23 years in B2B SaaS Go-To-Market at Salesforce, Eloqua, HubSpot, Marketo. Customer Obsessed. Partner Obsessed. Living-In-Market. LinkedIn Member #320,966

Majored in Customer. Minored in Go-To-Market. Live in-Market. 

24 years in B2B SaaS. Early employee at Salesforce (first 100), Eloqua (#13), HubSpot Advisor (2014-2016), Marketo (2018).

Love startups, especially category creators.

Born Sales. Bred Marketing. Building Partnerships. 

I spent six years in management consulting, 52 quarters in software sales at Salesforce and Eloqua, six years doing professional speaking, 2018 reporting to the CEO of Marketo (acquired by Adobe for $4.75B), Limited Partner "LP" and GTM Advisor at Stage 2 Capital and GTM Fund. 

I started investing in 2012 and maintain my personal portfolio of investments in sales and marketing technology startups. I also started advising startups in 2012 and joined my first Board of Directors in 2016. Four of the companies I've advised have had successful exits -- HubSpot, Accompany, DataRPM, and PartnerHacker. 

My work keeps me focused on the changing B2B buying environment and what revenue teams need to do to evolve their culture, skills, processes, data, and technology. 

****If you want to connect with me on LinkedIn, don't send a generic invite.****

Jill Rowley

Generic GTM is dead → Go to my featured section for actionable GTM insights and elevate your marketing game 🔥| Co-Founder of TACK | Creating the category of People-first GTM 👥| 13+ Years in B2B Marketing 📈

I help B2B companies build go-to-market strategies that prioritize real connection because relationships, not just reach, drive growth.

After 14 years in B2B marketing, I’ve led field marketing, demand gen, community, and influencer programs. I know what works, what doesn’t, and what’s changed.

Too many companies still treat buyers like leads. That’s not how modern GTM works.

I’ve helped 35+ B2B brands shift from transactional tactics to connection-driven growth, building scalable strategies, launching communities, running 30+ webinars, and rolling out on-demand models that replaced bloated in-house teams.

Today, I work directly with brands, founders, and marketers to build go-to-market engines that scale—without the spam.

What I do:
→ Build integrated campaign strategies that drive pipeline
→ Coach creators and brands on influencer marketing
→ Design community-led and field programs that actually work
→ Speak on GTM, content, and creator-led growth
→ Act as a fractional marketing leader or advisor

📚 Author of B2B Influencer Marketing: Work With Creators to Generate Authentic and Effective Marketing (Kogan Page, 2025)

👋 Let’s work together: DM me or visit https://linktr.ee/NickBMarketing

Nick Bennett

This week almost broke me.

Saturday night. Oldest gets a fever. In bed all day Sunday.

Sunday. I start feeling brutal. But the Pats are playing at 3pm so I push through. Patriots win. Small victory.

Monday. Wake up to 2 feet of snow. Had to snowblow three times. Try doing that while you feel like crap. Then I slipped on ice and landed on my bad leg. The one that had ACL surgery.

For about 10 seconds I thought I re-tore it. Just lying there on the ice thinking this cannot be happening right now. Luckily I'm fine. But FML.

Tuesday. Twins go down with fevers. Now the whole house is sick.

The rest of the week was survival mode.

One night I slept on the twins floor. Another night on my oldests floor. Sometimes the couch. Wherever someone needed me at 2am, that's where I ended up.

Work doesn't stop. Emails don't care that you're running on 3 hours of sleep. Calls still happen. Deadlines don't move because your house turned into a sick ward.

You just figure it out. Half-functioning. Coffee as a crutch. Surviving more than thriving.

It's Friday. I'm finally starting to feel human again. Kids are turning a corner.

The one silver lining? Patriots won. Superbowl bound baby.

January can't end fast enough. Bring on warmer weather.

If you're in the thick of it right now with sick kids and no sleep and trying to hold everything together... you're not alone.

Sometimes parenting is just survival mode. And that's okay.

15+ Year B2B Marketing Leader Turned Founder | ABM, Field Marketing & Events, Influencer Marketing & More | DM Me to Learn More

Just chatted with an Event Marketer that spent ~$300k on events & conferences in 2025. I had to ask them which one's performed best 👇

"Well, my boss would probably get mad at me for saying this, but we go by gut feeling.
If our sales reps say it went well, we kind of just trust them lol."

I've watched this play out at dozens of companies. Same story.

Team flies to a conference. Scans 200 badges. Dumps them into the CRM. Moves on. Three months later someone asks what pipeline came from that ~$300K spend.

Crickets.

Not because events don't work. Because the data never made it anywhere useful. Here's what breaks every time:

The badge scanner.

You get a name. Maybe a company. A wrong email & phone number. No context. No notes. No way to remember why they mattered.

The CRM black hole.

Leads sit in a spreadsheet for a week. Half get tagged wrong. Half don't make ever make it to the CRM.

The follow-up gap.

By the time sales reaches out, the prospect forgets who you are & they end up going with a competitor. 10 days of silence will do that.

Your event ROI problem isn't an event problem. It's an attribution problem.

Been using Popl. It changed how I think about this entirely.

Scan a badge or business card with a full name & company. Then it enriches the contact automatically. Tags the lead for attribution. Pushes to your CRM with notes.
Sends the follow-up while you're still on the floor.

Every event marketer I show Popl to says the same thing. Where has this been?

The gap was never the event. It was everything between the handshake and the CRM.

Fix that and suddenly you have ROl you can actually point to.

Fix your conference attribution problem: https://hubs.la/Q040TXpt0

Sent this to my parents last spring.

Their response? "Did you make that with AI?"

No mom. That's a real billboard. In Times Square. With my face on it.

I made the GTM 100 list. Nasdaq billboard. The whole thing.

And my parents thought I photoshopped myself into New York City.

Here's the thing though. That billboard was cool for about 48 hours. Then it was back to work. Back to client calls. Back to figuring out how to grow this thing I built from scratch.

Nobody sees the years before the billboard.

13 years in-house learning the craft. Started posting on LinkedIn as a Covid hobby back in Feb 2020. Had no idea what I was doing. Just started sharing what I knew.

Almost 3 years ago I bet on myself and went out on my own. The late nights building something when nobody's watching. The moments you wonder if this was the dumbest decision you ever made. The times you almost went back to a "real job" because steady paychecks sound pretty nice when you're staring at an empty pipeline.

But that billboard didn't change anything.

What changed everything was the decision to start. To bet on myself when it made zero sense on paper. To keep going when it would've been easier to quit.

If you're thinking about starting your own thing, here's what I'll tell you:

The recognition is nice. But it's not why you do it.

You do it because you can't not do it. Because the alternative of wondering "what if" is worse than failing.

So yeah. My parents still think I'm pretty good at Photoshop.

And I'm just trying to keep doing work I'm proud of.

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80% of your event ROI happens before your flight takes off.

Most teams obsess over what happens at the event. The booth. The swag. The badge scans.

We obsess over what happens before.

The single most underestimated step? Getting the prior year's attendee list.

No list = No leverage.

That list is how we filter by ICP, pre-book meetings, and personalize every message. Without it, you're just showing up and hoping.

Here's exactly how we run it:

𝟰-𝟲 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁:
Before you sponsor anything, ask for a sample of last year's attendee list. This is your filter...if the list doesn't match your ICP, don't waste the budget.

Once you have the full list, build a simple GPT to cross-reference it against your target accounts. It'll score ICP fit, flag priority titles, and surface insights in minutes. No more spreadsheet hell.

𝟮 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁:
Send a gift. As a former field/event marketer, I always like going with a spa voucher with a note: "Events are exhausting. Here's something on us to enjoy after."

It's not about the gift. It's about showing you get it before you've even met.

𝟭 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁:
Follow up with specific time slots. "I'll be at [Event]. Free Tuesday 10am or Wednesday 2pm. Where works for you?"

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳:
Skip the booth. Your job is the meetings you already booked.

At a recent MarTech event, we ignored the booth entirely.

Instead:
→ Asked for a sample attendee list before sponsoring
→ Used a GPT to cross-reference against our target accounts
→ Pre-booked 13 meetings with ICP-fit prospects
→ Sent gifts the week before
→ Co-hosted a dinner with another vendor
→ Walked away with 3 new pipeline deals

Meanwhile, the booths around us were scanning badges and giving out frisbees.

Our numbers across events:
• 50-60% response rate pre-event
• Near 100% attendance to booked meetings
• 10+ meetings before we land
• 4-5 new opps added to pipeline per event

And that's before follow-up even kicks in.

The brutal truth?

Most teams treat events like lead gen. We treat them like relationship acceleration.

The ROI isn't in the booth. It's in the prep.

What's your pre-event playbook look like?

Let's stop debating who owns event follow-up.

Because you're solving the wrong problem.

I've been in those post-event meetings. Marketing says sales didn't follow up fast enough. Sales says the leads weren't qualified. Everyone points fingers. Nothing changes.

Here's what I've learned after years of running events: the ownership question is a distraction. The real problem is context evaporating before anyone can act on it.

Think about it. Your rep has a killer conversation at the booth. Gets back to the hotel. Checks email. Has dinner. Flies home. By Monday morning, that conversation is a blur. Name, company, maybe a vague note in a spreadsheet.

Now they're supposed to write a personalized follow-up? Good luck.

The solution isn't assigning owners earlier. It's about capturing context before it disappears.

Here's what actually works:

→ 15-minute debrief before anyone leaves the venue
→ Every rep records a voice note for each priority conversation
→ Raw context while it's still fresh

That's it. No fancy system needed. Just capture the moment.

Why this works:

1. You get the real details. Not sanitized CRM notes written three days later.
2. Follow-up becomes delegatable. Anyone can listen to that voice note and write a solid email.
3. It eliminates the "I forgot what we talked about" excuse. Because you literally have a recording.

Effective follow-up isn't about who sends it. It's about having something valuable to say.

And you can't say something valuable if you can't remember the conversation.

Next event, try this. Debrief on-site. Voice notes for every meaningful conversation. Then watch what happens to your follow-up quality.

What's your system for capturing context before it disappears?

The biggest mistake heading into event season?

Teams start planning the next event before learning from the last one.

I've watched it happen dozens of times. Event ends Friday. By Monday everyone's already deep into the next one. No debrief. No data review. No honest conversation about what actually worked.

Then six months later someone asks why events aren't driving pipeline.

Because you never stopped to figure out what was broken.

I've spent years talking about this on podcasts. Field marketing. Event strategy. Pre-event playbooks. Attribution. Follow-up systems. All of it.

Finally put it all in one place.

24+ hours of podcast episodes where I break down everything I've learned running events across multiple companies.

Topics covered:
→ Why 80% of your event ROI happens before you land
→ How to build a repeatable event system
→ The follow-up gap that kills most event pipeline
→ Pre-event outreach that actually gets responses
→ Attribution that proves events work

Free. No gate. Just hit play.

Spotify playlist: https://lnkd.in/d74TQgus

If you're prepping for Q1/Q2 events right now, this might save you from repeating the same mistakes.

PS: I'll be at B2BMX in early March. Will you?

Yesterday I mentioned using a GPT to cross-reference event attendee lists against target accounts.

A bunch of you DM'd asking how.

Here's the exact setup. Copy it.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆

You need two CSVs:
→ Attendee list (name, title, company minimum)
→ Target account list (company name, tier, target titles)

Clean both first. Standardize company names (Salesforce vs Salesforce.com will break matching). 10 minutes here saves hours later.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗣𝗧

Go to ChatGPT → Explore GPTs → Create.

In the instructions, paste this:

---
You are an event prospecting assistant. When I upload an attendee list and target account list:

1. Match attendees to target accounts by company name (fuzzy match for "Inc" vs "Inc.")

2. Score ICP fit (1-5):
   - Title: C-suite = 5, VP = 4, Director = 3, Manager = 2, IC = 1
   - Department: Marketing/Sales/RevOps = 5, Ops/Finance = 3, unrelated = 1
   - Account tier: Tier 1 = +1, Tier 2 = +0, Tier 3 = -1

3. Flag priority contacts (4+) with ⭐

4. Output: Name | Company | Title | ICP Score | Priority Flag

5. Summarize: Total matches, priority contacts, recommended outreach order
---

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯: 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱

Selling to engineering? Swap department relevance:
→ Engineering/Product = 5, DevOps = 4, IT = 3

Enterprise only? Add:
→ "Exclude companies under 500 employees"

The GPT is only as smart as the criteria you give it.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟰: 𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝗶𝘁

Upload both files. Ranked list in under a minute.

Pro tip — ask follow-ups:
→ "Which Tier 1 accounts have no attendees?"
→ "Who should I prioritize if I can only meet 10 people?"

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟱: 𝗔𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁

4s and 5s: Gifts + personalized outreach. Book before you land.
3s: Add to nurture. Don't force it.
1s and 2s: Skip entirely.

20 minutes to set up once. 2 minutes per event after.

What's your ICP criteria? Drop it below and I'll tell you how to tweak the prompt.

I used to be every CMO's favorite "go-to" person.

Need a deck by tomorrow? Done.
Campaign launch in 3 days? I'll figure it out.
Last-minute event pivot? On it.

I delivered everything. Except results.

Being reliable felt like winning. But I was just busy. Not effective.

That's what I'm talking about at EPNow The BIG Event on February 26.

💡 From "Reliable" to "Effective" — Stop Being Busy, Start Driving Real Impact
8:40 AM PT

Here's what we'll cover:

→ How to shift from reactive execution to intentional, strategic impact
→ How to protect your time and prioritize what actually drives pipeline
→ How to earn influence across the business, not just praise for being helpful

This is for anyone who's tired of being the person who gets things done but wants to become the person who drives growth.

If that sounds like you, I'll see you there.

Register here → https://lnkd.in/eXxUPcvt

Most B2B influencer programs fail because they chase attention.

What should you do instead?

Pursue trust.

At the DemandShift Summit, I’ll break down 5 Steps to Build Pipeline with B2B Influencers.

It’s the exact framework I’ve used to build programs that turn creator partnerships into actual revenue.

You don’t need more reach. You need the right people saying the right things to the right audience.

Grateful to Logan Lyles for inviting me to share this.  Hope to see you there.

To make that happen, just grab the link in the first comment down below.

I've gotten to see 3 years of Navattic putting out their annual State of Interactive Demos report. They shared their 4-step process that anyone creating a "State of" report can learn from.

Step 1: Start with questions

They kick off every year at their fall offsite by gathering questions from their entire go-to-market team. They ask:

→ What questions are you getting day in and day out on calls?
→ What were the most common follow-up questions from last year's report?

They compiled everything in Notion, organized by category, validated feasibility with engineering, and got final sign-off from leadership and their Head of CS.

Learning: Most reports fail because they answer questions nobody's asking. Starting with real customer questions means you're solving actual problems, not just showing off data.

Step 2: Get the data in order

They don't rely on just one source. They combine:

→ Product data (pulled from SQL queries)
→ Manual website research (reviewing top-performing sites)
→ Industry benchmarks (tracking the same 5,000 B2B SaaS sites year over year)

Each data source gets its own spreadsheet, labeled to match its original outline.

Learning: Messy data leads to messy insights. Label everything upfront. You'll thank yourself when you're knee-deep in analysis and can't remember where a number came from.

Step 3: Analyze the data

They go question by question in the outline and start answering them. Work with your data team to make sure you've labeled where each question ties to a data set.

Gut-check the initial analysis with CS and the data team. See if there are any outliers to account for or data that just looks off.

Learning: Always gut-check with the people closest to customers. Data can tell you what happened. CS can tell you why.

Step 4: Write and refine

With the data organized, writing becomes straightforward. They draft, and their core team (Head of Product, Head of CS) reviews for accuracy and clarity.

Because one person manually reviewed all websites and analyzed the data, the core themes became obvious. They also share drafts with advisors and customers for feedback before publishing.

Learning: Get feedback before you ship. Fresh eyes catch things you've gone blind to after staring at the same doc for weeks.

Pro tip: They built a CMS template instead of designing static graphics in Figma so they can update data dynamically. Makes the report feel more interactive too.

What's your process for creating reports?

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