Mandeep Taunk, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer of CodeConductor shares his journey from marketer to entrepreneur and highlights the significance of GTM strategies. He discusses leveraging customer data for growth, identifying product-market fit, navigating the tech adoption landscape, and crafting marketing plans that balance immediate revenue goals with long-term brand development.

Could you tell us about yourself and your journey from marketer to entrepreneur?

It was at 383 Media that I went from marketer to entrepreneur, but the roots had already been laid out an entire decade before while I was a senior in college. I started in various marketing roles during my sophomore year, including lead generation and copy development. In my senior year, I joined a search advertising agency, and my first account was with Petco. Working at the agency helped me understand how people search and interact with information online. It also helped me understand basic growth metrics like LTV and CAC and cemented my interest in paid search marketing.

Fast forward to 2006, when I joined MyPoints, an online loyalty program, as their Head of Member Acquisition. At Mypoints, I learned about various lead generation strategies and new marketing channels. Using that experience, I left MyPoints in 2010 to start a media agency. My initial clients were consumer software companies, and I realized that many of their products used white labeling services. That gave me the idea to start publishing my software titles and apply tactics I used for my clients for my company. I would scale the business to $15 million in annual revenue before selling it in 2016.

Life completely changed in 2017 when my son was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 4. Being an entrepreneur is demanding, so I focused on my son and family by returning to corporate roles. Over the next 5 years, I would work in various roles at Adara, a travel data company, and Upstart, a fintech company, including product marketing, demand generation, and growth engineering. In 2022, two years after my son’s bone marrow transplant, I returned to entrepreneurship with Birdsong Tea, a project my wife and I had dreamed of for years.

Can you tell us about CodeConductor and why you joined as a co-founder?

CodeConductor is a fantastic platform designed to simplify creating apps and AI copilots. Our platform has overcome many of the challenges in traditional app development by focusing on helping founders and IT departments deliver apps quickly and go to market faster.

Paul Dhaliwal, the founder of CodeConductor, came to me earlier this year to showcase the power of his platform. I fell in love with it immediately. Plus, Paul and I had already worked together at 383 Media, where he was my head of engineering, so I knew this was rock solid.

How does tracking customer purchases help make targeted GTM decisions, and what are the key factors to focus on for optimal results?

User and customer tracking are the lynchpins of any growth campaign. As growth leaders, we must understand who our buyers are and their preferences. That starts as soon as a user arrives at our website. We need to know how they discovered us, what solutions they browsed, and what stage they are in to better deliver them value. Our goal is to make this process as frictionless as possible.

Once a user starts using our platform, we aim to truly understand our north star. At what point does the customer decide to become a customer? It could be the usage of a feature, average time on the platform, or some form of implementation. After that, customer lifetime value becomes the focus as we work to provide value. Segments and clusters will naturally form if we have good customer data.

Tracking customer purchases is about more than just conversion rates. It is about figuring out how to continuously deliver value over time. At CodeConductor, we use Segment to ingest data, ActiveCampaign to manage our customers, and Amplitude to analyze product data.

What are the early indicators of a product-market fit, and how should businesses leverage user feedback to refine their products?

The most reliable indicators are usually strong user retention, engagement, growing demand in organic channels, and referral growth. I also like to use is net promoter score to determine how excited customers are in telling others about our product.

Feedback is essential to consistently delivering value. It comes through sales feedback, surveys, interviews, product reviews, and customer support interaction. I also like creating a product leadership council that brings customers together to discuss their challenges. These customers will also become your biggest champions.

“The most reliable indicators of product-market fit are usually strong user retention, engagement, growing demand in organic channels, and referral growth.”

How do you ensure your marketing plan incorporates immediate revenue objectives and sustainable lead generation for long-term brand growth?

It all starts with a strong messaging plan. When your message is clear and aligned with your value proposition, building long-term growth for your brand is inherent and will drive leads. With all the marketing tools and collaboration platforms we have today, ensuring compliance and consistency with every group, whether product, sales, or customer support, is easier than ever.

Additionally, content marketing plays a large role. By producing high-value content, you attract and educate prospective customers while positioning your brand as a thought leader, building credibility over time, and leading to better conversion rates.

Tell us about your most interesting product GTM rollout experience so far.

I joined Upstart in 2021 as Head of Marketing for the auto retail division. My first act was to rebrand Prodigy Software, an e-commerce platform for automotive dealers, to Upstart Auto Retail with only two consultants. We developed a plan and began rolling it out in just 4 months. The results were terrific. We generated strong press coverage, including an interview on CNBC, and built a strong sales pipeline.

The rollout involved developing a unified messaging strategy that showed how we were the platform of the future and how we would revolutionize the car-buying experience for millions of customers through AI. We continued to leverage this messaging for 2021 and 2022, generating a 350% growth in customers from 200 dealerships to 700 dealerships in about a year.

How do you measure the success of your marketing and growth strategies, and which tools do you find the most effective?

Success in marketing involves both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative metrics include customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, conversion, and retention rates. These provide a clear picture of how effectively we are attracting and retaining customers. On the qualitative side, I like collecting customer feedback, surveys, and reviews to understand the reasons behind the numbers.

More importantly, we must craft a story to make it easy for others to understand. “We retained 98% of customers because of a new feature’s capabilities” is stronger than saying, “We retained 98% of our customers.” The latter leaves it up to the receiver to decide why. No two people will ever come to the same conclusion, diluting the value you’ve created.

Looking ahead to 2025, how do you envision the tech adoption landscape, and what trends should entrepreneurs and growth marketers watch?

The tech adoption landscape will probably be defined by the rise in AI and automation in 2025. I envision 2025 as the year of productivity. We are already seeing a shift towards AI copilots and autonomous tools that enhance productivity, and this trend will continue to grow. Small businesses will also use AI to get the same efficiency as enterprises. At CodeConductor, we simplify the creation of applications through AI, making it easier for businesses of all sizes to build without much technical expertise. I feel that the democratization of technology can be a great equalizer.

What advice would you give fellow GTM leaders and budding entrepreneurs?

Get comfortable with change. Many GTM leaders get comfortable with the status quo, are and then go into panic mode when the market shifts. I’ve been in that position, and it’s not pretty. To stay ahead, investing at least 20% of your resources towards experimentation is critical.  Explore new channels, try new messaging, or introduce new product features. Be in a constant state of innovation.

Holly Fisk, UKI Field Marketing Leader at Akamai Technologies, shares her marketing journey, and insights on planning effective field programs, fostering collaboration within integrated revenue organizations, and leveraging AI tools for success in today’s dynamic landscape.

Holly, we’re excited to have you on this interview series. What initially sparked your interest in marketing?

Likewise, thank you for inviting me to participate. When I was studying for my undergraduate degree in business studies, I had the option to specialise in either law, accounting, or marketing. Marketing had always been of interest to me as I had a passion for understanding what made consumers tick when making purchasing decisions. The consumer psychology module on my degree course cemented that marketing was an interest area for me. I wanted to learn more about how to meet consumer needs and requirements rather than just promoting on mass to an audience.

When planning field marketing programs in the UKI’s ever-evolving cybersecurity and cloud computing space, what considerations do you prioritize?

Initially, I start with our target accounts for the region and, then overlay intent on top of that to determine which accounts are seeking cybersecurity or cloud solutions and within that, which areas of cybersecurity they are interested in. Next, I prioritise the immediate needs and concerns of the target audience, e.g., which sectors are most worried about ransomware attacks, which are more likely to be targeted by bots, what types of organisations are likely to want to reduce or optimise their cloud costs, and why. From this point, I consider who my target persona is i.e. is it the CISO or an Information Security Manager, and why. Who are the decision-makers, influencers, and evaluators within the organisation and where are they likely to be? I then consider the channel, i.e., should we go through our partner organisations to target these accounts or individuals? Which partners have relationships with these accounts? If not, utilising partner organisations, I consider which medium to utilise in my strategy, e.g., tradeshows or events—which types of these would be best. Do particular individuals and accounts respond better to digital programs, or is another initiative more appropriate or likely to be more effective? Budget remains at the forefront of my mind throughout, as does the ability to prove a strong ROI.

In an integrated revenue organization, how do you foster collaboration and alignment between marketing, sales, customer success, and RevOps teams?

Prove the success and communicate ‘what’s in it for them or ‘why should they be interested’. I bring sales and other teams into the loop early, make them feel involved, seek out their feedback, and take a hand-in-hand relationship approach with sales and other teams and stakeholders. I always provide opportunities for feedback, whether it be post-event, post-campaign, or post-program. This debriefing is vital to strengthening trust and fostering a continuous improvement approach. Furthermore, I always ensure that there are ample opportunities for feedback, whether it’s post-event, post-campaign, or during post-program debriefings. By consistently engaging with and listening to all stakeholders, we can better align our efforts, drive better results, and maintain strong, trusting relationships across the board.

Akamai recently participated as a lead sponsor at CYBERUK 2024.  From a go-to-market perspective, what key takeaways did you gain from this event as the UKI field marketing leader?

Exposure to the very best decision-makers in the industry and the chance to drive significant awareness of what Akamai has to offer were invaluable. CYBERUK 2024 was, without a doubt, the best event we’ve ever sponsored in the UK, providing a unique opportunity to connect with key stakeholders and showcase our solutions on a grand scale. I also learned that success as a field marketer isn’t about the number of events you run—it’s about the impact. Focusing on quality over quantity and investing more in high-impact events that you know will deliver a strong ROI is far more effective than spreading resources across numerous smaller events. This approach ensures that our efforts are concentrated on activities that truly move the needle and build lasting relationships.

What has been the most challenging marketing program that you have led or been involved in?

Cyber UK 2024 was one of the most challenging marketing programs, primarily because it required a significant amount of work to ensure we maximized the benefits of our lead sponsorship. The stakes were high, and we needed to navigate the complexities to achieve our goals carefully, but in the end, it was well worth the effort.

Additionally, leading ABM initiatives in my previous organization presented its own set of challenges, particularly given our limited budget and resources. It was crucial to define the scope accurately from the outset, which we successfully did, but it was an extremely heavy lift to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach. Despite the challenges, both experiences reinforced the importance of strategic planning, resourcefulness, and perseverance in delivering successful outcomes.

While evaluating the success of your marketing campaigns, which key metrics do you track most closely?

The number of net-new leads on our UKI target account list, which ones converted to marketing-quality leads, and which types of campaigns converted these. Also, how many touchpoints (and which touchpoints) sourced and influenced an opportunity? The velocity for an opportunity to progress is also vital. ROI is key. I closely monitor engagement metrics, such as email open rates and click-through rates, to assess the effectiveness of our messaging. Understanding customer journey analytics allows us to refine our targeting strategies and optimize future campaigns. Tracking customer feedback and satisfaction is equally important, as it provides insights into how our efforts resonate with our audience and can inform improvements moving forward.

As a marketing leader, how do you ensure that your teams are aligned, and laser-focused on the current goals?

Keeping priorities to a minimum and committing to those priorities. If direction needs to change, ensure the rationale for the direction change is explained clearly. It’s also essential to create a culture of transparency and open communication, where team members feel comfortable discussing challenges and sharing insights. I regularly check in with team members to assess progress and identify any obstacles that need to be addressed. By ensuring that team members deliver outcomes, we foster an environment that encourages collaboration and accountability. This results in a clear understanding across the team of how priorities map to the overall revenue goals of the company and ensures everyone is working towards a common objective.

What advice can you offer fellow marketing leaders on incorporating AI tools into their marketing technology stack?

See what makes your life easier and how easy and fast it would be to embed AI within the tech stack.  It’s essential to evaluate AI tools that align with your specific marketing goals and processes. There is no one-size-fits-all approach here. So, look for platforms that can automate repetitive tasks, analyze data for actionable insights, and enhance personalization efforts in line with your marketing objectives. Make sure you collaborate with your team to identify pain points where AI can make a significant impact. AI for copy initiation is key for me. Also, investing time in training and support is crucial to ensuring your team can effectively utilize these tools, maximizing their potential for driving results.

Priyanka Jaswani, Portfolio Marketing Manager at GBM, shares her insights on crafting impactful marketing campaigns, the impact of RevOps, enhancing customer experiences, integrating AI tools, and more.

It’s wonderful having you, Priyanka. Tell us about yourself and your marketing journey.

Thrilled to be here and to share my journey with you! I’m a passionate marketing expert with over nine years of experience in the technology industry. My journey began with a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, followed by a master’s degree in Marketing Management.

Currently, I am the Portfolio Marketing Manager for the Gulf Region at GBM. I manage their yearly marketing and co-marketing budgets, lead a team of internal communications specialists, and work closely with global technology vendors like IBM, Cisco, and Red Hat. My focus is on developing innovative marketing campaigns, leading brand refresh efforts, and managing both external and internal communications across all six branches in the region. My expertise in marketing strategy, brand positioning, digital marketing, content strategy, and event management has driven significant growth.

As a marketing leader, what single most important factor do you consider when planning a marketing campaign?

The single most important factor I consider when planning a marketing campaign is alignment with business goals and the sales teams. As a marketing leader, it’s crucial to ensure that our marketing efforts are in line with our overall business objectives and address the pain points of potential clients. By working closely with these teams, we gain a deep understanding of customer requirements and market trends, which allows us to develop campaigns that resonate with our target audience. This collaboration ensures that our messaging is relevant and impactful, ultimately driving engagement and achieving our campaign goals. Aligning marketing with business and sales strategies helps create a cohesive approach that supports the growth and success of the organization.

“The single most important factor I consider when planning a marketing campaign is alignment with business goals and the sales teams.”

From a go-to-market perspective, what’s the biggest challenge you face when executing marketing programs in the Middle East markets?

The biggest challenge I face when executing marketing programs in the Middle East markets is navigating the diverse cultural and economic landscape of the region. The Middle East is not a monolithic market; each country has its unique cultural expectations, business practices, and consumer behaviours. This requires tailored marketing strategies that resonate with local audiences while aligning with the overall business objectives.

To address this challenge, I work closely with local business and sales teams to gain deep insights into the specific needs and pain points of customers in each market. This collaboration ensures that our messaging is relevant and culturally appropriate and that we utilize the most effective channels for each region. By doing so, we can create marketing programs that not only engage our target audience but also drive meaningful business results across the diverse Middle Eastern markets.

You recently spearheaded the GBM website revamp. What specific customer experience (CX) considerations guided your decisions throughout the process?

When spearheading the GBM website revamp, we focused on creating a user-centric and responsive design to ensure seamless navigation across all devices, as customers need to have the freedom to engage with our brand on their own terms. We collaborated with subject matter experts to develop relevant content, including blogs, videos, and thought leadership articles that address customer needs and offer valuable and relevant insights. Additionally, we updated the visual appeal to reflect GBM’s brand identity and optimized the site for search engines to attract more organic traffic.

With the growing emphasis on revenue organizations, how can different groups within these structures be aligned, incentivized, and motivated to work toward shared goals?

Aligning, acknowledging, and motivating different groups within revenue organizations involves establishing a clear, shared vision and communicating it effectively across all teams. Collaborative goal-setting and integrated KPIs ensure everyone understands how their contributions fit the bigger picture. Promoting cross-functional collaboration, designing knowledge-sharing programs that reward individual and team efforts, and investing in continuous training and development are key. Maintaining a continuous feedback loop also allows for quick adaptations and ensures all teams remain aligned with the organization’s evolving goals. These strategies collectively drive cohesive efforts toward shared objectives and overall success.

How can RevOps leverage its expertise to bridge data silos across the GTM function and present a clear, actionable view of performance through a well-designed dashboard?

RevOps can bridge data silos across the GTM function by integrating data from various sources into a centralized system, ensuring all teams have access to consistent and accurate information. Leveraging advanced analytics and data visualization tools, RevOps can design comprehensive dashboards that provide real-time insights into key performance metrics. These dashboards should be tailored to highlight actionable insights, enabling teams to make data-driven decisions and align their strategies effectively. By fostering a culture of transparency and collaboration, RevOps ensures that all departments can access and utilize this unified view to drive performance and achieve shared goals.

With the growing role of AI tools, what advice would you give marketers on selecting the most essential tools to integrate into their marketing tech stack?

Marketers should first identify their specific needs and objectives, such as improving customer segmentation, personalizing content, or optimizing campaigns before they start selecting AI tools. It’s important to choose tools that seamlessly integrate with existing systems and offer robust data analytics capabilities. We should look at prioritizing tools that are user-friendly and offer strong support and training resources. Evaluating the tool’s scalability and flexibility to adapt to future needs is also essential.

Marketing campaigns are rarely smooth sailing. How do you approach setbacks in your marketing programs, and what do you do to learn from them?

When facing setbacks in marketing programs, I approach them as learning opportunities. First, I conduct a thorough analysis to identify the root causes of the issue, involving the team in discussions to gain different perspectives. We then pivot our strategy, making data-driven adjustments to improve future performance. I always emphasize maintaining open communication with stakeholders throughout the process to manage expectations. It’s important to implement A/B testing in marketing campaigns and adjust content and ads based on the results. Additionally, documenting lessons learned and continuous learning about marketing best practices helps refine our approach and avoid similar issues in the future. This iterative process ensures continuous improvement and resilience in our marketing efforts.

Natalia Marusic, EMEA Alliance Marketing Manager at Lenovo, discusses the complexities of GTM strategy, partner marketing, budget efficiency, the marketing technology stack, and more.

Natalia, we’re delighted to have you for this interview. Can you tell us about your journey as a marketing expert and your current role at Lenovo?

Thank you for having me. I’m thrilled to share my marketing career journey with you. I’ve always been eager to learn, and my career began over 15 years ago while I was still studying. I started at Ipsos Interactive Services, a market research company, where I worked on various projects.

After my time at Ipsos, I transitioned into B2B marketing in the IT sector, which I quickly fell in love with. This path led me to work with esteemed companies such as VMware, IBM, Bitdefender, Veeam, and now Lenovo. My passion lies in alliance marketing, a fascinating and complex field that blends business development with marketing. In my current role, I develop innovative demand generation and channel marketing programs with alliances.

From a go-to-market perspective, what are some of the key challenges and opportunities you’ve encountered in channel and partner marketing?

From a go-to-market perspective, channel and partner marketing present significant challenges and opportunities. Aligning the different visions and strategic priorities of multiple companies is crucial but challenging, as is coordinating teams with different processes and communication methods. Maintaining brand consistency across joint marketing efforts can also be tricky. However, partner marketing offers numerous benefits. By combining resources and expertise, partners can offer more comprehensive solutions, streamline efforts, and create more impactful campaigns. Pooled marketing budgets enable larger, more ambitious campaigns, and partnering often expands market reach by accessing a wider audience.

In summary, while there are challenges, the opportunities for alignment, collaboration, and joint value creation in channel and partner marketing often outweigh the hurdles, leading to greater market success. I’m a true believer in “Better Together”!

In terms of your marketing budget, how do you ensure you’re effectively utilizing the marketing funds allocated to you?

To effectively use the marketing funds, I focus on several key strategies. First and most importantly, align with sales and regional teams to identify market opportunities and set clear objectives. I prioritize quality over quantity for faster ROI with targeted, personalized campaigns and data-driven decisions. Regular performance reviews and adaptability are also crucial. Finally, fostering collaboration and open communication across teams ensures everyone is aligned and working towards shared goals, maximizing the impact of our marketing budget.

“Think outside the box, be creative, and explore innovative and unconventional marketing strategies”.

What advice would you give marketing leaders to encourage their teams to push beyond traditional marketing approaches and contribute within an integrated revenue organization structure?

Here’s some advice based on my experience: think outside the box, be creative, and explore innovative and unconventional marketing strategies. Innovation often leads to discovering low-cost, high-impact activities that yield surprising results. Always focus on ROI with a result-driven mindset. Be a marketer with sales thinking. Lastly, maintain open communication, encourage teamwork, and celebrate success!

From a go-to-market (GTM) alignment perspective, how do you ensure content development aligns with and supports specific sales needs?

From a GTM perspective, ensuring content development aligns with and supports specific sales needs begins with close collaboration between marketing and sales. Understanding technology solutions, current market challenges, and customer needs are crucial steps to ensure that content development supports the GTM sales strategy effectively.

Which metrics do you track most closely to measure the effectiveness of partner or alliance marketing campaigns?

Pipeline is the answer to all the questions. In addition to the pipeline, the key metrics including the number of high-quality leads, partner engagement, conversation rate, customer acquisition cost, and last but not least, the long-term relationship impact.

How do you or your teams integrate AI into your overall marketing technology stack?

I’m fortunate to be part of Lenovo, an innovative leader in the AI market. At Lenovo, we utilize a cutting-edge marketing tool called Studio AI, which we also make available externally. This solution guides our marketing and sales teams through the content creation process, using an LLM trained with our guidelines and IP, so it can read content briefs and generate original content like presentations, infographics, and campaign visuals in real time. With Studio AI, we are able to create assets for new products up to eight times faster than our previous methods, which has had a huge impact on how efficient we are.

Adriana Vîrlan, Growth Marketer at Sessions, shares her insights on growth marketing, GTM alignment, assessing the tech adoption landscape, marketing adaptability, and more.

Adriana, welcome to this interview series. We are curious to know about your journey in this ever-evolving world of marketing.

Absolutely. Thank you for having me. I am Adriana, a growth marketer at SESSIONS Technologies. My marketing career began nearly a decade ago. Being a very energetic person, even throughout my college years, I felt driven to seek out more. This led me to digital marketing initially, then I switched to growth marketing. Currently, I’m fully immersed in both digital marketing strategies and the exciting world of experimentation and growth.

How do you ensure that your marketing strategies remain adaptable and responsive to changing market conditions?

I’d say I’m keeping up-to-date with what is happening worldwide. Moreover, I like to take a holistic look at where the world is heading. When you pay extra attention to details, you might see trends and insights which is called small data. So, you can create and act based on real insights, what happens outside, and what might appeal to the market. Also, flexibility is the key: you run an experiment, launch it, gather the feedback openly, and implement changes quickly. The faster you move, the better.

What specific challenges and considerations do you face when creating marketing strategies for the EMEA region?

The cultural diversity is always super interesting. Each market presents its characteristics, which require both adaptation and agility. I wouldn’t say this is challenging, but it’s essential to understand your ICP and its nuances across all regions.

In the SaaS world that we live in, what strategies have you found most effective for customer acquisition and retention?

The best one is having a product that makes your customer’s life easier. Nothing works if your product is not solving a real issue and is not delivering value for people. Secondly, I’d say creating a community and long-term partnerships work best. Having people who use and love your product will help a lot to acquire new customers, who will finally convert into active users. It’s like a wheel: if you make a person happy, that person will talk about you with their friends, and some of them might become interested in you as well.

“Having people who use and love your product will help a lot to acquire new customers.”

Before launching a go-to-market program, how do you assess the potential tech adoption landscape?

Our founder once said something that is pure gold: “Content is king, but context is God.” We, as humans, have the skill to anticipate. If the sky is dark, you know a storm will come. And so, this principle applies to marketing as well.

If you pay attention to what people want and need, you will create something useful that will be adopted in the end. We, at SESSIONS, are actively doing many customer interviews. These interviews are our main guidance in doing the next releases. We listen to what people care about and need, and we try to solve their issues. And this works.

What advice can you offer fellow marketers on incorporating AI into their marketing programs?

I strongly recommend anyone, not just marketers, to use and incorporate AI into their work. AI is here to make our lives easier—to automate all the boring stuff we need to do so we can use AI for good. We live in the most thrilling times, in which we can do what we want, which makes us happy. There are a lot of tools that can make us way more efficient and productive. After all, we all want to have a good day, and none of us wants to do repetitive, boring, or energy-draining tasks. So, let’s use the powerful AI tools to have that done for us.

How do you approach data-driven decision-making and experimentation within growth marketing?

Mainly, I use the insights from our customers, analyze them, prioritize what’s more important for them, create some hypotheses that will be tested, and launch the experiments. I’d say the more experiments you do, the better. I am not a fan of A/B testing, but I am a fan of A/B/C/D/E testing, especially when you want to deliver the best for your customers. We were taught that the world is black or white. Well, the world has an infinite number of colors, and we need to always search for new ones. As the world progresses, the quest for innovative solutions remains fascinating.

How do you foster continuous collaboration and alignment between marketing, sales, and customer success teams?

When you have the same goals and set of values, it is not hard to be aligned. As a team, we strongly believe in what we do, we trust each other, and we try to get in touch regularly.

I also feel that the start-up mindset helps a lot—the willingness to do everything required to reach that goal—so, this way, a marketing person sometimes might help the customer success team or might do a sales task if that will help the entire team to move further faster. This requires great leadership, for sure.