This week’s special guest, Liza Adams, shared valuable insights on the role of AI in go-to-market strategies. Here are some key takeaways from the engaging conversation:
- AI Impact Across Functions: While marketing often takes the spotlight for AI impact, Liza highlighted the growing influence of AI in sales and customer success areas. The seamless integration of AI blurs traditional silos, fostering cross-functional collaboration for enhanced customer experiences.
- Authenticity Amplified: AI presents a unique opportunity for brands to amplify authenticity. By balancing key elements like convenience with privacy, efficiency with empathy, and personalization with transparency, companies can build trust and resonate with customers authentically.
- Leveraging Data: Liza emphasized the importance of tapping into existing data sources, such as customer conversations and internal information, while also exploring publicly available data. By feeding AI with rich data sets, organizations can unlock valuable insights to drive strategic decision-making.
- Continuous Product Market Fit: In the evolving landscape of sustained profitability, continuous product market fit assessment is crucial. AI tools can aid in market understanding, data extraction, and insights generation to adapt to shifting market dynamics effectively.
- Intense Curiosity & Experimentation: Liza’s approach of intense curiosity and experimentation with AI showcases the potential for innovation. From analyzing Disney World ride data to creating dynamic infographics from weather data, embracing curiosity can lead to novel insights and applications of AI.
In closing, Liza’s advice to companies is to not underestimate the power of AI. Rather than limiting AI to tactical strategies, leverage it as a thought partner to enhance ideas and drive innovation. Stay curious, explore diverse data sources, and embrace AI’s transformative capabilities in shaping effective go-to-market strategies.
Thank you to Liza for the insightful discussion, and stay tuned for more engaging conversations on Account Base Friday! See you in two weeks for an exciting episode on leveraging LinkedIn for personal branding. Happy Friday and take care!
Key Insights
What does “deeply integrated into the stack” look like for AI adoption?
Deeply integrated into the stack: Deep integration into the stack for AI adoption signifies a top-down strategic initiative within a business where AI is infused across all tasks and workflows. An example of this is seen in Moderna’s approach, where the CEO and executive team championed AI adoption, leading to 100% integration in departments like legal, resulting in increased efficiency and productivity.
How would you assess where AI was to where it is now in terms of product market fit?
Assessing AI in product market fit: The evolution of AI in product market fit has been significant over the last 18 months, particularly in generative AI. The focus has shifted from basic content creation to strategic applications like thought partnership, automation, insights generation, and personalization. McKinsey’s research underlines the immense business value AI can bring to sales and marketing, emphasizing the need to explore diverse applications beyond traditional uses.
How can AI help with product market fit and go-to-market strategy?
AI’s role in product market fit and go-to-market strategy: AI plays a crucial role in enhancing product market fit and go-to-market strategy by enabling deeper market understanding, data analysis for insights, and continuous assessment of market dynamics. Leveraging AI tools can facilitate more informed decision-making, adaptability to market shifts, and the development of customer-centric strategies.
Where do you see AI’s role across go-to-market functions like sales, marketing, and customer success?
AI across go-to-market functions: While marketing often receives attention for AI impact, sales and customer success areas are increasingly utilizing AI tools. The seamless integration of AI blurs traditional silos, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and enabling a more cohesive and personalized customer experience.
How would you suggest leveraging that information for go-to-market strategy with AI?
Leveraging external data sources: To enhance go-to-market strategy with AI, it is essential to tap into diverse data sources beyond internal conversations. Publicly available data sets, customer reviews, case studies, surveys, and other external sources can provide valuable insights for informed decision-making and strategy development.
How can AI help amplify authenticity in marketing and not ruin it?
Amplifying authenticity with AI: AI can amplify authenticity in marketing by striking a balance between convenience and privacy, efficiency and empathy, personalization and transparency. By leveraging AI responsibly and aligning strategies with human values, brands can build trust with customers authentically and resonate effectively.
What are some other AI use cases you are seeing with marketing that people should consider?
Other AI use cases in marketing: Apart from traditional use cases, AI presents opportunities for segmentation, targeting, positioning, category creation, and understanding the market deeply. Strategic applications of AI in marketing include driving innovation, enhancing customer experiences, and fostering continuous product market fit assessments.
Do you agree marketing is the go-to-market function most impacted by AI? Why or why not?
Impact of AI on marketing: While marketing is often seen as the most impacted function by AI, Liza suggests that sales and customer success areas are also rapidly incorporating AI tools. The seamless integration of AI across functions is reshaping traditional silos into cross-functional collaboration for more cohesive customer experiences.
What guidance do you have for using external data sources beyond a company’s own customer conversations and information?
Guidance on using external data sources: Liza emphasizes the importance of intense curiosity and exploration of diverse data sources beyond internal conversations. Leveraging publicly available data sets, weather data, ride data from theme parks, and other sources can lead to innovative insights and applications of AI in go-to-market strategies.
Advice for using AI in go-to-market strategy
Advice for using AI in go-to-market strategy: Liza’s key advice for companies utilizing AI in go-to-market strategy is not to underestimate its power. Rather than confining AI to tactical strategies, view it as a thought partner to enhance ideas, foster innovation, and drive strategic decision-making effectively. Embracing curiosity and experimentation with AI can lead to novel insights and transformative outcomes in go-to-market initiatives.
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Today’s discussion was led by Jon Russo who is a three-time global Chief Marketing Officer in successful public and private SaaS companies in Silicon Valley, New York City, and Luxembourg. Today, he leads B2B Fusion, a Sales and Marketing performance agency designed to optimize marketing technologies and business processes to drive effective revenue growth across technology, healthcare, and financial services.
Our co-host is Megan Heuer, formerly Head of Research at SiriusDecisions and multi-time CMO before starting her own agency focused on Go To Market Best Practices.