Liam Moroney

Co-Founder, Storybook Marketing | Full-service demand generation agency

I lead Storybook Marketing, a consultancy that specializes in brand marketing strategy, to help companies become the brand that buyers think of, using an evidence-based approach to marketing.

We offer customized services, consulting, team workshops and training, to level up marketing programs so they are capturing market share and not just leads.

Founder

I'm launching a new content series, and I'd love to invite you to be part of it.

It's called Understanding Demand - not the tactics we do in demand generation, but rather how demand itself works from the market perspective.

Demand is not created by marketing, but by consumers and the market itself, and when the conditions of the market are different, it impacts the effectiveness of marketing more than anything we do.

My belief, and the culmination of my marketing experience, is that when we better understand the market and how it operates, we can do more effective marketing that reflects it.

This series will strongly be part of the content I produce here on LinkedIn, but I'm expanding it into long-form content across a podcast, video series, newsletter, and blog posts to cover topics in more depth.

If this sounds like something you'd like to be part of, sign-up to the mailing list and I'll share the content and updates directly:

https://lnkd.in/ezYkfPHS

Brand Marketer | Storybook Marketing | MarTech contributor

There's a famous quote from the economist John Maynard Keynes, that "the market can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent."

He was speaking about investing but it has just as much application to marketing, because many a better product has come and gone, failing to change the status quo.

The majority of the market, as it often turns out, will embrace the status quo for a lot longer than the quality of incumbent options would have challenger brands believe.

Change usually happens at the fringe edges of the market, by those risk-tolerant few who are seeking better or segments who are much more underserved than the majority. 

The amount who make up these groups depends a lot on the category, and the current economic conditions surrounding it. But it's here at the fringes of categories that disruption occurs and often where it remains, leaving the center intact.

This is the reality of markets, and it can feel like irrational behavior to those trying to deliver better solutions to real problems.

It's also where marketing is uniquely positioned to help the company succeed. 

Marketing has, sadly, been reduced in its scope across industries, and a major consequence is the inability to develop strategy at a market-level.

We hyper-target for conversion, trusting technology and AI to find the exact people who want to buy a product like ours, but over time have lost the skill to know why many of those same people are unlikely to do so.

Markets are hard to change because most people actively resist risk and change until the cost of doing to becomes higher than the status quo or until a new status quo arrives. 

Budget can easily run out when trying to cause that change through conversion efforts, even when armed with a better product and a strong offer.

The real solution is for marketing to better understand the market - especially about who in it are underserved or unsatisfied and may provide the entry point. And, from there, what needs to happen through brand marketing to prevent a lifetime at the fringe.

That all happens when marketers can gain a bird's eye view of the market in the form of research and understanding, and how to navigate the market dynamics that can feel so very irrational to the non-marketers at the executive table.

There's a very big difference between trying to get someone to start thinking of you and preventing them from forgetting you - and a lot of the brand marketing we talk about is the latter.

Big brand campaigns, the ones that win awards and make waves in the marketing community, usually come from established brands who are trying to create new relevance through playful messaging and exploration of the brand assets.

It's fun to see and discuss, and plenty hard to do well, but it's also the outlier example of what brand marketing usually is.

It has also skewed a lot of how companies think about brand marketing, with it being often thought of as the fun, quirky, and expensive campaigns that rarely if ever talk about the product.

It's no surprise that brand gets neglected in budget talks in favor of more performance marketing when seen only like this.

The truth is that most effective brand marketing is delivering very product-centric messaging, and so it can be easily confused for performance kind - and made ineffective by being pushed to act more like it in the CTA and measurement.

Brand marketing isn't all about trying to make people feel things about you, while performance is about getting them to take action and buy you. 

That's a false choice where one will obviously win out over the other.

Rather, good marketing promotion is about trying to get as many people to know who you are, what you do, and when to think of you, and then performance is all about making sure you don't miss the opportunities that come along as people are ready to act.

That's brand and demand as a cohesive promotional team, working as a combo that is bigger than the sum of its parts.

As opposed to a false set of options you need to choose from, where one is fuzzy and wasteful and the other delivers results efficiently. 

No such reality exists that leads to being a big brand.

LeadSmart Technologies

I am excited to be the co-host and co-creator of the industry leading Live Show and Podcast Around the Horn in Wholesales Distribution along with lifelong friend Kevin Brown.  Each week we (along with our expert guests) explore the latest news, insights and technologies in the world of wholesale distribution with a focus on uncovering the "story behind the story".   Learn more, access past episodes and subscribe at aroundthehornpod.com.

Co-Host

In 2018 I co-founded and invested in LeadSmart Technologies.  LeadSmart is a unique SaaS company that has created an affordable yet powerful suite of CRM, marketing automation and partner collaboration tools designed specifically for small and mid-sized businesses that go to market through channels and partner ecosystems.   

LeadSmart is growing rapidly especially in the industrial distribution space with manufacturers, sales agents and distributors and is a preferred CRM supplier for Affiliated Distributors and NetPlus Alliance. 

LeadSmart also has a strong partnership with Salesforce.com.

Co-Founder and COO

The Revenue Zone

In May 2022 I released my first book The Revenue Zone - The Ultimate Playbook for the Next Generation of Sales, Marketing and Predictable Revenue Growth.   Over 2 years in the making, The Revenue Zone provides a step by step approach and playbook for successfully converting more prospects into more customers in a world where the prospect is in control of their own buyer journey.

Author

Sunwest Ventures & Sunwest Channel Tech Fund

In 2014 I was invited to become a Partner in Sunwest Ventures.   Sunwest is a boutique investment and advisory firm that helps companies that go to market using channels and partner ecosystem to strategize, align and execute on growth and business expansion initiatives.  

In 2021 we launched the Sunwest Channel Tech Fund which invests in Innovative software and e-commerce technologies that drive sales growth and collaboration with suppliers, manufacturers, sales agents, wholesalers, distributors, dealers, VARs, MSPs and other members of the global channel ecosystem.

Partner

Social Marketing Noise

In late 2012 I co-founded Social Marketing Noise, a digital marketing agency that provides training and digital agency services to B2B and B2C businesses both at the local and national level.   The primary charter of Social Marketing Noise is to leverage technology and digital platforms to generate qualified leads and then (more importantly!) convert these leads into buyers and revenue.  

In 2018 Social Marketing Noise merged with LeadSmart Technologies.

Co-Founder

Buy It Installed, Inc.

Board Advisor

Pacsoft

Responsible for the development of corporate and growth strategies for the launch of Pacsoft's new mobile POS and Inventory Management solutions in North America including oversight of sales, marketing, professional services and customer service.

VP of Marketing and Interim President, North America

Spark Interactive, Inc.

Driven by my interest in digital and technology-enabled marketing, in 2009 I co-founded and invested in Spark Interactive.   Spark Interactive developed online communities using unique digital marketing and artificial intelligence strategies for media companies, celebrities and innovative businesses.   

As the CEO I merged multiple companies into Spark as well as raised VC capital but unfortunately Spark was a bit ahead of its time and was closed in 2012.

CEO, Investor

Intuit

As part of the Net Reach acquisition I joined Intuit in 2009 as a senior executive and was responsible for the development and launch of professional service solutions for emerging product offerings within the Intuit Real Estate Solutions division.   

It was at Intuit where I was first exposed to Digital Marketing and I immediately became enamored with the opportunities and possibilities of using digital platforms and technology to drive marketing and sales results.

Principal, Emerging Product Solutions

Net Reach, Inc.

In 2007 I invested in and acted as the Chief Strategy Officer for Net Reach Solutions.   
Net Reach developed a unique, state of the art software system for managing complex commercial real estate transactions and financial models. 

As the Chief Strategy Officer I developed and implemented the company positioning, branding and go-to-market strategy. I also facilitated and managed the acquisition of the company to Intuit within 30 days of launching the company’s product line.

Principal, Investor, Chief Strategy Officer

InRoads Technology

In 1997 I co-founded InRoads Technology where I was the CEO until 2008.   InRoads Technology provided software tools and professional services to Fortune 1000 companies implementing large enterprise software systems including ERP, CRM and other IT systems.   

During this period InRoads had rapid growth due to a successful strategic partnership with Computer Associates and developing a patented product line for automating large software implementations.

Co-founder, CEO

I have over 35 years of experience building and running technology businesses as well as consulting with many different businesses ranging from Fortune 500 companies to early-stage startups.   

No matter the size of the company there is one common challenge that I have seen with every business I have worked with – 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀.  

I have a unique combination of business skills and technical skills (including a BS degree in Computer Science) so I have always looked to solve this challenge through a combination of technology and streamlined business processes.  

Currently, I am the co-founder at LeadSmart Technologies and I recently released my first book titled The Revenue Zone: The Ultimate Playbook for the Next Generation of Sales, Marketing and Predictable Revenue Growth. 

→ THE REVENUE ZONE: therevenuezone.com (or on Amazon)
 
At LeadSmart, we have developed a unique and special CRM and business intelligence solution that is designed specifically for the distribution ecosystem of manufacturers, sales agents and distributors.   Over 75% of worldwide commerce flows through this ecosystem yet this industry has been totally underserved with suitable technologies that align with their unique needs and requirements.

→ LEARN MORE ABOUT LEADSMART: leadsmarttech.com
     
The Revenue Zone book focuses on the marketing and sales processes and strategies that are required to succeed in today’s B2B world of younger buyers and decision makers.  Today’s buyer wants to be in control of their own buying process (in the same they are with personal purchases) and are not tolerant of “old school” sales techniques.  

I love to talk about this topic (you know, converting more leads and prospects into more customers) and have been featured on many leading podcasts and online talk shows including:

-	The Predictable Revenue Podcast with Sarah Hicks and Collin Stewart
-	Your Digital Marketing Coach with Neal Schaffer
-	Salesman on Fire with Carson Heady
-	The Digital Influence Show with Brandon Lee
-	Daily Sales Tips with Scott Ingram
-	The Sales Whisperer with Wes Schaeffer 
-	The Business Growth Accelerator with Isar Meitis
-	The Eye Openers Podcast with Brittany Drozd
-	The Entrepreneur’s Enigma Podcast with Seth Goldstein
-	The Essential B2B Webcast Series with Lead Forensics

Please follow or connect with me here on LinkedIn.   I post relevant (and hopefully valuable) news and updates several times per week.  Look forward to connecting!

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The Battle

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Liam Moroney's LinkedIn Performance

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