Ellen Perelman

I distilled 𝟭𝟯+ 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 of my go-to-market experience as a CMO/VP/Head of Product into this 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲👇 So, if you need help building a go-to-market plan, this resource is for you. I originally built this for myself for my consultation work. → I wanted a template that covered all of the key considerations in an effective and efficient go-to-market engine. → While also still being lightweight enough to be completed quickly (and no more than ~2 pages if printed out). Here's a summary of what the template covers: 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟭 - 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 • 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼 - what you stand for, the change you're championing, why you should be trusted • 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 - the urgent & important problem you're solving and how you're solving it better than alternatives • 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 - segments, ICP and buying committee 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟮 - 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝘂𝘆𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝗣𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 • 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘆 - jobs to be done, buying triggers • 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘆 - objections, fears, alternatives • 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘀 they trust - where they learn and make decisions 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟯 - 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 • 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 and 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 - per customer segment • 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 strategy - how you price vs the market 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟰 - 𝗚𝗼-𝗧𝗼-𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 • GTM 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - sales-led, PLG, etc. • 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗪𝗲'𝗹𝗹 𝗪𝗶𝗻 - one sentence statement uniting GTM teams • 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 Gen - how you'll generate demand • 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗚𝗲𝗻 - how you'll collect demand • 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 - how you'll prospect, nurture and close • 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 - how you'll grow revenue 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟱 - 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 • 𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀, 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 and 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 - for Product, Marketing, Sales and CS As I said, it is comprehensive. But as you can see below, it's all done in a lean package. ___ Want the FREE template? 👉 The 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 using a fictional company to help guide you through it. 1. CONNECT with me    ❗don't miss this step, I can't send you the post without :) ❗ 2. LIKE this post 3. COMMENT "GTM" And I'll share it straight with you :) Plus all my future training videos on it. ___ So why am I doing this? → Help better define what a GTM strategy consists of → Help others get a head start building theirs → Get your feedback to make the template better :) So what are you waiting for? ___ ✍️ Connect with me, like the post and comment "GTM" to get the template. ♻️ Reshare if you found valuable. #B2B #B2BMarketing #B2BMarketingStrategy #GoToMarket #Marketing #SaaS #Enterprise #BrandAwareness #DemandGen #LeadGen  #Sales #Data #ROI

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📢 Exciting #job alert 📢 Who is the best #product leader you know? (please tag them if they'd be interested) At Savvy Learning we are looking to add the next critical piece of our leadership team. A Head of Product. Psst... scroll to the bottom of this post for a few thoughts on why Savvy Learning's core problem is a BIG ONE. Here are some specifics about this amazing job opportunity: - Head of Product - Own product & #UX - WFH - Competitive salary + equity - 5+ years of experience required - Experience in B2C is preferred - Individual contributor on day one (we're a very early stage startup) but over time you get to grow & manage the UX, product, AND software engineering teams. About our core problem: The stakes in #education could not be higher when it comes to helping children catch up on reading and math. Did you know that children who are not reading proficiently by 3rd grade are 4x more likely to become high school dropouts? Why? Because 3rd grade marks the transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn". Therefore, reading proficiency spills over into almost every aspect of our lives: cognitive, behavioral, motivational, etc. Savvy Learning exists to help children turn learning into their favorite superpower. We accomplish that through effective one-on-one and group tutoring (100% online) in reading and math, powered by custom/research-based curriculum and a delightful tech platform. We have hundreds of coaches, all with real classroom experience. And they are teaching thousands of students across dozens of countries (mostly US). Our learning outcomes for these students are amazing. So if you're a qualified product person or #PM and you've read this far on my post, it's probably a sign that you should send me a DM so I can tell you more about how great of an opportunity this is ;) We can't wait for that perfect-fit person to come and lead us.

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Optionality’s Fall will be Fierce! We slacked a bit over the summer, too. We took a break from webinars and podcasts in July and August. But now we’re back with that new school clothes feeling, and we’ve got some opportunities to share with you. 🔥 September’s fireside webinar: This Friday, September 13 at 12PM PT Hear from journalist and author Brigid Schulte about why work stopped working for so many of us and what we can do about it. Her new book (Over Work) covers both problem and solutions. 🤝 Announcing our first Optionality IRL event October 2nd in Silicon Valley! Thanks to our host, Extreme Networks and its WIN Alliance (their women’s ERG), it’s time for us to start meeting IRL. We’re collaborating to celebrate Optionality member Maria Ross and her new book, The Empathy Dilemma, exploring how empathetic leaders can balance the practice of compassion with performance and protecting one’s personal boundaries. 🕛 September Office Hours: for Premium members, Wednesday, 9/11/24, at 12PM PT. This month, a member is going to workshop her learnings on effective cold email outreach (no, this isn't a paradox!) 👩 👴 👵 Working Groups: Currently, we have a working group dedicated to helping members bring a book to life. And we have a working group dedicated to personal positioning. If you're great at helping other people articulate their personal brand, differentiation, and value proposition but SUCK at doing it for yourself, this is the working group for you. 🧞‍♀️ And don’t forget The Wisdom Exchange! A place to get just-in-time advice, learn a new skill, or get a helpful nudge toward making progress on any number of goals. Link for more details and registration for any/all fall activities: https://lnkd.in/gAMfTE5z

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One thing I love about being an external consultant—I have time to think. When I was a full-time CMO, my days were spent on zoom going from one meeting to the next. Fighting fires. Working on decks. By the end of every work day, I was totally spent. And the truth is that I wasn't using my brain the way I should. Now that I'm on the outside, things have totally changed. I have time to sit and ponder things—to think things through to the depths I should. And I believe my work is improving quite a bit. My ask of CEOs/VPs who are looking for better output from their teams; give your people the time to think. If employees are going from one meeting to the next, step in and create space for them to be still, and think deeply about the challenges you’re facing as a group. It could be a game-changer for your business.

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Every company & every product has a name. Yet, few folks truly know how to name one. I’ve named companies and products for startups and big brands. I wrote a post this week about naming the Uber One subscription, and Paul A. responded with a request to write a post about the process. Challenge accepted! Let's start by saying that there are plenty of successful companies and products with bad names. Facebook (so lame), Spotify (what), and even Instagram (now everyone just calls it IG). But a good name is a tailwind. And building a business is all about generating tailwinds. Scrub Daddy - instantly makes it fun Shark - a vacuum that looks like a shark and a name you won’t forget Airbnb - fun and easy to remember—unlike VRBO Apple - for a computer! Love it Skims - so simple So, how do you name a company or product? Here are steps to a simple & comprehensive naming process. Step 1 - Brainstorm A well-structured brainstorm is key. You need the right people in the room, with the right prompts, in an environment comfortable enough for all ideas. The goal is to generate as many names as possible. This is a good opportunity to include stakeholders so they feel part of the input. Step 2 - Evalutation criteria Be specific about your needs, and exhaustive. Your criteria will generally have things like: Trademarking - can we own the trademark in our category? Domains available - if a company, what domains can we get? Internationalization - does this word have meanings in other languages? I recently heard about a startup named Corva, a very bad word for anyone who speaks a Slavic language. Don’t make this simple mistake! Alternate meanings - does this name have multiple meanings? Connotations test - Positive or negative connotations? Relatedness - does this communicate a key aspect of our product? Differentiated - how different is this from our competitors? Etc. Make sure your stakeholders approve the criteria! Your criteria will likely remove 90% of your ideas to help you filter. I recommend using a spreadsheet with your criteria as columns. This creates a simple tool to filter names by criteria easily. Step 3 - Picking a name The hardest part of the process is buy-in. Naming is more of an art than a science. I've generally used a voting process. Some tips: - Put the final names into a deck with the finalists used on the website, packaging, ads, etc., so your team can see it in situ. - DO NOT include the internal code name. It will always win the top votes as it is the most familiar. Even your smartest, most discerning colleagues will fall for the familiarity trap. I saw it at Uber many times. Step 4 - Sell it Unveil the name with a splash! We often did this by creating fun campaign examples with the new name. We made social media posts, billboards, and even ad campaigns to show the team how the name would bring their work to life. Happy naming!

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Aditya Vempaty and the team at MoEngage have a genius strategy. Use other brands to help build their own and create a connection between the two. A current campaign they're running is giving people custom Air Jordans for taking a demo. No one bit for $100 gift card... their time is worth more than that. But finding a brand that had emotional and non-monetary value for the buyer (execs) means they'll engage. Even if the conversation goes no where, they'll remember you're the one who gave them the custom Jordans. They'll tell other people about the custom Jordans. They'll give their kids the custom Jordans and remember you every time they see them on their kid. This helps build lift that you couldn't get any other way.

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When you're not in the board room, you're always wondering, "What's going on in there?". I have now worked with seven companies where I'd regularly present to a board, a mixture of PE and VC-led, and it's almost always centered around a few key topics. If you're meeting your numbers: - what's your future forecast  - how are you going to continue to grow - how will you grow faster and more efficient  - update on money in the bank and spend If you're not meeting your numbers (along with the things I mentioned above): - what is your plan to turn things around and meet your numbers (this includes new logo, back-to-base sales, and churn reduction) - what resources can they offer to help - do you have the right players in the right seat This is an oversimplification because many nuances are at play, but this is generally it. While board meetings can be stressful, almost every board I've worked with wants to be helpful. Of course, their interest is, first and foremost, that the business is healthy and growing, so there's always that undertone, but overall, they want to help. After all, they are guardians of the investments they make on behalf of others and have to report back on their performance. Think of them like they are CSMs for their investors (the folks that give them money). They need to get a great return on the investment they made on their behalf.

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🚨 The former CFO of Dropbox, Sujay Jaswa oversees the investment and operating activities as a founding partner at WndrCo, alongside media vet Jeffrey Katzenberg. He joins us for VC Wednesdays.🚨 🖋️  You recently closed a $460 million VC fund. Where are you looking to deploy that? Everything we do is around the idea of the future of work and helping people optimize how they get work done. That’s why we're investors in companies like Airtable, Figma, Databricks, Deel, 1Password and others. That won’t change, but now, you'll see us really focus on the applications of AI that will meaningfully disrupt how work gets done, like in finance, HR and customer support. 🖋️  Why should founders work with WndrCo? One thing that we do that's different is starting one to two companies a year in areas that we think have the potential to yield big returns. So, when we talk to entrepreneurs, our operating experience stays current, and that angle on venture is fairly unique. The second is that each partner at WndrCo has built something, so we have the empathy that comes from that experience. Third, we do only five to seven deals a year, versus bigger firms that do hundreds. Because we have a smaller portfolio, entrepreneurs can get a hold of literally every partner within a couple of hours, 365 days a year. 🖋️ Which startup pitch sticks out the most in your memory over others and why? My favorite is one that’s not a household name yet, even though the business is absolutely on fire. It’s Aura, an all-in-one product to protect you and your family online. The idea is that unlike the physical world, you have no idea what your kids are doing on their phones and devices. Aura gives parents the tools to navigate raising a kid in our mobile-first and digital-first world. When the founder, Hari Ravichandran, walked me through how he would take it to market, it was love at first sight. He's an extraordinary entrepreneur and the best go-to-market person I've ever met when it comes to consumer products. 🖋️ What’s one investment you regret passing on and why? At the end of the day, this whole business is built on being part of monster companies as early as possible. One of the best enterprise companies of the last decade is Databricks. The founder and CEO, Ali Ghodsi, is a very good friend of mine, and for whatever reason, it never occurred to me in the early years to twist his arm to try and let him take our money. We invested in Databricks later than I’d have liked to. 🖋️  What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned working with Jeffrey Katzenberg? The biggest thing I've learned is that you can't be him, and it’s impossible to keep up with him. He's relentless, and I have never met someone who works harder than him. If he says he's going to do something, no matter how hard, if it's within his capabilities, he'll do it. He's a doer, and he just gets stuff done. I admire that so tremendously. #VCWednesdays #vc #venturecapital #startups #TechonLinkedIn

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When I took this CMO job at Consumer Reports (CR), a number of people reacted with surprise that I wasn’t going to another tech company after six years at Stack Overflow. The reality is every company is a tech company (or at least aspires to be), and the evolving tech at CR is one of the things that compelled me to join. As valuations surge the more a company mentions gen AI, more and more companies are creating products that will never achieve market fit — products that aren’t solving real problems. I’m bullish on the current startup ecosystem but for every diamond there are 20 duds. CR is not only working to inform people of what this frenetic moment in tech means for them (a surge in scams, increasing data breaches, etc.), we’re also harnessing gen AI to solve real problems for real people. What’s more annoying than the analysis paralysis that comes with a major (or minor) purchase decision? Enter AskCR - a new benefit we’re rolling out to members that relies on our decades of testing and 10,000+ ratings and reviews to expertly answer everything from “what’s the best air purifier for a 1300 square foot apartment?” to highlighting the best cars for short people (really!). I’m excited to highlight more and more of these benefits over time and to keep showcasing how innovative this 88 year old organization is today! https://lnkd.in/eYA-s2wZ

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Just spoke to someone who is spending 5 hours/day commuting from SF to South Bay 3x/week by transit. They want to join Upshift to get a car every Tue-Thu every week so they can get another hour of sleep in the morning and get home in time for dinner. Sound like you or someone you know? Our new personalized fractional car subscriptions are selling like hotcakes. Optimize your plan to meet exactly your situation. Need a car to commute 1-3x/week? Want a car to get out of town every weekend? We’ve got a plan for you! Everything is included in one fixed monthly fee, even insurance. Flexible - change how much car you need over time if your lifestyle changes, swap between Toyota Corolla hybrid or AWD Honda CRV hybrid SUV. Predictable - always get the same type of car, clean, gassed and professionally maintained. Convenient - delivery to your door, refueling service, return anywhere in our zone. Learn more and subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/g7cHCjU2 #EV #AV #carshare #transportation #autonomousvehicles #electricvehicles #VC #venturecapital #angelinvesting #mobility

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Hey all 👋 I could use some help from GTM leaders/saas folks... Who is the best *marketing leader/head of marketing* you've ever worked with? For context, we're looking to bring in a Head of Marketing here at Circle to join our GTM leadership team. We're currently approaching $25M in ARR and growing fast (~100% y-o-y). This marketing leader will help us continue to scale to $100M+ in ARR. I'm biased, of course — but this can truly be a career-defining opportunity for the right person. —You'll get to shape how we tell the story of *3* brand new products that we're bringing to market this year. —The product is fantastic. Our product/engineering teams are the best I've ever worked with. The customers are the best I've ever worked with. You have all the raw materials necessary to do truly great marketing. We're already growing fast. You'll just help us go faster. —There are lots of new channels and untapped opportunities to go after. So there's plenty of room to come in and make an immediate impact. —This role sits on our leadership team. It's a group of the highest potential GTM leaders I've ever worked with. And we're ready to truly invest in product marketing as a function. — There's LOTS of momentum in the business. Our leading indicators like pipeline, win rates, word-of-mouth, NPS, retention, etc. are all really strong and getting better week-over-week. If you know a truly great marketing leader - I'd love to connect with them. I'd be grateful if you could tag them below or shoot me a DM. And if no one comes to mind, I'd be grateful if you could share this post for a bit of reach. Thanks! 🙏 Here's the JD: https://lnkd.in/e5fzB7T6

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3 years of pricing lessons at Equals condensed into one blog post. Since starting the company, we've tinkered a lot with pricing and packaging. It's one of the single most impactful levers early stage companies can pull. I think folks *don't* experiment with pricing enough, or take big enough bets when they do. We've tried free. We've tried completely sales led. We've tried not listing pricing on the site. Matt Hodges details all the plans we've had, why, and what we've learned in our latest installment on Wrap Text. https://lnkd.in/ecckEDba

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A big thanks to AI guru Nicole Leffer for taking marketing leaders from Cervin Ventures' portfolio companies through her "Harnessing the Power of Gen AI for Marketing" seminar today. Every time hear Nicole speak I come away with a dozen new AI tips and tricks -- and she delivered again by showing us how to build foundational skills in our marketing orgs. I won't steal her magic but here are a couple of Nicole's context-setting observations: 🤖 AI is a great assistant, not a replacement for marketing. AI can't do ALL of your marketing, especially in these early days. (So don't even think about taking humans out of the loop yet.) 🤖 Marketers using AI think they are further along than what they really are -- mostly because they don't know what they don't know. (Good news, if you're incorporating AI into workflows, you're still ahead.) 🤖 AI and the models are currently the dumbest they will ever be. If you can do great things with them now, think about what they will be able to do in the next 3-5 years. Thanks to all the Cervin companies who participated! cc: Christine Vidal, Daniel Kish, Crystal Mendes, Josh Dreyfuss, Jeanette Belashov, Justin Mota, Marwa Mhtar, Kristi Tutt, Tyler Fridley, MBA, LingRaj Patil, Phoebe Wang, Ashley Daniels #marketing #ai

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new episode alert: Magnite $MGNI CEO Michael Barrett breaks down the future of independent ad tech. we talk competing with Google, why The Trade Desk won, and what actually works in M&A. Plus some great insights on leading turnarounds: https://lnkd.in/eAKc84Qi

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I call them the anti-buyers. Though IT and Finance aren’t usually the folks picking new products for their companies, they are often the ones with the power to shut a deal down. If Finance has concerns about cost or IT raises flags about interoperability, they can pull the plug on even the most promising contracts. It's in a revenue organization’s best interest to: Factor these critical stakeholders into the equation from day one so they get answers to questions that your primary contact may not know to ask. Make sure that representatives from these important groups are on the buying committee, and Marketing teams need to consider their needs just as early in the process. Ensure these two groups operate in lockstep as they communicate their products’ benefits to these often-overlooked contributors.

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If you’re a founder running a small business (less than 50 employees), your biggest marketing challenge isn’t AI or channel fatigue—it’s your story. 💡 Here’s what I’ve learned: The clients we see succeed at RevBoss? They have a unique story that resonates with their audience. The ones that struggle? Their story isn’t clear or doesn’t connect. And here’s the thing—you can’t outsource that. 📉 The old days of getting leads from generic outbound emails are over. AI has flooded inboxes, and it’s harder than ever to stand out. What worked two years ago won’t work today. Your story needs to be sharper, more unique, and better connected to your audience than ever before. 🔑 The takeaway? If your story isn’t right, it doesn’t matter how much outreach you do—it won’t resonate. How to Stand Out in 2024: 1️⃣ Know your value—and how to communicate it clearly. 2️⃣ Ensure your story resonates with the right audience. 3️⃣ Keep refining your message as you hone in on who your market is within your audience.

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We've transitioned close to 3 dozen of our email-only clients to the "new" audience-first RevBoss*. And we've learned a lot in the process. 😬 People are surprisingly nervous to put themselves out there. Even founders that very obviously know their sh*t are hesitant to start creating trust-building content. Maybe it's imposter syndrome. Maybe it's just fear of public speaking. I get that talking into a camera comes more naturally for some than others and It's definitely feels a little awkward at first, even for the naturals. But the reality is that you don't have to be anyone other than yourself. 🦥 The hardest part is getting started. Once you can get over the nerves, you just have to go. You don't need to be perfect or polished. You really just need to be consistent and helpful. I wouldn't say I'm "good" at "content" yet, but I've gotten waaaay better from when I started. And I've got a much better plan going into 2025 than when I started. Building an audience is like planting a tree -- the best time was 10 years ago, the next best time is today. 🍇 Your first goal should be reaching the people that already know you. The non-obvious value I've gotten from a strategic content / audience effort on LinkedIn has come from preaching to the choir so to speak. The new follower growth has been nice, but the engagement, leads, opportunities, and revenue we've generated from our existing audience -- current clients, former clients, and non-converted leads -- has been the lowest hanging fruit. 🤠 It's fun to make marketing that people want. Our clients smile when they're creating this content. Their collective audiences seem to be responding in a positive way. And there is undoubtedly a hidden impact that doesn't show up in visible metrics like comments, likes, shares, etc. I know because I get text messages, DMs, emails, etc. in response to the stuff I'm sharing. And clients and prospects mention it completely unprompted on calls. 🏋️ There is so much more potential. We've just started the "activation" piece of our process with a handful of clients -- i.e. working to turn the audience into sales leads. We're experimenting with a few levers -- direct outreach via email, direct outreach via LinkedIn, LinkedIn ads, and (eventually) live events. Not going to tell you that an audience-first lead generation strategy is easy. But it's fun. And it works. :) *The new audience-first RevBoss officially launches this week. We're still emailing and we're still lead generating, just started our process from a different foundation -- audience, then trust, then leads. Leave a comment or shoot me a DM if you'd like to learn more about it. It's fun and it works. :)

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Bravo to Julie Crabill and the team at Fathom.org for this eye-opening, nuanced take on #AI's impact on American society. The research indicates not just the business and productivity impacts of AI we like to talk about, but also impacts on public policy, bipartisan viewpoints, and the growing lack of trust in the tech companies who are on the forefront of AI development. A great read and something for me to keep in mind as I work with organizations grappling with AI. Marie Gill, Gina Jeneroux, MBA FLPI, Mark Wayman, Allie K. Miller ORG AI Download the report from the Fathom site. https://fathom.org/

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