audience & revenue growth tips for B2B startups and creators

My mission is to build predictable pipelines for B2B startups. I share what I learn along the way. 

Read more if you are ready to build your pipeline 👇

💡 I am super relevant if you are:

→ Indie Hacker
→ Freelancer
→ Early Startup Founder
→ B2B Sales Person
→ Creator (any profession)

✍️ I write about:

→ B2B sales
→ Go to market strategies
→ Signal-based prospecting

Little more about me:

Cryptocurrency Investor. SaaS Enthusiast. Agriculture Business Owner. 

Lived in 3 countries.

I'm a T-shaped growth person who has experience in sales, content marketing, and growth.

Drop me a LinkedIn message if you need any help.

We will keep it simple.

Twitter: @sehaokudan

https://calendly.com/sehaokudan/30min

Seha Okudan

Helping B2B founders turn LinkedIn into deals | GTM Strategist

5 worst discovery questions:

5 difficult scenarios for salespeople:
(Even for the top ones.)

5 difficult scenarios for salespeople:

Stop trying to fake urgency in B2B. 
(it doesn't work)

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁:

→ Knowing pain
→ Understanding the impact of pain

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝟮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀:

1️⃣ Not every problem is worth solving

Trying to create an urgency won't work if they don't have something that is worth solving.

Nobody will buy a strong painkiller for a mild headache, even if it’s the last day of a 20% discount.

If the impact of the pain is close to zero, no urgency will stick.

2️⃣ A problem can have different solutions

Even if the pain is real, buyers still have options.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻:

•⁠ ⁠Build in-house
•⁠ ⁠Pick a cheaper workaround
•⁠ ⁠Wait until the budget frees up

Both a raincoat and an umbrella protect you from rain.

If you don’t show why your path is better, faster, or safer;

Urgency dies.

𝗧𝗟;𝗗𝗥

𝗧𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆:

-⁠ ⁠Find the pain that matters most
- ⁠Show the true cost of doing nothing
- ⁠Prove why solving it now beats later
- ⁠Position your solution as the safest path

Deals move when urgency is real. 

Not when it’s forced.

How do you create urgency without sounding pushy?

5 Unexpected Things in Sales
(hope they happen to you today)

5 Unexpected things in sales:

Contact data is out of control.
(for real)

Don't get me wrong.

I don't mind people pitching me.

I do it every day, too.

BUT

Every single week, some people:

- Add me to lists I never joined.
- Drop me into random waitlists.
- Email me again after I unsubscribe.
- Promise what no one can deliver.
- Sends emails written with poor prompts.
- Message me on WhatsApp out of nowhere.

I block them. They switch mailboxes.
I say, “I’m not a fit,” they keep texting.
I say it on the phone, they keep selling.

“I want to tell you about a promo…”
 “There’s a new offer…”

I don't want to click on report Spam.
I don't want to be rude.
I get it, we all try to make a living.

But this is not outreach.
This is not marketing.

This is SPAM.

Are some people ruining the industry?

Bad contact data can kill your business.
(real examples)

Your data provider is the most important part of your tech stack.
It is non-negotiable.

If your data is bad, you lose.
Simple as that.

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝟭:
Picked the best provider, tested ICP coverage.
Checked accuracy and verified test emails.
Only had HubSpot + the data provider (not ideal).

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀:
Hit targets.
Scaled the team.
Added new tools later.

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝟮:
Paid for expensive tool stacks for sequencing, etc.
Then, they selected the most cost effective data provider.

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀:
High bounce rates.
Burned mailboxes.
Low call connect rates.
The team missed targets.
The company started downsizing the sales team.

𝗠𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀:
1.  Build a sample list. Verify it.
2. Check coverage across your ICP + regions.
3. Choose tools that use waterfall enrichment.

If your data provider is wrong, nothing you do will work.
You cannot afford bad data.

How do you choose your contact data provider?

12 mistakes that cost you deals:

Social27 Inc.

Managing company's go-to-market functions including Sales, Customer Success, Marketing, Solutions Engineering, Pricing, and Revenue Operations

Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) | Partner

Social27 is a Virtual Events Platform powered by Intelligent Automation. The leading enterprise ready platform allows event organizers to create a 'no friction' journey that humanizes the virtual event experience and enables attendees and sponsors to meet their business objectives.

Additional Social27 solutions: 
The Playlist: Accelerates sales and revenue growth in a virtual event or any online experience by empowering B2B marketers to deliver a personalized and ‘binge-worthy’ content experience in real-time. 

The AI Assistant: This smart chatbot identifies buyer intent, qualifies leads, schedules appointments, and more through out a virtual event or any online experience. 

Other business solutions include 
- Online Academies (Cyber security and NASBA accredited Accounting Academy)
- LMS (Learning Management System)
- Video Production Services

Clients include Microsoft, Amazon, ATD, Dell, ASCD, University of Washington, and DocuSign. Social27 is based out of Redmond, WA with offices in UK and India.

Partner and VP Business Development

HiveGPT

HiveGPT empowers businesses to soar with AI-driven marketing campaigns, seamless event planning, and secure AI models. From creating buzz to booking meetings, our platform facilitates every step – from crafting campaigns and landing pages to orchestrating events.

Chief Revenue Officer

CyberTraining 365

CT365 is an online academy that offers most in-demand cybersecurity training and certification through different subscription models. Members have access to the ever growing library of quality, engaging videos that are taught by some of industry’s best and most recognized experts. 

CT365 is powered by Social27's patented cloud-based eLearning platform, providing members with an engaging and collaborative learning environment. Through best in class content, social learning tools, and gamification, CT365 is taking eLearning from Isolation to Collaboration.

Co-Founder

AccountingEd

AccountingEd is a NASBA accredited online accounting academy that offers a growing library of over 150 hours of accounting, fraud and cybersecurity training. Learn from top industry experts while earning your CPE credits.

Prudential Financial

Progressive sales and new business development experience across a wide range of investment/asset management and fiduciary services. My area of expertise pertained to advising individuals/families with a minimum net worth of $1m with their financial planning, investment management, wealth transfer and risk management planning needs.

Specialties: Financial Planning, Investment Management, Wealth Transfer Planning, Risk Management Analysis and Trust Services.

Financial Planner

Ford Motor Company (Bill Pierre Auto Centers)

Led the recruitment, management, and operations of all 3 departments of the dealership; gathering critical feedback from local and national consulting firms on the future of each division to make financial and personnel decisions.

Built a sales force from ground up, strategically trained it and moved departments around; raising the average unit sales from 30 units to 65 units per month and raising average profit from $190,000 to over $400,000 per month, within five months. 

Managed external and internal sales teams as well as outside vendors in development of a market segmentation framework; redefining our customer targets, altering marketing strategies, and evaluating our services and products.

Designed and published a five segment interactive daily sales training series which includes: Meet and Greet, Pre-Appraisal, Alternative Selection, Overcoming Objections, and Handling the Phones.

Established and maintained reputable relationships with top managers of major banks and financial institutions in the state and around the country; allowing for direct negotiations to ensure all sales and service contracts are funded.

Engaged with the company President, CFO and Corporate District Manager on both short and long term goals including advertising strategies, sales promotions, staffing needs, lease promotions and compensation plans. 

Created all marketing and advertising campaigns; working and negotiating directly with executives of The Seattle Times, NWCT, Everett Herald and internet advertising sources: autotrader.com, vehix.com, and cars.com.

General Sales Manager

Nissan Motor Company (Rainier Auto Group)

Architect of the company-wide Internet Sales Department; creating new pricing models, hiring qualified personnel, importing Cobalt CRM, and administering the outsourcing of web design and maintenance  

Managed all aspect of daily operations; structuring and completing car deals, administering vehicle appraisals, purchasing vehicles at major auto auctions around the country, and customer retention.

Developed a formula to manage $8 million in new and used car inventory; reducing flooring costs incurred by old age units and to ensure the proper mix of supply for maximum turnover efficiency.

Ensured to have an advanced understanding of all federal, state, and local regulations that affect business operations.

General Manager

Social27 is a Virtual and Hybrid Events Platform powered by generative AI. The leading enterprise ready platform allows event organizers to create a 'no friction' journey that humanizes the virtual event experience and enables attendees and sponsors to meet their business objectives.

Manpreet is an innovative Leader and Executive with over 15 years of global experience in StartUp’s, General Management, Sales, Marketing, and Business Development. Throughout his career, Manpreet has worked with large and complex multinational corporations, and in diverse environments across the US, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

As a trusted thought leader in Virtual Events, AI Automation, Cyber Security, and GDPR, Manpreet has delivered informative presentations at conferences, webinars, and online academies, including CyberTraining365.com, to generate marketing awareness and leading Social27 to drive predictable revenue growth, win substantial market share, and earn customer/channel loyalty.

Manpreet Wadan

Still writing your event content like it’s meant for Google?
AI search is built for conversation, not keywords.

Search is no longer typed. It’s spoken. And if your event content doesn’t match how people talk, you’re already harder to find.

WRITE HOW PEOPLE SPEAK
 Use natural language and direct answers so AI can understand intent, not just terms.

LEAD WITH THE ANSWER
 Your first sentence is everything in voice and chat search.

STRUCTURE FOR CLARITY
 Q&A formats and clean sections help AI surface your content faster.

Your attendees are asking real questions. Make sure your content can be the answer.

Pls watch full video for the breakdown.

CRO @ Social27 (AI & Event Tech) | Driving $10M+ ARR YoY | Helping Fortune 1000s Scale Event ROI | UW Foster MBA

Are ad budgets getting slashed in your org too?
The events industry is feeling it more than anyone.

When tariffs and rising costs hit, paid promotion is always the first thing cut.

That means less pre-event buzz and a much bigger lift for planners and marketers to keep visibility alive.

Here’s what the most effective event teams are doing:

1. SHIFT TO OWNED MEDIA
Your mobile app and digital event platform become your strongest channels when paid is limited.

2. BUILD COMMUNITY MOMENTUM
Events with active pre-event communities generate more engagement without paying for reach.

TARGET WITH AI
AI helps every message land with the right person so you get more out of the channels you already have.

THE TAKEAWAY:
This moment isn’t about spending more, It’s about spending smarter.

👉 Pls watch the video for a quick walkthrough of how teams are adapting their event strategy.

Belém isn’t hosting COP30, Belém is COP30.

I stepped off the plane at 3:30am last week in Belém, Brazil and before I even reached baggage claim, the event was already happening around me.

THE ARRIVAL EXPERIENCE

- COP30 visuals and branding all across the airport that felt more like an exhibit than signage. 
- Immersive experiences of the Amazon jungle and river to create the emotional connection (See Video)
- Staff and locals directing visitors to activations, information touchpoints, and buses and cats.

This is isn’t landing in a city, this getting immersed into the event that is the city.

THE CITY IS THE CANVAS

- COP30 branded passport stamp (see image)
- Branded buses and taxis everywhere with QR codes to access mobile and virtual
- Storefronts and cafés referencing COP in their windows
- COP30 branded ice cream all over the city Mangal das Garcas
- Conversations in Ubers and buses about who’s flying in next
- Even COP branded water everywhere 

When the environment carries the event, the city becomes the welcome committee and the citizens become the ambassadors.

As planners and marketers, we spend months trying to create momentum for large events.

But at COP, the momentum meets you the moment the door of the plane opens.

More photos and video coming, trying to capture what it feels like to walk into an event that’s already alive.

Most events have exhibition halls. COP30 has worlds.

Yesterday at 5:30PM in Belém, I walked through the pavilions and it’s hard to describe it as a “trade show" because it feels more like stepping into a series of living, breathing stories.

THE EXPERIENCE
Every country isn’t just showing a booth. They’re building a physical expression of their home and  climate priorities. There are 

- Immersive walk-throughs
- Floor-to-ceiling visual storytelling
- Interactive spaces instead of static signage

It’s not “come look at our display.”
It’s “step into our point of view” and have a conversation with us. 

THE DETAIL
Each pavilion has its own identity with unique colors, music, cultural elements, materials.
Everything feels intentional.

You hear one country’s story through sound and you feel another through lighting and texture

Some have live presentations, working demos, small audience talks

Nothing here looks templated and nothing feels copy-paste.....even from previous COPs 

THE ENERGY
There’s always a crowd and it's not because of giveaways or gimmicks but because people want to stay. There are: 

- Delegates sitting in mini-sessions
- Journalists interviewing experts right in the space
- Organic conversations happening everywhere

The pavilion at COP30 isn’t a pass-through, it’s a destination.

Most planners and marketers spend so much time trying to get attendees to “flow through the expo.” Here at COP30, the challenge is the opposite, people don’t want to leave.

Wrapping up my time in Belém and saying goodbye to COP30 Amazônia. 

It’s been impressive to see a city carry an event of this scale with great intention.

From the logistics to the audience flow to the energy inside the venue, COP30 is a reminder of how powerful an experience can be when every touchpoint (in-person, virtual, and mobile) is thought through.

I’m heading out today while the rest of the team stays on to take in the remaining days of the conference. 

There’s still a lot happening here and it’s been valuable to see even just a bit of it up close.

Grateful for the experience and for Belém before heading back to Seattle

Still reporting on registrations and impressions?
AI gives you something better: real signals, real outcomes, real ROI.

Too many teams rely on vanity metrics after an event like counting bodies, clicks, and downloads that don’t tie to pipeline.

Here’s what AI makes possible:

REAL-TIME ENGAGEMENT SIGNALS
Track what attendees actually engaged with, not just who showed up.

BEHAVIOR-TO-OUTCOME MATCHING
Tie clicks, views, and booth visits directly to lead quality and opportunity stages.

INSTANT POST-EVENT INSIGHTS
Forget waiting on surveys, AI clusters feedback and surfaces next steps fast.

THE TAKEAWAY:
If you want to prove ROI, don’t rely on what happened. Show what moved the deal forward.

🎥 New video now LIVE, pls watch how AI helps you ditch vanity metrics and show real event impact.

Tariffs are rewriting your event budget
And the impact is showing up everywhere

Event costs are rising across the board. Imported gear, signage, lighting and most everything physical now costs more.

Yet planners are still expected to deliver the same experience with fewer resources.

1. SMALLER FOOTPRINTS
Tariffs are pushing events toward leaner builds and more local sourcing.

2. THE SHIFT TO HYBRID
Hybrid isn’t just reach anymore, it’s becoming a cost-control strategy.

3. USE AI TO OFFSET SPEND
AI now powers content delivery, digital support, and matchmaking, reducing costs while improving the attendee experience.

If your production model still relies heavily on logistics and labor, you are already feeling the impact. 

This is the moment to rethink what should be live, what should be digital, and where can tech take weight off the budget.

Please watch the video to learn more.

Tariffs Are Reshaping Event Budgets
Teams are being forced to plan differently, not just spend less

Tariffs are putting real pressure on event budgets and it’s changing how programs are being built and marketed. 

Sponsorships are tightening, physical builds are getting leaner, and international attendance is dipping.

Here’s what’s actually happening:

1. SHIFT TO HYBRID PRESENCE
Planners are reducing on-site footprint and extending reach through virtual layers that add scale without adding cost.

2. AI-DRIVEN CONTENT DELIVERY
AI is helping teams personalize sessions and surface the right content so engagement doesn’t drop even as physical builds shrink.

3. SMARTER LEAD TARGETING
With budgets squeezed, AI-powered targeting and follow-up are becoming essential to protect pipeline and attribution.

The Takeaway:
The events that win in this environment aren’t the biggest, they’re the ones adapting the fastest.

When demand outgrows the city, you don’t limit attendance, you expand the infrastructure.

At COP30, every hotel in Belém is sold out. The solution?

They brought in cruise ships (Costa Diadema and MSC Seaview) 

I’m staying on a ship docked at the mouth of the Amazon River delta along with 10,000 other attendees. 

Every morning, shuttles run back and forth from the ships to the venue (Belém's Parque da Cidade). It’s a crazy, surreal system but it works.

THE LOGISTICS OPERATION: 
- Cruise ships converted into “floating hotels”
- Dedicated shuttles moving thousands of attendees daily back and forth from the ships (or other locations) 
- A designated traffic lane only for COP vehicles

This isn’t just transportation, it’s flow management at scale.

THE SECURITY EXPERIENCE
- Checkpoints along the entire route
- Officers clearing intersections to keep shuttles and delegate/government vehicles moving
- Long lines as you approach the venue but the flow is fast and organized

It's clear that the organizers planned for volume but  also optimized for speed and efficiency. 

THE VENUE ENTRY
After stepping off the shuttle, I walked through an efficient security process, and you’re inside. No chaos. No confusion. No bottlenecks.....even on the first day. 

As planners and marketers, we talk about “experience design.”

Here in Belem, the experience literally starts miles before away from the event venue. 

As with past COPs, you don’t just attend COP30, you move through a system that is designed to make scale feel smooth and stress-free.

Is your global event  audience shrinking?
Travel costs and visa delays are reshaping who can actually show up

You can’t wait for attendees to come to you. You have to meet them where they are. 

We are seeing this first hand all across the globe, including COP30, and here is what you need to do as a planner:  

PLAY 1: GO BEYOND BASIC STREAMING
Global reach comes from full virtual experiences, not one-way broadcasts.

PLAY 2: ADD AI FOR PERSONALIZATION
AI helps tailor sessions, content, and networking so engagement doesn’t dip even when travel does.

PLAY 3: BUILD DIGITAL-FIRST ACCESS
Visa delays and travel costs don’t stop the event when your digital platform does the heavy lifting.

THE TAKEAWAY:
If you want real global reach today, build for digital scale first and physical attendance second.

👉 Pls watch the video for a quick breakdown of what planners are doing to adapt.

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The Battle

Seha Okudan

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