Theory & Practice, a special subseries within the Growth Driver podcast, is where John Common, CEO of Intelligent Demand, cuts through surface-level strategies and explores what truly drives B2B growth. Season 1 brought insights that challenged assumptions and transformed growth into more than just a metric—here are some of the standout moments!

From John Common’s advice to have the CMO, CRO, CEO, and CFO at the table for strategic planning to breaking down real growth goals, every episode challenged the status quo. With a call for courageous and wise decision-making, John reminds leaders that driving growth isn’t about waiting for a crisis but about proactively instigating change for long-term success.

As the industry shifts towards “efficient growth,” Theory & Practice continues to explore how many companies over-focus on short-term acquisition, ignoring the deeper fundamentals. John emphasized the power of alignment: connecting brand, demand, sales, and customer success by holding every team accountable for the unified message that speaks to customers with one voice.

Growth Driver is powered by Intelligent Demand. Visit intelligentdemand.com to learn more about how they can help your organization hit its growth goals.

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In this episode of Growth Driver, John welcomes AJ Gandhi, Chief Growth Officer at Marlin Equity Partners, for an in-depth exploration of the emerging role of the Chief Growth Officer (CGO) in modern B2B growth. They unpack what makes this role unique—its core responsibilities, how it compares to other C-level titles, and how CGOs drive aligned growth across diverse functions.

AJ shares insights from his experience as a CGO, shedding light on the evolving demands of go-to-market strategy. With businesses prioritizing both growth and efficiency, AJ breaks down his “DRIVER” framework, a powerful approach for scalable, cross-functional alignment:

D for Differentiation: Craft compelling, customer-centered messaging to stand out.

R for Raise Sales Talent: Prioritize skill development and continuous enablement.

I for Ideal Customer Profile Pipeline: Target ICP-based opportunities that drive true value.

V for Value Realization: Measure and communicate ROI at every customer stage.

E for Expansion of Existing Customers: Foster lifetime value through smart renewal and cross-sell tactics.

R for Revenue Team Excellence: Encourage cohesion and innovation across functions.

Tune in to understand the CGO’s role in building end-to-end growth strategies and transforming growth into a true team sport.

About the Guest

Entrepreneurial general manager with expertise in B2B sales strategy, productivity and operations and proven ability to sell enterprise deals. 20+ years of experience with over 50 B2B companies covering all major geographies (NA, EMEA, APJ), customer segments (Enterprise, Commercial, SMB) and routes to market (Field, Inside, Channel, OEM Sales).

Distinctively known for: GTM acumen, team building and development, collaborative problem solving, driving change and creating a high aspiration, yet fun, winning culture. Intrinsically motivated by the opportunity to contribute and make a difference.

Active non-profit leader and proudly recognized as "Father of the Year" by Board of Supervisors of San Mateo County, CA.

Growth Driver is powered by Intelligent Demand. Visit intelligentdemand.com to learn more about how they can help your organization hit its growth goals.

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What if your account-based strategy needs to become your business's lifeline? More and more organizations are claiming ABX is the cornerstone of their go-to-market strategy, but they didn’t get there overnight. The journey from simply “ABX curious” to running a full-scale pilot highlights how companies can elevate both engagement and conversion rates by focusing their efforts on the accounts that matter most; and the critical elements that will prevent account-based success if not addressed early and head-on.

That’s why we’re exploring what happens when ABX goes beyond being just one of many strategies in a marketer's playbook and instead takes center stage as the primary motion to drive both demand and efficiency. This transition requires a transformative shift in the way companies target, personalize, and engage their audience. But more than just tactical adjustments, ABX done right impacts the entire organization—from aligning marketing and sales to building transparency and cross-functional coordination.

Join us as we dive into the strategic evolution from broad-market targeting to laser-focused account-based strategies with Kevin Sellers, CMO at Avalara and formerly with Intel, Ping Identity, and Avnet. Kevin shares the strategic decisions, executive alignment, and hard-earned lessons that came from piloting and scaling ABX. Join us as we unpack the mechanics of effective ABX strategy and the cultural shifts that make it work.

Kevin Sellers is responsible for Avalara’s worldwide marketing and branding to reinforce the company’s market leader position in tax compliance and to drive demand for its software solutions and services. He joined Avalara in 2024 and brings more than 25 years of broad-based marketing expertise in digital, data/analytics, complex channels and storytelling – driving growth and relevance for world-class brands and moving buyers to action. Prior to Avalara, Kevin has held CMO positions at Ping Identity and Avnet and spent more than 20 years at Intel in various global marketing and investor relations leadership roles. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and an MBA from Brigham Young University.

Growth Driver is powered by Intelligent Demand. Visit intelligentdemand.com to see how we help B2B companies grow revenue.

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Welcome to a world where the role of CMOs is rapidly evolving, demanding not just creative genius but strategic acumen and data-driven decision-making. It’s up to today’s marketing leaders to understand how their responsibilities intertwine with sales, product, and finance to drive cohesive growth strategies.

Today, we’re diving into the art of driving efficient growth as an enterprise CMO, while juggling limited budgets, lots of competition, product complexity, and the never ending challenges of alignment. From defining and refining your Ideal Client Profile (ICP), to driving an orchestrated execution of your go-to-market strategy, the CMO role feels a lot like a pressure cooker.

Pull up a seat as we dig in with Corey Livingston, and discover the lessons, insights, and warning signs she’s gathered in her decades of steering growth in complex enterprise environments. This episode provides an insider's view on strategies that will keep your marketing and sales teams harmonized amidst product innovation and shifting market dynamics.

About the Guest

Corey Livingston is a results-driven marketing leader with over two decades of experience in strategic marketing, demand generation, and revenue operations. Formerly the Senior Vice President of Marketing & Sales Operations at OneNeck IT Solutions (now US Signal), Corey leads cross-functional teams in executing go-to-market strategies that drive brand visibility, customer acquisition, sales pipeline and revenue. Her leadership has been pivotal in implementing a data-driven demand generation engines, resulting in increased sales pipeline and new logo growth across complex buying journeys. Corey holds an MBA from Loyola Marymount University and a BBA from Texas Tech University.

Growth Driver is powered by Intelligent Demand. Visit intelligentdemand.com to learn more about how they can help your organization hit its growth goals.

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As revenue leaders, we spend the majority of our time working on strategy, processes, and metrics... And we should. But when you step back and look at how our customers and prospects actually get to know us, what they really interact with, it’s our content.

Content is the heartbeat of B2B growth—yet, let's face it, much of it is uninspired and forgettable. B2B content is often generic, jargony, and timid. And it’s not a stretch to say you could swap logos on the content in most categories and not even tell the difference.

So how do you create content that doesn’t suck? That’s what we’re going to cover today with content expert Ardath Albee. Join us as we walk through the key steps of the content process and uncover insights, advice, and mistakes to avoid so we can create content that is super engaging, highly relevant, differentiating, and actually drives growth.

About the Guest

Ardath Albee is a B2B Marketing Strategist and CEO of Marketing Interactions where she creates personas and persona-driven content marketing and buyer enablement strategies for her clients. She’s written two books—Digital Relevance and eMarketing Strategies for the Complex Sale—and is often found speaking at industry events, leading workshops, and on the lists of the top B2B industry experts to follow.

Growth Driver is powered by Intelligent Demand. Visit intelligentdemand.com to learn more about how they can help your organization hit its growth goals.

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B2B buyers have changed—and your strategy should too. Are your strategies still centered around the outdated MQL model? You're not alone, but it's time to break free and step into the realities of new buyer behavior, buying teams, and multi-threading. These challenges are more connected than you might think.

Today we’re tackling the monumental shifts in B2B buyer behavior and why clinging to Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) is no longer the path to revenue success. It's time to equip your business with the know-how to engage buyers on their terms and dramatically improve your revenue process.

Join us as we reconnect with two game-changers from season one, Terry Flaherty and Kerry Cunningham. With their decades of experience in shaping B2B marketing and sales processes–the funnel model to name one–they bring a wealth of insights into the 'why' and 'how' of aligning your strategies with modern buyer behavior.

Terry Flaherty is a senior marketing executive with a passion for sales and marketing integration through effective demand generation. His background includes more than 15 years of experience delivering enterprise-level software solutions, including business process management (BPM), IT infrastructure management, business intelligence, and application development.

Check out Terry’s first episode on Growth Driver:

https://www.growthdrivershow.com/mqls-are-out-buying-groups-are-in-with-terry-flaherty/

Kerry Cunningham is a research director, analyst, and thought leader with over 25 years of experience in all aspects of B2B. He’s authored numerous B2B frameworks including the latest versions of the Revenue Waterfall model. Most recently at 6sense, Kerry leads research and insights, including the just-released B2B Buyer Experience Report.

Check out Kerry’s first episode on Growth Driver:

https://www.growthdrivershow.com/how-b2b-buyer-behavior-has-changed-with-kerry-cunningham/

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An Ideal Client Profile (ICP) and Target Account Lists (TAL) are nothing new in B2B. Yet, what data to leverage–and when–is something many organizations have struggled to operationalize, leading to wasted resources and lagging efficiency.

That’s why we’re breaking down the steps to build a precise ICP and TAL using firmographics, technographics, and exegraphics–and where intent signals, event triggers, and segmentation should be part of the process.

Sit down with Aaron and Jeff Ha, Chief Go-to-Market Officer at Rev Intelligence, as they discuss:

• The importance of creating a precise ICP and TAL
• How to use firmographics, technographics, and exegraphics to segment your market
• Best practices for tiering and segmentation
• How and when to use intent signals and event data to target top accounts

About the Guest

Jeff Ha, is the Chief Go-to-Market Officer at Rev. He’s an accomplished Silicon Valley start-up veteran with a passion for making the workplace a great learning and development environment. Ha previously worked at PLAE, a digitally native sneaker brand, and at NetBase Solutions, a social media analytics company. Earlier in his professional life, Ha was a senior secondary teacher with the U.S. Peace Corps in Namibia, where he overhauled the way math and physical science were taught, dramatically boosting the pass rate. He has a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Berkeley and started his professional career as a field nuclear engineer with Schlumberger.

Growth Driver is powered by Intelligent Demand. Visit intelligentdemand.com to learn more about how they can help your organization hit its growth goals.

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We’re kicking off Season 2 with a deep dive into the mindset and methods of the new model Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). The B2B field is undergoing a monumental transformation—marked by disruption, innovation, and a significant generational shift in leadership, so it’s no surprise that innovative leaders are spearheading the change.

As many of us know all too well, marketing is often the first to face cuts when budgets constrict. But this transformation presents an opportunity to marketing leaders, where they can help their fellow executives make the critical shift from viewing marketing merely as a cost center to recognizing it as a key revenue leader.

Join us as we dive into how modern marketing leaders are approaching growth, the necessary skills and experiences they should possess, what outdated practices they are shedding, and what cutting-edge concepts they are championing with Kyle Coleman.

About our Guest: 

Kyle Coleman is a living definition of a modern CMO, with experience across sales and marketing. Kyle’s foray into B2B tech sales started in 2013 when he joined Looker as the 6th employee (acquired by Google for $2.6b in 2019). He then moved on to Clari and for the next 5 years helped 8x revenue as the head of growth and CMO. Kyle is now the CMO at Copy.ai, the first ever GTM AI platform.

Growth Driver is powered by Intelligent Demand. Visit intelligentdemand.com to learn more about how they can help you drive efficient growth at your company.

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