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
(05:55) - The Importance of Product Marketing
(07:53) - Early Stage Marketing Strategies
(15:06) - Building Trust and Influence in Startups
(22:01) - Positioning and Messaging Challenges
(26:19) - Addressing the Decline in Win Rate
(29:13) - Importance of Executing Positioning
(29:46) - Casual Conversation and Personal Interests
(30:47) - Messaging Torture Chamber
(31:20) - Marketing Strategies: Brand vs. Content
(33:03) - Event Marketing Insights
(34:48) - Simplifying B2B Marketing
(38:27) - The Role of Podcasts in B2B Marketing
(45:12) - Conclusion and Upcoming Events

Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.com
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 Calendly. You’ve probably heard of Calendly. And you probably have used it to schedule meetings with people outside your company.

But did you know you can also use Calendly on your website to increase conversion and create a better hand off experience with sales?

Speed to lead is everything and that’s why B2B marketing teams today use Calendly to convert leads the moment they’re ready to talk to sales. Instead of doing the whole follow-up late dance, you can book meetings right within the forms on your website. And Calendly has the routing and integrations you need to make sure your prospects get booked with the right sales rep.

Smith.ai increased their website bookings by 26% using Calendly. And Katalon, the all-in-one test automation platform, was able to increase their conversion rate 3X using Calendly.

Join over 20 million users who count on Calendly to simplify meetings, save time and drive revenue revenue by removing the friction from your website. Visit calendly.com/exitfive to get started with a 14-day free trial.

***

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

#189: Product Marketing | Are Product Marketers Actually Marketers? with We're Not Marketer's Podcast

The Dave Gerhardt Show