What have been some of the biggest things that have helped you get to a demand gen leadership role? (This can be skills, team members, career development opportunities?)

I think coming from field marketing has been a huge driving force into helping me getting a demand gen leadership role.  Field marketing opened up doors for me to: 1) Build massive integrated campaigns that coordinated with the whole GTM team (Sales, SDR, CSM) to come together to pull these off successfully. There were also activation of a lot of channels to make these programs successfuel so strategizing email outreach, sales outreach, direct mail, tie ins with webinars, website, and more helpe ...Read More

This could be an extremely long answer, but I'll condense it to having the ability to manage large cross-functional projects and finding a mentor (or two) to help guide you along your path. Managing cross-functional projects may seem like a boring answer, but it's absolutely critical to get things done in a revenue organization. Modern revenue teams in SaaS, for example, have many functions: Sales, marketing, customer success, revenue operations, and enablement are some of the key areas. In the ...Read More

When I interview, I like to ask two questions: 1) Do you like to ask for permission or do you like to ask for forgiveness? 2) What is a childhood trait you have maintained through adulthood? There have been a variety of answers - none are wrong. However I am trying to gauge for whether they 1) have a bias for action and 2) a growth mindset. For the demand gen field, technology proficiency is table stakes. To be able to adapt and leverage the latest tech to advance your marketing, it requires dem ...Read More

First and foremost, do your existing demand gen or demand gen-adjacent role exceptionally well. Bring innovation, novelty, strategic thinking, and measurable impact to the table. Coach and mentor those around you and cross-functionally to exercise leadership skills. Don't forget that everyone has the opportunity to be a leader, even if you're not a formal team manager. Beyond being able to fulfill the core DG-specific responsibilities, effective mentorship, guidance, and team member advocacy are ...Read More

For this answer I'll defer to the question about transitioning from a different field to Demand Generation:1. Leverage Data skills Demand Generation is about making money/pipeline, optimizing conversion rates, and managing a budget so your comfort with numbers and efficiency is key and a great point of entry. -Highlight Analytical Skills: If your background involves finance, operations, or data, showcase your ability to use tools like Excel, CRM reporting (e.g., Salesforce), and web analytics (e ...Read More

Attaining a demand generation leadership role is certainly not attainable on an island by yourself. There are some responses to this question that are a given such as the support of others. This is such a critical element of growth, but I won’t solely focus here. Support of others. As noted above, relationships are critical to growth. Lead from the perspective of elevating others. Desire for growth. The desire for continued growth has been consistent fuel for me. Let this help guide you on what ...Read More

A few things had outsized impact for me: Operating with a revenue lens early - I learned to tie every major program to pipeline and conversion outcomes. Strong managers, mentors, and sponsors - Feedback and sponsorship accelerated my development more than any single campaign win. Taking on hard, ambiguous projects - Turnarounds, new segment launches, and cross-functional initiatives built leadership credibility quickly. Learning both strategy and execution - I spent time in the details, then lea ...Read More

Data analytics, without question. Everything I do in marketing comes down to results – not just “this looks great” or “people liked it,” but hard, black and white numbers. My biggest growth came from learning how to take complex data and translate it into simple, actionable insights and narratives that anyone in the organization could understand. That means speaking one language with executives, another with digital marketers, and another with finance. That skill; turning performance metrics int ...Read More