B2B SEO & Web Design For Revenue Not Vanity | DM To Discuss | Host @ Business Growth Show (Top 10 B2B Marketing Podcast, Cognism)

Your website struggling to drive a steady flow of qualified demos/leads?
Tired of losing leads to competitors ranking higher on Google/AI?
Frustrated your SEO agency isn't delivering demos & revenue?

WE FIX THAT.

OUR GROWTH STRATEGIES:

→ SEO to get top of Google & LLMs, bringing revenue-focused demos and signups
→ Start driving pipeline from AI and Google organic as fast as 90 days

BREAKING B2B - B2B MARKETING & DEMAND GENERATION PODCAST

Grow your b2b/SaaS company without the BS. Weekly top 2.5% podcast with actionable marketing tips to grow your revenue: www.breakingb2b.com

STILL NOT CONVINCED?

→ See our work, client results & starting rates here: www.breakingb2b.com

BOOK A CALL:

💻: www.breakingb2b.com
📧: Connect & DM Me
✉️: sam@samdunning.org

CORE SERVICES:

→ B2B SEO strategy and execution
→ Content marketing
→ Digital marketing for SaaS

WHY BREAKING B2B?

→ We focus on revenue, not vanity metrics
→ Our strategies are data-driven and results-oriented
→ We have a proven track record with B2B and SaaS companies
→ Our podcast (Breaking B2B) gives you free, valuable insights into B2B marketing

About time your website became your best (24/7) salesperson?
Get in touch today, and let's start growing your business.

P.S.
Agencies: We offer white-label SEO to help you deliver results on time and within budget.

Sam Dunning

If Backstreet Boys did b2b marketing.

SaaS SEO for revenue NOT vanity in the world of AI search: https://lnkd.in/e7XuM6au

What cover should Breaking B2B do next? 👇

Founder @ Breaking B2B | B2B SEO For Revenue Not Vanity | SaaS & B2B Teams Hire Us To Scale Organic Pipeline From Google & AI Search | DM To Discuss | Host @ Breaking B2B (Top 2.5% B2B Marketing Podcast)

Marketing: please don't rely on AI for SEO

CEO:


Watch full B2Backstreet Boys vid: https://lnkd.in/e9warMqW

RB2B are coming for the incumbent with AI search. 2yr old vs 14yr old SaaS. Here's our game-plan this month for Adam Robinson to keep ramping organic market share and pipeline from SEO/AEO:

QUICK SNAPSHOT.

Our focus is to continue driving sign-ups as quick as humanly possible from SEO/AEO and earning mindshare for RB2B whenever ICPs need visitor identification software, are comparing vendors, annoyed with their current provider or have the expensive problem we solve.

We've seen solid AI & search wins against long-term competitors (see images).

We’ll keep prioritizing competitor-focused bottom funnel KWs to capture high-intent demand. The plan includes 2x product listicle articles and 2x pricing-intent pages, targeting folks in evaluation or purchase mode.

“Uplead alternatives” pages across multiple domains are currently driving high-value traffic, indicating strong switch intent. RB2B can intercept this demand with a differentiated alternative page. “Hunter io pricing” represents a high-volume BOFU query where capturing comparison-driven traffic to directly influence purchase decisions.

We're crafting a comprehensive guide on “Lead scoring best practices”, a strong mid-funnel topic for RB2B because buyers searching it are actively trying to improve lead prioritization and sales efficiency. It allows RB2B to reframe why traditional scoring fails and position real-time website intent as the missing input that makes lead scoring actionable.


NET NEW CONTENT CREATION.

listicle articles:
- uplead alternatives
- happierleads alternatives

a quick summary and intro, why listen to us, what is uplead/happierleads, why look into alternatives (based on what prospects say e.g. on G2), list of 10 alternatives, RB2B at #1 with why customers choose them, show product in action, pricing and feature info, where we are a good + poor fit then list of 10 other options below with fair summary + conclusion and FAQs.

listicle and alternative/competitor content on your own site is solid for being cited and recommend in AI search and enables you to control the narrative with dream clients on ChatGPT and google ai overviews.

pricing guides:
- hunter io pricing
- snitcher pricing

these pages review the software pricing, share user feedback, breakdown of costs and share where RB2B is differentiated and why customers choose them. plus they often rank well within 90 days.

mid-funnel guide:
- lead scoring best practices


EARN BACKLINKS.

Secure niche relevant da50+ backlinks for:
- sales outreach strategy
- sales outreach plan
- lead capturing
- how to identify website visitors


EXTERNAL LISTICLE ARTICLE PLACEMENTS.

Secure placements on articles evaluating software like ours that are well ranked in google and AI searches for:
- sales prospecting platforms

___

Grab a call to see if Breaking B2B can scale demos quick as 90 days for your SaaS: https://lnkd.in/e7XuM6au

Watch my 34-minute SEO/AEO breakdown video for RB2B: https://lnkd.in/eiZfaXXq

I burnt domains and my TAM cold emailing like crazy all to get one client after months of work...until I found a better way to drive demos and build a long-term foundation for pipeline and mindshare:

Lets rewind 2 years ago...

The year is 2024

I grabbed data for Series A and B funded B2B SaaS companies.

Targeted marketing leaders - VP Marketing, CMOs etc.

Built out painfully short email messages focused on real problems from customer research.

For all positive replies, I recorded custom Loom videos reviewing their SEO and sharing reccos.

And from months of work, I got one single recurring client.

Then, the domains burned out and we had to close the whole channel down.

___

The avg cold email reply rate is 3.43% (instantly 2026 report). 

Which is why at Breaking B2B us and many SaaS marketing teams go big on SEO/AEO and evergreen organic content. Here’s why:

It builds on itself over time.

Think about when you search something on YouTube.

You often see videos that are weeks, months, or even years old still getting views.

SEO works exactly the same way.

Your pages and content can drive prospects and leads not just now, but for years to come.

Each page you publish is an asset you actually own.

It's like building a moat around a castle.

You keep building and building upon that moat.

Eventually you've got a kingdom of pages working 24/7 to drive qualified opps.

If you follow the right strategy when it comes to SEO, you get visitors that are actively searching for your solution, comparing options, frustrated with their current vendor or looking to fix expensive problems.

By the right strategy, I mean focusing on keywords that your dream customers who are in buying mode are searching for right now.

___

Your sales team is way happier working these leads than cold prospects

It's not just about Google anymore.

More and more prospects are using AI tools and LLMs to research vendors and compare options.

If you're creating solid bottom funnel organic content (best in class articles, listicles, landing pages, integration pages etc) and building that SEO moat...

You can show up in AI-generated answers too.

We're actively focusing on this with the companies we work with

Along with getting featured in industry lists around your offer.

The content you're building now isn't just for Google - it's positioning you for where search is going in the future.

It builds trust, brand, and mindshare.

And many folks place more trust in organic results than sponsored listings.

___

Watch my full 14-minute breakdown below to get your SEO/AEO pipeline engine in shape for 2026: https://lnkd.in/eU2ZnXjF

Worlds first b2boyband.

Watch now: https://lnkd.in/e-pb7qH2

No alternative text description for this image

Breaking B2B went from $50k/mo to $185k/mo last yr. George Coudounaris runs our LinkedIn Ads and most enquiries mention LinkedIn on calls. Here’s exactly what he did (and our plan to hit $400k/mo this year):

BACKGROUND.

With organic reach tanking like crazy I knew LinkedIn ads would be key to keep top of mind for our SEO/AEO services for B2B SaaS marketing leaders and to amplify my organic content. 

Plus, fixing our funnel of SEO/AEO and YouTube traffic who hit our site but didn't convert.

Getting the deadly trio: SEO, YouTube and LinkedIn cookin'


THE STRATEGY.

(1) George made me get brutally clear on ICP 

With a very limited budget to start (1.2k/mo), we weren’t going to rely on LinekdIn’s native filters. We wanted a TIGHT company list that matched his ICP of B2B SaaS companies he serves best. 

So he asked me:
Who are your best clients? 
Who gets the most value?
Which companies do you want more of? 

Turned that into firmographic filters, pulled a list, looked through it manually - so we knew we were getting in front of the right companies from Day 1. 


(2) Thought Leadership Ads became the growth engine

Thought Leadership Ads are winning right now for many b2b orgs with execs already organically posting with a following. Its high engagement rates mean you get better bang for your buck, and is a great place to start.

(my engagement rates are 8-15%) 

But we don’t just boost any content. 

Before we started,
We mapped best performing posts to the 5 Stages of Awareness

• Stages 1-3 → cold audiences
• Stages 3-5 → warm audiences

Then filled any content gaps.

Next step: every post needed a CTA.

Early-stage posts link to helpful resources.
Later-stage posts push toward booking a call.

Result?

Thought Leadership Ads consistently hit engagement rates as high as 15%, which meant Sam was everywhere his buyers looked.

Since then, we’ve layered in:

• Company page ads so Breaking B2B grows beyond my face
• Amplifying clients/partners getting results posting about Breaking B2B

So the brand scales, not just me.


(3) Constant Optimisation of Thought Leadership Ads

Judge the top performing Thought Leadership Ads by looking at:
Engagement rate
Cost per landing page click (a custom metric not available in platform)
New subscribers
High intent pages
Calls booked

And have a tight feedback loop on what’s landing to closed-won. 


(4) Acknowledge the reality of the buying journey 

Most prospects aren’t in-market today. Many have an SEO vendor they’re probably not seeing value from. 

Others are getting their business to the point where they can finally invest in SEO/AEO. 

The ads keep us top of mind. So when they’re ready, they come straight to Breaking B2B.

—

What’s next as we push toward our stretch goal?

• Upload a new company list to double audience size
• Increase spend to scale reach
• Scale top-performing ads into the expanded audience
• Grow company page ads so demand scales beyond me


Follow along as George and I share results!

Here's the 7 top pipeline channels for SaaS marketers & founders....based on 24 months of data and 755 discovery calls:

(755 sales call transcripts analysed across 2 years).


1. Paid Ads (Google + LinkedIn): 28%

Most explicitly stated dominant channel.

Quotes:
“70% of our inbound comes from Google ads, LinkedIn…” 
“We’d kind of spent money on Google ads for a few years… last year we got two inbound inquiries qualified.” 

Often described as:
- Majority of inbound
- Primary measurable driver
- First lever to scale or cut


2. Outbound Sales: 24%

Extremely common among:
- Early-stage SaaS
- Bootstrapped companies
- Technical founders

Examples:
“Outbound, sort of outbound work.” 
Hiring AEs / BDRs to fill pipeline 

Many companies say:
- Inbound is low
- Sales team drives growth


3. Referrals / Word of Mouth: 18%

Example:
“Word of mouth, referrals, they trust way more…” 

Often described as:
- Best quality leads
- Hard to scale
- Relationship-driven


4. SEO/AEO: 14%

Rarely dominant, but often present.

Quotes:
“30% coming from direct or organic.” 
“It’s not doing that at the moment.” 
“I want it to be a big jumping off point for inbound… and it’s not doing that at the moment.” 

Common answers:
- A desired channel
- Underperforming
- “Trickle of leads" 

Organic search often described as:
- Secondary
- Under-optimized
- Desired but not yet performing


5. Partner / Ecosystem (marketplaces, integrations): 7%

Usually:
- Supplemental
- Not fully controlled


6. Social Content (LinkedIn, Podcast, YouTube): 6%

More common among:
- Founder-led brands

Organic linkedin posting and social selling is big here.

YouTube massively neglected still in B2B SaaS.


7. Events / PR / Community: 3%

Mentioned occasionally but rarely primary pipeline driver.

Often:
- Trade shows
- Speaking
- Industry PR
- Slack/Discord groups

____

PS. join 1,951+ b2b legends enjoying the Breaking B2B newsletter (instantly unlock 90 days to revenue SEO/AEO playbook): https://lnkd.in/et7yce7s

xMcKinsey🔸I build M&A and strategy teams🔸Strategy, M&A, Corporate Development Headhunter🔸INSEAD MBA🔸100+ M&A and strategy roles filled in Europe, Asia🔸 General Manager 🔸Career Coach🔸 Decent Salsa dancer

You’ve done well.
Top school. Strong brand names.
But now you’re stuck. And you know it.

✅ The problem:
You’ve been loyal for years. Maybe a decade.
Now you're job hunting for the first time in ages.
And you’re not getting interviews.
Or you get them, but no offers.
Or you're just overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.

✅ That’s where I come in.
McKinsey alum. INSEAD MBA.
22 years in Executive Search, Consulting, and M&A.
I’ve reviewed 10,000 CVs and coached 2,000+ executives.
Followed by 20,000 on LinkedIn for a reason.

I help you reposition, repackage, and relaunch.
New resume. Sharper LinkedIn. Mock interviews. Offer tactics.
You’ll land stronger roles. Faster.

✅ What clients say:

💬 “Alex is the best career advisor/headhunter I’ve had the pleasure to work with.”
– Peter CHAN, Chief Commercial Officer, IWG

💬 “All my top performers came through you.”
– CEO (ex-MBB) client

💬 “Alex is a true executive search expert. He delivered results that exceeded expectations.”
– Alexandre Bulcourt, former Co-Head, Bayer Business Consulting China

💬 “I’ve worked with at least seven different career coaches in the past, but I’ve never received guidance as sharp and transformative as yours. You’ve genuinely changed the way I see myself and how I position for future roles. I’m deeply grateful.”
– Investment Banker

✅ What I do:
1️⃣ Coach senior executives (many but not exclusively ex-Consultants) through career transitions
2️⃣ Help CEOs and CFOs hire Strategy, M&A and Corporate Development leaders

✅ Regions I know well:
Singapore 🇸🇬 Hong Kong 🇭🇰 UAE 🇦🇪 Germany 🇩🇪 

If you're ready for a real move or need to hire,
Send me a message. Let’s talk.

Alex BERGHOFEN ✔️

The new Financial Times MBA rankings are out. 
 
There’s a new Global No. 1️⃣:


It’s not INSEAD (we are at number 2, not bad!).

It’s MIT Sloan.

For the first time ever.
Congrats! 🥳

Why? 

Probably due to the tech boom.

But there’s little difference at the top. 
Is MIT really better than INSEAD and Wharton? 
Debatable.

But I find more interesting a change in the FT ranking that was introduced last year.

The tiers.

Now there are tiers 1️⃣to 4️⃣.

I find this much more useful when thinking about MBAs. 

But it’s strange (to say the least) that IESE, HEC, ESADE, Ceibs and US Berkely are in tier 1️⃣ when schools like Harvard, Kellogg and Chicago Booth are in tier 2️⃣?

As a headhunter and a career coach that does not reflect reality (no offense to anyone from these schools). 

As with all rankings, take the details with a grain of salt.

But it’s useful as a general direction. 

If a school stays in the top 5 for many years, it can’t be that bad. 

What’s your take on the new FT MBA ranking?

Save this + Repost for others if it's useful ♻️

PS: Nice to see that the FT acknowledges in their article that INSEAD is based in France AND Singapore, in the ranking itself it still says only France.

Funny as I’ve never studied in France but hold an INSEAD MBA. 😉

Alex BERGHOFEN ✅

xMcKinsey 🔸Global Strategy Headhunter 🔸Job Search Coach for CxO/ VP/ Director 🔸Career Coach 🔸LinkedIn Coach 🔸INSEAD MBA 🔸Speaker 🔸22,000 LinkedIn followers 🔸I coach executives leaving one firm after many years

2026 FT full time MBA ranking

🚨My career coaching prices are going up ⬆️ on March 1.

I haven’t raised prices in nearly two years.

My prices are in USD. Because of the collapse of the US dollar, my prices have actually decreased a lot for many of my clients (e.g., those earning in EUR or SGD). 

And of course there is inflation thanks to the never-ending money 💵printing. 

So I'm mostly trying to catch up with that.

Who do I coach?
✅ The COO who wants to prepare for board roles
✅ The VP who wants to improve his personal brand
✅ The principal who just got laid off & needed advice on his package
✅ The director who's been with the same company for 20 years
✅ The consulting partner who didn’t get elected senior partner
✅ The CEO who’s been with the same company for 7 years & wants to relocate
✅ The banker who wants to relocate
✅ The head of IT who wants to relocate
✅ The VP who wants to practice interviewing

All of these are actual client examples from the last 12 months.

I work with a lot of ex-consultants, but not only.
 
Right now, I'm coaching an FX banker and a head of IT in a bank.
 
The problems they’re facing are usually the same as for my other clients.

In the last 12 months, I’ve coached people who are based in:
  
✅ Australia
✅ Germany
✅ Hong Kong
✅ Indonesia
✅ Malaysia
✅ Qatar
✅ Saudi Arabia
✅ Singapore
✅ Switzerland
✅ Thailand
✅ UAE
✅ USA

Some people expect a magic wand (‘the hidden job market’). 

Instead, I offer direct feedback, practical advice and often tell them to try new things they’ve never done before. 

If you want different results, you need to try a different approach. 
Be ready to be challenged. 

Nearly all my clients have a marketing problem. 
They are very capable but don't know how to sell/ market themselves. 
That's one reason I push so hard on personal branding & LinkedIn.

Sounds like what you are looking for? 
  
DM me so I can send you details.

PS: Everybody welcome. 
INSEAD, McKinsey, sdw Alumni qualify for special rates.

Kung Hei Fat Choy! Gong Xi Fa Cai!


I wish you a prosperous and healthy year of the Horse.

So nice to be back in Asia for Lunar New Year.

Why AI 🤖 won't kill MBB.

Amazing that so many smart people don't understand this. 

Thanks for being a voice of reason Beltrán.

He's a great one to follow. 

Headcount numbers of the top 20 consulting firms have NOT gone down ↘️ during last 2 years. 

And anyway we've been in a recession for a while. 

It's not AI hurting McKinsey and a few other firms.

Obsessed with growth | Former McK partner | Senior Advisor | TMT expert |

Why most people saying AI will kill MBB are wrong

Simple. Because LLMs don’t think. They predict the next most probable word.
They are not optimized for truth. They are optimized for statistical likelihood.

When information is missing, they fill the gap.
When the question is vague, they complete it.
When the data is highly specific, they interpolate.

It is called HALLUCINATION

Fluency gets mistaken for authority. Structure gets mistaken for insight.

In MBB, you’re trained differently.

You’re trained to:

– define the problem precisely
– reduce ambiguity
– anchor in facts
– separate hypothesis from evidence
– push relentlessly for the “so what”

That discipline is exactly what determines whether AI makes you average… or top 1%. Give ChatGPT to an untrained mind and you get polished fiction. Give the same model to someone who can structure a problem and you get leverage.

Same model.
Same data.
Different outcome.

AI doesn’t remove the need for judgment. It amplifies it.

The more obscure, specific, or numerical the question, the higher the fabrication risk. If your standards are low, hallucinations will happen. If your standards are high, the model becomes a force multiplier.

AI will not replace top consultants. It will replace generic ones.

CEO employment contract review of 15 billion co: 
McKinsey Alum was promoted to CEO of Stanley Black & Decker (Fortune 500 member, 15 billion revenue in 2025).

Christopher Nelson, former McKinsey EM.

Please read the employment letter yourself and chime in.

Quick Review:

✅ Base salary: USD 1.3 million.

✅ Bonus:
 2025 blended structure
 • 120% for first 9 months
 • 160% for last 3 months
From 2026 onward, expect around 160% target.
 No explicit maximum cap stated.

For comparison:
 • 3M CFO → 200% cap
 • Starbucks CEO → 450% cap

✅ One-time promotion LTI: USD 1.7 million
 50% PSUs, 25% RSUs, 25% options.
 Functions like a sign-on. Paid in equity.

✅ 2026 annual equity target: USD 10.3 million.

✅ Severance:
 2x (base + target bonus)
 Plus 24 months of benefits.

✅ Non-compete:
 24 months. Very broad.

✅ Mandatory skin-in-the-game rule:
 CEO must accumulate stock equal to 6x annual base salary (~USD 7.8 million).
For comparison:
 • 3M CFO → 3x
 • Starbucks CEO → 6x

✅ D&O and indemnification:
 Strong protection. Legal fees advanced quickly. Continued coverage post-employment.

✅ Arbitration:
 Mandatory arbitration with a three-arbitrator panel in North Carolina.


My Verdict:
Equity heavy compensation, long non-compete, mandatory arbitration.

✅ 24 months severance and 24 months non-compete.

If the company restricts him from competing for two years, it pays him for two years.

✅ Heavy equity weighting.
 USD 10.3 million equity vs USD 1.3 million base.
 Clear performance orientation.

✅ Mandatory arbitration in North Carolina is noteworthy.

What do you think?

Comment below.

PS: Source: SEC. This is a public document. CEO contracts of US listed companies are transparent by design.

PPS: Save this + Repost for others if it's useful ♻️

CEO employment contract Stanley Black & Decker

Review of Stanley Black & Decker’s CEO employment letter:

he's ex McKinsey ex Carrier:

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