Category: Show Notes

Plenty of CMOs reach a point where the fractional model starts to look… intriguing. A little more freedom, a little less 24/7 pressure, and a whole lot of variety. 

In this episode, Drew brings together three former full-time CMOs who now serve as full-time fractionals: Alan Gonsenhauser (Demand Revenue), Katrina Klier (Sage Strategy Group), and Marshall Poindexter (yorCMO). They get into what it really takes to succeed in the role, from setting expectations with CEOs and boards to choosing the right clients, managing time and scope, and knowing when the fractional model fits and when it is time to move on.

In this episode: 

• Alan builds trust fast with structured discovery across leaders and the board, using “three magic wishes” to surface priorities before acting. 

• Katrina ties marketing priorities to financial and board targets so strategy supports existing growth and margin commitments. 

• Marshall differentiates fractional work from consulting, using a simple framework and 90-day sprints to drive execution through in-house teams or agencies. 

Plus: 

• Narrowing your niche so you attract clients where you create outsized value 

• How to set scope, cadence, and availability so part-time does not quietly become full-time 

• Using process, sprints, and metrics to stay focused when new requests pop up 

• Planning the transition, from mentoring the incoming full-time CMO to creating a clean off-ramp

Tune in if you are considering going fractional, hiring a fractional CMO, or just trying to understand how this model fits into the modern CMO career. 

If your 2026 budget is starting to feel like a no-win puzzle—flat headcount, higher growth expectations, fewer resources—this episode is for you. Craig Moore of Forrester joins Drew to reveal the budgeting mistakes too many B2B CMOs are still making—and what to do instead. 

From rethinking budget architecture to organizing around business outcomes, Craig shares the frameworks that enable CMOs to go beyond justifying their spend—and start leading the strategic conversation with CEOs, CFOs, and CROs. 

Get ready to challenge your assumptions, realign your org, and turn your budget into a true lever for growth. 

In this episode: 

• The big 3 budgeting mistakes CMOs make 

• Why campaign-based budgeting unlocks strategy 

• Areas of volatility in 2026 

• AI’s Role in Budget Planning 

This is just the first half of one of CMO Huddles monthly Bonus Huddles with B2B marketing strategists. To hear the rest of the conversation with Craig, visit CMO Huddles Hub on YouTube. 

CMO+ signals a bigger remit: marketing plus another lane the business depends on.

Drawing from her CMO+ tenure at Altair, Amy Messano (Thomson Reuters) talks with Drew about how unifying marketing and communications and empowering employees to carry the story from the inside out helped fuel rapid growth and a multibillion-dollar acquisition. She shows how treating earned, owned, and paid as one system and tying internal comms to go-to-market kept everyone aligned on the same promise.

In this episode: 

• Centralizing marketing and communications in an engineering-led company 

• Moving from a house of brands to a branded house built around “Only Forward” 

• Linking a consistent brand to investor confidence and deal value

Plus: 

• Simplifying product architecture and naming through acquisitions 

• Aligning marketing, PR, AR, and internal comms to tell one story 

• Using listening and clear brand architecture to bring cultures together 

• What CMO+ leadership really requires: new capabilities and a close CEO partnership

If you’re stepping into CMO+ or stretching beyond marketing’s lane, this episode’s for you! 

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. 

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 

• CMO Huddles 

• Super Huddle 

• Books mentioned 

• • Courageous Marketing by Udi Ledergor 

• • Make it Snow by Denise Persson 

• • Scalable Acts of Marketing by Josh Leatherman 

• RepuTracker 

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.