C-Suite Sales & Marketing Perspectives

• CMOs: The Deal Breaker for Creating Long-Term Sustainable Growth

  Episode #200:Vladimir Sitnikov, Chief Marketing Officer at Constructor Tech, explains why trust has become the decisive currency in B2B growth. Drawing on his engineering background, he shows how data fluency and AI-driven insights let marketers move from broad claims to verifiable value, turning cautious buyers into committed partners. Vladimir argues that open product trials, transparent pricing, and well-curated analytics shrink the gap between interest and action, especially in competitive markets where prospects delay outreach.💡" Trust is critical. It is a deal-breaker not only in B2B but in some specific markets where you cannot go anywhere without trust. People don’t have enough time and attention to understand all the details, so they look for signs of trust before they start listening to whoever is informing them about tools, products, or approaches they need." - Vladimir SitnikovVladimir also highlights culture as the force that sustains these gains. Teams must embrace continuous learning, honest fit assessments, and cross-functional collaboration so insights travel faster than market shifts. When the same data informs product, sales, and support, companies can adjust strategies in real time while maintaining credibility. Trust, data mastery, and cultural adaptability together form a holistic model that equips B2B leaders to convert short-term wins into long-term, sustainable growth.Follow Vladimir Sitnikov on LinkedInFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

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• It's Unbelievable What Our ICP Shares with Us If We…

  Episode #199:💡 Joris van der Waart, CMO at Lumosa, shares invaluable insights on building brand trust and the critical importance of deeply understanding the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). He highlights the ongoing decline of trust within B2B relationships and emphasizes that marketers must rebuild it through authentic dialogue and genuine curiosity. Drawing from his experiences, Joris illustrates how direct, unfiltered engagement with customers and internal teams strengthens relationships and sharpens marketing strategies. 💡"Trust is a basic need, and trust is also about feeling. When your intentions are pure and good, and you are authentic, really close to yourself and genuinely interested in helping your customer, people feel that and respond to it." - Joris van der WaartThis conversation explores the profound transformation when businesses shift from mere familiarity to truly knowing their customers by asking the right questions and being proactively involved. Joris advocates bridging internal communication gaps and fostering sincere involvement inside and outside the organization. His strategic approach demonstrates how prioritizing transparency and continuous conversation elevates customer satisfaction and aligns teams around common goals, creating a culture of trust and authentic interaction in B2B leadership.Follow Joris van der Waart on LinkedInFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

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• How Marketing Truly Drives Profitable Growth

  Episode #198:💡 Barbara Toens, Global CMO at Gantrex, brings her pricing PhD and global B2B experience to this in-depth discussion. She explains how marketing earns its C-Suite seat by ensuring every decision starts with deep customer understanding. Barbara shares best practices for VOC calls, cross-functional alignment, and transforming marketing from a cost center to a growth engine. 💡 “When marketing leads customer conversations, we transition from vendor to trusted long-term partner.” – Barbara ToensIn this episode, Barbara Toens explores the strategic role of marketing in driving profitable growth through customer-centric leadership, voice-of-customer initiatives, and value-based pricing. She also learned how CMOs can influence cross-functional teams, build trusted customer partnerships, and move beyond transactional marketing to measurable business impact.Follow Barbara Toens on LinkedIn Follow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

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• Why Hypergrowth Shouldn't Be Our Primary Goal

  Episode #197:💡 Luna Shirley, CRO at ROI Hunter, challenges the obsession with hypergrowth and its hidden costs. She shares industry data showing 73% of revenue stems from existing clients and explains why Net Revenue Retention (NRR) is critical. She also discusses how focusing on customer success and team wellbeing leads to sustainable profitability.💡“We need to understand what lies behind sustainable growth. It is profitability and reasonable growth momentum. Profitability allows you to retain the freedom to make the right and necessary decisions, while reasonable growth momentum enables you to continue investing in your people and your clients.” - Luna ShirleyLuna uncovers that a people-first approach, AI readiness, and retention strategies can drive sustainable growth. With firsthand lessons from leading ROI Hunter through a turnaround, she delivers hard-earned insights CROs can use today.Follow Luna Shirley on LinkedInFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

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• Why You Need to Stop Your Growth-at-All-Costs Strategy

  Episode #196: 💡 Peter Mullen, Growth Leader of AI, GTM, Brand, and CX at Simply Systems LLC, explains why the “growth-at-all-costs” era is breaking trust and gutting long-term value. Drawing on 30 years of scaling tech brands, he urges marketers to pivot spend toward thought leadership, brand integrity, and customer experience so revenue compounds instead of spiking and crashing. 💡“We need to reconnect with what our customers truly need and shift our mentality from ‘growth at all costs’ to building long-standing partnerships. The exciting part is that this approach allows us to reimagine the entire engine of our growth strategy.” - Peter MullenPeter insists today’s skeptical, part-time buyers reward vendors who replace vanity funnels with transparency: add 50 % of budget to “trust development,” spotlight real executive and frontline voices, and trade flashy mega-booths for smaller forums where experts shake hands twice and share stories that stick. This trust-first playbook, he argues, is how companies escape quarter-to-quarter whiplash and build sustainable, loyalty-driven growth.Follow Peter Mullen on LinkedInFollow host Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

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