SBP 055: Scaling Up: Who Said So Besides You? With Christine Gillies.

This week's show highlights Christine Gilles, named Globe & Mail’s Top Exec for 2023, and serving as the Chief Marketing and Product Officer at Blackline Safety. In this episode, Christine imparts valuable insights, offering tips for scaling up a tech business and providing an in-depth look at the role of Blackline’s Health & Safety technology. She covers various topics, including creating internal alignment for growth, upskilling her team, establishing credibility with CFOs, and showcasing the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. Don’t forget, to stick around for post-podcast conversation with our hosts, Vassilis and Marc. Our Guest: Christine Gillies Chief Product & Marketing Officer @ Blackline Safety Awarded Globe & Mail’s Top Exec 2023 Career in B2B SaaS, Tech & Product Marketing https://www.linkedin.com/in/christineg2/ https://www.blacklinesafety.com/ - wearables sensors to keep remote workers safe Our Hosts: Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠ Get in touch with our hosts: Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/ Vassilis Douros: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/⁠ Podcast Literature: Top Exec Globe & Mail https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/rob-magazine/article-full-circle-christine-gillies-escaped-from-the-world-trade-center-on/ 4 Types of Business Orientation https://smallbusiness.chron.com/business-orientation-24274.html What are the real problems Marketers face? https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7118900791737733120/ Top Exec Globe & Mail https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/rob-magazine/article-full-circle-christine-gillies-escaped-from-the-world-trade-center-on/ Gartner Changing Buyer https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/gartner-says-b2b-sales-organizations-need-to-give-customers-a-se What are the real problems Marketers face? https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7118900791737733120/ Timestamps: 0:44 - Introduction to Christine, 25+ years of tech marketing 2:08 - Advice Christine would give herself on day 1 of a scaling up a tech business 6:50 - Time kills deals 8:30 - What does Blackline’s Health & Safety technology do?  11:40 - Creating internal alignment and resourcing for growth 14:22 - Why we need to talk about “The Leads are Weak” 15:30 - How Christine is upskilling her team’s financial and business acumen 18:13 - Building credibility with the CFO    19:20 - Showing the effectiveness (aka return) of marketing campaigns 22:20 - How to manage the timeline expectations for a return 24:25 - Two key Principles of Tech Marketing: Who said so besides you + Outside In thinking 26:26 - How to build marketing budgets in hyper-growth companies 28:25 - Why budget cuts can be helpful at times 32:30 - Aligning marketing and product management 35:21 - The value of adding market intelligence to marketing’s remit 37:45 - Foundational enablers to drive growth in startups and scaleups 41:22 - The importance of processes to support growth 42:30 - Balancing agility and process with strategic briefs  47:55 - How to prioritize & manage growth opportunities 49:51 - Designing the organization for brand management 53:08 - Who owns pricing strategy?  57:01 - How leadership styles need to adapt to the orientation of the business 1:00:18 - The value of cross-training specialists across marketing disciplines 1:05:11 - The evolution and momentum in B2B marketing 1:09:15 - B2B companies are adopting more B2C tactics  111:39 - Post Pod with V and Marc Where to Listen: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-sleeping-barber-a-business-and-marketing-podcast/id1609811324 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4v0kaM350zEY7X2VBuyfrF?si=7083317d5afd488b ⁠⁠ Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy84MWVjYWJhNC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwji_oSOopP-AhXnlo4IHTZKBgYQ9sEGegQIARAC Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sleepingbarberpodcast © 2024 Sleeping Barber