Pilot, Prove, Scale: How CMOs Lead Transformation

If you’re not transforming, you’re getting left behind. That reality makes transformation anything but presto change; it’s a mindset shift, sustained motion, and a clear “why” your people can see themselves in. 

To turn that into visible progress while keeping the ship pointed at a destination the business recognizes, Drew brings together Chris Pieper (ADP), Putney Cloos (Bombora), and David Levy (Foundever) to share how each leads transformation across differently scaled organizations. From making progress visible to earning belief across the org and sustaining momentum through the messy middle, they show how change takes hold.

In this episode: 

  • Chris pilots with sales champions, proves pipeline impact, and turns small wins into momentum. 
  • Putney makes the case for change, maps “scrappy to industrial strength” milestones, and scales what works. 
  • David runs parallel lanes to protect the core while building the future, aligning his org to work ambidextrously.

Plus: 

  • How to make progress visible with simple roadmaps and real milestones. 
  • How pilots, quick wins, and pipeline proof bring sales along. 
  • Why stopping low-value work frees resources for what matters. 
  •  What to hire for in ambiguity: people who try new things and move fast.

Tune in if you are steering big change and want practical ways to show progress, win belief, and keep momentum through the messy middle. 

Top 10 Countdown: Super Huddle Takeaways for 2026

What do you get when you put 100+ B2B CMOs in a room with penguin jokes, tactical breakouts, and a whole lot of strategy talk? Flocking awesomeness.

In this special “Drew on Drew” episode, host Drew Neisser recaps the top 10 takeaways from CMO Huddles’ second annual Super Huddle, held in Palo Alto in November 2025. From bold positioning and AI orchestration to CMO-CRO alignment and the power of community, these insights are your roadmap to thriving in 2026.

Favorite takeaway? Drew wants to know—post it and tag @CMO Huddles on LinkedIn!

Resources Mentioned 

  • Books mentioned 

B2B Storytelling That Scales (and Sells)

The best B2B brands don’t just tell a story. They live it across every team, channel, and touchpoint. 

But how do you get everyone aligned — from sales to customer success — without the story getting lost in translation (or buried in features)?

That question sits at the center of this conversation, as Drew talks with Marca Armstrong (Sensera Systems) and Caitlin Cassady (Beyond) about how to build a team of company-wide storytellers. From capturing customer language to coaching teams on how to use it, they reveal how to make your story stick—and scale.

In this episode: 

  • Marca starts with a simple headline story (“build with confidence”) and ensures it shows up consistently in every GTM motion. 
  • Caitlin turns real customer stories into marketing fuel, using a “so what?” filter to connect features to real outcomes. 
  • Together, they treat storytelling as everyone’s job, so marketing, sales, and CX all carry the same story. 

Plus: 

  • Measuring story-led work vs. feature blasts 
  • Spotting what moves pipeline 
  • Keeping language sharp so customer phrasing shows up in deals 
  • Making storytelling a team sport across the company

If you want a story your customers instantly recognize—no matter who they talk to—this episode gives you the moves to make it happen. 

One Promise, One Motion: How NetApp Built Strategic Demand

When B2B brands try to be everything to everyone, they end up with what Gabie Boko calls a “brand of commas.” NetApp chose focus instead: One clear promise the whole company could rally behind and a direct line to business growth.

In this episode, Drew sits down with Gabie Boko (NetApp) to unpack how NetApp rallied leadership around Intelligent Data Infrastructure, redefined strategic demand as a shared go-to-market motion, and built alignment from the CEO to sales. Gabie shares how focus, authenticity, and cross-functional trust helped modernize NetApp’s story.

In this episode: 

  • Moving from a “brand of commas” to one durable narrative the company can stand behind for years 
  • Choosing Intelligent Data Infrastructure to stay customer-tested and future-proof without falling into AI-washing 
  • Defining strategic demand as a company-wide motion that unites marketing, sales, and partners

Plus: 

  • How NetApp’s NFL partnerships built reach and brand lift without massive ad spend 
  • How success is measured through share of voice, sentiment, pipeline, and revenue growth 
  • How to avoid category-creation detours and free teams from over-branding every product 
  • The CMO journey from hope to determination, and how to sequence wins without burning political capital

Tune in to learn how one promise and shared accountability reshaped NetApp’s story! 

Quick Wins: How CMOs Build Momentum Fast

In the first 90 days, perception outruns reality. So where will you find the quick, visible wins that turn “new CMO” into “trusted change agent”? 

In this episode, Drew sits down with Laura MacGregor (Savvy Marketing Works), Julie Kaplan (Higher Logic), and Julia Goebel to unpack how CMOs convert early pressure into progress, spot quick, visible wins to bank now, and use that goodwill to earn the mandate for bigger changes.

How Three CMOs Win the First 90 Days: 

  • Laura listens first, learns the business, and picks intentional early moves that build trust. 
  • Julie starts before Day 1, using interviews to find a wish list and deliver one visible win fast. 
  • Julia anchors early success in data and customer calls to sharpen focus and reveal opportunities.

Plus: 

  • How to align expectations with a marketing maturity matrix and shared success metrics. 
  • Why small conversion gains build credibility while foundational work ramps up. 
  • How to partner with sales, learn from top performers, and scale what works. 
  • Why customer conversations beat inherited assumptions every time.

Stepping into a new CMO role? This episode shows how to turn early pressure into wins that build lasting momentum. 

Scalable Acts of Marketing: Building a Repeatable Growth Engine

Most marketing books promise tips. Scalable Acts of Marketing shows you how to build a system that scales.

Written after thirteen years of helping grow Service Express from $30 million to $350 million in ARR, Joshua Leatherman’s field-tested guide blends a business fable with a hands-on playbook.

In this episode, Joshua Leatherman (Cyderes) joins Drew to walk through how durable growth happens when marketing speaks in outcomes, earns executive trust, and runs one motion across brand, demand, sales, and success. He connects the fable’s lessons to real-world moves inside growth-stage companies, laying out a playbook any marketing leader can use to build momentum that lasts.

In this episode: 

  • How to shift from activities to outcomes that a CFO and CRO will back 
  • How to own pipeline with clear SQO definitions, shared attribution, and consistent follow-up 
  • How to stand up RevOps as “Switzerland,” with shared KPIs, fast handoffs, and five-minute speed-to-lead targets

Plus: 

  • Why marketing must stay on the field after the first meeting 
  • How to use R&D (“rip off and duplicate”) to accelerate playbooks 
  • What to hire for right now: Curiosity, learning velocity, and accountability 
  • How authoritative content fuels discovery in an AI-led world

If you’re ready to build a marketing system that earns trust, investment, and results, this episode shows where to start!