AMA: Atlan VP, Growth Abhishek GP on Establishing a Demand Generation Function

When starting a new demand generation role, having a structured game plan for your first 90 days can make the difference between impact and chaos. Here's a framework that's worked well for me:Month 1: Get Smart & Align The first month should be all about listening and learning. Start by sitting down with members of the sales leadership team to understand what's working, what's not, and where they see the biggest gaps in the pipeline. Spend significant time with channel leads (Paid, SEO, Emai ...Read More

Resource Reality Small SaaS: Limited budget means every dollar must work twice as hard Pie-shaped marketers who juggle multiple channels  Large SaaS: Brand feeds into Demand. Demand gen has a tailwind.  Deep pockets fund specialized teams  Can afford to be wrong longer (but often is) Strategy Differences Small SaaS: Narrow ICP focus is a feature, not a bug Depending on your category, product-led growth isn't optional – it's survival A number of one-off marketing 'activities' not fully tied to de ...Read More

When transitioning from a company with established demand generation to one where you're building it from the ground up, you should expect several significant differences: Resourcing  You should expect to find yourself evaluating the true state of available resources. This is precisely why you've been hired - to build and optimize: Data visibility limitations - Basic information like conversion rates, customer acquisition costs, or even clean prospect lists may need development Tech stack opport ...Read More

I like to separate "fuel" creators (content strategists, industry specialists, and content producers) from "engine" distributors (channel leads, event leads, and BDRs) with a small analytics team connecting them. I borrowed the concept of fuel and engine from MKT1 newsletter. This structure prevents the common disconnect between content creation and distribution while ensuring specialized expertise and speed to market. Digital Acquisition Paid Media Manager (LinkedIn, SEM, Display) SEO & Web ...Read More

The most critical element of a demand generation team isn't a single role but the deliberate pairing of content creators ("fuel") with distribution specialists ("engine") who work in tandem. I've seen countless marketing organizations fail because they've invested heavily in either brilliant content that never reaches its audience or sophisticated distribution channels starved of compelling stories to share – the magic happens at the intersection where great content meets the right delivery mech ...Read More