The Get: Finding And Keeping The Best Marketing Leaders in B2B SaaS

• How to Buck the Trend of Short-Lived CMOs

  In this episode of The Get, host Erica Seidel talks with Monica Ho, CMO of SOCi, the leading AI-powered marketing platform for multi-location businesses. Monica reflects on her CMO journey as revenue has grown from ~$10MM to ~$100MM. She gets real about how she has built her adaptation muscles and her boardroom voice, and she shares how AI and efficiency have reshaped her org chart and choices.Monica and Erica discuss:How "earning and re-earning" your seat at the table is imperative as the business evolvesRethinking the organization at every stage of growth, and pivoting towards "more strategists than doers""Forcing" AI adoption by taking away tools that the team previously relied onThe importance of reverse mentoring – interns and junior employees can bring in creativity and have better results, "because they are having more fun."Fueling experimentation, not just with tests and tech, but by collaborating in different waysBringing specificity to the hiring process by asking a candidate for their current boss's name and that boss's perception of the candidateMaking yourself uncomfortable in Board meetings by sharing "the bad stuff -- that way, you're not in defensive mode but rather in collaborative problem-solving mode Notable quotes:"If I'm not in a changing environment, I produce that myself.""A successful life has to be earned and re-earned over and over again. Just because you're successful at something doesn't mean you're going to keep being successful….  I liken that to the CMO role. 'I had a great year. We crushed our goals.' Guess what? No one cares anymore. What am I doing next year? What am I doing this next quarter? And that earned and re-earned concept is just really instilled in me.""I have learned that you earn your seat at the table, yes, but then you have to make sure you have a voice, and you've got to keep earning that seat at the table. If I'm not coming with really good insight or an opinion or what we need next, I'm going to lose that seat.""So if I went back to my pre-CMO self, it would be to get out of my head, find my voice. One of the things I remember so clearly was it was a room full of very big personalities, and I'm also a big personality, but I'm a little bit more thoughtful. I like to listen before I speak. There was no time for me to speak. There wasn't a pause, and what I learned is that I had to interrupt people. That's not natural for me, but in order to get my thoughts out, that was just an uncomfortable place I had to put myself in, and I got a lot more comfortable with it as I held that board or held that seat."00:00 Introduction to The Get00:32 Meet Monica Ho, CMO of SOCI01:13 Monica's Journey and Leadership Insights14:49 The Impact of AI on Marketing23:41 Hiring and Career Advice30:05 Concluding Thoughts and Industry ChangesThe Get is here to drive smart decisions around recruiting and leadership in B2B SaaS marketing. We explore the trends, tribulations, and triumphs of today’s top marketing leaders in B2B SaaS.This season’s theme is how SaaS marketing organizations are changing — in both seismic and subtle ways. The Get’s host is Erica Seidel, who runs The Connective Good, an executive search practice with a hyper-focus on recruiting CMOs and VPs of Marketing, especially in B2B SaaS. If you are looking to hire a CMO or VP of Marketing of the ‘make money’ variety, rather than the ‘make it pretty’...

  --------  

  31:35

  --------

  31:35
• Delivering on the Supply Chain of Revenue As a SaaS CMO Today

  How do you not only keep up with seismic changes as a SaaS marketing leader but also proactively confront them?In this episode of The Get, host Erica Seidel of The Connective Good talks with Wanda Cadigan, SVP of Marketing for Cloudinary. Wanda shares how she delivers on the 'supply chain of revenue' in an environment where AI has joined the buying committee. From growing organic traffic when buyers arrive far more informed, to orchestrating smartly across PLG and enterprise motions, to building trust not just with humans but with AI-driven gatekeepers, Wanda offers valuable insights for leading SaaS marketing teams.You will learn about:Treating the entire go-to-market as a revenue supply chain, not siloed teamsWhy experimentation can go off the rails if it’s “a mile wide and an inch deep,” and how to drive disciplined experimentation with rapid prototyping by micro expertsTreating AI chat agents as a persona to market to, since AI is now part of the buying committeeHow PR teams will experience an opportunity to really prove their worth and connect to more commercial intent by leaning into citations, structured data, and micro-influencers, and optimizing for discoverability in both human- and machine-driven ecosystems.Designing an org with both Swiss army knives and scalpels: a mix of broad generalists and more narrow specialists to tackle specific experiments and channelsOrchestrating across PLG and enterprise motions without siloed thinkingSmarter interviewing: Defining not just questions, but also what good, average, and great answers look like to align interviewers across the orgProtecting your time: Staying fiercely focused and resisting the “people pleaser” trap Notable quotes:"Nobody just wakes up one morning and says, I'm going to submit a Contact Us form. Of course not. It's been pre-planted in your head. You've learned about a company or been educated about a problem that you may have been grappling with, and you could be exposed to press relations, analyst reports, events. You might have seen a vendor at an event. All of these great marketing programs do influence the final point of conversion of, Hey, I'm going to reach out and talk to these people. I think they can help me with my problem… so it's a supply chain.""Your time is your most valuable asset. Be ferociously protective of it and resist the common marketing challenge of being a people pleaser."00:00 Introduction to The Get Podcast00:29 Meet Wanda Cadigan: SVP of Marketing at Cloudinary01:26 Wanda's Journey and Marketing Strategies03:47 The Dual Funnel Approach at Cloudinary08:31 Navigating the Tsunami of Change in SaaS Marketing13:05 The Role of PR and Brand in the Age of AI16:10 Experimentation and Micro Experts in Marketing21:43 Hiring Strategies and AI in Recruitment28:22 Final Thoughts and Advice for Marketing Leaders31:59 Conclusion and Next Episode TeaserThe Get is here to drive smart decisions around recruiting and leadership in B2B SaaS marketing. We explore the trends, tribulations, and triumphs of today’s top marketing leaders in B2B SaaS.This season’s theme is how SaaS marketing organizations are changing — in both seismic and subtle ways. The Get’s host is Erica Seidel, who runs The Connective Good, an executive search practice with a hyper-focus on recruiting CMOs and VPs of Marketing, especially in B2B SaaS. If you are looking to hire a CMO or VP of Marketing of the ‘make...

  --------  

  33:18

  --------

  33:18
• Why Some SaaS CMOs Flourish in PE-Backed Orgs, and Others Flame Out

  How are PE-backed environments unique for SaaS CMOs? And what's the difference between the CMOs who flourish in PE-backed companies and those who flounder? This episode is required listening for any current or prospective CMO in a PE-backed company.This week on The Get, Erica Seidel dives into the nuances of marketing leadership in PE-backed B2B SaaS orgs with guest Julie Zadow, Growth Marketing Leader at The Riverside Company. They explore Julie's role in private equity as a marketing operating partner, insights into aligning marketing strategies with investment firm goals, and the impact of AI on marketing roles and operations. You will learn about:What it's like to be a marketing operating partner in a PE shop: As Julie describes it, she offers "battle scars for hire" and brings a mix of empathy, speed, and practicalityHow to speak marketing in a way that aligns with the investor's lensHow to talk about brand in a way that doesn't make your investors run screamingHow the different phases of the hold period matter for marketing – and how conversations with investors should evolve as the end of the hold period approachesCoaching junior employees in an AI+ environment, and a shortcut for contextualizing things for your most junior employees so they don't just 'do' with AI but 'learn' as well: Julie asks her interns: "Where did you feel you were parroting AI without understanding what it was saying?" and "What do you recommend that AI didn't think of?"The role that is hardest to disintermediate with AIThe line of questioning CEOs are likely to pose to CMO candidates about their AI fluencyAdvice to CEOs who have failed at hiring marketing leaders00:00 Welcome to The Get: Introduction and Overview00:58 Introducing Julie Zadow: A Marketing Leader's Journey02:10 The Role of a Marketing Operating Partner in Private Equity03:58 Aligning Marketing Strategies with Investor Expectations14:30 The Impact of AI on SaaS Marketing Organizations26:18 Advice for CMOs in Private Equity-Backed Companies34:21 Final Thoughts and ConclusionThe Get is here to drive smart decisions around recruiting and leadership in B2B SaaS marketing. We explore the trends, tribulations, and triumphs of today’s top marketing leaders in B2B SaaS.This season’s theme is how SaaS marketing organizations are changing — in both seismic and subtle ways. The Get’s host is Erica Seidel, who runs The Connective Good, an executive search practice with a hyper-focus on recruiting CMOs and VPs of Marketing, especially in B2B SaaS. If you are looking to hire a CMO or VP of Marketing of the ‘make money’ variety, rather than the ‘make it pretty’ variety, contact Erica at [email protected]. You can also follow Erica on LinkedIn or sign up for her newsletter at TheConnectiveGood.com. The Get is produced by the team at Simpler Media Productions.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

  --------  

  37:01

  --------

  37:01
• Inside the Great Reinvention of the SaaS Marketing Org

  In this episode of The Get, host Erica Seidel explores the changing landscape of SaaS marketing organizations with guest Jay Roxe, CMO at Inriver. You'll learn about:"Firing your tech stack" in order to re-imagine the marketing org and how marketing gets doneLeveraging AI for everything from last-mile content customization to product marketing to building authority in situations where prospects say, 'ChatGPT told me I should talk to you"The evolving structure of marketing opsWhy content is no longer king, but context is king: "Customers have done 80% of their research by the time they reach you. That number is actually going up. It's so easy for people to understand your organization."What a full-stack customer marketing org looks likeBuilding a culture of gratitude on the marketing teamAdvice for rising CMOs: You have to love the process, not just want to HAVE DONE the CMO role. Intellectual curiosity about the job is not enough.Advice to CEOs on how to identify the CMOs who are the best problem solversHiring, and how to find people who are "curious, smart, and unexpected"Quotes:"You're AI first or you're unemployed.""Adoption is the new MQL… As you put more stuff into the product, are people actually adopting and using it?"" From an org design point of view, you want to think of where you need person-to-person face-off. Your partners don't want to talk to your AI chatbot. They want to talk to a person who can help them, brainstorm with them, and give them context.""One of the things I like talking about with candidates: what have they changed over the past year? How have they changed how they work based on everything that's going on?"00:00 Welcome to The Get00:16 Introducing Jay Roxe00:40 Jay's Marketing Journey02:32 Inriver's Global Marketing Org06:24 Future of SaaS Marketing Orgs11:15 The Role of AI in Marketing14:54 Hiring for the Future19:30 Human-Centric Leadership21:53 Customer Marketing Insights24:32 Final Thoughts and Advice29:21 Closing RemarksThe Get is here to drive smart decisions around recruiting and leadership in B2B SaaS marketing. We explore the trends, tribulations, and triumphs of today’s top marketing leaders in B2B SaaS.This season’s theme is how SaaS marketing organizations are changing — in both seismic and subtle ways. The Get’s host is Erica Seidel, who runs The Connective Good, an executive search practice with a hyper-focus on recruiting CMOs and VPs of Marketing, especially in B2B SaaS. If you are looking to hire a CMO or VP of Marketing of the ‘make money’ variety, rather than the ‘make it pretty’ variety, contact Erica at [email protected]. You can also follow Erica on LinkedIn or sign up for her newsletter at TheConnectiveGood.com. The Get is produced by the team at Simpler Media Productions.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

  --------  

  30:23

  --------

  30:23
• What It Really Takes to Build a CEO-CMO Partnership That Works

  In this episode of The Get, host Erica Seidel and guest Ashley Deibert, CMO of Marigold, candidly discuss the realities of leading marketing in today's SaaS landscape.Ashley shares how she's navigated seismic shifts in marketing org structures, budget realities, and the CMO role itself, all while keeping alignment at the center of her approach. You'll learn from her perspective on:How to build alignment, not on Day 1 in the job, but during the interview processDeciding what to stop, start, and continue when taking on a new roleHandling drastic budget reductions by providing scenario-based optionsHiring fast, hiring micro-experts, and spotting 'moldable' talent through situational questionsHow to be open to others' feedback without getting mired in itAdvice to CEOs on avoiding CMO mis-hires Why 'touch more, do more, be exposed to more' should be every rising CMO's mantraStructuring product marketing and customer marketing together for impact How AI is augmenting marketing without replacing talentWhy the best GTM teams blur the lines among sales, marketing, product, and customer success into one revenue teamIf you're a marketing leader, a CEO hiring a CMO, or otherwise navigating the changing currents of SaaS go-to-market, you'll learn new insights and frameworks from this episode. Some quotes of note:"I don't believe in doing more with less. I believe in focus…. When you're a CMO, it's about alignment because you're servicing the organization's growth."" Don't just be selfish in a hiring cycle. Also, think about, is this person going to get what they need from you? Because if they don't, guess what? They leave.""The CEO needs to really think about the relationship that the organization and the culture around marketing that they desire….  I've seen and lived through many situations where it's, "we gotta have marketing", but "gotta have" versus "we need to embrace and make this core to our go-to-market" are different. Marketing is part of go-to-market. It's literally in the title."00:00 Welcome to The Get: Meet Your Host Erica Seidel00:16 Introducing Ashley Deibert: CMO at Marigold01:19 Ashley Deibert's Career Journey and Insights03:51 Mentorship Moments: Lessons Learned07:43 Marketing Org Structure at Marigold14:58 Advice for Aspiring CMOs20:13 Navigating Budget Cuts in Marketing21:08 Presenting Scenarios and Aligning with Leadership23:13 The Importance of Networking in Hiring25:24 Evaluating Candidates for Culture Fit29:18 Hiring Freelancers vs. Full-Time Employees31:40 Advice for CEOs on Hiring CMOs36:38 The Role of AI in Marketing38:21 The Future of SaaS Marketing Teams39:27 Conclusion and Podcast InformationThe Get is here to drive smart decisions around recruiting and leadership in B2B SaaS marketing. We explore the trends, tribulations, and triumphs of today’s top marketing leaders in B2B SaaS.This season’s theme is how SaaS marketing organizations are changing — in both seismic and subtle ways.The Get’s host is Erica Seidel, who runs The Connective Good, an executive search practice with a hyper-focus on recruiting CMOs and VPs of Marketing, especially in B2B SaaS. If you are looking to hire a CMO or VP of Marketing of the ‘make money’ variety, rather than the ‘make it pretty’ variety, contact Erica at [email protected]. You can also follow Erica on LinkedIn or

  --------  

  40:50

  --------

  40:50

More Business podcasts

Trending Business podcasts

About The Get: Finding And Keeping The Best Marketing Leaders in B2B SaaS