The B2B Playbook

Why Most B2B Sales Teams Are Failing (And How to Fix It) Most B2B sales teams are stuck in outdated tactics – pushing for meetings, flooding inboxes, and hoping something sticks. But that’s not how today’s buyer wants to buy. In this episode, we sit down with Amarpreet Kalkat (Founder of Humantic AI) and our own Adem Manderovic (Co-founder of CRO School) to break down what’s broken in B2B sales – and what comes next. We dive into how AI can be used to build trust, not spam, and how real commercial oversight starts with market validation, not meetings booked. Here’s what we cover in this episode: + Why the predictable revenue model has failed us + How to segment and validate your market the right way + The DISC profiling framework that changes how you sell Tune in and learn: + Why AI is wings for the good… but crutches for the lazy + The Dust Bowl of B2B sales – and how to escape it + How CRO School and Humantic AI fit together If you’re in B2B and tired of tactics that don’t work anymore, this is a must-watch. ----------------------------------------------------- 🔗 Links + CTAs ----------------------------------------------------- 💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency 🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school 🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course ----------------------------------------------------- 🧑‍🎓ACCESS our B2B COURSES: https://theb2bplaybook.com/courses 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook 📩 Newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter/ 📚 Latest content: https://theb2bplaybook.com/ ----------------------------------------------------- 00:00 Why B2B Sales is Broken in 2025 03:00 What is Humantic AI & How It Works 06:00 What Broke B2B Go-To-Market (And How to Fix It) 08:45 How B2B Buyer Behaviour Has Radically Changed 11:30 Why Predictable Revenue Doesn’t Work Anymore 13:45 Lessons from the Australian Market 16:15 The Real Reason Teams Default to Volume 18:30 The 'Dust Bowl' Analogy of B2B Sales 21:00 Why Most B2B Sales Teams Are Stuck in 2010 23:30 What Market Validation Actually Means 26:30 DISC Profiles: Stop Selling to Personas 30:00 Matching Message, Timing & Channel with Buyer Personality 33:00 Why AI Makes Lazy Sellers Worse, Not Better 37:00 Why GTM Tools Can't Replace Commercial Sense 40:00 The Rise of Full-Cycle Selling & Death of the SDR Model 43:00 Will AI Replace Bad Sellers? Amarpreet’s Warning 46:30 Fitness, Spinal Injuries & The Grit Behind CRO School 49:30 Why No Kid Wants to Be a Salesperson (But Should!) ----------------------------------------------------- 👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team?? 💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you??) Get the: 🔹 strategy 🔹 templates 🔹 tools So you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand. See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B Incubator https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course S07 E185 - The B2B Playbook #b2b #b2bmarketing #digitalmarketing #b2bsaas #salesstrategy #humanticai #cro_school #buyerfirst #gtm

How Far Should You Niche Down? (And How to Know You’ve Got It Right) Most marketers are targeting too broadly—and it’s killing their go-to-market. In this episode, we walk you through how to find your Minimum Viable Market—the smallest audience that can sustain your business and evangelize your solution. We’ll show you how to use your existing data and customer base to define a market you can actually win, instead of burning budget trying to win everyone. Here’s what we cover in this episode: + Why niching down feels scary—but works + How to use the 80/20 rule to uncover your best (and worst) customers + How to test and validate if your niche is big enough to sustain your business Tune in and learn: + The full step-by-step process to finding your Minimum Viable Market + Real examples of how to apply firmographic, demographic, and psychographic filters + How to reposition your business over time without losing momentum This episode is a must-watch for any B2B marketer struggling to get cut-through in a crowded market. If you’re stuck trying to build pipeline, this is the most important strategy you’re probably missing. ----------------------------------------------------- 🔗 Links + CTAs ----------------------------------------------------- 💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency 🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school 🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course ----------------------------------------------------- 🧑‍🎓ACCESS our B2B COURSES: https://theb2bplaybook.com/courses 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook 📩 Newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter/ 📚 Latest content: https://theb2bplaybook.com/ ----------------------------------------------------- 00:00 How Far Should You Niche Down? 01:00 Why Niching Down Feels Risky (But Works) 02:10 Broad Targeting Is Killing Your Cut-Through 03:40 The Greek Wedding Analogy: Why Specificity Wins 05:00 Seth Godin's Take on Minimum Viable Market 06:10 How to Spot Underserved Niches 07:30 Step 1: Start With an 80/20 Customer Analysis 08:30 Revenue Isn’t Everything: Find Profitable Segments 09:50 What to Look for in Your Dream Customers 11:00 Real Example: ESG and the Modern Slavery Act 12:40 Step 2: Catalog Your Market and Validate Demand 14:00 What If Your Market Is Too Small (or Big)? 15:30 Don’t Forget to Call Your Churned Accounts 16:30 Our Journey: From Broad B2B to Demand Gen Marketers 17:40 Why You Can (And Should) Reposition Over Time 18:40 Final Takeaways: Nail Your Niche and Expand Later ----------------------------------------------------- 👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team?? 💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you??) Get the: 🔹 strategy 🔹 templates 🔹 tools So you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand. See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B Incubator Check out: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-gen... S07 E184 - The B2B Playbook #b2b #b2bmarketing #digitalmarketing #b2bsaas

How to Use AI to Cut Customer Research Time in Half Most B2B marketers know customer research is crucial, but gathering and acting on insights can be so time consuming. This week, we're breaking down exactly how you can leverage AI tools to dramatically speed up your customer research - without losing the valuable depth and insights you rely on. We've experimented extensively and will share the exact process that allows marketers in small teams to finally complete customer interviews efficiently. Using AI the right way can transform qualitative data into clear, actionable insights faster than ever. Tune in and learn: + The best AI tools for transcribing and summarizing customer interviews + How to avoid common pitfalls (like AI hallucinations!) + The quickest way to build accurate, insightful customer avatars This episode is a must-watch for B2B marketers tired of customer research always falling off the to-do list. ----------------------------------------------------- 🔗 Links + CTAs ----------------------------------------------------- 💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency 🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school 🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course ----------------------------------------------------- 🧑‍🎓ACCESS our B2B COURSES: https://theb2bplaybook.com/courses 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook 📩 Newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter/ 📚 Latest content: https://theb2bplaybook.com/ ----------------------------------------------------- 00:00 How to Accelerate B2B Research with AI 01:09 Quick Recap: Our Proven '5 BEs Framework' 02:39 Why Customer Interviews Keep Getting Ignored 04:00 The Truth About AI and Customer Research 05:52 Can AI Really Replace Qualitative Research? 08:48 The Best AI Tools for Recording & Transcription 11:15 How AI Summarizes Customer Conversations 12:11 Real-Life Example: Quick Customer Insights Capture 13:19 Crucial Step: Validate Your AI Findings 14:43 Creating Your Dream Customer Avatar with AI 15:15 Advanced Tip: Custom GPT for Deep Insights 16:00 Aligning Marketing, Sales, and Product Teams with AI 16:36 Key Watch-outs When Using AI in Research 17:41 Avoid AI Hallucinations with These Simple Steps 18:46 Secrets to Capturing Powerful Customer Quotes ----------------------------------------------------- 👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team?? 💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you??) Get the: 🔹 strategy 🔹 templates 🔹 tools So you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand. See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B Incubator Check out: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-gen... S07 E183 - The B2B Playbook #b2b #b2bmarketing #digitalmarketing #b2bsaas #AI #CustomerResearch

Most B2B teams obsess over defining their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). But what about the people you should never market to? This week, we reveal why defining your Anti-ICP is just as critical as your ICP—and how doing so could save your team thousands in wasted ad spend, misaligned sales efforts, and churned customers. We also share the powerful go-to-market process of Cataloguing the Market—a strategy that helps you validate who’s actually a good fit before you waste a single dollar on ads or outbound. Tune in and learn: + How to identify and define your Anti-ICP (with examples) + The 80/20 analysis that reveals who’s a drag on your business + Why Cataloguing the Market gives you unfair timing advantage If you’re tired of spending time and money chasing the wrong accounts—or if you’re looking to finally build a sustainable demand engine = this episode is a must-watch. ----------------------------------------------------- 🔗 Links + CTAs ----------------------------------------------------- 💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency 🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school 🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course ----------------------------------------------------- 🧑‍🎓ACCESS our B2B COURSES: https://theb2bplaybook.com/courses 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook 📩 Newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter/ 📚 Latest content: https://theb2bplaybook.com/ ----------------------------------------------------- 00:00 Stop Wasting Time on the Wrong Customers 01:06 What is the 5 BEs Framework? 02:19 Why You Need an Anti-ICP 03:20 $10K Wasted on the Wrong Fit 05:31 How to Identify Your Anti-ICP 06:49 Ask Your Team: Who Do You Hate Working With? 07:49 Documenting Red Flag Customers 08:28 Firmographics vs Demographics 09:36 Use Case Clarity: Where You Deliver Value 10:35 What Anti-ICPs Tell You About the Buying Committee 11:04 What is “Cataloguing the Market”? 12:19 How Cataloguing Prevents Wasted Spend 13:31 Why Predictable Revenue Broke Go-To-Market 14:43 How Timing Drives Smarter Spend 16:34 Precision Over Pressure: Striking at the Right Time ----------------------------------------------------- 👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team?? 💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you??) Get the: 🔹 strategy 🔹 templates 🔹 tools So you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand. See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B Incubator Check out: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-gen... S07 E182 - The B2B Playbook #B2BMarketing #GoToMarketStrategy #DemandGeneration #MarketingStrategy

Why Your B2B GTM Strategy Needs the 5 BEs Framework Now Most B2B marketing frameworks only show you part of the picture. But in 2025, you need one complete system to align brand, demand, and sales around your Ideal Customer. That’s why we created the 5 BEs Framework. This week, we show you how to move beyond demand generation and build a complete go-to-market strategy—tailor-made for small B2B teams. We’ve used the 5 BEs to help B2B marketers in both small and large orgs drive more pipeline, get sales and leadership buy-in, and scale trust across the entire buying journey. Tune in and learn: + How the 5 Stages of Awareness connect brand and demand + Why Demand Gen marketers are the new GTM Architects + How to scale trust and pipeline—without more headcount This episode is a must-watch if you’re in a small marketing team and need a single system to punch above your weight, align your org, and make marketing finally feel like it's working. ----------------------------------------------------- 🔗 Links + CTAs ----------------------------------------------------- 💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency 🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school 🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course ----------------------------------------------------- 🧑‍🎓ACCESS our B2B COURSES: https://theb2bplaybook.com/courses 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook 📩 Newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter/ 📚 Latest content: https://theb2bplaybook.com/ ----------------------------------------------------- 00:00 Why Small Teams Need a Complete GTM Framework Now 01:00 The Origin Story of the 5 BEs Framework 02:20 Should Brand and Demand Be Separate? 03:50 One Budget, One Team: The Reality of Small Team Marketing 05:20 Why Demand Gen Marketers Need to Think Bigger 07:00 How the 5 Stages of Awareness Connect Brand & Demand 08:40 Making Brand and Demand Work in Tandem 10:20 The Power of Aligning Around Your ICP 12:00 How Demand Gen Marketers Act as GTM Connectors 13:40 BE HELPFUL: The Secret to Trust-Based Content 15:20 How to Cut Through the Noise With Meaningful Content 17:00 BE SEEN: Amplifying Trust With Smart Distribution 19:00 Avoiding the Disconnect Between Brand & Performance 21:00 BE BETTER: Operational Efficiency & Continuous Testing 23:00 BE THE BEST: Where AI & Innovation Power the Flywheel ----------------------------------------------------- 👥 Are you a B2B marketer in a small team?? 💰 Need to bring in more revenue for your company (so sales and your boss love you??) Get the: 🔹 strategy 🔹 templates 🔹 tools So you have everything you need to drive more revenue for your brand. See why other B2B marketers like you love The B2B Incubator Check out: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-gen... S07 E181 - The B2B Playbook #B2BMarketing #GoToMarketStrategy #DemandGeneration #MarketingStrategy