The B2B Playbook

In this video, Kevin and I get into whether you actually need flashy AI-powered analytics to measure your B2B marketing, or whether some clear objectives and a simple spreadsheet will do the job just fine.We cover:→ Why another dashboard, AI-powered or not, was never the silver bullet for growing your business→ The data problem in B2B marketing and why so many metrics are just vanity metrics→ Our practical framework for getting insights without expensive tools→ How to tier your ICP and tailor your reporting to match each tier's play→ Where AI genuinely helps, especially when you're sifting through loads of qualitative dataIf you are a B2B marketer or founder who's tired of drowning in flashy dashboards and wants a simpler, clearer way to measure what actually drives revenue.Tune in and learn:→ Why clarity beats complexity and what questions to nail down before you buy any AI tool→ How to revisit your ICP and segment accounts into tiers that shape your reporting→ How to track a handful of meaningful metrics instead of drowning in data→ How to use AI and Claude to pull together messy qualitative data and surface real patterns→ Why holistic measurement that links marketing to revenue matters more than any tool-----------------------------------------------------🔗 Links + CTAs-----------------------------------------------------🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency-----------------------------------------------------SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybookSUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletterGET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/-----------------------------------------------------Timestamps:00:00 Do You Really Need AI Analytics for B2B Marketing?00:53 Welcome Back to The B2B Playbook01:48 The Five B's Framework Explained03:02 Why This Matters: Tight Budgets, AI Hype and Uneven Maturity08:51 Start With Your Objectives and Ideal Customer10:45 Segmenting Your ICP Into Tiers14:28 Matching Your Measurement to Your Plays17:46 A Real Client Example With Claude19:57 Where AI Actually Helps Your Analysis23:16 Key Takeaways: Clarity Beats ComplexityS08 E234 - The B2B Playbook#b2b #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #marketinganalytics #aimarketing #b2bsaas #marketingmeasurement #gotomarket #abm #digitalmarketing

Most small B2B teams know product marketing matters.Very few know how to make it work without specialists or big budgets.In this episode, we’re joined by Kayla Medica, creator of the Medica Method, to break down how product marketing actually works inside lean B2B teams.We unpack what breaks when no one owns product marketing, how to align product, sales, and leadership around one story, and why pricing is just as much a product marketing problem as it is a commercial one.Kayla also explains why most B2B personas fail, how to build real feedback loops with sales, and how small teams can punch above their weight without burning out.Tune in and learn:+ How product marketing really works in small B2B teams+ What product marketers should say no to (and when)+ Why pricing and positioning are inseparableIf you’re in a small B2B team trying to create consistency between marketing, sales, and product, this episode is a must-watch.-----------------------------------------------------🔗 Links + CTAs-----------------------------------------------------🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency-----------------------------------------------------SUBSCRIBE to our channel: / @theb2bplaybookSUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletterGET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/-----------------------------------------------------00:00 Why Product Marketing Breaks in Small Teams02:10 What Happens When No One Owns Product Marketing04:16 Product Marketing Explained05:23 The Medica Method07:46 Why Small Teams Can’t Pause Work09:11 Who Product Marketing Aligns With10:52 Executive Buy-In12:00 Net-New vs Expansion Growth14:15 Product Marketing Boundaries17:50 Fixing Sales Feedback Loops23:50 Why B2B Personas Fail29:50 Pricing as Product Marketing35:40 Showing Pricing on Your Website38:40 Taylor Swift Pricing Lessons42:30 Status Signalling in B2B46:00 Product Marketing as a Career-----------------------------------------------------👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team??💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you??)Get the:🔹 strategy🔹 templates🔹 toolsSo you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand.See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B IncubatorCheck out: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-courseS08 E217 - The B2B Playbook#b2b #productmarketing #b2bmarketing #pricingstrategy #gotomarket

B2B Brand Strategy for Enterprise Sales: How Brand Opens Doors Marketing Can’tMost B2B marketing never reaches enterprise decision-makers.This episode shows why brand is the bridge sales actually needs.In this session from our Full Circle conference, we’re joined by Ari Yablok, Head of Brand at Island.Ari breaks down how brand becomes the permission slip that lets sales into rooms traditional marketing can’t access.We unpack why enterprise executives ignore most marketing, why big promises backfire, and how positioning, personality, and story create trust before the first sales call.This isn’t about logos or colours.It’s about building a B2B brand strategy that makes enterprise buyers lean in instead of tune out. Tune in and learn:+ Why enterprise buyers are sceptical by default+ How brand positioning creates real differentiation+ How story and personality shorten sales cycles If you’re selling to senior decision-makers and struggling to get attention, this episode shows why brand isn’t optional.It’s the door-opener. -----------------------------------------------------🔗 Links + CTAs-----------------------------------------------------🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency-----------------------------------------------------SUBSCRIBE to our channel: / @theb2bplaybook SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletterGET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/-----------------------------------------------------00:00 Why Brand Opens Doors Sales Can’t01:20 Why Enterprise Executives Ignore Marketing03:50 The Real Cost of Selling Software Internally06:10 Why Generic Messaging Fails08:20 The Hidden Risk Buyers See10:40 Why Features Don’t Convince13:10 Brand as Infrastructure15:30 Positioning Sweet Spot17:40 Why SaaS Positioning Sounds the Same19:50 Great vs Generic AI Examples21:50 Brand Personality as a Moat24:10 Archetypes That Differentiate26:10 Storytelling That Creates Order29:10 How Buyers Really Decide31:50 Island Brand Case Study36:40 Relevance That Resonates39:10 Thought Leadership That Pre-Sells40:40 Trust Signals That Shorten Sales Cycles43:00 Brand for Small Teams -----------------------------------------------------👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team??💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you??)Get the:🔹 strategy🔹 templates🔹 toolsSo you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand.See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B IncubatorCheck out: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-courseS08 E215 - The B2B Playbook#b2b #b2bmarketing #brandstrategy #enterprisesales #demandgeneration

Closed Circuit Selling: Why the Funnel Is Breaking Your GTMMost go-to-market teams aren’t failing on effort. They’re failing on architecture.In this episode, we sit down with Charles Needham (co-author of Cold Call Algo) alongside Adem Manderovic (CRO School) to break down why the linear funnel is the biggest sacred cow in sales, and why Closed Circuit Selling is the better model for modern outbound.We unpack incentives, silos, CAC payback insanity, and why “meetings booked” became a broken religion. Then we get practical. How to run outbound as market learning. How to capture timing signals. And how to build feedback loops that actually make marketing, sales, and customer success stronger together.Tune in and learn:+ Why buyer journeys are non-linear, and funnels create blind spots+ How to shift from meetings quotas to conversation-driven market validation+ Why intent data can’t replace first-party conversationsIf you’re a B2B marketer or revenue leader, this is the blueprint for building a GTM system that compounds instead of churns.-----------------------------------------------------🔗 Links + CTAs-----------------------------------------------------🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency-----------------------------------------------------🧑‍🎓ACCESS our B2B COURSES: https://theb2bplaybook.com/courses📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook📩 Newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter/📚 Latest content: https://theb2bplaybook.com/-----------------------------------------------------00:00 The “Sacred Cow”: Why the Linear Funnel Breaks Reality01:00 Who’s Charles Needham (And Why He Thinks Like a Quant)04:30 From Mortgage Bonds to CRMs: Seeing Sales as a Database07:00 The Moment He Realised “Meetings Booked” Is a Trap09:10 Closed Loop Continuity vs Funnel Checklists11:40 What Silos Destroy: Feedback Loops That Never Make It Back14:10 CAC Payback Madness: When “Growth” Becomes Insanity17:10 The Conversations Model: Comp People for Learning, Not Meetings20:05 Predictable Revenue Misread: “Market Development” Got Lost21:00 VC Algebra vs Real Buyers: “The Customer Doesn’t Exist”28:10 The 2008 Analogy: Incentives Create Fragile Systems32:20 Intent Data Hot Take: “Or You Could Call Them”36:00 The Guitar Demo: What “Cataloguing” Really Means39:00 “Talk to Everybody”: The Outbound Belief Most CROs Don’t Hold41:45 Fixing the Root: Change Comp, or Nothing Changes48:10 Market Validation vs Cataloguing: The Language Problem56:35 AI Didn’t Fix Outbound. It Scaled the Spam Cannon59:30 What Works Next: Follow the Underpriced Channel (Then Move)1:06:00 Cold Call Algo: The “Unplanned Communication” Thesis-----------------------------------------------------👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team??💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you??)Get the:🔹 strategy🔹 templates🔹 toolsSo you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand.See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B Incubatorhttps://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-courseS07 E213 - The B2B Playbook#b2b #b2bmarketing #digitalmarketing #demandgeneration #outboundsales

The Simple 3-Step B2B Demand Generation Strategy for 2026🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-courseMost B2B teams will roll the same demand gen plan into 2026… and wonder why pipeline is flat.In this episode, we walk through a B2B demand generation strategy for 2026 that small teams can actually run – and that’s proven to drive up to 70% of pipeline.We break down our 3-step framework – Be Ready, Be Helpful, Be Seen – and show how it ties into the 95-5 rule, the 5 stages of awareness, and a simple cataloguing process that finally connects marketing and sales. If you’re a small in-house team under pressure to bring in revenue, this is for you.We also show you exactly how we run this B2B demand generation strategy ourselves at The B2B Playbook – from 80/20 analysis and ICP documentation, to a weekly content engine and a realistic distribution mix that fits into 4–5 hours per week.Tune in and learn:+ How to design a B2B demand generation strategy for 2026 using the 95-5 rule+ How to run 80/20 analysis, customer interviews, and cataloguing to define a sharp ICP+ How to build a helpful content engine and distribution plan that your small team can maintainThis episode is a must-watch if you’re a B2B marketer in a small team who’s tired of chasing MQLs, arguing over lead quality, and getting stuck in “support” mode. You’ll walk away with a clear, 3-step demand gen strategy for 2026 that aligns marketing, sales, and customer success around how buyers actually make decisions.-----------------------------------------------------🔗 Links + CTAs-----------------------------------------------------🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency-----------------------------------------------------SUBSCRIBE to our channel: / @theb2bplaybook SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletterGET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/-----------------------------------------------------00:00 The Simple 3-Step B2B Demand Generation Strategy for 202600:34 Our 5 BEs Framework – The Flywheel Behind Demand Gen02:05 Updated: What Demand Generation Really Is in 202603:40 Why You Can’t “Force” B2B Buyers to Buy (Unlike B2C)05:55 The Messy, Non-Linear B2B Buying Journey (Squiggly Line Moment)09:00 The 95-5 Rule: Future Demand vs In-Market Buyers11:05 Shaping Future Demand vs Capturing In-Market Demand11:50 Using the 5 Stages of Awareness to Plan Demand Gen Content14:05 Why Early-Stage Content Makes Capture More Efficient16:05 TAM vs ICP vs “Day One Shortlist” – The Brutal Reality18:05 Modern Demand Gen Objectives for 2026 (Quality to Quantity)18:50 Step 1 – Be Ready: Your 80/20 ICP & Segmentation Process22:00 Customer Interviews, Positioning & Documented ICPs25:45 Mapping the Buying Journey Questions (5 Stages Applied)26:55 The Big Upgrade: Cataloguing Your Market One Account at a Time29:20 Step 2 – Be Helpful: Building a Helpful Content Engine30:45 Case Study: Rivet’s “Construction Is Hard” Show31:55 Content Repurposing System for Small B2B Teams33:10 Capturing Subject Matter Experts Without Burning Them Out33:55 Step 3 – Be Seen: Smart Distribution (1:Many, 1:Few, 1:1)35:20 Capturing In-Market Demand: ABM, Review Sites, and Google Ads36:20 What Changed From 2025? Why Cataloguing Is the Missing Piece36:55 How We Use Be Ready + Cataloguing at The B2B Playbook39:00 Our Repurposing Engine: From One Episode to a Full Content System40:10 Our Distribution Mix: LinkedIn Ads, YouTube, Newsletter & Full Circle41:10 Key Takeaways: Your 2026 B2B Demand Gen Plan in 3 Steps42:05 Join The B2B Incubator & Share the Show-----------------------------------------------------👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team??💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you??)Get the:🔹 strategy🔹 templates🔹 toolsSo you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand.See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B IncubatorCheck out: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-courseS07 E211 - The B2B Playbook#demandgeneration #demandgen#b2bmarketing