The Margeteers

Sales vs Marketing Is Broken — Here’s How to Actually Align Them

In Season 2, Episode 2 of The Margeteers Podcast, Margaret Bouse and Margaret Sherer explore the long-standing tension between sales and marketing—and how to move beyond it. While both functions ultimately drive revenue, they are often structured, measured, and incentivized in ways that create friction rather than collaboration. This episode unpacks where that disconnect comes from and how organizations can build stronger alignment across teams. Drawing on experience in startups and B2B environments, Margaret and Marg discuss: *  The evolution (and limitations) of MQL and SQL frameworks  *  Why quality matters more than volume in lead generation  *  The importance of shared definitions and feedback loops  *  Attribution challenges across long and complex sales cycles  *  Cultural differences between sales and marketing teams  *  How leadership mindset shapes collaboration and performance  They also share differing perspectives on whether marketing should operate as a service organization—and what that means for strategy, autonomy, and results. This episode is ideal for leaders and teams looking to create a more cohesive, collaborative approach to growth. Your Hosts: 👉 Margaret Bouse ➜ https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretbouse/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretbouse/] 👉 Margaret Sherer ➜ https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretsherer/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretsherer/] Podcast Producer: 👉 Jesse Walsh ➜ http://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-walsh [http://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-walsh] 📣 Please Subscribe and Share! 💥 Enjoying The Margeteers? Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel and follow the podcast wherever you listen. Join us for deep dives, candid takes, and expert insights on creative operations, strategy, and what’s next in marketing. ⚡ Visit us at https://www.themargeteers.com [https://www.themargeteers.com/] to find us everywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts. 🎙️  Buzzsprout ➜ https://themargeteers.buzzsprout.com [https://themargeteers.buzzsprout.com] 🎥 YouTube ➜ https://www.youtube.com/@TheMargeteers [https://www.youtube.com/@TheMargeteers] ▶️ Rumble ➜ https://rumble.com/user/TheMargeteers [https://rumble.com/user/TheMargeteers] 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn ➜  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-margeteers [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-margeteers] ...

Marketing Budgets That Actually Work: Flexibility, Experimentation, and ROI

Season 2 of The Margeteers Podcast begins with a thoughtful conversation about one of marketing’s most challenging responsibilities: budgeting. Hosts Margaret Bouse and Margaret Sherer unpack how marketing budgets are often built around outdated assumptions—and why flexibility, experimentation, and alignment to business objectives matter more than perfectly forecasted numbers. Drawing from experience with early-stage companies and complex B2B environments, they discuss how marketers can balance financial accountability with the reality of long sales cycles, evolving channels, and the need to continuously test and learn. Topics include: * Treating marketing budgets as guidelines rather than hard limits * Planning for experimentation and learning as a business objective * Navigating CFO expectations and financial constraints * Events vs digital marketing vs long-term nurture strategies * Building trust across marketing, sales, and finance This episode is ideal for marketing leaders who want to move beyond “last year plus a little more” budgeting and toward a smarter, more intentional approach to growth. Your Hosts: 👉 Margaret Bouse ➜ https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretbouse/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretbouse/] 👉 Margaret Sherer ➜ https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretsherer/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretsherer/] Podcast Producer: 👉 Jesse Walsh ➜ http://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-walsh [http://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-walsh] 📣 Please Subscribe and Share! 💥 Enjoying The Margeteers? Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel and follow the podcast wherever you listen. Join us for deep dives, candid takes, and expert insights on creative operations, strategy, and what’s next in marketing. ⚡ Visit us at https://www.themargeteers.com [https://www.themargeteers.com/] to find us everywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts. 🎙️  Buzzsprout ➜ https://themargeteers.buzzsprout.com [https://themargeteers.buzzsprout.com] 🎥 YouTube ➜ https://www.youtube.com/@TheMargeteers [https://www.youtube.com/@TheMargeteers] ▶️ Rumble ➜ https://rumble.com/user/TheMargeteers [https://rumble.com/user/TheMargeteers] 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn ➜  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-margeteers [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-margeteers] ...

Episode 9: Look Out for Waste - Creating Smarter, Leaner Budgets

In the final episode of this series for The Margeteers, the Margarets focus on how to avoid wasting marketing budgets, regardless of company size. They explore common pitfalls, from over-collaboration and extended approval processes in large companies to over-investing in the wrong priorities for startups.  They also discuss how to recycle and scale content, the importance of setting realistic expectations for ROI, and how partnerships can help stretch your budget further. Key Takeaways: * Small companies often waste money by skipping foundational work or investing in short-lived assets. * Large companies face risks of time and resource waste due to over-complexity, excessive collaboration, and slow decision-making. * The value of partnerships and collaborations to maximize reach and impact while sharing costs. * How to balance subjective feedback with actionable, value-driven changes to creative projects. * Tips for creating scalable content and leveraging it across multiple platforms to amplify impact. Visit us at https://www.themargeteers.com [https://www.themargeteers.com] to find us everywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts. Your Hosts: 👉 Margaret Bouse ➜ https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretbouse/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretbouse/] 👉 Margaret Sherer ➜ https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretsherer/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretsherer/] Podcast Producer: 👉 Jesse Walsh ➜ http://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-walsh [http://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-walsh] 📣 Please Subscribe and Share! 💥 Enjoying The Margeteers? Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel and follow the podcast wherever you listen. Join us for deep dives, candid takes, and expert insights on creative operations, strategy, and what’s next in marketing. ⚡ Visit us at https://www.themargeteers.com [https://www.themargeteers.com/] to find us everywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts. 🎙️  Buzzsprout ➜ https://themargeteers.buzzsprout.com [https://themargeteers.buzzsprout.com] 🎥 YouTube ➜ https://www.youtube.com/@TheMargeteers [https://www.youtube.com/@TheMargeteers] ▶️ Rumble ➜ https://rumble.com/user/TheMargeteers [https://rumble.com/user/TheMargeteers] 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn ➜  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-margeteers [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-margeteers] ...

Episode 8: Bigger Budget Discussion

In this episode of The Margeteers, tune in to understand how to make the most of big budgets while staying agile and aligned with business goals! This episode is all about how larger, more mature companies utilize their marketing budgets. Margaret Bouse and Margaret Sherer discuss the opportunities and challenges of managing multimillion-dollar budgets, balancing brand-building activities with lead generation, and ensuring cross-functional coordination.  They also share stories of creative campaigns, managing complex Martech stacks, and the lessons learned from high-stakes marketing investments. Key Takeaways: * The role of field marketing, vertical marketing, and global campaigns in large organizations. * How to balance between brand awareness initiatives and lead-generation activities. * The complexities of managing large-scale projects, including roadshows and experiential marketing. * How to prevent waste by streamlining approvals and ensuring ROI from high-production campaigns. * The importance of discretionary funds for seizing unplanned opportunities. Visit us at https://www.themargeteers.com [https://www.themargeteers.com] to find us everywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts. Your Hosts: 👉 Margaret Bouse ➜ https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretbouse/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretbouse/] 👉 Margaret Sherer ➜ https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretsherer/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretsherer/] Podcast Producer: 👉 Jesse Walsh ➜ http://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-walsh [http://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-walsh] 📣 Please Subscribe and Share! 💥 Enjoying The Margeteers? Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel and follow the podcast wherever you listen. Join us for deep dives, candid takes, and expert insights on creative operations, strategy, and what’s next in marketing. ⚡ Visit us at https://www.themargeteers.com [https://www.themargeteers.com/] to find us everywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts. 🎙️  Buzzsprout ➜ https://themargeteers.buzzsprout.com [https://themargeteers.buzzsprout.com] 🎥 YouTube ➜ https://www.youtube.com/@TheMargeteers [https://www.youtube.com/@TheMargeteers] ▶️ Rumble ➜ https://rumble.com/user/TheMargeteers [https://rumble.com/user/TheMargeteers] 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn ➜  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-margeteers [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-margeteers] ...

Episode 7: Marketing Budget Concepts for Startups and Scale-Ups

In this episode of The Margeteers, Margaret Bouse and Margaret Sherer discuss the complexities of budgeting for startups and scale-ups. They chat about how early-stage companies can prioritize their spend, focusing on critical foundational activities like defining the ideal customer profile (ICP) and working toward product-market fit.  The Margarets also share insights on how to educate stakeholders about the significance of investing in early foundational work and how to frame marketing budgets for maximum impact. Key Takeaways: * The importance of testing and learning before scaling marketing efforts. * Allocating budgets for ICP identification, A/B testing, and messaging validation. * Negotiating with stakeholders to ensure alignment on “learning budgets” and foundational investments. * Leveraging generative AI tools for efficiency and insights, including defining ICPs and testing hypotheses. * Why startups should focus on organic strategies before moving into paid campaigns. Visit us at https://www.themargeteers.com [https://www.themargeteers.com] to find us everywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts. Your Hosts: 👉 Margaret Bouse ➜ https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretbouse/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretbouse/] 👉 Margaret Sherer ➜ https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretsherer/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretsherer/] Podcast Producer: 👉 Jesse Walsh ➜ http://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-walsh [http://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-walsh] 📣 Please Subscribe and Share! 💥 Enjoying The Margeteers? Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel and follow the podcast wherever you listen. Join us for deep dives, candid takes, and expert insights on creative operations, strategy, and what’s next in marketing. ⚡ Visit us at https://www.themargeteers.com [https://www.themargeteers.com/] to find us everywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts. 🎙️  Buzzsprout ➜ https://themargeteers.buzzsprout.com [https://themargeteers.buzzsprout.com] 🎥 YouTube ➜ https://www.youtube.com/@TheMargeteers [https://www.youtube.com/@TheMargeteers] ▶️ Rumble ➜ https://rumble.com/user/TheMargeteers [https://rumble.com/user/TheMargeteers] 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn ➜  https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-margeteers [https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-margeteers] ...