The Exit Five Podcast

Latest Episodes:

B2B Doesn't Have to Be Boring with Udi Ledergor, Chief Evangelist at Gong Apr 14, 2025

Show notes

#237: Strategy | Udi Ledergor (former CMO, now Chief Evangelist at Gong) helped turn Gong into one of B2B’s most iconic brands—and now he’s sharing how they scaled it to a multi-billion dollar valuation. In this episode, Dave sits down with Udi to unpack lessons from building Gong’s category, brand, and marketing engine (and why B2B marketing needs way more courage).

You’ll learn:

Lessons from building Gong from 0 to $100M in revenue
How to make B2B marketing not boring
How to measure and justify brand investments in marketing
Why you need to be more courageous with your marketing

Udi also shares stories from his new book Courageous Marketing, featuring specific plays and strategies any B2B marketer can steal.

Timestamps

(00:00) - – Intro to Udi
(06:00) - – Early career lessons and building a marketing role from scratch
(09:00) - – How Gong achieved early product-market fit
(13:00) - – The importance of picking the right company and founder
(15:00) - – Why Gong’s focus, clarity, and positioning stood out from day one
(17:10) - – Why Udi wrote Courageous Marketing and what it’s about
(18:00) - – What “courageous marketing” actually means
(21:00) - – Defining brand personality before visual identity
(23:40) - – Campaign breakdown: Times Square billboards, employee spotlights, and perception hacks
(27:00) - – The “punching above your weight” formula for early-stage brands
(30:30) - – How to measure soft ROI and prove brand impact
(34:00) - – Super Bowl ad, Michael Lewis podcast, and tying brand to pipeline
(38:45) - – How to budget for experiments and get CFO/CEO buy-in
(40:00) - – Building a courageous team: culture, process, and psychological safety
(43:00) - – Gong Labs: Turning product data into content with staying power
(46:00) - – Product + marketing alignment: the real unlock
(47:30) - – Where AI fits in the future of courageous marketing
(49:50) - – Udi’s book Courageous Marketing (and why you should go read it)

Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter

Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:

Zoom Webinars & Events – The virtual event platform built to help B2B marketers run webinars that actually drive pipeline, with branded registration pages, live engagement features, and built-in tools to repurpose sessions into clips and content. Learn more at zoom.com/exitfive.

Convertiv - A B2B marketing agency that helps enterprise teams build an AI-powered go-to-market strategy, specializing in AEO. Podcast listeners get a free AI search review showing how you stack up against competitors. Learn more at convertiv.com/exitfive.

Optimizely - the AI platform for marketers. Build your own AI agents or pull from a directory of 50+ pre-built ones for marketing use cases. Their new Virtual Teammates can join meetings, complete tasks, support campaigns, and keep your website optimized. Learn more at optimizely.com/exitfive.

Compound Growth Marketing- A full-funnel demand gen agency helping high-growth cybersecurity and enterprise software companies show up earlier in the buying journey, combining AEO, modern paid advertising, and a dedicated go-to-market engineering team. Podcast listeners get two free media planning sessions to find out what channels are driving the best ROI. Learn more at compoundgrowthmarketing.com/exitfive.

Customer.io - An AI powered customer engagement platform that help marketers turn first-party data into engaging customer experiences across email, SMS, and push. Learn more at customer.io/exitfive.

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.

Visit hatch.fm to learn more

The Role of Product Marketing in B2B: Strategies, Tools, and Metrics for Success Apr 10, 2025

Show notes

#236: Product Marketing | Product marketers are no strangers to change. Whether it’s navigating new responsibilities, proving impact to leadership, or balancing short-term wins with long-term strategy, the role is constantly evolving - and in 2025, that evolution is only accelerating.

This Exit Five Live session is built to help you stay ahead. Dave sits down with Natalie Marcotullio (Head of Growth & Product Marketing at Navattic), Jason Oakley (Founder of Productive PMM), and Eric Holland (Senior PMM at Betterworks and Co-Founder of DemoDash) for a tactical discussion on how to sharpen your skills, adapt to a shifting landscape, and deliver measurable impact.

They cover:

What a successful product marketing function looks like in B2B
Tools, frameworks, and metrics that actually matter
How to align with sales and customer success
Trends to watch in 2025 and beyond

Timestamps

(00:00) - – Intro to Natalie, Jason, and Eric
(02:00) - – Why product marketing is the most important function in B2B marketing
(03:50) - – Defining the role: What should product marketing actually own?
(06:00) - – How PMM impacts revenue, growth, and pipeline
(07:30) - – Differentiation: What it really takes and why most companies get it wrong
(10:00) - – Real examples of effective positioning in crowded markets
(14:30) - – What bad product marketing looks like
(16:00) - – Why PMMs need to market the product more (and not just during launches)
(19:00) - – Launch marketing, momentum, and creating "marketable moments"
(21:00) - – Why PMM charters don’t work - and what to do instead
(23:00) - – How to measure product marketing impact (with or without KPIs)
(29:30) - – Tying assets and enablement to revenue
(31:00) - – Tracking usage without a big tech stack
(34:00) - – Who owns positioning: PMM vs brand?
(36:00) - – How to shine as a PMM in a sales-led org
(40:30) - – The death of one-pagers and what to use instead
(43:00) - – What to look for when hiring a great product marketer

Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter

Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.

Visit hatch.fm to learn more

The 7 Marketing Metrics Every B2B Leader Should Report On Apr 07, 2025

Show notes

#235: Strategy |In this episode, Matt sits down with Aditya Vempaty, VP of Marketing at MoEngage, to talk about a topic every marketing leader has wrestled with: reporting on the right metrics. Aditya has led marketing at companies like Nutanix, Amplitude, and Synthego - and he’s learned how to build dashboards and reporting frameworks that actually communicate marketing’s impact across leadership, sales, and finance.

Matt and Aditya cover:

Why marketing metrics should translate performance into a common language the business understands
The four buckets of metrics every B2B team should track
How often you should be reporting on metrics
The exact 7 metrics Aditya uses to report up, down, and across the org

Timestamps

(00:00) - – Intro to Aditya
(02:12) - – Why communicating marketing’s impact is a challenge for many teams
(04:48) - – The importance of using a common language when reporting to leadership
(07:26) - – Breaking marketing metrics into four key buckets
(10:41) - – How pipeline coverage connects marketing to revenue
(13:10) - – Reporting on efficiency: CAC, cost per opportunity, and more
(16:25) - – The role of awareness metrics and how to contextualize them
(19:18) - – How marketing and sales alignment can be measured effectively
(21:47) - – The 7 core marketing metrics Aditya reports on regularly
(25:30) - – How often should marketing be reporting metrics?
(28:14) - – Dashboards, recurring meetings, and what execs actually care about
(31:06) - – Advice for first-time marketing leaders on building reporting habits
(33:20) - – Why clarity beats complexity when it comes to data
(36:02) - – Final thoughts

Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter

Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.

Visit hatch.fm to learn more

Mastering Messaging, Copy, and Clarity with Emma Stratton Apr 03, 2025

Show notes

#234: Messaging | In this episode, Dave sits down with Emma Stratton, founder of Punchy, to break down what great B2B messaging actually looks like - and how to get it right. Emma has worked with hundreds of B2B tech companies to sharpen their positioning, eliminate vague copy, and train marketing teams to write with clarity and impact. They cover what makes messaging actually resonate and how to spot and fix abstract or weak copy. They also dive into Emma’s process for creating message-market fit, doing customer research, and working with execs and cross-functional teams.

And BONUS: they spend the last 20 minutes talking about personal development, productivity, journaling, and managing your mental energy to be a better marketer (and human).

Dave and Emma also cover:

How to go from vague to punchy by writing with specificity and buyer empathy
Why most B2B messaging falls flat and how to avoid the “sea of sameness”
How to use customer interviews, sales calls, and concrete language to create strong messaging
Why writing, meditation, and personal rituals are so important for creative energy

Timestamps

(00:00) - – Intro to Emma
(03:05) - – What makes B2B messaging actually good
(06:47) - – Common messaging mistakes (and why "clarity > clever")
(09:45) - – Positioning vs. messaging: what’s the difference?
(13:58) - – Why it's hard to name great B2B marketing examples
(16:22) - – How to sharpen weak messaging and fix vague positioning statements
(19:30) - – Simplifying complex products without dumbing it down
(22:40) - – How to write for buyers (not just execs)
(26:12) - – Using customer interviews and research to build strong messaging
(30:50) - – Standing out in a crowded, buzzword-filled market
(33:34) - – How storytelling fits into B2B messaging
(36:40) - – Messaging advice for early-stage founders and startups
(39:55) - – How often should you revisit and update messaging?
(42:05) - – Productivity, managing your energy, and staying focused
(45:20) - – Journaling, mindfulness, and being intentional with your time
(49:15) - – Final takeaways

Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter

Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.

Visit hatch.fm to learn more

Inside Exit Five: How We Doubled Community Growth in Under a Year (with Matt Carnevale) Mar 31, 2025

Show notes

#233: Inside Exit Five | In this episode, Matt Carnevale (Head of Community at Exit Five) joins the team at Circle to break down how we’ve doubled Exit Five community membership and boosted engagement—all by treating Exit Five like a product. He shares our playbook: audience growth, engagement systems, how we use member feedback to shape what we build, and why “curate, don’t create” has been key to scaling. If you’re running (or joining) a B2B community, this is how you make it work.

Matt covers:

Why we think of community like a product, not just a channel
How Exit Five grew community membership over 100% in under a year
The systems we use to drive 40% monthly active user engagement
The power of “tripwires,” onboarding, and member matchmaking
How feedback loops shape what we build

Timestamps

(00:00) - – Intro to Matt
(02:30) - – Exit Five’s approach to community
(05:00) - – What it means to treat community like a product
(09:00) - – Why audience is the foundation of community growth
(12:00) - – How Exit Five builds and converts audience from LinkedIn
(15:00) - – Using content tripwires to drive signups
(17:00) - – Offers that work: Why we use a 7-day free trial
(20:00) - – How Exit Five got started as a paid community
(23:00) - – The product mindset: build, test, iterate
(26:00) - – Using member feedback to drive product decisions
(28:00) - – Real example: member matchmaking feature
(30:00) - – Promoting new community features like product launches
(33:00) - – How we drive 40% monthly active usage
(35:00) - – The value of member-led events and how we do them
(38:00) - – Other plays: tagging experts, matchmaking, onboarding
(41:00) - – Why self-promo was hurting our community and what changed when we cut it
(43:00) - – Final takeaways + advice for small communities
(47:00) - – Audience Q&A: re-engagement, matchmaking, content cadence

Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter

Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.

Visit hatch.fm to learn more

How Marketers Can Be Better Partners with Sales (with Jen Allen-Knuth) Mar 27, 2025

Show notes

#232: Sales | Dave sits down with Jen Allen-Knuth, founder of DemandJen. Jen shares her insights from her 15+ years in B2B Sales, from managing a quota to building great working relationships with marketing.

Jen and Dave cover:

Co-creating content with Marketing and Sales that drives better customer engagement and grows your pipeline
How Jen successfully built her audience using video on LinkedIn and leveraged it to start DemandJen
How companies should focus on genuine diversity efforts rather than superficial inclusivity

Timestamps

(00:00) - – Intro to Jen
(06:10) - – Why you should have a mentor and how to get one
(08:00) - – Sales experiences and becoming a Chief Evangelist
(11:31) - – Making the leap from side hustle to full-time
(15:58) - – Why your career experiences should be diverse
(19:22) - – The shallow impact of diversity panels
(23:26) - – How Jen built her personal brand
(26:47) - – Creating unscripted content that’s still clear
(30:19) - – Being authentic in marketing
(35:14) - – Don’t use templates for customer conversations
(41:36) - – Strong relationships between product marketing and sales
(42:23) - – Being customer-centric
(47:45) - – Why you need to be a good storyteller
(49:34) - – Challenges of data analysis

Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter

Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.

Visit hatch.fm to learn more

We Audited 100+ B2B Websites – Here's What We Learned (with Talia Wolf) Mar 24, 2025

Show notes

#230: Messaging | In this episode, Matt sits down with Talia Wolf, founder and CEO of GetUplift, to unpack what’s really wrong with most B2B websites – and how to fix it. After reviewing 100+ member-submitted sites from the Exit Five community, Talia shares what she sees over and over again: messaging that’s too focused on the product, poor design flow, and a lack of real customer understanding.

Matt and Talia cover:

Why most B2B sites focus too much on features and not enough on buyer emotion
How to use emotional targeting and customer research to write copy that converts
The biggest design mistakes B2B marketers are making (and how to fix them)
How to get stakeholder buy-in for website changes
Why great websites start with strong product marketing

Timestamps

(00:00) - – Intro to Talia
(02:04) - – Why most B2B websites fail to convert
(04:30) - – The common thread across 100+ website reviews from Exit Five members
(07:15) - – Why focusing on features instead of emotion kills conversions
(10:03) - – What is emotional targeting (and how to actually use it)?
(13:18) - – The power of customer research in website optimization
(16:40) - – How to apply emotional triggers to your homepage copy
(20:09) - – Mistakes B2B companies make with above-the-fold content
(23:11) - – Why you should write copy before designing the site
(26:28) - – Structuring your site around buyer intent and behavior
(29:45) - – How to get internal buy-in for messaging and UX changes
(33:02) - – The difference between product marketing and “just copywriting”
(36:18) - – The role of hierarchy, visual flow, and CTA placement
(39:44) - – When to simplify and when to educate on B2B websites
(43:06) - – Final takeaways and practical steps to start improving your site

Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter

Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.

Visit hatch.fm to learn more

Inside the Minds of Top CMOs: What’s Working, What’s Not, and How the CMO Role is Evolving in B2B Marketing Mar 20, 2025

Show notes

#229: Marketing Leadership | In this episode, Dave sits down with Megan Lueders (CMO at Sonatype), Ido Mart (CMO at Manychat), and Kimberly Storin (CMO at Zayo) for a live CMO panel discussion at Exit Five’s Austin marketing meetup. These marketing leaders share what’s working what’s not in B2B marketing today and how the role of the CMO is evolving.

Dave, Megan, Ido, and Kimberly cover:

What every new CMO needs to know about leading a marketing org
How to align with CEOs, CFOs, and key stakeholders to drive business impact
The biggest marketing shifts happening right now (and what’s no longer working)
How to prove marketing’s impact in the era of efficiency

Timestamps

(00:00) - – Introduction to the CMO panel
(02:12) - – The evolving role of the CMO in 2025
(05:38) - – The biggest challenges marketing leaders face today
(08:45) - – How to align marketing with CEOs, CFOs, and key stakeholders
(12:20) - – What every new CMO needs to know when stepping into the role
(15:55) - – The marketing strategies that are working right now (and what’s not)
(19:42) - – Why B2B marketing is more emotional than most people realize
(23:08) - – How to prove marketing’s impact in a data-driven, efficiency-focused era
(26:50) - – The shift from demand gen to brand-led growth
(30:15) - – The role of storytelling and positioning in B2B marketing success
(34:30) - – Building a high-performing marketing team and the skills CMOs need today
(38:10) - – Key takeaways and final advice for marketing leaders

Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter

Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.

Visit hatch.fm to learn more

LinkedIn Ads & Strategy for B2B with Anthony Blatner Mar 17, 2025

Show notes

#228: LinkedIn Strategy | Anthony is one of the nine LinkedIn Certified Marketing Experts in North America. He’s also the Managing Director of Speedwork, a B2B LinkedIn Marketing Agency, and hosts the LinkedIn Ads Radio Podcast.

He and Dave discuss

LinkedIn Ad Creative & Consistent Branding
Thought Leader Ads & Organic Reach
Niche Audiences & Custom Content
Nurture Campaigns
Expert LinkedIn Ads Tips

Timestamps

(00:00) - - Intro to Anthony Blatner
(07:20) - - Focusing on LinkedIn and Future Expansion
(10:45) - - Effective Social Media Advertising and Organic Content
(14:09) - - The Overlooked Importance of Creative Content in Advertising
(16:17) - - Targeting Personas with Top-of-Funnel Ads
(21:29) - - Creating Unique and Targeted Content: Pros and Cons
(22:45) - - Lead Generation Strategies for Small Budgets
(26:58) - - Effective Funnel Strategies for Small Budgets
(30:27) - - Using Paid Advertising and Lead Magnets to Grow Your Newsletter
(35:20) - - Building Long-Term Memory with Consistent Branding in Marketing
(37:41) - - The Power of Narrow Focus for Audience Growth
(40:48) - - Content Planning Based on Sales Cycle Length
(42:37) - - Connecting with Anthony Blatner on LinkedIn

Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter

Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.

Visit hatch.fm to learn more

The B2B Event Playbook: Building Revenue-Driving Events in 2025 Mar 13, 2025

Show notes

#227: Events | In this episode, Dave hosts a live Exit Five session with Zuddl and panelists Stephanie Christensen (Event Marketing Leader) and Kristina DeBrito (Director of Strategic Events at Iterable) to break down how B2B marketers should be thinking about events in 2025. From small VIP dinners to large customer conferences, events are making a big comeback—but without a solid strategy, they can be a massive waste of budget.

Dave, Stephanie, and Kristina cover:

The key metrics to track to prove event ROI in 2025
How to get executive and stakeholder buy-in for your event strategy
What’s working in B2B events right now (and what’s not)
How to follow up post-event to drive engagement and pipeline

Timestamps

(00:00) - – Intro to Stephanie and Kristina
(02:15) - – Why events are making a big comeback in B2B marketing
(05:42) - – The biggest mistakes marketers make when planning events
(08:30) - – How to align your event strategy with business goals
(11:15) - – The key metrics to track for proving event ROI
(14:27) - – How to get buy-in from executives and key stakeholders
(17:40) - – What’s working right now in B2B events (and what’s not)
(21:56) - – The role of micro-events, VIP dinners, and executive meetups
(25:10) - – Sponsoring vs. hosting your own event — how to decide
(29:30) - – The importance of post-event follow-up and engagement
(33:12) - – Virtual events: lessons learned and how they fit into 2025 strategies
(37:05) - – Live Q&A: Expert answers to audience event strategy questions
(42:30) - – Final takeaways on making B2B events worth the investment

Join 50,0000 people who get Dave's Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletter

Learn more about Exit Five's private marketing community: https://www.exitfive.com/

***

Brought to you by:

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.

Visit hatch.fm to learn more

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected