Sharebird
Helana Zhang

AMA: Atlassian Head of Global ABM & Regional Demand Generation, Helana Zhang on Demand Generation 30 / 60 / 90 Day Plan


April 24, 2025 @ 10:00AM PT

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  1. What's the most effective way to scale a Demand Generation team beyond the first Demand Generation manager?

    Helana Zhang
    Helana Zhang

    Vercel Head of Field & Partner Marketing | Formerly Zuora, Optimizely, Cisco Meraki • 1y

    There are a few different lens to think about this organizationally so the answer is nuanced. On one hand, you may want to align DG with products or personas, but on the other hand, you may want to align DG to marketing capabilities. First and foremost, I'd spend some time thinking critically about the current DG Manager in place - what are the capabilities he/she/they have that are very strong, where is he/she/they lacking in? What do you believe will add the most value and drive the most pipel ...Read More

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  2. What should you aim to do in your first month and your first quarter?

    You're the new demand generation manager for a B2B SaaS company that has 40 people and is starting to scale.

    Helana Zhang
    Helana Zhang

    Vercel Head of Field & Partner Marketing | Formerly Zuora, Optimizely, Cisco Meraki • 1y

    Many marketers I hire immediately want to prove impact by crafting campaigns and executing on them, but I always remind my teams that the first months you join a company are the perfect times to focus on learning about the product(s) so don't forget that while early wins are important, learning the products, the ICPs, and establishing relationships with your closest stakeholders are equally important as you get started. You won't have the opportunity to play the "newbie" card a few months later ...Read More

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  3. What's your best demand generation 30-60-90 day plan to make a big impact at a new company?

    Helana Zhang
    Helana Zhang

    Vercel Head of Field & Partner Marketing | Formerly Zuora, Optimizely, Cisco Meraki • 1y

    This is a similar question to another that was asked so same answer applies. These are the 3 things I do, in parallel with each other: (1) listening tour with all key stakeholders on marketing, sales, customer success, and product (2) learn the product(s) in and out, understanding the key features, why customers buy, and how they buy (3) get a clear view on the state of marketing today -what has been done to date across the lead cycle, content, events, messaging, etc. From there, I'd begin looki ...Read More

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  4. What do you think about your first 30/60/90 day goals when coming in as the Head of demand generation in a startup that didn't have demand gen managers before?

    Helana Zhang
    Helana Zhang

    Vercel Head of Field & Partner Marketing | Formerly Zuora, Optimizely, Cisco Meraki • 1y

    Well, firstly, if this is the case, congratulations - what an exciting (and I'm sure daunting) role to be in but recognize the potential and opportunities ahead! In my first 30 days, I'd read as many of the existing artifacts as possible, discover what marketing (if any) has been done to date & the results of those programs or tactics, and go on an extensive listening tour. Be intentional of what you're hoping to get out of each person's time and set that intention upfront. This will make th ...Read More

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  5. What are some templates/resources you'd recommend as a jumping-off point?

    Helana Zhang
    Helana Zhang

    Vercel Head of Field & Partner Marketing | Formerly Zuora, Optimizely, Cisco Meraki • 1y

    I'm not sure if this question is directed towards an onboarding template or onboarding resources, or perhaps even getting started as a DG marketer so some clarification would be helpful. Coming from the first lens, every organization is going to have a slightly different operating model, a different guidebook for new hires, and for onboarding new employees, so I'd tap into your co-workers and other marketing counterparts first if you're not already provided with a starting point. Chances are man ...Read More

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  6. What is your 30-60-90 day plan when you go into an org with the intention of setting up a demand generation function for the first time?

    Helana Zhang
    Helana Zhang

    Vercel Head of Field & Partner Marketing | Formerly Zuora, Optimizely, Cisco Meraki • 1y

    These are the 3 things I would consider doing, in parallel with each other: (1) listening tour with all key stakeholders on marketing, sales, customer success, and product (2) learn the product(s) in and out, understanding the key features, why customers buy, and how they buy (3) get a clear view on the state of marketing today -what has been done to date across the lead cycle, content, events, messaging, etc. From there, I'd begin looking at customer, opportunity, closed won data to inform dema ...Read More

    1,734 Views
    2 requests
  7. How do you measure success with 3rd party demand-generation agencies? What is your experience and did you have any success in driving demand gen through 3rd party agencies?

    Helana Zhang
    Helana Zhang

    Vercel Head of Field & Partner Marketing | Formerly Zuora, Optimizely, Cisco Meraki • 1y

    The success metric will differ based on what the ask or proposal for the agency is. Are they helping to execute paid media? Are they driving net new contact acquisition? Based on your desired outcome, make it extremely clear to the agency how you will determine success, whether that be net new leads, butts in seat for an event, VP+ engagement, etc. Also, set up milestones to check-in so you and the agency can work on optimizations together, whether that be on the copy, the content, or the target ...Read More

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  8. Can you share the 30-60-90-day plan you created? Did everything or most things unfold as you envisioned or did it change?

    Helana Zhang
    Helana Zhang

    Vercel Head of Field & Partner Marketing | Formerly Zuora, Optimizely, Cisco Meraki • 1y

    Yes, Sharebird will be sharing out a template used for all new hires on my team - coming soon! Generally speaking, what you will see on the template includes: (1) who the new hire's buddy is - this isn't the manager, but someone else on the team who can help address common questions, show the new hire the ropes, and help make intros to other team members (2) a list of the most helpful resources (dashboards, goals, etc.), pages (all in Confluence here at Atlassian of course), and presentations (3 ...Read More

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