at Knak.  Launching an email or landing page in your marketing automation platform shouldn't feel like assembling an airplane mid flight with no instructions, but too often that's exactly how it feels.

No more having to stop midway through your campaign to fix something simple. Knack lets you work with your entire team in real time and stops you from having to fix things mid flight. Check them out at knak.com/exit-five/

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

• They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
• Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
• Visit hatch.fm to learn more

This episode is from Drive 2024, our first-ever in-person event for B2B marketers in Burlington, Vermont. Natalie Marcotullio, Head of Growth and Operations at Navattic, shared strategies on how to say “no” when faced with competing priorities in marketing.

Natalie covers:

• How to establish a marketing framework that simplifies decision-making and helps you say no effectively.
• A three-step process for communicating priorities with your CEO and leadership team.
• Quick-win productivity hacks that offer simple ways to say “no.”

Timestamps

• (00:00) - - Intro to Natalie
• (04:47) - - The “stress spiral” at work
• (06:39) - - How to stop the stress spiral and decide what’s most important to work on
• (08:36) - - Natalie’s marketing framework: Unique + Valuable
• (09:44) - - Examples of creating a unique and valuable marketing framework
• (11:34) - - Why having a framework works
• (14:21) - - Step #1 of saying “No”: Ask the Why
• (18:19) - - Step #2 of saying “No”: Swap it out
• (20:25) - - Step #3 of saying “No”: "Let’s experiment with it"
• (23:19) - - Small ways to say “No”
• (29:28) - - Natalie’s weirdest ask she’s received (and had to say no to)
• (30:30) - - How to know you need to get better at saying no
• (31:28) - - Giving context and rationale when saying yes
• (32:18) - - How to get your team to think with a marketing mindset and actively bring ideas to you
• (33:26) - - Teaching the “yes/no” framework: How does it play out when your team uses your own tricks on you?

Send guest pitches and ideas to [email protected]
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by our friends at Knak.  Launching an email or landing page in your marketing automation platform shouldn't feel like assembling an airplane mid flight with no instructions, but too often that's exactly how it feels.

No more having to stop midway through your campaign to fix something simple. Knack lets you work with your entire team in real time and stops you from having to fix things mid flight. Check them out at knak.com/exit-five/

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

• They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
• Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
• Visit hatch.fm to learn more

In this episode, Dave is joined by Priscilla Barolo, former head of comms at Zoom (for nearly 10 years, including the pandemic) and current Head of Marketing at Neat, an Oslo-based video tech company. Neat’s tech is used around the world from major enterprises like Atlassian to the White House. With a decade-long career at Zoom, including during its hypergrowth through the pandemic, Priscilla is a expert in communications and B2B marketing leadership.

Dave and Priscilla cover:

• The path from communications to marketing leadership
• The unique challenges of marketing a physical product in the B2B tech space
• Building and scaling a global marketing team at a high-growth, remote-first company

Send guest pitches and ideas to [email protected]
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by our friends at Knak.  Launching an email or landing page in your marketing automation platform shouldn't feel like assembling an airplane mid flight with no instructions, but too often that's exactly how it feels.

No more having to stop midway through your campaign to fix something simple. Knack lets you work with your entire team in real time and stops you from having to fix things mid flight. Check them out at knak.com/exit-five/

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

• They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
• Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
• Visit hatch.fm to learn more

This episode is from Drive 2024, our first-ever in-person event for B2B marketers in Burlington, Vermont. Lashay Lewis, Founder of Authority Plug, hosted a session on making the transition from in-house marketing to building a solo business.

Lashay covers:

• How to niche down by focusing on one problem for one ideal customer profile.
• Why it’s important to develop a strong point of view to stand out in your category.
• How to create a repeatable, results-driven process that builds trust and sells your service

Timestamps

• (00:00) - - Intro to Lashay
• (05:34) - - When Change Outweighs Pain Of Staying The Same
• (09:12) - - Step One: Narrow Your Job Description
• (11:49) - - Step Two: Develop a Strong Point of View
• (14:35) - - Step Three: Use the L.O.C.K Formula
• (21:03) - - Step Four: Let the Process Sell Itself
• (25:05) - - Niche Consultants vs. Agencies Are The New Normal
• (28:01) - - “Live Your Dash”
• (30:55) - - How to Approach Selling Your Brand vs. Your Name
• (32:16) - - How to Figure Out Your Niche
• (35:12) - - Closing Remarks

Send guest pitches and ideas to [email protected]
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by our friends at Knak.  Launching an email or landing page in your marketing automation platform shouldn't feel like assembling an airplane mid flight with no instructions, but too often that's exactly how it feels.

No more having to stop midway through your campaign to fix something simple. Knack lets you work with your entire team in real time and stops you from having to fix things mid flight. Check them out at knak.com/exit-five/

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

• They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
• Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
• Visit hatch.fm to learn more

This episode is from Drive 2024, our first-ever in-person event for B2B marketers in Burlington, Vermont. Pranav Piyush, Co-Founder & CEO of Paramark, hosted a session on one of B2B's biggest challenges: measurement and attribution.

Pranav covers:

• Why attribution models like first-touch and last-touch are outdated
• How to prove the incremental impact of marketing channels, including search, social, email, podcasts, billboards, and brand.
• How to present marketing's value to the CFO and CEO

Timestamps

• (00:00) - - Intro to Pranav
• (06:01) - - Marketing IS Measurable
• (06:44) - - What Does Attribution Mean?
• (09:59) - - Do Search Ads Drive Incremental Sales?
• (11:16) - - How To Find Cause From Search > Impression > Click > Conversion
• (13:09) - - Google’s Conversion Lift
• (14:36) - - Do Social Ads Drive Incremental Sales?
• (16:02) - - Tracking Demo Bookings vs. LinkedIn Impressions
• (18:17) - - Do Emails Drive Incremental Sales?
• (20:47) - - Do Podcasts Drive Incremental Sales?
• (23:59) - - Do Billboards Drive Incremental Sales?
• (26:23) - - How Do You Measure Brand?
• (31:18) - - Why You Should Experiment to Understand Attribution
• (33:28) - - The Long Term Impact of Brand Equity
• (35:13) - - How to Measure the Impact of Videos and LinkedIn
• (36:26) - - Impressions vs Results
• (39:36) - - Impressions vs Demos
• (43:33) - - Wrap Up

Send guest pitches and ideas to [email protected]
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by our friends at Knak.  Launching an email or landing page in your marketing automation platform shouldn't feel like assembling an airplane mid flight with no instructions, but too often that's exactly how it feels.

No more having to stop midway through your campaign to fix something simple. Knack lets you work with your entire team in real time and stops you from having to fix things mid flight. Check them out at knak.com/exit-five/

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

• They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
• Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
• Visit hatch.fm to learn more

In this episode, we’re delivering another B2B marketing lesson in under 10 minutes—no fluff, just actionable insights.

Matthew Carnevale, Marketing Manager at Exit Five, breaks down a core copywriting skill that every marketer needs: crafting a hook that grabs attention right away. Too often, marketers "bury the hook" by failing to get to the point, leaving potential customers scrolling past.

Matthew shares the top three elements of a strong hook, why questions don’t work as well as statements, and real-world examples of hooks that have proven to be irresistible. By the end, you’ll know how to create concise, clear, and compelling hooks that keep people engaged from the first word.

Send guest pitches and ideas to [email protected]
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by our friends at Knak.  Launching an email or landing page in your marketing automation platform shouldn't feel like assembling an airplane mid flight with no instructions, but too often that's exactly how it feels.

No more having to stop midway through your campaign to fix something simple. Knack lets you work with your entire team in real time and stops you from having to fix things mid flight. Check them out at knak.com/exit-five/

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

• They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
• Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
• Visit hatch.fm to learn more

In this episode, Dave is joined by Taylor Udell, Head of Growth at Champify, a sales intelligence platform that helps B2B sales teams identify key contacts for more effective outreach. With experience at companies like Twilio and Heap, Taylor shares the marketing strategies she’s used to drive growth in sales-led organizations.

Dave and Taylor cover:

• How Champify drives awareness through events, LinkedIn organic, and thought leader ads
• Why they stopped doing direct response ads and are seeing better results with high-value content assets
• Why cold calling is an effective channel in Champify's sales-led approach
• Why they chose to stop hiring freelancers and agencies and instead opted to build expertise in-house

Timestamps

• (00:00) - - Intro to Taylor
• (03:20) - - How to Build Product Awareness
• (07:54) - - Why Thought Leader Posts Are a Better Approach Than B2B Ads
• (10:12) - - How To Measure LinkedIn Effectiveness
• (14:11) - - Areas Where Taylor Hopes to Drive Revenue Growth at Champify
• (19:07) - - Why Cold Calling Works at Champify
• (20:50) - - Measuring Success Between Sales and Marketing
• (22:51) - - Why Champify Stopped Using Direct Response Ads and Is Seeing Better Results with High-Value Content Assets
• (26:36) - - Driving Higher Intent with Content Assets
• (28:57) - - Why Champify Stopped Outsourcing Until They Had a Definition of “Good”
• (31:45) - - Measuring Success Without Gating Content or Generating MQLs
• (34:37) - - Advice for New Marketing Leaders
• (38:10) - - Closing Remarks

Send guest pitches and ideas to [email protected]
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by our friends at Knak.  Launching an email or landing page in your marketing automation platform shouldn't feel like assembling an airplane mid flight with no instructions, but too often that's exactly how it feels.

No more having to stop midway through your campaign to fix something simple. Knack lets you work with your entire team in real time and stops you from having to fix things mid flight. Check them out at knak.com/exit-five/

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

• They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
• Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
• Visit hatch.fm to learn more

In this episode, Dave is a guest on the We're Not Marketers podcast, hosted by Zach Roberts (Founder of Break Into Product Marketing), Eric Holland (current Product Marketer at Klue), and Gab Bujold (Founder at Press X to Market). They sit down to talk about Dave’s journey in B2B marketing—from marketing manager to CMO—hosting a podcast for B2B marketing, and organizing Exit Five’s first-ever in-person event, Drive in Burlington. Plus, Dave answers one important question: Are product marketers actually marketers?

We’re Not Marketers and Dave also cover:

• One way “frameworks” might hurt your product storytelling.
• Why you can’t just start a podcast in B2B without this obvious skill?
• What Dave said is “the most important role in B2B marketing”.
• Don’t tell sales “what to do”. They almost never listen. Do this instead.
• Why “messaging by committee” sucks.
• Good news! The "80% difference" to great B2B marketing, uses two common PMM skills.
• How can we (product marketers) simplify B2B marketing

Timestamps

• (01:05) - Dave's Journey and Podcasting Tips
• (05:05) - The Importance of Product Marketing
• (07:03) - Early Stage Marketing Strategies
• (14:16) - Building Trust and Influence in Startups
• (21:11) - Positioning and Messaging Challenges
• (25:29) - Addressing the Decline in Win Rate
• (28:23) - Importance of Executing Positioning
• (28:56) - Casual Conversation and Personal Interests
• (29:57) - Messaging Torture Chamber
• (30:30) - Marketing Strategies: Brand vs. Content
• (32:13) - Event Marketing Insights
• (33:58) - Simplifying B2B Marketing
• (37:37) - The Role of Podcasts in B2B Marketing
• (44:22) - Conclusion and Upcoming Events

Send guest pitches and ideas to [email protected]
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by our friends at Knak.  Launching an email or landing page in your marketing automation platform shouldn't feel like assembling an airplane mid flight with no instructions, but too often that's exactly how it feels.

No more having to stop midway through your campaign to fix something simple. Knack lets you work with your entire team in real time and stops you from having to fix things mid flight. Check them out at knak.com/exit-five/

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

• They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
• Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
• Visit hatch.fm to learn more

In this episode, we’re delivering another B2B marketing lesson in under 10 minutes—no fluff, just actionable insights.

Matthew Carnevale, Marketing Manager at Exit Five, dives into a fundamental principle every B2B marketer should understand: you can't fake urgency. Real urgency isn’t something you create from thin air - it’s something that’s baked into your go-to-market strategy.

Matthew shares examples from Exit Five’s playbook, like driving urgency through limited event tickets and exclusive launch discounts, and explains how to adapt these techniques for any B2B setting. 

Send guest pitches and ideas to [email protected]
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by our friends at Knak.  Launching an email or landing page in your marketing automation platform shouldn't feel like assembling an airplane mid flight with no instructions, but too often that's exactly how it feels.

No more having to stop midway through your campaign to fix something simple. Knack lets you work with your entire team in real time and stops you from having to fix things mid flight. Check them out at knak.com/exit-five/

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

• They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
• Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
• Visit hatch.fm to learn more

This episode is from Drive 2024, our first-ever in-person event for B2B marketers in Burlington, Vermont. Dave hosts a marketing leadership panel with Peter Mahoney, CCO of GoTo, Tara Robertson, CMO at Bitly, and Amrita Mathur, Head of Marketing at Zapier. These marketing leaders open up about their experiences and share actionable advice to help you lead, manage, and set goals for your marketing team. 

Dave, Peter, Tara, and Amrita cover:

• Why business literacy is so important for marketing leaders
• How to set goals for your marketing team
• Each panelists biggest career risks — what worked, and what did not
• Practical frameworks for managing short-term demands while staying committed to long-term goals

Timestamps

• (00:00) - - Intro to Peter, Amrita, and Tara
• (06:14) - - One Piece of Advice for Marketing Leaders
• (13:42) - - How to Set Goals For Your Team
• (22:53) - - Framework for Short-Term vs Long-Term Pipeline Goals
• (25:27) - - Budgeting for Short-Term vs Long-Term Goals
• (27:57) - - How to Work with a Difficult Counterpart
• (30:20) - - Panelists’ Biggest Career Risk That Worked
• (35:05) - - Panelists’ Biggest Career Risk That Did NOT Work
• (37:41) - - How to Lead your Team When You’re in a Leadership Rut
• (46:02) - - How to Navigate a New Leadership Role
• (49:26) - - Making Uncomfortable Decisions as a Leader
• (52:39) - - Does CEO = CMO?
• (54:22) - - When to Reconsider Your Strategy
• (57:47) - - Closing Remarks

Send guest pitches and ideas to [email protected]
Join the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter
Check out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/
Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership

***

This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by our friends at Knak.  Launching an email or landing page in your marketing automation platform shouldn't feel like assembling an airplane mid flight with no instructions, but too often that's exactly how it feels.

No more having to stop midway through your campaign to fix something simple. Knack lets you work with your entire team in real time and stops you from having to fix things mid flight. Check them out at knak.com/exit-five/

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

• They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
• Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
• Visit hatch.fm to learn more