The top 6 strategies & tactics I leveraged to generate 10x more revenue at CoLab

In a recent episode of ‘Game Changers’, host Oana chatted with MJ Smith, CMO at CoLab. MJ, originally starting her career in engineering, made an unconventional yet remarkable shift to marketing, implementing effective growth strategies that amplified collab's revenue ten-fold. MJ remarkably underscored the importance of having concrete entry and exit criteria in sales processes, a factor that many businesses fail to hone in on. By making the pipeline a predictable reflection of revenue, this process accelerates feedback loops and enables more specific identification of preferable and unwanted prospects, minimizing the time involved in pointless pursuits. Further shining light on her strategies, MJ discussed establishing three consistent sources of pipeline: outbound sales development, inbound, primarily via LinkedIn ads, and conferences. She emphasized on the oft-ignored necessity of product messaging and marketing — when done right, it can dramatically reduce sales cycle times and boost closing rates. Importantly, MJ’s journey started in a modest team at CoLab, where she shared a designer with the product team. Recognizing the need for growth, she subsequently recruited a dedicated marketing designer and collaborated with an agency to kickstart Demand Gen, later internalizing it. She acknowledged the crucial role of the Director of Demand Gen in boosting their return on ad spend. Additionally, the conversation touched on the evolution of a Sales Development Representative into a product marketing role. The focus on the subsequent influence of this transition on the company was complemented by discussions around the organization's recent hire of a head of content, outlining plans for creating compelling and thought-provoking content. MJ and Oana also apprehended the prime importance of content and content-driven messaging in the go-to-market channels. Quality content, they observed, serves not only as education but also aids in carving out an image of expertise among the consumer population. The webinar ended on a note that emphasized the success of a calculated go-to-market strategy, focused more on depth than breadth of channels. They shared an intriguing experiment of using LinkedIn to gauge philosophical alignments of prospects. Such an innovative approach thus helps the team in crafting more strategically focused messaging and outreach techniques. Thus, MJ Smith, through her unconventional journey and groundbreaking strategies, serves as a beacon for marketers around the globe, demonstrating that through innovation, dedication, and the right strategy, outlandish growth goals are indeed attainable. ‍