AMA: INFI VP of Marketing, Sierra Summers on Demand Generation Career Path

When I justify a pay raise, I don’t just throw out a number, I find a way to tie it to company performance/impact. Revenue & Growth Impact – how much pipeline or closed business was influenced by my work, or how my efforts lowered CAC while scaling growth. Efficiency Gains – where I’ve improved processes or reduced costs (think lowering CPL, shortening sales cycles, or increasing conversion rates). Team & Leadership Contributions – how I’ve expanded responsibilities, taken ownership beyo ...Read More

When I’m hiring for Demand Gen, I look for skills that directly tie back to growth and execution: Full-Funnel Thinking – someone who understands the entire buyer’s journey, not just lead gen. They can map strategy from awareness through to pipeline and revenue. Channel Mastery & Experimentation – they know the core channels (paid, email, content, events, etc.) but also have the curiosity to test new ones and double down on what works. Data & Analytics – they can’t just run campaigns; the ...Read More

First and foremost, if you're aiming for a promotion within your current company, you need to deeply understand the promotion process. Clarify expectations with your manager, align with the stakeholders you support, and get insight from HR on what it takes to move up. Don’t guess—get specifics. Second, start thinking and operating strategically. The biggest shift from Senior Manager to Director is moving from execution to ownership of the strategy. Directors are expected to set the vision, bring ...Read More

Marketing and sales are BFFs in my world. I don’t see my role as just generating leads and passing them over- I’m in the trenches with sales. Making sure we’re building pipeline and closing deals together. I pride myself on supporting the team not just by running campaigns, but by actively looking for new partners, outbound opportunities, or anything that will help us hit the number. It’s a two-way street: sales gives me real-time feedback from the field, and I use that to refine campaigns, shar ...Read More

It’s not a simple answer because every company defines this role differently. What I can offer is a framework for clarifying it within your own organization. Start by documenting everything currently being done to support campaigns—every task, no matter how small. That means everything from writing social copy, getting legal approvals, and scheduling content to pulling reports and analyzing performance. Having a comprehensive list is key. From there, use a RACI-style chart to map out responsibil ...Read More