Theory + Practice Episodes
Pull up a chair and join John Common, CEO and Founder of Intelligent Demand, as he talks shop with other expert B2B growth practitioners, senior executives, thought leaders and authors. John and his guests dig far below surface jargon to explore complex realities that GTM executives face in their high stakes roles. Theory meets practice in these candid conversations about go-to-market strategy, integrated growth, connecting brand to demand to sales; how to unlock innovation ROI with technology and better practices; and how to lead effectively and stay sane through all of the complexity.
Each episode of Theory+Practice is an growth toolkit for B2B growth executives. You’ll be informed and inspired with peer stories, expert insights, and new ways to unlock growth performance. Find out if, how, and why you’re on the right track as a growth leader.
Each episode of Theory+Practice is an growth toolkit for B2B growth executives. You’ll be informed and inspired with peer stories, expert insights, and new ways to unlock growth performance. Find out if, how, and why you’re on the right track as a growth leader.
32
June 3, 2025
Marketing Org Transformation: How to Build a Future-Proof Operating Model with Jen Ross
How do you redesign your marketing operating model to align with modern growth strategies—without blowing up your team or budget? In this episode of Growth Driver, we dive deep into one of the most overlooked yet mission-critical challenges facing B2B marketing and revenue leaders: marketing org transformation. Host John Common and guest Jen Ross examine why even the most hard-working and well-intentioned marketing teams are falling short—not because of effort, but because their org model wasn’t...
Guest: Jennifer Ross
31
March 11, 2025
How to Go From RevOps Curious to RevOps Capable with Evan Liang
The reality for most B2B organizations is that go-to-market teams—marketing, sales, customer success—are still operating in silos, creating inefficiencies that hurt pipeline conversion and customer experience. RevOps is the unlock. Today we’re digging into how RevOps has become the critical, behind-the-scenes growth driver for today’s B2B enterprises. When executed well, it transforms disconnected technology, data, and processes into a well-orchestrated system that ensures the right signals reac...
Guest: Evan Liang
30
Jan. 28, 2025
From Launch to Lifetime Value: Rethinking Product Marketing with Sam Melnick
How can B2B organizations transform product marketing into a strategic driver for go-to-market success? Some companies have already cracked this code and realized that product marketing is no longer a handoff function—it’s the connective tissue aligning product, sales, marketing, and customer success. In this episode, we dig into the critical relationship between product marketing and a precise ICP, how to effectively align product offerings with customer needs, and optimize for pipeline generat...
Guest: Sam Melnick
27
Nov. 26, 2024
The Death of Safe Content: It’s Time to Be Bold in B2B with James Carbary
It’s no secret, most B2B content feels lifeless and overly cautious. And even though we have proven research that says the bolder and braver the content the better your engagement will be, it’s rare to find B2B content that isn’t bland–or another obvious statement labeled as the latest ‘hot take.’ Today we’re exploring why traditional approaches to B2B content often fail to captivate audiences, the dominance of video, podcasts, and the influence of dark social in decision-making. It’s time B2...
Guest: James Carbary
26
Nov. 19, 2024
The Psychology Behind Messaging that Converts with Tim Riesterer
With today’s B2B buyers, every word counts. Getting your messaging right can mean the difference between closing a deal or losing it to a competitor. Crafting messages that resonate and convert is more than just a creative exercise—it's a strategic imperative. Yet, many organizations fall into the trap of using the same messaging tactics across all stages of the customer lifecycle, missing opportunities to leverage buyer psychology effectively. This episode explores the nuances of messaging a...
Guest: Tim Riesterer
Nov. 12, 2024
The Best of Theory & Practice
Theory & Practice, a special subseries within the Growth Driver podcast, is where John Common, CEO of Intelligent Demand, cuts through surface-level strategies and explores what truly drives B2B growth. Season 1 brought insights that challenged assumptions and transformed growth into more than just a metric—here are some of the standout moments! From John Common’s advice to have the CMO, CRO, CEO, and CFO at the table for strategic planning to breaking down real growth goals, every episode ch...
25
Nov. 12, 2024
CGO: The Role Behind High-Performance Growth with AJ Gandhi
In this episode of Growth Driver, John welcomes AJ Gandhi, Chief Growth Officer at Marlin Equity Partners, for an in-depth exploration of the emerging role of the Chief Growth Officer (CGO) in modern B2B growth. They unpack what makes this role unique—its core responsibilities, how it compares to other C-level titles, and how CGOs drive aligned growth across diverse functions. AJ shares insights from his experience as a CGO, shedding light on the evolving demands of go-to-market strategy. Wit...
Guest: AJ Gandhi
24
Nov. 5, 2024
The Journey into ABX as Your Primary GTM Motion with Kevin Sellers
What if your account-based strategy needs to become your business's lifeline? More and more organizations are claiming ABX is the cornerstone of their go-to-market strategy, but they didn’t get there overnight. The journey from simply “ABX curious” to running a full-scale pilot highlights how companies can elevate both engagement and conversion rates by focusing their efforts on the accounts that matter most; and the critical elements that will prevent account-based success if not addressed earl...
Guest: Kevin Sellers
23
Oct. 29, 2024
Navigating Complexity to Drive Growth as a Tech CMO with Corey Livingston
Welcome to a world where the role of CMOs is rapidly evolving, demanding not just creative genius but strategic acumen and data-driven decision-making. It’s up to today’s marketing leaders to understand how their responsibilities intertwine with sales, product, and finance to drive cohesive growth strategies. Today, we’re diving into the art of driving efficient growth as an enterprise CMO, while juggling limited budgets, lots of competition, product complexity, and the never ending challenge...
Guest: Corey Livingston
22
Oct. 15, 2024
The 7 Steps of the Content Life-Cycle with Ardath Albee
As revenue leaders, we spend the majority of our time working on strategy, processes, and metrics... And we should. But when you step back and look at how our customers and prospects actually get to know us, what they really interact with, it’s our content. Content is the heartbeat of B2B growth—yet, let's face it, much of it is uninspired and forgettable. B2B content is often generic, jargony, and timid. And it’s not a stretch to say you could swap logos on the content in most categories and...
Guest: Ardath Albee
21
Oct. 8, 2024
How to Embrace New Buyer Behavior and Move Past MQLs with Terry Flaherty and Kerry Cunningham
B2B buyers have changed—and your strategy should too. Are your strategies still centered around the outdated MQL model? You're not alone, but it's time to break free and step into the realities of new buyer behavior, buying teams, and multi-threading. These challenges are more connected than you might think. Today we’re tackling the monumental shifts in B2B buyer behavior and why clinging to Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) is no longer the path to revenue success. It's time to equip your bus...
Guests: Kerry Cunningham , Terry Flaherty
19
Sept. 24, 2024
The New Model for Modern CMOs with Kyle Coleman
We’re kicking off Season 2 with a deep dive into the mindset and methods of the new model Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). The B2B field is undergoing a monumental transformation—marked by disruption, innovation, and a significant generational shift in leadership, so it’s no surprise that innovative leaders are spearheading the change. As many of us know all too well, marketing is often the first to face cuts when budgets constrict. But this transformation presents an opportunity to marketing l...
Guest: Kyle Coleman
Sept. 19, 2024
Behind the Numbers: Human Moments of B2B Growth in Season 1
Season one of Growth Driver took listeners behind the scenes of B2B growth, where industry leaders candidly shared their experiences, wisdom, and human moments that shaped their journeys. In this special trailer, we’re revisiting some of the most impactful insights on leadership, mentorship, and the real-life challenges that come with driving growth. From the weight that senior leaders carry on their shoulders to the unexpected, relatable "toothbrush moments" of self-reflection, these episode...
Sept. 17, 2024
Highlights & Hot Takes: Season 1
Season 1 of Growth Driver was packed with insightful conversations with some of the brightest minds in B2B, and we’re just getting started. Starting in season 2, we're launching an all new type of Growth Driver episode featuring Expert Deep Dives with Aaron Owens, head of Growth Consulting at Intelligent Demand. Aaron is a growth expert with over 20 years starting companies, leading sales and marketing teams, and advising the fastest-growing companies across industries. Every episode of Exper...
17
July 9, 2024
Decoding B2B GTM: What the C-Suite Needs to Know with Bryan Brown
Amidst the boom of go-to-market (GTM) in B2B, there’s no better time than now to decode the intricacies of the strategy. Is it real? Or, is it hype? Can GTM really unlock efficient B2B growth? Today we’re dissecting the core components and modern trends of GTM strategies, breaking it down from buzzword to game-changer in B2B growth. Because GTM isn’t a buzzword at all; it's a comprehensive process that connects strategy to execution across all customer-facing functions. Tune in with us as ...
Guest: Bryan Brown
16
July 2, 2024
B2B Growth is Powered by Your People with Darrell Hammond
People and culture are the bedrock of any successful growth strategy. But it’s easy to lose sight of this amidst the technological tools, trends, and best practices that bombard growth leaders daily. No matter how brilliant your strategy, if you get the people part wrong, it's hard to get the growth part right. From the evolution of leadership fundamentals over the last decade to top mistakes that hold senior executives from being more effective leaders, we’re diving deep into what makes grea...
Guest: Darrell Hammond, Sr.
15
June 11, 2024
A Fresh Look at the State of ABX with Gabe Rogol
Depending on when you start counting, Account Based Marketing and Selling is 15+ years old as a defined GTM strategy. It’s time we take a fresh look at how and why Account Based started, its current state, and where it’s headed next as a driver of B2B growth. One thing is for certain: it never should have been called ABM. True account-based motions are cross-functional, and the most successful include the entire customer journey–from acquisition to retention and expansion. But whether it’s du...
Guest: Gabe Rogol
14
May 28, 2024
MQLs are Out, Buying Groups are In with Terry Flaherty
The MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead) is a relic from 25 years ago, yet it remains central to most companies' revenue processes. Running an MQL-centric process offers no more than a 1-2% success rate—when opportunities and buying groups can claim numbers up to 400% increases in conversion rates. It's time to rethink MQLs as the cornerstone of marketing metrics. Old habits die hard, but understanding why and how to transition to focusing on buying groups can greatly improve your efficiency and su...
Guest: Terry Flaherty
13
May 14, 2024
How to Operationalize Positioning and Messaging with April Dunford
What makes or breaks a B2B growth strategy? The pivotal roles of understanding your ideal customer, aligning your product to their needs, and crafting positioning and messaging that not only attracts but wins and retains those very customers. This trifecta can significantly reduce missed revenue, minimize wasted go-to-market spend, and alleviate professional suffering. But these elements cannot merely exist in theory, confined to a PowerPoint presentation or trapped in the mind of a single vi...
Guest: April Dunford
11
April 9, 2024
Aligned or Blind? Ask Your Customers with John Arnold
In the race towards modernizing go-to-market strategies, B2B firms often lose sight of what truly propels growth–the customer. If you've nodded in agreement to buyers’ behavior shifts, the tangle of tech consolidation to drive efficiency, and the explosion of new GTM motions; it’s time to pause. Amidst all this talk and transformation, our customers seem to have been forgotten. Customer obsession is more than a mantra; it's a strategy that infuses customers into the lifeblood of leadership...
Guest: John Arnold
10
March 5, 2024
How B2B Buyer Behavior Has Changed with Kerry Cunningham
The way today's B2B buyers are actually buying has changed dramatically in the last few years, leaving many B2B companies with out of date and out of sync go-to-market strategies. The good news is we finally have the research and data-back behavior insights to update GTM strategies with the modern B2B buyer. We know the modern buying journey is done almost entirely online, but did you know most buyers are already 70% through their decision-making process by the time they talk with any vendor ...
Guest: Kerry Cunningham
9
Feb. 27, 2024
Aligning Sales and Marketing Leaders in 2024 with Dan Gottlieb
Before the pivot into efficient growth, and even before AI, the field of B2B sales has been seriously transformed in the last few years. B2B buying behavior has shifted, away from meeting with sellers and toward anonymity. There has been an unprecedented rise of different GTM motions; account-based, product-led growth, customer-led growth, partner ecosystems… And to top it all off, we’re experiencing an absolute explosion in technology, data, and now generative AI. Despite all of this upheava...
Guest: Dan Gottlieb
8
Feb. 13, 2024
The Path to CMO: Insights and Advice from Aaron Ballew
Stories of ascent and success don't get more compelling than those penned in the high-stakes environment of the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). We’re taking an honest look at the path to becoming a B2B CMO, followed by a deep discussion about what it takes to be successful as you enter the role and make the right impact. This episode is tailor made for 3 types of folks: 1. You want to become a CMO 2. You’re currently a CMO and feeling some version of imposter syndrome 3. You’re a head...
Guest: Aaron Ballew
7
Feb. 6, 2024
Shop Talk: Modern B2B and GTM with Scott Albro
Why should businesses shift focus from the old 'growth at all costs' playbook to the more nuanced approach of 'efficient growth'? What's the lowdown on leveraging technology, data, and AI to supercharge your B2B sales and marketing? Striving for not just growth, but efficient growth in the competitive landscape of today's business-to-business marketplace is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’, but a mandatory requirement to surpass the competition. We're rolling up our sleeves and diving into the modern...
Guest: Scott Albro