AudienceLed

112 experts interviewed and counting. 1082 pieces of content created and counting. 10 brands helped and counting. Building networks of trust for our. clients. We help teams go-to-market WITH their market. No one wants another AI-slop SEO blog post written by non-experts. Buyers want to hear from the exact people they trust. That's the brands, people, and places they listen to, transact and engage with daily. 

Our offer? A done-for-you service to generate demand and build fast-converting pipeline. We execute multiple expert-led campaigns deployed into your existing marketing systems, with additional distribution with and through third-parties.

We also help scale community & user generated content and throw events with the ecosystem.

DM me to learn more. 

And watch me change the way the industry looks at go-to-market in a paradigm shift, all while doing it ourselves.

Co-Founder & Chief Partner Officer

BD Paths

I help companies orchestrate their ecosystems with better partner operations. But... not all partners are made the same.

"We are hitting target but don't know how to scale" is too common. Become profitable by aligning partner types to the core revenue metrics within your business.

I am only taking on one other client, so DM me to see if there is availability.

Partnership Leaders

Member

nearbound.com

Getting Nearbound into the dictionary and distributing through network effects like no tomorrow. Nearbound sales + marketing will revolutionize the way you do business.

This section was post-acquisition of www.partnerhacker.com by www.Reveal.co where we rebranded to www.nearbound.com.

Director of Strategic Partnerships

*First hire as Head of Partnerships

- Supported key relationships that resulted in an acquisition in record time for a media company.
- Executed on ~$1million in sponsorship programs including communications, debriefs, reporting, engaging key stakeholders, and relationship management.
- Lead all project management for sponsorship programs resulting in over 1,000,000 impressions and 10,829 leads for our partners.
- Created a category for technology through marketing strategies related to brand, media, social, networking, partnerships, nearbound, and guerrilla tactics.
- Coordinated multiple internal stakeholders with clear tasks of who does what and by when, following DARCI models.
- Evangelized the nearbound category, partnerships, brands, our partners and sponsors all through content creation including social, long-form, short-form, video, audio, and event related content.

nearbound.com is the #1 source of clarity & guidance, news & journalism, opinion, and connection during the paradigm shift in B2B.

I made this a reality alongside our partners and peers. They all deserve a BIG thank you in these efforts.

Subscribe to the Nearbound Daily to get your PhD in partnerships :)

It's time to PartnerUp.

Director of Partnerships

Reveal

At Reveal I manage ISV partner relationships, as well as using nearbound strategies to get what matters most done: delivering value to the clients to ultimately drive more revenue.

I work with other tech vendors, consultants, and influencers in order to deploy partnerships expertise and value to our clients. We run referral, co-sell, and influence campaigns focused on educating and enabling the ecosystem.

Reach me at wtaylor@reveal.co if you'd like to partner with Reveal or want to learn more about nearbound.

Head of Partnerships

RevGenius

Uvaro

*First guest instructor, helped build the process for effective external instructor contracting and communications.

I believe in life-long learning and empowering others to become their best self - I am proud to participate in, and present during, internal + external events for Uvaro students. These events include demo days, in-class speaking engagements, and instructional sessions.

Some background on Uvaro:

The technology sector needs 250,000 new sales professionals, and our colleges and universities aren’t training them on all practical pieces. Uvaro is building a different type of education system - one that is focused on the objective of preparing students for a career in the talent-hungry tech industry. Simply put, Uvaro has created a better way to grow sales careers in tech.

Guest Instructor

Mailshake

*First and only partnerships hire

At Mailshake, I built the partnership program from the ground up. Here's a list of all things accomplished during my time with the team:

Partnerships:
- Engaged elite brands to get Mailshake a "seat at the cool kids' table"
- Achieved 135% of partner sourced revenue quota for Q1 2022
- Started strategic partnerships that filled gaps in client needs
- Guided integration partners in a "big fish:small fish" dynamic
- Aligned upsell initiatives with partner efforts
- Spent $0 on sponsorships

Business enrichment:
- Built the process for webinars + events from the ground up
- Created a sales playbook for marketing <> sales webinar handoff 
- Trained sales team to adopt and utilize video
- Coached sales team on how to capitalize on prospects warmed by marketing efforts
- Developed first iteration of ICP that aided in direction setting

Became a marketer:
- Executed on various marketing functions with no prior experience:
-- Drip campaigns, webinars, landing page development, social branding, a large summit event, affiliate marketing, SEO + backlink fundamentals, & creative content ideas

Director of Partner Marketing

Vidyard

*First Partner Enablement hire

Milestones:
- Increased partner retention by 70%
- Doubled total agency program revenue over 6 months through enablement initiatives
--- Revenue from partner program flipped from 20% partner-sourced clients and 80% partners to 80% clients and 20% partners.
- Partners are ready to sell services in 60-120 days

Day-to-day:
- Managed 120+ partner accounts ranging from co-sell agencies, referral partners, and technical partners
- Created training resources & co-sell models for partners, partner managers, and internal team
- Established end-to-end partner launch for more successful onboarding + enablement
- Developed a new certification that fast-tracked partner adoption, go-to-market readiness, and aligned better with overall company growth goals
- Built a partner directory for continued refer-back opportunities
- Launched PRM software + integrated into existing systems

Partner Enablement Manager

Bonfire Interactive

- "Municipal Rep of the Year, 2019" - closed highest ARR on immediate team during my first year of ever being an Account Executive
- Closed largest major city (by population) in company history
- Managed the largest multi-year contract upsell in company history, resulting in 2x ARR and a 12x TCV
- Oversaw 20 States in my territory, responsible for fully-operating my own opportunity generation
- Engaged with multiple C-Level executive roles to build relationships and ensure a strong business case to close business

- Maintained relationships with influencers in industry, ranging from large accounts, presidents of associations, educational experts, and those with a loud voice in the market
- Partnered with a BDR and was responsible to set prospecting strategies and provide ongoing mentorship as we prospected this patch together
- Regularly met with marketing to collaborate on national programs, local programs, travel programs, conference programs, and provide feedback
- Coordinated new approaches in selling to different personas, fast-tracking and increasing the success rate of sales cycles
- Pioneered cross-selling initiatives with sister companies to not only leverage relationships, but create strategic plans on how to facilitate an even stronger business case

Account Executive

*First BDR hire

- Developed 102 new opportunities worth $1,836,000 USD in pipeline, leading the BDR team in pipe and opportunity generation 
- Overachieved on quota (115%) and was thus moved from supporting a single rep on the commercial team, to three on the public team 
- Engaged with multiple different C-Level executives (CFOs, CIOs, CPOs) in both the private and public sectors 
- Trained and managed ongoing performance of team members, helping to onboard, create training materials, and conducting interviews to qualify potential hires

Business Development Representative

I make partnerships profitable with RevOps, sales signals & tactical playbooks • Advisor • Buyer alignment, signal selling, and partnerships • Tech stack recommendations • Stop selling on hard mode

I help SaaS revenue teams integrate third party expertise (the people, brands, and places) that influence their buyer to surround them (instead of spam them)  👉 where buyers already transact and spend their dwindling attention credits 👇

Buyers don’t believe brands as much as they believe the people, brands, and places they already work with and listen to.

That’s why your sales and marketing team need a network of trusted people in your ecosystem.

When you activate that network, you get:
👉Warmer doors opening faster
👉Higher win rates
👉Deals that close sooner
👉Bigger deal sizes

Proof I’ve lived this:
✅Built enablement programs that boosted partner retention by 70%
✅Created a partner motion that matched sales revenue with 1/3 of the headcount
✅Outperformed a full SDR + AE team using ecosystem plays
✅Scaled a business to $1M in 12 months → acquired

(And yes — I’m in the room developing relationships with the influential people your buyers already listen to.)

Activate an ecosystem-oriented modern go-to-market system that focuses on QUALITY and CONVERSION by:
1) Following me here for weekly systems sharing
2) Or DM me if you want me to show you how to:
- Map who your buyers already trust
- Layer partners into your GTM to build pipeline with less spend (without building any new systems)

Oh, I'm also writing a book on rewiring your mindset, which incorporates psychological, sociological, and philosophical concepts. Go-to-market with your market at www.audienceled.com

Will Taylor 🤝

(5/30) Find who your buyers trust: A lost art in marketing 👉 a growing need in intelligent GTM. An in-depth tutorial. A no B.S. tactical content series:

Buyers trust people, not brands.

Here are 3 simplified spheres of influence:

1) Product-know-how
𝐖𝐡𝐨: Customers & agencies
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: Peer groups, socials
𝐖𝐡𝐲: Literally the buyer or helping the buyer implement the tech and see results
𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡: Very high
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡: Relatively low (usually)

2) Product-adjacent
𝐖𝐡𝐨: Technology partners, analysts, bloggers/list makers
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: Socials, web, events, newsletters
𝐖𝐡𝐲: Hands-on technical knowledge (general), problem and market aware, generally solution aware
𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡: Medium-to-high
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡: High

3) Product-aware
𝐖𝐡𝐨: Influencers, complementary tech, podcasts & media sponsorships
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: Socials, web, events, newsletters, podcasts, Slack communities
𝐖𝐡𝐲: Hands-on technical
𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡: Low-to-medium
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡: Very high

Here are 3 ways we help clients find these 3 spheres of influence & where buyers spend time:

1) ICP attention analysis
- Are they tech-savvy & on LinkedIn? Or do they read legacy publications?
- Identified by actual volume of activity and/or traffic
- Use social analysis of actual engagement + volume of influencers
- Find the volume of in-person events
- Identify traffic sources (Google Analytics, ahrefs, Semrush, etc.)

Example: Cybersecurity is active on LinkedIn and X, but much more in-person events. Sales&marketing is VERY active on LinkedIn (not really X)

2) Market analysis
- Who are all the vendors in the space? How are they identified? Are there categories? Where does your company fall?
- A simple way to do this: Ask "What is the 'buying river' for our buyers? What do they buy before or after what we solve for?"
- There is a causal chain based on where you fit in the function you serve, so identify what "surrounds" your product... then you have a list of who your buyer likely already transacts with

Example: If you are Hubspot you're likely purchased first... then you need a document signing tool as you get more sales... etc.

💡 Hubspot got ahead here because of the help of Scott Brinker mapping the martech space!

3) Content topic analysis
- If you have a sense of generally where buyers are engaging, now go deeper and look at the content
- What are these influencers, other brands, etc. talking about? Who are they engaging with? Who do they partner with?
- Who talks about what we talk about? Are we using the same keywords?
- Summarize this into a high-level overview to determine if there is philosophical alignment and incentive to talk about the same things

Example: If the outbound pros are talking about effective cold emailing... then you could easily engage with them as an email tool, a signal tool, a data tool... as all of these topics would overlap and be relevant.

Ran out of space. More in the comments.

Please criticize this or ask me questions. I want to help.

Will Taylor

Helping marketers ⬆️ conversion rates w/ ⬆️ distribution & high-trust content • CPO @ AudienceLed • Run better demand gen with those your buyer already trusts: The people, brands, and places that have their attention.

(4/30) Maximizing event ROI: A multi-channel, multi-partner effort driving over 5,000 registrants. Take over with nearbound. A no B.S. tactical content series:

Goal:
More than 5,000 registrants.

Purpose:
Make enough noise in the market that buyers cannot ignore.

Outcome:
Company narrative reached organic virality where job descriptions, headlines, and even buyers' internal company exec meetings included the narrative. (It worked).

Modern example = Clay

How:
1) Map who buyers trust
- Wrote about this in (1/30) and (2/30), will detail further in the next iteration
- In short, ask your customers who they trust & the other vendors they work with

2) Speak to those they trust
- Approach the conversation with conviction about alignment with them.
- Speak boldly. Speak directly. Ask them if they believe in the mission.
- Build genuine relationships and loyalty, but without the fluff.

3) Put in place a compelling launch
- Large event or resource, etc.
- What is the benefit of participating? Needs to be large enough.
- This will incentivize participation after alignment in number 2.
- People need to get behind something. A movement. An event. An interesting, no B.S. resource. Should be so good they want to share it themselves (& you can incentivize this, too).

4) Make it stupid simple to participate
- Organization is critical. Document everything. Boil it down to a few sentences. Cut the fluff.
- Best done if you do most of the work for them. Pre-write email, social, blogs, etc. promos.
- Seriously, do the work for them. Deliver a package, with what they need to do, when, & if any approvals are needed. It should be as easy as copy & paste.

5) Ask them to invite their partners to participate
- Help them create more of their own alliances.
- Who do they know? Who else is interested? 
- Better for them. Better for you. A faster path to even more strategic relationships.
- Give them the "give" to prop up others on stage.

6) Do the work for them
- All the way down to the topics, speaking tracks, etc.
- No one wants to figure out how to prepare. Prepare for them as much you can (they will modify into their own words as they see fit)
- Make the deck. Write the copy. Create the image. Set the date. Remind them.
(Yes this is like 4 but this is how important it is)

7) Overcommunicate
- It will make them comfortable.
- It will help timelines not slip & will hold them accountable.
- If they said yes to participating, they want to. Don't let them down by missing the mark. Set a cadence of communication to make this happen.
- - - - - - - - - - -
This is a series dedicated to helping marketing and partnerships teams execute with excellence. No gimmicks. No fancy hooks. 

I’m Will, passionate about making markets move together and producing results. I’m the Co-Founder of AudienceLed, a demand gen marketing agency producing pipeline with existing spheres of influence and third-party expertise.

Please criticize this content or ask me questions. I’m here to help.

(3/30) CMOs and revenue leaders are waking up to this data. 5 new key areas of IMPACT & OUTCOMES to consider. A no B.S. tactical content series:

1. Third parties influence buyers more than companies.

HubSpot: 72% of B2B buyers say peer recommendations are their most trusted source

💡Sponsorships, partnered webinars, influencer marketing, co-branded campaigns, etc. all matter more than ever, even without instant revenue.

🎯 Syncari sees 2x higher conversion rates and faster deal cycles in partner-influenced deals.

2. Attribution can't be a one-touch model

Only 20% of conversions are from first or last touch. 80% happen somewhere in between.

Sangram Vajre says siloed GTM teams fail when incentives compete instead of align. 

Same goes for checkbox marketing - no seller cares about a data point... they want context.

💡Influence modelling, CRM campaign tagging, contact-level ABM, and a more cohesive buyer journey is a must. This is further enhanced by AI's ability to contextualize data into natural language.

🎯 Sendoso reports partner-influenced deals close 28 days faster than non-partnered deals.

3. Ecosystem and community continues its rise

Jay McBain shows us there are 28 moments of influence in a buyer’s journey, and companies control only 4. Buyers are only engaging MORE in trusted circles (outside of your company). 

💡 Partner communities & paid media/sponsorships are trust accelerators. Distribution is the craze as internal SEO and ads only become more difficult and confusing.

🎯Introhive shifted SDRs to focus on partner-led events because those leads were more responsive and high-converting.

4. Expert-led content unlocks all of the above

Content marketing drives 3X more leads at 62% lower cost than outbound.

💡Co-created content can be measured by reach, click conversion, and ICP engagement. More distribution, higher quality content, right from the experts' mouths!

🎯TalentPop found ecosystem-qualified leads from partnered content were ~100x more likely to close than cold ones.

5. Ads need to get more targeted (and have higher trust)

Dreamdata: Branded activations can take up to 200 days to influence pipeline

💡Adopt contact-level ABM and deploy third-party expertise (from customer testimonials, partners, or influencers) into campaigns. Leverage modern ad tools to target (and track).

🎯A co-branded ad campaign from ReSource Point of Sale with partners HP, Epson, and Zebra drove:
- 971% more impressions
- 368% more engagement
- 1,806% more link clicks
- 314% audience growth

- - - - - - - - - - -
This is a series dedicated to helping marketing and partnerships teams execute with excellence. No gimmicks. No fancy hooks. 

I’m Will, passionate about making markets move together and producing results. I’m the Co-Founder of AudienceLed, a demand gen marketing agency producing pipeline with existing spheres of influence and third-party expertise.

Please criticize this content or ask me questions. I’m here to help.

(8/30) The entire process of working with external voices. Step-by-step to execute effective relationship management. A no B.S. tactical content series:

1) Sourcing
Find the right people, brands, & places to work with.

- Leverage custom GPT with ICP context & organizing the information into a table (to copy & paste into a sheet)
- Find complementary brands, their existing partners, who is mentioned online, scrape their websites, & return back the data
- Enrich with a lookalike to capture the entire TAM of the ecosystem
- Enrich further with the specific people at each entity (tech, agency, podcast host, media company, etc)
- Validate by message-fit. Do they talk about/serve the same people? Find out through customer stories, trends they talk about, listed logos, & generally where THEY are showing up (sponsorships, events, etc.)
- Reach out to them with a gift first (invite them into the content campaign)
- Messaging should be custom to each category, deployed multi-modal (LinkedIn + email to start)
- Ensure the list is regularly hit in a multi-step cadence. Rotate them into other mediums if unsuccessful.
- Record an interview for most robust content that you can guide/control to fit your narrative.

2) Production
Take the context from the recording & create everything you can.

- Set the initial strategy to direct towards a common goal, & one that empowers your company.
- Ensure there is a "story" being captured, but ask for the information in multiple ways.
- Frameworks. Methodologies. Step by steps. Workflows. Anecdotes. Stories about outcomes. What's the one-two-punch?
- Analyze & find the best moments. Turn those into snippets. Enrich the snippets with more research, back with your data + industry data. Create the content.
- Make this a content factory line. Each step leads to the next. A person owns each part of the process. Make it easy & efficient.

3) Delivery
Deploy the content that's created & amplify. Fully integrated approach.

- Get approvals first from the third party. Ask for necessary consents.
- Make it so easy they can copy & paste. Tell them what, when, & where to distribute. Leave little room for thinking. If they want to give you feedback they will.
- Ensure there is a content calendar internally. How is it distributed on web, social, ABM/nurture campaigns, etc. What about ad dollars? What about your sponsorships - can they promote it too?
- Re-integrate the content over & over: Once you have enough, create a round-up of the expertise. Dedicate a newsletter. Re-feature them on an event or podcast.
- - - - - - - - -
This is a series dedicated to helping marketing & partnerships teams execute with excellence. No gimmicks. No fancy hooks. 

I’m Will, passionate about making markets move together & producing results. I’m the Co-Founder of AudienceLed, a demand gen marketing agency producing pipeline with existing spheres of influence & third-party expertise.

Please criticize this content or ask me questions. I’m here to help.

📣Network! We need your support 📣. One of my closest friends woke up to difficult news about her mom. On October 26, Nelda called an ambulance due to severe stomach pain. A CT scan revealed a large tumour on her ovary, a smaller one on her pancreas, and a spread of cancer cells throughout her abdomen. After weeks of testing, praying, and waiting, she received the devastating diagnosis of Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer.

Nelda is a fighter at heart and she is facing this with strength and courage. Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive disease that often shows no symptoms in its early stages, and by the time it’s detected, it has usually spread rapidly. Regardless of the treatment plan, pancreatic cancer often comes with a challenging prognosis.

During treatment, Nelda will be unable to fully tend to and care for Madison, her daughter with Down Syndrome. The current support options for adults with Down Syndrome are limited, with independent living waitlists that span more than twenty years. This has created a need for immediate and ongoing support for Madison while her mom focuses on treatment.

Nelda’s family is doing everything they can and would never want to ask for much from anyone, but the circumstances and logistics are complex and overwhelming. Many people have asked how they can help, so this GoFundMe has been created to offer support during a time when it is truly needed.

All funds raised will support Nelda through treatment and help provide care, stability, and future planning for Madison. I am Nelda’s niece, Brianna, and my goal is to help lift some of the weight off their family as they navigate this painful and uncertain time. Thank you for sharing, praying, and supporting them in this difficult chapter.

https://lnkd.in/gWds3qq6

We are almost at the goal. Help us get over the line.

LinkedIn probably won't like the link in this post, but it's important. Please if you read this share, comment, like, or at least send the gofundme link to someone you believe can help.

My grandma on my dad's side has beat cancer once (and another time very soon)! It is possible with the right treatment, support, and attitude.

My grandpa on my mom's side passed due to cancer in 2001.

I don't know much about it, but when my friend shared it's stage 4 pancreatic cancer... my heart dropped.

If you have anything to give, your support means the world.

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends ❤️ 

And thank YOU for anything you can do.

Open article: Donate to Help Nelda Meinen fight Pancreatic Cancer & support Madison, organized by Brianna Kampman by gofund.me

Donate to Help Nelda Meinen fight Pancreatic Cancer & support Madison, organized by Brianna Kampman

(6/30) Why partnerships fail: A breakdown on misalignment and how to 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 get a seat at the table. A no B.S. tactical content series:

Taken from direct experience in-house, conversations across 1,000+ partner pros, deep interviews finding what works, & executing partnerships at scale as an agency.

1) You believe partners impact everything (or are told it's only pipe)

Not all partners are created equal. Your affiliate partner is not the same as your agency partner. 

You also can't just say that partners impact everything. 

Prove it.

If you cannot effectively manage up expectations, then the CMO or CRO will default to what they know and you will never have their teams care. YOU need to SHOW them where partners can impact & cannot.

Here's how:
- Map the buyer's journey.
- Identify what marketing touches (and how - with what activities and tech). The same for sales.
- Theorize where partners can (or have) impacted that buyer's journey. Example: Agency partners help post-purchase (mostly). Resellers pre-purchase. Media/affiliate partners on awareness and education.

Now you can more competently explain why & where we partner & with who. Also, you'll know what activities partners can plug into, as well as what tech affects each stage of the journey.

Layer in your TYPE of business (transactional solution? Or enterprise sale?) & you can even further manage expectations around the fact that partner may not be able to get you an immediate win in 30 days...

2) You blanket the same incentives across partners

Referral commissions only matter to some. SPIFFs are only as good as much as people care. 

What about:
- Quota relief for sellers? 
- Sending referrals to partner? 
- Increasing retention for partners? 

If you have an ideal partner profile, each one should have specific incentives. 

For agency partners, if you win them a client, that could change the course of their year (vs the 15% you offered them). 

The same goes internally. If you only throw money at a problem, people won't emotionally connect. But, if you relieve quota for your sales team, then that's another avenue of them achieving what they care about... versus some random new thing.

Here's how:
- Ask the person what they care about.
- Ideate how you can help them in multiple ways (& then ask again).
- Customize by partner category in your ideal partner profile. Then implement the plan.
- Optimize by identifying additional levers to pull. Does more commission % increase activity? Do the SPIFFs actually work? What about when you send more leads to partners? 
----
This is a series dedicated to helping marketing & partnerships teams execute with excellence. No gimmicks. No fancy hooks. 

I’m Will, passionate about making markets move together & producing results. I’m the Co-Founder of AudienceLed, a demand gen marketing agency producing pipeline with existing spheres of influence & third-party expertise.

Please criticize this content or ask me questions. I’m here to help.

(9/30) "How do you make them take action?" The most common question around working with influencers & partners. It's simple. A tactical content series:

Make it so easy they would be foolish not to take action.

Here's how we execute "Delivery" in our 3-part process.

1) Do the work for them

Seriously. Why would anyone act on behalf of you? Maybe if you pay them, but even then the output won't ever satisfy what you want to accomplish.

Pre-write the message. Write the copy of the content for them. Show up with GIFTS on a SILVER PLATTER.

Literally received an email today from a third-party we work with saying:
"I would just love to say we really appreciate how thoughtful and communicative you all are. We've worked with plenty of partners and it's just such a breath of fresh air to have everything be so streamlined for us!"

The bar is low. But treating people well and making it easy is table stakes. Period!

AND IT MOVES THE NEEDLE.

People WILL copy and paste what you write for them. If they don't they will make minor changes as needed. But if it's in their voice and uses their words... it's hard for them to say no to hit "send" or "post".

Here's how: 
- Capture their words (through existing content, or a recorded call)
- Align their words to their (and your) joint-narrative
- Find the best moments and turn that into content
- Make it multi-modal. Video clip + blog post + social post + email message + Slack message + etc.

Then you will overwhelm them with value.

2) Make it clear who does what & when.

You can't just throw things at people. It needs to be organized. It needs to be direct. This comes with proper project management.

Give a specific date and time. Tell them who is doing it. @ mention them, CC them in, address them directly on a call.

If you do this with #1... they know when they need to do the copy + paste. 

Clarity drives action.

Read that again! Clarity drives action!

And if that action is a < 2 minute task... it will inevitably be completed.

Also, this reflects on your ability to HELP them execute. If you are the one helping them achieve their goals, they will prioritize you.

Here's how:
- Give them one place to go (a doc, a Notion page, a tool/collaboration space)
- Give them a date and time of execution
- Tell them who should be doing the task (directly)
- Direct them to the one place to go
- Clarify the actions with a summarized CTA
- Send them a calendar invite for when they need to execute
- Reiterate what happens when they do it (the outcomes they care about)

Your professionalism will impress them.

------
This is a series dedicated to helping marketing & partnerships teams execute w/ excellence. No gimmicks. No fancy hooks. 

I’m Will, passionate about making markets move together & producing results. I’m the Co-Founder of AudienceLed, a demand gen marketing agency producing pipeline with existing spheres of influence & third-party expertise.

Please criticize this content or ask me questions. I’m here to help.

(7/30) The impact 3rd-party validation. Data, stories, & outcomes from working w/ people outside your company. A no B.S. tactical content series:

Last iteration I wrote about getting 5,000+ people to an event. Previously, we closed a $30,000 deal from content exposure from a third-party expert (attributed with organic mention).

These don't happen at the same scale, velocity, or conversion rate that direct provides. Here's why:

1) More distribution (less beholden to algorithms + limited owned channels)
- Open more channels to reach more of the TAM (attention-wise)
- You can even double-post back on your channel to re-use the content again

2) More trust (& less bias)
- Your marketer talking about what you do? Inherently biased. Likely not an industry expert.
- Another person outside of your company? Less biased. Likely more deep industry knowledge (including niche information)

3) Better brand (by association & the feel-good of making others famous)
- Everyone can promote their own thing. You can shout on the side of a street but not everyone will listen.
- If your brand becomes a platform for others to build off of... be it in their own revenue generation (or even just share of voice)... the more loyalty you'll build.

Who do you bring in? 
- In (5/30) I wrote about how to classify, research, organize, & incentivize third-party expertise.
- The people, brands, and places your buyer already trusts. That's your customers, the buyers themselves, complementary brands, formal partners, & more.

How you can think about this:
- Who do you trust more? The faceless brand? Or the influencer?
- When was the last time you purchased something just because a new product/brand was forced in front of you via an ad, search result, etc.
- Do you instead, go to your peers, influencers, reddit, etc. to make sense of a purchasing decision?
- Think... buying a car, choosing an accountant, etc. you need to FEEL trust. 

The outcomes (comment / DM for sources!):
- 2x higher conversion rates & faster deal cycles in partner-influenced deals
- In one example, Partner-influenced deals close 28 days faster than non-partnered deals.
- SDRs focusing on partner-led events find leads to be more responsive and higher-converting.
- Ecosystem-qualified leads from partnered content were ~100x more likely to close than cold ones in another example. 100x. That's 10,000% in percentage terms!

A co-branded ad campaign with 3+ partners drove:
- 971% more impressions
- 368% more engagement
- 1,806% more link clicks
- 314% audience growth

----
Today's inspired by Kyle Lacy!

This is a series dedicated to helping marketing & partnerships teams execute with excellence. No gimmicks. No fancy hooks. 

I’m Will, passionate about making markets move together & producing results. I’m the Co-Founder of AudienceLed, a demand gen marketing agency producing pipeline with existing spheres of influence & third-party expertise.

Please criticize this content or ask me questions. I’m here to help.

Time & Relationships Consulting

While I excel in full-time roles, with 20 years in revenue-generating positions and an extensive network, I’m also available for fractional consulting to help companies drive revenue growth, build partnerships, and leverage the power of connections and content.

𝐀 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬:
• Facilitated collaboration between podcast production companies, B2B SaaS marketing teams, and a SaaS employee advocacy business to enhance content marketing, sales engagement, and podcast performance
• Strategic partner for a business intelligence and marketing analytics platform in the legal industry
• Created a sales strategy for a startup tackling restaurant food waste with order management.
• Developed a $125k/year sponsorship model for a student-athlete company.

𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰.

Principal

I’ve sold podcast ads and sponsorships, managed three podcast listening platforms, engaged with hundreds of podcasters, and worked for an AI company deeply connected to the podcasting industry.

With this unique perspective and experience, I consult and coach businesses to launch their own podcasts and existing podcasters looking to:
1️⃣ Expand their Distribution
2️⃣ Grow their Audience
3️⃣ Monetize effectively
4️⃣ Build their content into a brand and business
5️⃣ Overcome fears, reframe limiting beliefs, and develop a success mindset

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝? 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭.

Podcast Coach & Consultant

As a podcast industry veteran, I bring immense value through my deep understanding of the hard work involved in creating a successful podcast. I offer energy, knowledge, and experience to help podcast hosts craft compelling episodes with engaging and share-worthy content. I’m also passionate about promoting the podcasts I appear on across my social channels to help amplify their reach.

𝑇𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑠 𝐼 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘 𝑂𝑛:
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:
With years of experience running multiple podcast platforms, I dive into the strategies, tools, and insights that drive podcast success and growth. I share actionable tips for creating standout episodes and growing a podcast audience.

𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬
"Life is about Time & Relationships." I provide practical strategies for effective networking, building lasting relationships, and thinking long-term to foster success both professionally and personally.

𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬:
Drawing from over a decade in media, I offer actionable insights on leveraging brand-building techniques to create new opportunities and stand out in today’s competitive marketplace.

𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐭 & 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: 𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲
Everyone faces challenges, but how you respond defines your journey. I share my personal story of career burnout and mental health challenges and offer valuable lessons on developing resilience in the face of adversity, helping to normalize stigma, and help others feel less alone.

𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬:
Having navigated high-pressure corporate environments and personal growth, I speak openly about mental health. I aim to provide support, inspiration, and actionable advice for those struggling with their own challenges.

Podcast Guest

Always curious to improve my skills, learn from others, and be a part of a network to grow. 
As a member of RevGenius, I demonstrate my desire to learn and my growth mindset.

RevGenius is a group of revenue-generating sales and marketing professionals brought together to learn, share, support, and grow with each other.

As a member of Partnership Leaders, I continue to elevate my strategic thinking and connections leading to solutions and be a part of a community to turn to for help and learning. Always be curious and drive revenue and value.

Partnership Leaders is the industry association for Partnership/Channel/ Alliances/Business Development leaders. Their mission is to elevate the role of partnership leaders at their companies and provide a vibrant online community through virtual events, curated professional networking opportunities, and educational resources to drive success for our members.

Podcast(H)er

With years of experience supporting podcasters and small business owners, a unique perspective, and experience with podcasting, I consulted with Podcast(H)er to assist in creating a platform for female business owners serious about utilizing podcasting as part of their overall business engine.

If you're a female podcaster, looking to learn, grow, and monetize, check out the Podcast(H)er community
https://www.podcasther.com/a/2147831026/uXaXhApi

Head of Relationships

castmagic

As a relationships-focused revenue generator with experience running three successful podcast platforms, I joined an AI-focused SaaS startup to bring a human-centered approach to a technology-driven space.

As Head of Relationships and Humanization Consultant, I helped shape the company’s identity to feel more approachable and personal in an increasingly automated world. By creating conversations and fostering connections, I made customers want to engage with us rather than just use the product.

Joining in the third month, with MRR at $1,000, I served as the ultimate utility player:

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 => Evaluated tech integrations, partnered with aligned companies and created co-marketing webinars.

𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 => Led direct outreach, demos, webinar series, event participation, podcast guesting, and affiliate/referral program management.

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 => Grew a Slack community to 1,400+ members, led onboarding and weekly office hours, developed training resources, and improved product adoption while reducing churn.

Through our SaaS AI platform, I enabled Small Businesses (SMB) and Mid-Sized companies to save time, grow revenue, and maximize their content output. In our first year, I contributed to growing revenue from $0 to $1M ARR, scaling the customer Slack community to over 1,400 members, and successfully launching an affiliate/referral program.

𝗠𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼:
"Life is about Time & Relationships. It's about opening connections and conversations, as you never know where they may lead."

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁:
I created a customer-first environment that humanized our AI platform, building brand equity through authentic connections, fostering community growth, and driving revenue while increasing adoption and decreasing churn. It’s the little things—those human touches—that made our success possible.

Maple Media

I was hired by the founder to build out new revenue streams, expand product offerings, explore licensing opportunities, and grow paid subscription revenue for a mobile app/subscription/advertising platform. I was enthusiastic to learn multiple new products and industries, think strategically about how to build revenue, and expand my business development and partnership skills, 

During my tenure, I learned about the podcast industry, and grew the revenue from $52k/year to $1M+/year, expanding the product offering and growing our audience. My success was recognized as I was enlisted to be a judge for a leading podcast award.

I established 20+ strategic partnerships in the legal and accounting industries, reaching 10% TAM, and evaluated technical product integrations and a reseller channel.

Sourced 8 licensing contracts with leading financial firms to improve data and content for our financial product and evaluated a product offering for a new revenue channel.

Director of Global Sales, Business Development & Partnerships

Freebird 

I was hired by the founders to lead the non-endemic revenue strategy for a rideshare rewards platform. I believed in the mission, was energized by the culture, and had an opportunity to utilize my advertising background in a new and unique medium.

I had great success opening conversations with brands to build out the roadmap for monetizing the platform. Recruited partners in the Fintech space and other rewards platforms to co-market to acquire 1000s of new users, coming in 20% below marketing CAC. Negotiated a 6-figure tactical deal with an NHL hockey team. Assisted in adding restaurants and retailers to the endemic portion of the platform. 

I was able to demonstrate my ability to be a resourceful self-starter and tenacious problem-solver, willing to roll up my sleeves to meet the needs of a startup beyond the duties hired for. I learned about the engineering challenges of a startup built on the foundation of other companies. 

Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, the company was forced to close operations.

Director Of Sales And Business Development

Jungle Creations

I was approached to open the West Coast office for an award-winning UK-based startup, leading the operations and sales initiatives. The opportunity to take my positive can-do attitude, track record of consistently meeting or exceeding sales performance goals, and be incredibly hands-on for a startup was a great growth challenge for me.

I was focused on building revenue and brand equity on the West Coast, working with brands and agencies to drive better business outcomes by leveraging our best-in-class video production, creating compelling video content, and utilizing our massive scale for distribution. 

During my tenure, I established a warm, collaborative office culture, generated over 40 RFPs valued at over $3M, and closed multiple deals ranging from small to 6-figure, by creating new business and existing relationships. Operations were closed unexpectedly due to platform changes that severely impacted the company's overall monetization.

Director of US Sales & Business Development - West Coast

CBS Corporation

With CBS separating its radio division, our team joined the CBS Radio organization. I continued my growth as a consultative seller and transitioned from a national digital seller to a strategic role on the Altitude Integrated Sales Group, utilizing all of CBS Radio's assets to assist brands and agencies with solutions to meet their goals.

I continued to gain new business while growing existing accounts. Our podcast business was in the early stages, so I was able to help build out the framework, create proprietary reporting, become a subject matter expert, establish new relationships, and be the lead seller on the team for the West Coast in 2017.

Our team launched a complex longer sales cycle product, branded content, and through an existing relationship and a new one, I was able to sell 2 strategic 6-figure deals. One a 6-part 60+ minute web series that involved the complexity of production, talent, and advertising.

As CBS Radio was being sold to Entercom, I was approached to open the office for a UK-based startup in the social content/branded content space and took the challenge to help them establish a West Coast office.

Director, Strategic Partnerships – West Coast

Eventful was acquired by CBS Local in July 2014. Being naturally curious and seeing the opportunity for growth, I stayed with the company as it provided me the opportunity to expand my advertising knowledge and skillset, offering more complex and strategic solutions (experiential, native, podcasting, digital).

In 2015 I was the #1 sales rep on the team, with $800k+ revenue obtainment.

Account Director- National Sales

Eventful

I joined former co-workers at a startup with the opportunity to join a fast-paced, high-growth company to make a giant impact by generating new business and expanding my knowledge by learning a unique solution around data, email, and content.    

In the 2 years there, before we were acquired by CBS Local, I achieved a 22% close ratio. Developing relationships with brands directly and advertising agencies, I was the first seller to generate new business in 3 verticals (Automotive, Consumer Package Goods, and State Lottery). I successfully closed business with restaurants, CVBs, Retail, Attractions, Events, Beauty, and Electronics.

I learned how to overcome the challenges of being a small company in a competitive advertising space and found success by understanding agency and company structures, identifying key decision-makers and budget owners, and engaging with them continuously to foster relationships by traveling to conferences and across the western states for meetings and presentations. I constantly increased revenue and closed 6-figure long-sales cycle deals.

Account Director

Revenue Generator 💰│ #Partnerships Builder 🧱 │ People Connector 🤝 │ #Podcast Consultant 🎧 │ Lifelong Learner 💡 │ #opentoconnect

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞?
Building meaningful connections, staying curious, and creating opportunities that make an impact. I’m inspired by the people I meet, the ideas we share, and the growth we can achieve together. 

𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲
From growing up with Chicago roots to earning my marketing degree at USC (Fight On✌️), my journey has been shaped by an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for helping others thrive.

I’ve gone from exceeding sales quotas and managing teams at Yahoo! to leading partnerships at startups, where I developed innovative revenue streams and built communities that drive business growth. Along the way, I’ve earned a reputation as "the guy who knows someone" or "the guy with the answers."

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭:
• Revenue Generation: Designing and executing creative go-to-market strategies, partnerships, and programs that open up new revenue streams.
• Community-Driven Growth: Building customer communities that drive sales, reduce churn, open partnership opportunities, generate content, and build advocates. 
• Customer-Focused Solutions: As Head of Relationships, I listen to people, connect them to solutions and opportunities, and channel their feedback into product improvements, partnerships, and brand advocacy.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫:
Life is about Time and Relationships—you never know where one conversation today might lead. Building authentic connections is at the core of everything I do, both personally and professionally. 

Take whichever cliché you want, but I love them all:
• “Success in business is all about relationships. It's about trust, respect, and loyalty.” – Jack Welch
• “Business is all about relationships. Build them, nourish them, and always be honest and transparent.” – Richard Branson
• “You can never go wrong by investing in relationships.” – Gary Vaynerchuk


𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞-𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬, 𝐥𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤. 
𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠.

---

When not succeeding at work, you can find me hiking, deep in self-growth discovery, going to a concert or sporting event, traveling, or kicking back with a drink—always with a smile on my face (or smirk). 

MB= ENTJ
DISC= DI (Initiator)
Enneagram= 3 (performer)
WHY.os = Better Way ➢ Clarify ➢ Make Sense

Greg Wasserman

Video is the topic right now.
Someone helped me understand a nuance to the problem I haven't heard yet.

Big thank you Doug Downs, for the great conversation
And for pointing out something I hadn't heard mentioned.

Doug edits 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰 and 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰 differently for his clients. 
Not just slightly. 
Entirely with the 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱.

He knows an audio-only experience is consumed differently from video. 
Different audience. Different behavior. Different expectations.

So he puts in the extra time to craft both versions
🎥 A video that fits how people watch. 
🎧 An audio edit that fits how people listen.

It takes more work. 
But it delivers a better experience. 
And when you create for 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦, your engagement and metrics follow.

Everyone's talking about Video Video Video.
But no one's talking about ensuring you're editing the two for their appropriate mediums.

This was the first time I’d heard someone say they consciously do this.

I've heard that 50% of those watching the video are only listening.
Few are talking about how they are editing their content to ensure this.


Steve Stewart — curious what you’re seeing from editors in the Podcast Editors Academy. 
Are others starting to take this approach?

Relationship Generator 🤝 │ Partnerships Builder 🧱 │ Community Cultivator 🌱 │ Revenue Accelerator💰 │ Podcast Consultant 🎧 │ Humanization Strategist 🤖 │ Open to Connect 🙋🏻‍♂️

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