Category: Show Notes

Every customer reaches a turning point. Something’s not working the way it used to. And now they’re ready for change. That’s when your product appears as a possibility. But if you lead with features or force-fit personas, you’ll miss the real energy behind their decision. That’s why Bob Moesta starts with struggle. 

In this episode, he joins Drew to discuss how demand forms through struggling moments, not random needs, and why nobody buys any product randomly, ever. As the author of Demand-Side Sales 101 and a longtime builder and educator, Bob shares how to identify that momentum, map the forces behind a decision, and reframe sales and marketing as tools for understanding what buyers are really trying to solve.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why buying decisions start with struggling moments 

• How to ask questions that surface energy, not just answers 

• The four forces shaping decisions: push, pull, anxiety, habit 

• How to spot what customers switch from and why 

• Why the buyer vs. user distinction matters in B2B

Tune in to hear how demand really forms and how to spot it when it does. 

Synthetic research is rewriting the rules—and Jon Lombardo is here to explain how. In this Huddles Quick Take, the Evidenza co-founder breaks down the three biggest misconceptions marketers have about AI-generated research, from assumptions about accuracy to the myth of average insights. 

You’ll hear how synthetic research can help you test messaging, uncover clear audience insights, and even rewrite jargon so sales and buyers actually understand it—all without waiting months or spending a fortune. 

What You’ll Learn:

• 3 misconceptions marketers have about synthetic research 

• Why AI can surface insights that are better than traditional methods 

• How synthetic research unlocks deeper audience understanding at scale 

• When to use synthetic over human research (and how they work together)

For the rest of the conversation with Jon—including B2B use cases, segmentation examples, and a deeper dive into category entry points—visit our YouTube channel (CMO Huddles Hub) or click here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4S_Ib-SmZY]. 

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

Penguins spend 75% of their lives in the water, actively positioning themselves exactly where they need to be to hunt and survive. It’s intentional placement. Strong brands do the same. They know where they belong and commit. Too many don’t. They drift, hoping the market finds them. You’ve got to stake your spot and give your marketing something to stand on. 

In this episode, Drew brings in Marni Puente (SAIC) and Sara Larsen (Wolters Kluwer Health), two marketers who’ve learned that positioning only works when it’s clear, repeated often, and owned beyond marketing. They get into how to break the cycle of repositioning, earn internal trust, and lay the groundwork for durable growth.

In this episode: 

• Marni shares how a tight positioning strategy anchored SAIC’s rebrand and became a decision filter across the org 

• Sara explains how to drive clarity in a matrixed enterprise, aligning stakeholders without watering down the message 

• Both guests reflect on the power of internal alignment as the real test of a strong position

Plus: 

• How to test positioning with internal and external audiences 

• Why simplicity is your signal when it comes to clarity 

• What positioning unlocks across marketing, sales, and culture 

• How to build buy-in that lasts beyond launch

Tune in to learn how focused positioning gives every team a north star and puts your brand strategy to work across the business. 

You can’t game the Gartner system. You can’t fast-track a Forrester mention. But you can show up prepared, relevant, and consistent. Analyst Relations is the slowest move on the board and the one that defines how your company is positioned on calls, in rooms, and across the category. 

To trace the full arc of this relationship, Drew is joined by Dan Lowden (Blackbird.AI), Lorie Coulombe (Equity Shift), and Lynn Tornabene (Anteriad). These are marketing leaders who’ve built analyst trust from scratch, played the long game, and seen the ripple effects hit pipeline, brand, and board-level confidence. They’ve turned AR into an amplifier, and they’re here to show you how to do the same.

In this episode: 

• Dan on building analyst trust without budget through clear positioning and repeat engagement 

• Lorie on prepping spokespeople and leading briefings with relevance over polish 

• Lynn on aligning teams and delivering consistent, high-value analyst touchpoints

Plus: 

• What analysts want from a briefing 

• Why your first 20 minutes set the tone 

• The biggest mistake CMOs still make in prep 

• How to turn analyst feedback into team clarity

Tune in to learn how consistent, credible AR earns analyst trust and long-term traction in the market. 

Joelle Kaufman has been both a CRO and a CMO—and she’s here to tell you: if sales and marketing aren’t on the same page, you’re leaving revenue on the table. 

In this Huddles Quick Take, Joelle outlines the three most common mistakes CMOs make when trying to align with sales—and how to avoid them. From pipeline goals to budget tension to attribution battles, Joelle shares how CMOs can build better partnerships that actually drive revenue. 

What You’ll Learn: 

• 3 alignment mistakes that keep marketing and sales at odds 

• Why obsessing over MQLs sends the wrong signal 

• How shared pipeline goals help unify teams 

• The real problem with attribution finger-pointing   

For the rest of the conversation with Joelle, visit our YouTube channel (CMO Huddles Hub) or click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64XHb_E7UT4.  

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

ABM falls apart fast when teams jump in before locking down who they’re chasing, why it matters, and how it’s all supposed to run. Sales pushes one list, marketing builds another, and no one agrees on who actually matters. No shared ICP? No clean data? Well, no chance. You need a strategy.

Guest host Jon Russo (B2B Fusion) corrals Heidi Bullock (Tealium), Patti Newcomer (Centerbase), and Bindu Chellappan (Corpay) for a breakdown of how they’re keeping their ABM engines running clean. Think pods with purpose, seller-first workflows, and data that matters.

In this episode: 

• Heidi on running pods that bring marketing, sales, and CS into one motion 

• Patti on aligning across the funnel and why ABM needs ownership 

• Bindu on activating firmographic and intent data with shared definitions

Plus: 

• Where alignment really starts 

• Why trust beats tech every time 

• How AI is speeding up the grunt work without losing the signal 

• The metrics that actually tell you it’s working

Tune in to learn about what breaks ABM, what fixes it, and how to keep teams pulling in the same direction.