In this video, we sit down with Brian Williams from Hockey Stick Advisory to break down how B2B companies can actually build partnerships into a real revenue channel, not just a logo wall.

We cover:

→ Why partnerships needs to be a top down strategic decision, not a side experiment

→ The foundations most companies are missing before they even hire a partnerships manager

→ How to pick the right partners using a capacity, commitment, mutual customers and capability matrix

→ Why partnerships takes a two year cycle and how to set realistic expectations with your leadership team

→ How AI is changing the way partnership ops and rev ops teams work together

If you are a B2B marketer, CRO or founder who knows partnerships should be part of your growth mix but has no idea how to actually build it out properly.

Tune in and learn:

→ How to align your whole leadership team on what partnerships is and what it isn't

→ How to validate your partner categories before you activate anything

→ What a mutual success plan looks like and how to operationalize partners like a sales team

→ Why referral leads close faster and how to make that engine predictable

→ How to build a line of sight to partnerships ROI that your CFO and CRO will actually get behind

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🔗 Links + CTAs

-----------------------------------------------------

🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course

🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school

💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency

-----------------------------------------------------

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GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

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Timestamps:

00:00 Why Partnerships Is a Real Revenue Channel

00:48 Meet Brian Williams from Hockey Stick Advisory

01:47 How the Partnerships Landscape Has Shifted

03:05 The Foundations Most Companies Are Missing

06:30 Why Partnerships Has to Be a Genuine Exchange

07:51 Are You Actually Partnerships Ready?

09:47 How to Identify the Right Partners

13:18 The Biggest CRO Blocker With Partnerships

16:10 How AI Is Changing Partnerships

19:06 Why Partnerships Managers Burn Out Early

22:04 The Two Year Cycle Explained

24:02 When Partnerships Doesn't Work

25:26 The Big Hire Mistake to Avoid

28:26 The Partnership Revenue Gap Calculator

31:53 Where to Find Brian and Hockey Stick Advisory

S08 E233 - The B2B Playbook #b2b #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #partnerships #b2bsaas #partnermarketing #ecosystemledgrowth #gotommarket #channelpartners #digitalmarketing

In this episode, we break down why B2B marketing attribution is broken and what you should actually be doing instead to measure what's working without losing your mind.

We cover:

→ Why multi-touch attribution keeps lying to you and what it's actually measuring

→ Why ad platforms are deliberately making attribution harder for us as marketers

→ How to blend quantitative and qualitative data to get a real picture of what's driving revenue

→ Why being data influenced beats being data driven every single time

If you are a B2B marketer or demand gen lead who's tired of attribution tools that promise clarity and just deliver more confusion.

Tune in and learn:

→ Why multi-touch attribution is click obsessed and built on disappearing data

→ How to layer in marketing mix modeling and incremental testing without drowning in complexity

→ Why qualitative signals like "how did you hear about us" are more valuable than most attribution tools

→ How to communicate attribution as a range, not a definitive number, to your leadership team

→ How to align sales, CS and finance on what attribution can and can't tell you

-----------------------------------------------------

🔗 Links + CTAs

-----------------------------------------------------

🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course

🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school

💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency

-----------------------------------------------------

SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook

SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter

GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

Timestamps:

00:00 Why Attribution Keeps Lying to You

00:50 Welcome + Season 8 Overview

01:56 The Five B's Framework Explained

02:54 Why B2B Attribution Is So Much Harder Than B2C

04:08 The Real Problems With Multi-Touch Attribution

07:35 Why Privacy Changes Are Making This Worse

08:32 Attribution Software Is Just Repackaged Last Click

09:55 How Long B2B Cycles Break Attribution Models

10:56 The Blended Measurement Framework

17:10 Why Qualitative Signals Are Your Most Honest Data

18:57 How to Communicate Attribution Uncertainty to Leadership

20:56 Don't Overpromise on Attribution Internally

23:30 Why Industry Benchmarks Are Mostly Useless

25:37 Key Takeaways

27:06 Final Thoughts and Where to Learn More

S08 E234 - The B2B Playbook

#b2b #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #marketingattribution #marketingmeasurement #digitalmarketing #b2bsaas #leadgeneration #revenuemarketing #demandgen

In this episode, we break down category entry points and how to use LinkedIn ads to plant your brand in buyers minds way before they're even ready to buy.

We cover:

→ What category entry points actually are and why they matter for B2B demand gen

→ Why LinkedIn ads is such a strong fit for targeting these key buyer moments

→ Real examples of category entry points you can build campaigns around

→ If you are a B2B marketer trying to build pipeline and stay top of mind with your ICP before they enter market.

Tune in and learn:

→ How to identify the moments that trigger buyers into market

→ How to use LinkedIn ads targeting to reach the right people at the right time

→ Why cataloging your market beats relying on intent data platforms

→ How to turn category entry points into ad creative and thought leadership content

-----------------------------------------------------

🔗 Links + CTAs

-----------------------------------------------------

🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course

🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school

💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency

-----------------------------------------------------

SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook

SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter

GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

Timestamps:

00:00 Why Category Entry Points Change How You Advertise

00:01 What the Five B's Framework Is

00:04 Category Entry Points Defined

00:05 Why LinkedIn Ads Fits So Well for B2B

00:08 How to Use ICP Lists and Thermographic Targeting

00:12 How Long Demand Gen Actually Takes

00:14 Saturation, Frequency and the 95/5 Rule

00:19 Category Entry Point 1: Contract Renewals

00:23 Why Cataloging Beats Signal Sensing Platforms

00:26 Category Entry Point 2: Growing Pains and New Hires

00:29 Category Entry Point 3: Slowing Growth Rate

00:31 Real World Example: The Will Smith Slap Ad

00:33 You Don't Have to Dream Up Category Entry Points

00:34 How Entry Points Become Ad Creative and Content

00:35 Key Takeaways

S08 E232 - The B2B Playbook #b2b #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #leadgeneration #digitalmarketing

In this video, I sit down with B2B YouTube specialist Samu Kovács to break down why YouTube is one of the most underrated and untapped channels in B2B right now.

We cover:

→ Why YouTube beats LinkedIn for cutting through the noise in B2B

→ How to rank your videos and attract your exact ICP without needing thousands of views

→ The YouTube-first content strategy that actually drives inbound leads and pipeline

→ How to convert views into booked calls with the right CTAs

If you are a B2B marketer or founder looking for a channel that builds trust, drives pipeline, and compounds over time.

Tune in and learn:

→ Why 300 views from your ICP beats 30,000 random views

→ How search-based YouTube content creates evergreen traffic for years

→ What actually makes a video rank (hint: it is not the tags)

→ How to turn YouTube into your number one lead gen channel

-----------------------------------------------------

🔗 Links + CTAs

-----------------------------------------------------

🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course

🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school

💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency

-----------------------------------------------------

SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook

SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter

GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

Timestamps:

00:00 Why YouTube Is the Most Underrated B2B Channel Right Now

00:02 Introducing Samu Kovács, B2B YouTube Specialist

00:04 How Samu Got Started and Why He Went All In on B2B YouTube

00:06 Why LinkedIn Is Getting Crowded and What YouTube Offers Instead

00:12 Why 300 Views From Your ICP Beats 30,000 Random Views

00:14 How to Build a YouTube Strategy That Actually Drives Inbound

00:20 Search vs Algorithm: Which Should B2B Companies Prioritize

00:21 What Actually Makes a YouTube Video Rank (It Is Not the Tags)

00:24 Podcast Format vs YouTube-First Videos: What Performs Better

00:44 Will AI Kill YouTube? Why Storytelling Is the New Moat

00:46 How to Make Your Content Impossible to Replicate

00:47 How to Convert YouTube Views Into Booked Calls and Leads

00:49 Where to Find Samu and Learn More

S08 E231 - The B2B Playbook #b2b #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #leadgeneration #digitalmarketing

In this video, I sit down with Georgia Watson, a 21-year IBM veteran, and Adem Manderovic to dig into why sales enablement keeps failing even when companies are spending big on it.

We cover:

→ Why strategy is rarely the problem but execution almost always is

→ What revenue enablement actually means and why most orgs get it wrong

→ The real reason AI pilots fail 95% of the time

→ Why human skills like trust, storytelling and value articulation still win deals

If you're a sales leader, revenue leader or marketer wondering why your sellers still struggle to have commercial conversations despite all the investment you're making in them.

Tune in and learn:

→ Why tools and training alone don't move the needle

→ How incentives and measurement drive the wrong behaviours

→ What world class enablement actually looks like in practice

→ Why the best sellers win 88% of the time no matter what they're handed

-----------------------------------------------------

🔗 Links + CTAs

-----------------------------------------------------

🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course

🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school

💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency

-----------------------------------------------------

SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook

SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter

GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

Timestamps:

00:00 Why Revenue Performance Is an Execution Problem

00:07 Georgia Watson's 21 Years at IBM

00:12 What Revenue Enablement Actually Is

00:20 The 7-Part Enablement Framework

00:25 Why AI Pilots Fail 95% of the Time

00:31 Human Skills AI Can't Replace

00:38 Incentives, Measurement and Broken Pipeline Reviews

00:45 What World Class Enablement Really Looks Like

00:51 Where Most Enablement Programs Hit Their Ceiling

S08 E230 - The B2B Playbook #b2b #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #leadgeneration #digitalmarketing

In this episode, we break down how to actually measure brand impact without overcomplicating it, including the leading indicators lean B2B teams should track before pipeline shows up.

We cover:

→ Why leading indicators matter more than lagging ones early on

→ What early brand signals actually look like in practice

→ Why qualitative data and self-reported attribution is so powerful

→ A simple list of brand metrics lean teams should focus on

If you are a B2B marketer trying to justify your brand investment to leadership or figure out if your demand gen is actually working before revenue shows up.

Tune in and learn:

→ The difference between leading and lagging brand metrics

→ What signals to watch for before pipeline materializes

→ Why qualitative beats quantitative for brand measurement in B2B

→ How to build a simple brand scorecard without bloated dashboards

-----------------------------------------------------

🔗 Links + CTAs

🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course

🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school

💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency

-----------------------------------------------------

SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook

SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter

GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

Timestamps:

00:00 How to Measure Brand Without Overcomplicating It

00:01 Why B2B Teams Struggle to Measure Brand Impact

00:02 The Five B's Framework Refresher

00:03 Definitions: Leading vs Lagging Brand Indicators

00:07 Why Brand Programs Get Killed Too Early

00:07 What Early Brand Signals Actually Look Like

00:09 ICP Engagement as a Brand Signal

00:10 Self-Reported Attribution and How Did You Hear About Us

00:12 Sales Feedback as an Early Brand Signal

00:13 Category Entry Points and Customer Interviews

00:14 Why Qualitative Data Beats Quantitative in B2B

00:16 Self-Reported Attribution in the Age of AI

00:19 Why Ad Platforms Are Giving Advertisers Less Control

00:20 Simple Brand Metrics for Lean Teams

00:23 Share of Search as a Brand Metric

00:24 Key Takeaways: What to Track and Why

S08 E229 - The B2B Playbook #b2b #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #leadgeneration #digitalmarketing

Most B2B marketers think demand generation and lead generation are the same thing.

They’re not.

And confusing the two is exactly why your pipeline isn’t growing.

In this episode, we break down the real difference between demand generation vs lead generation — and why most teams are stuck running a system that creates activity, not revenue.

We walk through the 5 BE’s Framework and show how to shift from chasing leads to building real demand in your market.

Tune in and learn:

→ Why lead generation breaks at scale

→ How demand generation actually builds pipeline

→ What most teams get wrong about the 95/5 rule

If you’re under pressure to generate more leads but know something isn’t working, this will change how you approach marketing.

-----------------------------------------------------

🔗 Links + CTAs

-----------------------------------------------------

🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course

🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school

💼 Need help generating demand for your B2B business?

https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-agency

-----------------------------------------------------

SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook

SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter

GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

Timestamps:

00:00 Demand Generation vs Lead Generation: Why This Debate Matters

00:03 The Real Problem: It’s Not Tactics, It’s Sequencing

00:05 Lead Generation Explained (And Why It Breaks)

00:07 Why Sales Hates Lead Gen (And They’re Right)

00:09 The “Leaky Bucket” Problem in B2B Marketing

00:11 Why Lead Gen Becomes Financially Unsustainable

00:12 Why Demand Capture Alone Doesn’t Scale

00:14 The 95/5 Rule That Changes Everything

00:16 Why Buyers Ignore You (Even If You’re Better)

00:18 Demand Generation Explained (What It Actually Means)

00:20 The 5 B’s Framework: A Better System

00:23 Category Entry Points: The Missing Link

00:25 Why “Cataloguing” Beats Intent Data

00:29 How Sales & Marketing Became Misaligned

00:30 Building Trust Before Buyers Are Ready

00:33 Why Most Content Doesn’t Work

00:34 Distribution: The Difference Between Seen vs Ignored

00:36 LinkedIn Strategy That Drives Real Demand

00:40 Case Study: From $50K to $200K/Month

00:43 Measuring Demand Gen (Without Last Click Bias)

00:44 Revenue Alignment: The Missing System

00:46 How to Build a Competitive Advantage

00:48 Where to Start (Without Breaking Everything)

00:50 Balancing Demand Gen vs Lead Gen in Reality

00:53 AI Won’t Replace This Skill

00:57 How Long Demand Gen Actually Takes

S08 E228 - The B2B Playbook #b2b #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #leadgeneration #digitalmarketing

In this video, I break down AI visibility and GEO vs traditional SEO, and whether any of it actually changes how B2B teams should go to market.

We cover:

→ What AEO and GEO actually mean and how they differ from traditional SEO

→ Why the Five B's framework still holds up in the age of AI

→ Why "be helpful" content is now more important than ever

→ 3 practical things to do instead of chasing AI visibility hacks

If you are a B2B founder, marketer, or sales leader trying to figure out if AI search changes your content strategy or if the fundamentals still apply, this episode is for you.

Tune in and learn:

✅ Why AI doesn't replace your go-to-market playbook, it just raises the bar on being helpful

✅ How to tighten your positioning so AI chatbots actually cite your brand

✅ Why niche, question-led content wins in AI interfaces

✅ How partnerships and trust signals drive distribution in the AI era

✅ A bonus tip on using Bing's AI performance reporting for Copilot visibility

-----------------------------------------------------

🔗 Links + CTAs

-----------------------------------------------------

🎓 Join our Demand Generation Program: https://theb2bplaybook.com/demand-generation-course

🧠 Learn how to drive revenue across your organisation with CRO School: https://theb2bplaybook.com/cro-school

💼 Need help running your own LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads? https://theb2bplaybook.com/linkedin-ads-agency

-----------------------------------------------------

SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@theb2bplaybook

SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: https://theb2bplaybook.com/newsletter

GET the latest CONTENT: https://theb2bplaybook.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

Timestamps:

00:00 - Does AI change the B2B playbook?

01:11 - Intro and what we're covering today

01:56 - Quick recap of the Five B's framework

03:04 - Does AI visibility change anything?

07:37 - Why being helpful matters more than ever

08:40 - The context shift in buyer discovery

12:35 - Why helpful content gets picked up by AI

13:42 - Be helpful is the main event

15:27 - The bar for content is getting lower

18:18 - Three things to do instead of chasing AI hacks

21:52 - Practical examples using the five stages of awareness

24:35 - Distribution and earning trust signals

27:25 - Low hanging fruit: partnerships

28:08 - Bonus: Bing's AI performance reporting

29:00 - Key takeaways

30:33 - Outro

S08 E227 - The B2B Playbook #aivisibility #seo #b2bmarketing