Great question! I get asked this all the time. It really all depends on your background, but I would urge you to familiarize yourself with marketing terminology like funnel stages, mqls, lead scoring, conversion rates, etc. I would also review your existing skills to see what would be transferable. Perhaps you are a strong writer, or tech savvy, or someone that is very organized and can project manage. These are all transferable skills. Sign up for free online courses through Hubspot or get certified in the latest automation tools. Find out who in your network has a demand gen role that you can interview. Lastly, whenever you are transitioning from one field to another, it's perfectly acceptable to apply for an entry-level position. Companies don't expect you to know everything, they will train you as long as you have a desire to learn.

When I think about measurement gone wrong, my first question is typically about the marketer, not the KPI. All KPIs can be useful, assuming your measurement is scalable (i.e., it doesn’t take a week to do the analysis) and you are using them appropriately (i.e., context is everything). That said, here are some metrics that I generally find less material to understanding the health of the business: 1. Impressions/Followers/Engagement: In a world overrun by bots, ad impressions, social media followers, and engagement metrics have become less relevant. You’d be surprised how many companies with massive social media followings built their audiences by purchasing cheap likes from engagement farms. 2. Frontend Email Metrics: Between email preview panes skewing results and well-documented issues stemming from privacy updates introduced in iOS 15, open rates have become far less relevant in recent years and are no longer sufficient to understand if your message is resonating. 3. CPL & Raw Lead Metrics Without Context: Lots of marketers fall into the trap of driving down CPL at the expense of lead quality. There's no faster way to lose the trust of your sales colleagues than flooding them with low-quality leads & expecting them to convert.

I personally started my career as an entry level contractor at Salesforce, where I worked for 17 years and had 12 different roles. By the time I left, I was a Senior Vice President overseeing a large department that consisted of multiple functions and business units. My high level advice for anyone is to stay curious and slightly uncomfortable – because that will keep you learning and engaged. For recent graduates looking to start a career in Demand Generation, the key is to embrace continuous learning and adaptability. Demand Generation is a multifaceted field that touches many areas of marketing—paid media, content, email, field marketing, and analytics—offering exposure to a wide range of skills. This variety makes it an excellent starting point for those eager to develop a well-rounded marketing foundation. Early in your career, be open to taking on tasks beyond your immediate job description. In an entry-level role, saying yes to new challenges—whether it’s campaign execution, data analysis, or content development—can accelerate your growth. The more you immerse yourself in different aspects of Demand Generation, the more career pathways you create for the future. Since Demand Generation is both strategic and executional, building both soft and hard skills is crucial. Develop analytical skills to understand campaign performance, but also refine communication and collaboration skills to work cross-functionally. Being proactive, resourceful, and willing to experiment will set you apart. Finally, seek mentorship and stay curious. Follow industry trends, ask questions, and leverage every opportunity to learn from experienced marketers. Over time, this broad experience will help you identify your strengths and areas of interest, positioning you for long-term success in marketing. By staying open-minded, taking initiative, and continuously learning, you’ll set yourself up for a thriving career in Demand Generation and beyond.

Here are three key approaches I use to build successful partnerships: 1. Stay Open-Minded and Humble: You can take your work seriously without always taking yourself too seriously. At Own, this is one of our core values. We spend over 40 hours a week at our desks, grinding, performing, and striving for outcomes – and it's hard work. Acknowledging that "work is hard!" is okay. Bringing humility and laughter to your work and your partnerships can foster successful relationships. While dedication and commitment to your professional responsibilities are crucial, maintaining a sense of humor and not being overly serious helps you stay grounded, approachable, and resilient. It promotes a positive work environment, encourages creativity, and prevents burnout by reminding you to enjoy the journey and not be overly critical of yourself or your teammates. 2. Adopt a One-Team Mentality: To drive successful and lucrative partnerships and advance your career, you need people in your court. Align your efforts with the broader mission and vision of your organization, maintain open and transparent communication, and share accountability for outcomes. This creates a sense of ownership and responsibility. Mutual respect and support enable leveraging diverse skills to innovate and solve problems together. Flexibility and adaptability ensure that the team can meet objectives in changing circumstances. Fostering a positive work environment built on trust, encouragement, and recognition keeps everyone motivated to contribute their best. 3. Embrace the Golden Thread Principle: Adopting and living by the golden thread principle (my personal philosophy!) means embracing a unified approach to work. It starts with a shared vision and goals, where everyone understands the "why" behind their tasks and how they contribute to overall success. Open communication ensures that regular updates, challenges, and decisions are shared, keeping everyone connected. As we scale and develop new programs, we document our processes to maintain operational rigor. A customer-first focus drives everyone to deliver maximum value. Departmental alignment ensures that cross-functional teams work towards common goals with no surprises. Lastly, accountability and ROI are crucial—if we can’t measure an initiative and determine its impact, we won’t pursue it. By incorporating these approaches, you can build stronger partnerships, drive success, and create a positive and productive work environment.

AI will complement Demand Generation. AI is only as bright as you train it to be, so smart marketers need to choose the right dimensions and factors for AI to leverage. Tools will only get you so far, but ultimately, without humans to spot-check efforts, you will see AI learn and optimize for the wrong things and then provide a poor customer experience. I’m excited about AI’s future in Demand Generation. I believe that if you create strong foundational elements like taxonomy, reporting infrastructure, CDPs, content management systems etc., and then you feed all your data into a single place, you can use AI models to serve the right offer to the right person in the right place across their buyer’s journey. But you must have the right people with the technology prowess and the creativity to alter offers to improve your results and truly create an omnichannel journey.

Congrats! This is an exciting role, and it’s definitely an addictive one because you’ll have the chance to build everything from the ground up. I’d start by focusing on MQLs as your north star—quality leads that either support sales or, in a self-serve model, drive free trials. The definition isn’t set in stone; it’s a work in progress. You’ll need to find the right balance, possibly through lead scoring, to determine what qualifies as a perfect MQL. It’s also helpful to consider metrics like Leads or Marketing Engaged Leads to gauge how many inbound leads you’re able to support. Demand Gen typically owns conversions, so those are key KPIs you can commit to as the business scales. Think of it as tracking the journey from eyeballs (page views, impressions) to leads, then leads to MQLs, and finally MQLs to SQLs/opportunities. Every quarter your efforts should be able to improve these conversion rates.

The ideal OKRs for demand generation depend on your organization’s specific goals, but they should always align closely with tangible business outcomes, particularly financial targets 💰. Demand generation operates closer to revenue than many other marketing functions, so the focus should be on metrics that directly support the growth and financial health of the business 📈. For example, OKRs shouldn’t primarily center on surface-level metrics like content downloads 📄 or website clicks 🔗. While these are helpful indicators, they’re not the end goal. Instead, demand gen OKRs should emphasize: 1. Pipeline Generation 🚀: * How many Sales Qualified Opportunities (SQOs) are being created? * Are you generating enough pipeline to meet the company’s growth targets? 2. Channel Growth and Optimization 🌟: * Set measurable goals for expanding high-performing channels, e.g., "Increase pipeline from paid search by 10% quarter over quarter." 3. Cross-Functional Partnerships 🤝: * Demand generation often works across multiple business areas, so include OKRs that enhance collaboration. For example, "Improve alignment with sales to increase the conversion rate of SQOs by 5%." By focusing on these areas—pipeline generation 🚀, channel growth 🌟, and collaboration 🤝—you’ll ensure your OKRs are meaningful, impactful, and aligned with broader business objectives.

I once wrote a blog post called "When did MQL become a 4-letter word." And this remains such a hot-button topic. Are MQLs dead? Should we be focused on accounts? Qualified accounts? ABM? Engagement? The list goes on and on. There is no one-size fits all response to whether you should be using MQLs. But I would contend whatever your approach the intent (pun intended) of an MQL is to create meaningful engagement within your target accounts, which in turn will demonstrate intent to buy. To specifically answer your question though, go back to the intent of an MQL - which is that if done correctly, that lead should be (based on data) ready to talk to sales. Good lead scoring models should be reviewed and refreshed at least every 6 months. Don't wait any longer. And if possible, build a unique model based on your different ICPs. For example, what qualifies as an MQL for your enterprise accounts likely looks different than for your SMB accounts. To stay relevant and meet the needs, rely on your data. Set a baseline acceptable conversion rate (or success metric) and then continually optimize against that.

IMO there are a few key ingredients to influence others: 1. Credibility - show that you've done your homework and back it up with relevant experience and data. 2. Trust - toughest to earn, easiest to lose. It grows when you deliver consistently and respect their priorities, not just yours. 3. Patience - building the right relationships takes time and consistency. You’re playing a long game. The approach to drive influence will vary based on the company's operating principles, size, and the scope of your role. One tactic I love is mapping stakeholders with a power-interest matrix: * High power, high interest → Engage deeply. * High power, low interest → Keep informed and occasionally engage * Low power, high interest → Keep engaged, leverage as advocates. * Low power, low interest →Touch base as needed Take the time to connect with your stakeholders - both personally and professionally. Get to know their world: their experiences, pain points, and challenges. The more you understand, the better you can spot opportunities for win-win outcomes.

Look at marketing performance based on the revenue it's generated. Then break that down by Geo, campaign, and tactic. From there you will know what's working and what's not. Make recommendations for what you will continue to do and optimize, also what you are going to kill because of low performance.