Category: Show Notes

The career mistake that haunts CMOs most? Waiting until they’re laid off to build their personal brand. Career transition expert Catherine Altman Morgan reveals the three career management mistakes even seasoned CMOs make—and they might be sabotaging your future opportunities. In this quick-hitting conversation, Catherine delivers straight talk on building your personal brand, maintaining critical relationships, and positioning yourself for success whether you’re job hunting or not. 

From market disruptions to political shifts, CMOs are feeling the pressure. CFOs are tightening budgets, customers are hesitating, and entire industries are being forced to adapt. So, what’s a savvy marketing leader to do?

For the full conversation covering ‘nose to the grindstone syndrome,’ navigating toxic work environments, and how to product-ize yourself, visit our YouTube channel (CMO Huddles Hub) or click here: [https://youtu.be/f9_qZKSYDbM].

Get more insights like these by joining our free Starter program at cmohuddles.com.

Until then, keep those renegade thinking caps on and strong. 

In a perfect world, every marketing dollar would be easy to track and justify. In reality, proving impact is a constant battle.

In this episode, Drew Neisser brings together Julie Kaplan, Michael Callahan of Salt Security, and Bindu Chellappan of Corpay to explore the metrics that matter—and how to make sure they resonate in the boardroom. 

In This Episode: 

• Julie Kaplan shares why marketing-driven pipeline is the metric that truly resonates with the C-suite—and how simplifying the conversation makes it easier to prove marketing’s value to the CFO. 

• Michael Callahan reveals why broad pipeline metrics don’t resonate with sales—and how shifting to territory-level goals helped drive alignment and better results. 

• Bindu Chellappan expands the conversation beyond pipeline, sharing how Corpay is tackling the challenge of measuring brand awareness, retention, and upsell impact—and why long-term marketing influence is just as important as net-new pipeline.

Key Takeaways:

• The #1 metric that makes marketing’s impact undeniable. 

• Why marketing-influenced revenue deserves more credit—and how to make the case for it. 

• How to align marketing with sales—without the usual friction. 

• Why brand awareness is more measurable than you think—and how to track it.

Marketing’s value isn’t simple to prove—but the right numbers get the C-suite’s attention. Tune in to learn which ones matter most. 

Every ten episodes, Drew Neisser turns the mic on himself to tackle the biggest challenges facing B2B CMOs. This time, it’s all about navigating uncertainty.

From market disruptions to political shifts, CMOs are feeling the pressure. CFOs are tightening budgets, customers are hesitating, and entire industries are being forced to adapt. So, what’s a savvy marketing leader to do?

Key Takeaways: 

• Go Micro: Control the controllables—starting with yourself. Build personal resilience and create a strong microculture within your team. 

• Lead with Empathy: Uncertainty breeds anxiety. CMOs don’t need all the answers, but they do need to listen, reassure, and check in with employees, customers, and partners. 

• Protect the Brand: The political landscape is shifting fast. Word choices on your website could impact contracts and reputation. CMOs need to guide these conversations at the C-suite level. 

• Build a Marketing Engine That’s an Asset: In a downturn, marketing is often the first to be cut—but not if it’s seen as a growth driver that increases company valuation.

Listen now and keep your renegade thinking caps on—and strong!

For more, read: “The Political Tightrope: A CMO’s Guide to Navigating DEI & ESG in Polarized Times” 

Buyers trust other buyers more than they trust you—that’s just reality.

A great video testimonial is proof, reassurance, and persuasion all rolled into one, but that only happens if people actually see it and act on it. So how do you keep testimonials from collecting digital dust and turn them into a true sales and marketing asset?

That’s exactly what Drew Neisser and Alexander Ferguson, Founder & CMO of TeraLeap, tackle in this episode. From getting customers to say “yes” to crafting stories that resonate, Alex shares the strategies that make testimonials impossible to ignore.

What You’ll Learn:

• The biggest mistakes that keep video testimonials from delivering real results.
• Ways to integrate testimonials across sales, marketing, and branding.
• How to measure impact, track conversions, and prove value to leadership.
• The right timing and approach to get more customers on camera.

Don’t let your best customer stories go to waste. Catch the full conversation now!

If you haven’t read The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins, what are you waiting for?

This bestselling guide to leadership transitions is a must-read for any executive stepping into a new role, and it’s a staple in the CMO Huddles community.

A CMO’s first 90 days will set the course—either laying the groundwork for success or paving the way for an uphill battle. Drawing on more than two decades of research, Michael Watkins joins host Drew Neisser to share essential transition strategies and reveal the critical mistakes executives make in their early days—and exactly how to avoid them.

What You’ll Learn:

• The biggest mistakes executives make in their first 90 days—and how to sidestep them. 

• How to address the real problems within an organization—not just the ones you’re familiar with. 

• The importance of early wins and strategies to resist the “action imperative” 

• The critical role of shifting perspectives for achieving long-term success. 

• The power of process leadership and how to use it to accelerate your impact.

Michael also shares insights from his new book, The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking, and why strategy has never been more critical (stay tuned for that episode).  

Tune in ASAP!

“These are not the droids you’re looking for.” Just like Obi-Wan Kenobi used a simple phrase to shift the stormtroopers’ perception, marketers need to pull off their own Jedi mind trick to capture mindshare for their brands. We call it “positioning.” 

In this episode, Drew Neisser is joined by Joe Cohen (AXIS), Sara Larsen (Wolters Kluwer), and Carlos Carvajal (Q2) to discuss the art and science of positioning—how to define, refine, and defend it in a crowded marketplace. 

Key Discussion Points: 

• Joe Cohen explains how AXIS built credibility in energy transition by backing its positioning with real data. 

• Sara Larsen shares how Wolters Kluwer got internal teams on board with a major brand shift. 

• Carlos Carvajal reveals how Q2 overcame skepticism to expand beyond its core market. 

What you’ll learn

✔ How to use research to reinforce your brand’s authority.
✔ Why positioning is an internal challenge before it’s an external one.
✔ The role of analysts, customer feedback, and storytelling in shaping brand perception. 

From using market research to create authority to ensuring internal teams embrace new positioning, this conversation is all about the strategies that make brands stand out—and stick!