Exit-Ready Marketing: Shiv Narayanan on Making Marketing Measurable in PE-Backed Companies

In this episode of the Funcast, Paul Stansik interviews Shiv Narayanan, the founder of How2SAS and author of "Exit-Ready Marketing," about marketing strategies for private equity-backed software businesses. Shiv explains his firm's three main solutions: marketing due diligence, strategy consulting, and fractional CMO work. They discuss how marketing is often misunderstood in the diligence process, the importance of data-driven decision-making, and how to assess marketing organizations. Shiv provides advice for CEOs and marketing leaders on how to measure marketing spend, improve communication with investors, and build a scalable marketing strategy, emphasizing the need for patience and a focus on long-term value creation. He also shares insights on simplifying pipeline attribution and the importance of understanding customer needs through direct engagement.