C-Suite Sales & Marketing Perspectives

Hosted by Steven MacDonald

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Episodes

304

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

Welcome to the C-Suite Sales & Marketing Perspectives podcast, a resource of the latest updates and insights in B2B growth strategies. Join us as we engage with CMOs, CEOs, and CROs at the forefront of innovation. Discover how these experts push boundaries, experiment with new approaches, and successfully implement cutting-edge strategies. Stay informed and ahead in the ever-evolving landscape of B2B sales and marketing with this show.

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60 recent

June 16, 202630 min

Modern CRO Leadership: Navigating Trust and Competition

Episode #305: Andrea Kayal, Chief Revenue Officer at Help Scout, shares how alignment, trust, and customer centricity drive sustainable growth. She explains why marketing must own trust-building, how product supports revenue creation, and why strong service-level agreements eliminate friction across teams. The conversation also explores enterprise value, AI, competition, and the evolving role of modern revenue leadership."Your job is really equity improvement. It really is about the enterprise value that you're creating for the business. The CRO's job is to figure out how we acquire more customers and keep them in a better, healthier version of the business." – Andrea KayalIn this conversation, Andrea shares how modern revenue leaders can create stronger alignment across sales, marketing, customer success, and product teams. She explains why trust has become the most important currency in today's buying environment, how AI is reshaping customer expectations, and why enterprise value should guide every growth decision. The discussion provides practical insights for leaders focused on sustainable growth, stronger customer relationships, and long-term business performance.Follow Andrea Kayal on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreakayal/Follow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensmacdonald/

June 10, 202630 min

AI Transformation: Rethinking Modern Revenue Leadership

Episode #304: Keith Laska, Chief Growth Officer at GridUnity, explores the leadership principles driving sustainable growth amid an unprecedented AI transformation. He explains why executive alignment, customer obsession, and trust remain foundational growth drivers despite rapid technological change. Keith shares practical strategies for developing stronger customer relationships and preparing teams for AI-enabled operations. He also outlines why organizations that combine human insight with AI orchestration will create lasting competitive advantages."You're not at risk of being automated by AI. You're at risk of somebody who understands AI better than you orchestrating it. Those that actually learn how to orchestrate that new technology and harness that new technology end up in a very strong place in the future." – Keith LaskaIn this conversation, Keith shares practical lessons from decades of leadership across AI, SaaS, revenue, and growth organizations. He discusses how executive alignment accelerates performance, why voice-of-customer programs create sustainable advantages, and how trust drives stronger business relationships. Keith also explains why AI orchestration, not AI experimentation alone, will separate future market leaders from everyone else.Follow Keith Laska on LinkedInFollow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

June 5, 202639 min

Why Internal Communication Now Drives External Growth

Episode #303:Christian Land, Group Chief Marketing Officer at big. bechtold-gruppe, explains why internal communication has become one of the most powerful drivers of external business growth. He shares how culture, trust, employee engagement, and customer centricity are built through consistent communication and leadership. The conversation explores why employees become a company's most influential ambassadors and how internal alignment shapes customer experiences. Christian also discusses the role of listening, trust, and communication in creating sustainable growth.“Everybody is at the customers every day, so they have to bring our mindset to customer-centricity. This is how we worked on it, and now we bring this to the external one. Customer centricity. Now you know why this meaning is about internal communications, which now drives external growth.” — Christian LandThis conversation explores how internal communication influences culture, trust, customer centricity, and business performance. Christian explains why communication must extend beyond messaging and become part of how organizations operate every day. He also shares practical perspectives on leadership, employee alignment, listening, and the role communication plays in helping organizations navigate change while maintaining strong customer relationships.Follow Christian Land on LinkedInFollow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

June 5, 202629 min

The Dangerous Obsession with Lead Generation

Episode #302:Bill Taysom, Fractional Chief Marketing Officer at Savvy Strategic Partners, explains why many organizations become dangerously focused on generating more leads while overlooking the trust, credibility, and customer journey required to convert those opportunities into revenue. He shares how buyers make decisions long before entering a CRM, why the dark funnel shapes modern purchasing behavior, and how trust influences every stage of growth. Bill also outlines why companies that balance brand building with lead generation create stronger conversion rates and more sustainable revenue growth."Study after study after study have proven that a 60/40 split of the brand strategy to lead gen strategy is the appropriate proportion, because it's your brand, your structure, your reputation, the trust that is in the marketplace that allows you to close on those leads and gain really good quality leads, not just the garbage curiosity leads." - Bill TaysomThis conversation explores why lead generation alone is not a growth strategy. Bill breaks down how buyers build trust before speaking with sales, how reputation influences vendor selection, and why marketing must focus on more than just filling the pipeline. The discussion provides practical insight into improving conversion outcomes, building credibility, and creating sustainable growth through a stronger customer journey.Follow Bill Taysom on LinkedInFollow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

June 4, 202630 min

Pipeline Volume Trap: Why More Leads Kill Better Deals

Episode 301: Joe Healy, Chief Growth Officer at Fintua, explains why the pursuit of more leads often distracts companies from what actually drives revenue growth. He shares how trust, customer understanding, and relationship building create stronger commercial outcomes than traditional pipeline thinking. He also highlights the importance of diagnosing customer challenges before presenting solutions. The discussion reveals why human trust remains one of the few sustainable competitive advantages left in business."The human trust and discernment component is the only true competitive advantage left from a selling perspective. Growth starts with understanding, and everything else, sales, scale, and strategy, flows from that." - Joe HealyIn this episode, Joe shares practical lessons from years of growth leadership and explains why companies often overvalue pipeline volume while undervaluing customer understanding. He discusses trust-based selling, qualification discipline, buyer readiness, relationship building, and the role of human connection in an AI-driven world. The conversation provides actionable insights for executives looking to improve win rates, strengthen customer relationships, and create sustainable revenue growth. Follow Joe Healy on LinkedInFollow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

June 2, 202629 min

B2B C-Suite Execs: How to Win the Day One Shortlist

Episode #300:Casey Carey, Chief Marketing Officer at TCP Software, discusses how buyer behavior, trust, customer understanding, and AI are reshaping modern B2B growth. He explains why earning a place on the buyer's shortlist before a purchase process begins has become critical. Casey also shares practical strategies for creating preference, improving alignment, and increasing win rates."That day one list is the qualifying race. The decision may be made without you. If you're not on that day one list, your chances of winning are in the single-digit percentage." - Casey CareyIn this episode, Casey shares how B2B organizations can improve their chances of making the day one list by investing in customer insights, preference marketing, internal alignment, and AI-powered execution. The conversation explores practical ways to build trust earlier in the buying journey and to create sustainable growth through a stronger understanding of the market.Follow Casey Carey on LinkedInFollow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

May 28, 202633 min

How AI Is Redefining What It Means to Be a CRO

Episode #299: Emil Reister, Chief AI Sales Officer at BCC Research, explains how AI is transforming modern sales leadership, buyer expectations, and team productivity. He discusses connected systems, AI-powered coaching, sales enablement, and the future of AI-driven customer engagement. He also explains why curiosity, experimentation, and human judgment remain essential as organizations adopt AI-first revenue strategies.“What does AI say about your organization? More and more buyers are educating themselves and spending time on these tools. From a marketing standpoint and sales standpoint, it's critical for organizations to really invest time in how they best position themselves within these tools.” - Emil ReisterIn this episode, Emil Reister shares how AI is reshaping the priorities modern CROs and revenue leaders must meet to stay competitive. He explains how connected AI systems, automation, and buyer intelligence are transforming sales workflows, coaching, productivity, and customer engagement. Emil also discusses why curiosity, experimentation, and continuous learning are becoming essential leadership traits as organizations adapt to AI-driven business environments.Follow Emil Reister on LinkedInFollow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

May 27, 202630 min

The New Board Agenda to Achieve Growth

Episode #298:Richard O'Connor, Chief Executive Officer at B2B Marketing, shares why traditional growth structures are breaking down across modern B2B organizations. He explains why CEOs and boards must rethink how sales, marketing, brand, and customer understanding work together to drive sustainable growth. He also explains why disruptive thinking is necessary to reinvent the way organizations approach growth.“We should actively be looking at disruptive approaches to the way we think about growth.” - Richard O'ConnorThis conversation explores why shared commercial objectives are replacing siloed departmental goals in modern B2B organizations. Richard breaks down why the traditional funnel no longer reflects real buyer behavior and why brand trust increasingly determines who gets considered before formal buying begins. The discussion also highlights how AI can help organizations uncover hidden customer insights at scale while helping growth teams stay closer to customer realities.Follow Richard O'Connor on LinkedInFollow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

May 26, 202631 min

AI Pressure on Today’s C-Suite

Episode #297: Valeria Balaro, Chief Marketing Officer at Star, explains how AI is forcing companies to rethink growth, talent development, marketing influence, and customer engagement. She discusses why human judgment, differentiated thinking, and cross-functional collaboration are becoming more valuable in the AI era. She also shares why modern CMOs must evolve beyond lead generation into true revenue leadership.“Company growth is changing completely, and AI is accelerating it greatly. It’s an accelerator, but an accelerator can go both ways, into the positive and into the negative.” - Valeria BalaroIn this episode, Valeria shares how AI is reshaping growth strategies, marketing leadership, customer engagement, and workforce development. She explains why differentiated thinking, human judgment, and cross-functional collaboration are becoming essential competitive advantages in modern business. The conversation also explores why CMOs must evolve into revenue leaders who influence systems, operations, and long-term company growth.Follow Valeria Balaro on LinkedInFollow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn

May 20, 202635 min

Reinventing Growth After AI Disruption

Episode #296:Giuseppe Colucci, Chief Growth Officer at Textbroker International, shares how AI disruption forced his company to rethink its business model, reposition its growth strategy, and rebuild around evolving customer needs. He explains why traditional approaches to SEO, visibility, and transactional selling are losing effectiveness in the AI era. The conversation also explores how trust, customer conversations, and brand sentiment are becoming essential to sustainable growth after disruption.“When AI disrupted our business model, we had to rethink how we would survive, reposition ourselves in the market, and adapt to a completely different growth environment. The only way we could do that successfully was by talking directly to our customers.” - Giuseppe ColucciThis episode explores how B2B companies must reinvent growth as AI reshapes customer behavior, search visibility, and trust. Giuseppe explains why adaptability is now a survival skill, why customer understanding matters more than ever, and why businesses can no longer rely on legacy growth models. He also highlights how companies can reposition themselves strategically by listening deeply to customers and building stronger brand credibility in AI-driven markets.Follow Giuseppe Colucci on LinkedInFollow Steve MacDonald on LinkedIn