How can marketers stay adaptable, leverage AI effectively, and earn a true seat at the table?In this episode of Connect To Market, host Casey Cheshire welcomes Max Maurier, VP of Marketing at Absolute Security, to explore why adaptability is the most critical skill for modern marketing teams. Max shares how marketing is uniquely positioned to pivot faster than other functions, and why leaders must continuously evolve their strategy, channel mix, and team capabilities in response to shifting buyer behavior, company priorities, and emerging technology.He dives into the importance of aligning deeply with company-wide goals (not just reacting to sales requests), and how strong analytics and system fundamentals can help marketers build credibility and trust at the executive level. From rethinking event-heavy strategies to creating a more balanced, targeted digital approach, Max outlines what it takes to operate as a truly strategic marketing function. He also unpacks practical AI use cases, like account research and planning, while emphasizing the need to keep humans in the loop to avoid low-quality, “AI slop” outputs.In this episode, we cover:Why adaptability, not rigid planning, is the key to modern marketing successHow to align marketing with broader business objectives to increase impact and influencePractical ways to apply AI across marketing teams without over-relying on itHow to use data, analytics, and systems to earn trust and a seat at the executive tableIf you're a marketing leader looking to stay ahead of constant change, better integrate AI, and elevate your role within the organization, Max’s insights will challenge how you think about strategy, execution, and leadership.🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you never miss an episode of Connect To Market.Connect with Max:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxmaurier/ Absolute Security: absolute.com Ways to Tune In:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/01kCcPP1ib9MSE9aNb5SQa Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/connect-to-market/id1822777920 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b5c3fb03-482f-4496-bcd0-82c1d66fed3d iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282837141/ Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/connect-to-market-6138391 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP_sn6_Cwun_qxaOz94Epgf6zdqeTFjJV Connect To Market is produced and sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/ 

What if the fastest way to improve your marketing performance isn’t better messaging but better data?In this episode of Connect To Market, host Casey Cheshire welcomes Alex Schutte, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Hubstaff, to explore how marketers can connect to their market by prioritizing data clarity before refining messaging. Alex explains why many B2B teams struggle with alignment and trust due to inconsistent definitions and fragmented reporting, and how fixing these foundational issues can unlock stronger decision making and revenue impact. He shares why marketers who lead with data, not just campaigns, are better positioned to earn executive trust and drive meaningful growth.He breaks down how leaders can move from disconnected metrics to a unified, revenue driven strategy by standardizing key definitions across the funnel, building a centralized executive dashboard, and adopting a bow tie growth model that captures the full customer lifecycle. From analyzing top customers and segmenting effectively to operationalizing LTV and aligning spend accordingly, Alex outlines practical ways to turn data into a strategic advantage. He also touches on forecasting, attribution realities, and how to lead teams with clear expectations and unbiased insights.In this episode, we cover:Why data clarity is the foundation for effective go to market strategyHow to standardize definitions and build a single source of truthUsing a bow tie model to understand growth across the full customer lifecycleAligning marketing efforts to revenue and using LTV to guide smarter decisionsIf you’re a marketing leader looking to improve performance, strengthen alignment, and build credibility with executives, Alex’s approach offers a clear roadmap for turning better data into better business outcomes.🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you never miss an episode of Connect To Market.Connect with Alex:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexschutte/  Hubstaff: https://hubstaff.com/   Ways to Tune In:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/01kCcPP1ib9MSE9aNb5SQa Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/connect-to-market/id1822777920 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b5c3fb03-482f-4496-bcd0-82c1d66fed3d iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282837141/ Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/connect-to-market-6138391 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP_sn6_Cwun_qxaOz94Epgf6zdqeTFjJV Connect To Market is produced and sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/ 

What if your most powerful growth strategy isn’t reaching more people, but starting with the ones closest to you?In this episode of Connect To Market, host Casey Cheshire welcomes Melissa Moody, Founder of Wednesday Women and Host of the Joy of Connecting podcast, to explore how brands can drive growth by returning to authentic human relationships. Melissa introduces her “concentric circles of influence” framework, a practical approach to prioritizing the people closest to your business first, employees, leaders, and internal advocates, before expanding outward to investors, partners, customers, and ultimately the broader market. She explains why starting from the inside out creates stronger alignment, clearer storytelling, and more effective market engagement.She breaks down how organizations can activate employees as brand storytellers, align incentives with investors and advisors to unlock opportunities, and build strategic partnerships as a scalable growth lever. Melissa also highlights the importance of customer success as a marketing function, emphasizing customer-driven content over feature-heavy messaging. From prioritizing inner circles in small teams to maintaining brand consistency at scale, she outlines a more human, relationship-first approach to modern go-to-market strategy.In this episode, we cover:Why human connection outperforms automation in today’s noisy marketing landscapeUnderstanding and applying the concentric circles of influence frameworkEnabling employees and internal stakeholders as authentic brand advocatesLeveraging partnerships and customer success as powerful growth driversIf you’re a marketing leader looking to build stronger relationships, create more authentic engagement, and scale your impact from the inside out, Melissa’s framework offers a clear and actionable path to connecting with your market in a more meaningful way.🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you never miss an episode of Connect To Market.Connect with Melissa:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissammoody/  Wednesday Women: wednesdaywomen.org Joy of Connecting Podcast: https://www.joyofconnect.ing/ Sign up for Alaska Salt Company's email list: https://alaskasaltco.com/ Ways to Tune In:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/01kCcPP1ib9MSE9aNb5SQa Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/connect-to-market/id1822777920 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b5c3fb03-482f-4496-bcd0-82c1d66fed3d iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282837141/ Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/connect-to-market-6138391 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP_sn6_Cwun_qxaOz94Epgf6zdqeTFjJV Connect To Market is produced and sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/ 

How can B2B SaaS companies build a strong go-to-market foundation and turn their website into a true driver of pipeline?In this episode of Connect To Market, host Casey Cheshire welcomes Ian Dowe, Senior Vice President Marketing at HealthAxis, to explore how marketers can connect to their market through a deeply data-driven foundation. Ian explains why understanding your total addressable market, identifying active buyers, defining ICPs and personas, and mapping solutions to real pain points must come before any campaign execution. He shares how gaps in this foundation often stem from organizational maturity and why early success can create false confidence as markets inevitably shift.He breaks down how leaders can build from the ground up by aligning product to buyer needs using frameworks like the KANO model, then layering in narrative, brand, and go-to-market strategy. From structuring MarTech stacks and internal processes to defining product marketing roadmaps and revenue metrics, Ian outlines a practical, step-by-step approach to building a scalable marketing engine. He also reframes creativity as strategic problem-solving and challenges teams to rethink websites as buyer enablement platforms that educate and qualify prospects deeper in the funnel.In this episode, we cover:Why a strong data-driven foundation is critical before executing marketing campaignsAligning product, messaging, and GTM strategy using buyer needs and the KANO modelReframing websites as buyer enablement platforms that drive deeper funnel engagementBuilding scalable marketing systems across MarTech, processes, and revenue metricsIf you’re a marketing leader looking to strengthen your GTM foundation while turning your website into a true growth engine, Ian’s approach offers a clear roadmap for building, scaling, and adapting in an ever-changing B2B landscape.🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you never miss an episode of Connect To Market.Connect with Ian Dowe:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-dowe/  Health Axis Group: healthaxis.com  Ways to Tune In:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/01kCcPP1ib9MSE9aNb5SQa Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/connect-to-market/id1822777920 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b5c3fb03-482f-4496-bcd0-82c1d66fed3d iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282837141/ Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/connect-to-market-6138391 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP_sn6_Cwun_qxaOz94Epgf6zdqeTFjJV Connect To Market is produced and sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/ 

How can booth design and messaging transform your trade show results?In this special episode of Connect To Market, I sat down with Bill Kenney, Founder & Client Advocate of MEET. Bill brings his wealth of knowledge on booth strategy and lead generation, offering practical insights that help businesses turn trade show floors into high-performing sales opportunities.Bill breaks down why traditional booth setups often fall short and how a customer-centric approach makes all the difference. He shares how focusing on pain-point-driven messaging, like asking direct, relatable questions, can immediately attract qualified prospects. Bill also emphasizes the importance of keeping booth designs clean and simple, ditching cluttered text and irrelevant graphics for bold headlines that speak to real customer needs. Plus, he explains how to train your team for short, high-impact conversations and collect the right data for post-show follow-up.In this episode, we cover:Why customer-focused booth messaging outperforms company-centric designsThe power of short, strategic conversations over lengthy sales pitchesWhy cluttered booths and generic giveaways can hurt your brand presenceBill’s framework for turning trade shows into high-performing lead gen channelsIf you’re ready to transform your trade show booth into a lead-generating powerhouse, this episode is packed with actionable insights you won’t want to miss!🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you never miss an episode of Connect To Market.Connect with Bill:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkenney/  MEET Company website: https://meetroi.com/ Blog: https://meetroi.com/blogs/  Belly 2 Belly Podcast: http://meetroi.com/podcast/  Softland Partners Company website: https://softlandpartners.com/ Ways to Tune In:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/01kCcPP1ib9MSE9aNb5SQa Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/connect-to-market/id1822777920 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b5c3fb03-482f-4496-bcd0-82c1d66fed3d iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/282837141/ Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/connect-to-market-6138391 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP_sn6_Cwun_qxaOz94Epgf6zdqeTFjJV Connect To Market is produced and sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/