Kirsten Billhardt

🌟 Join Crane’s Exclusive CXO Advisory Board! 🌟 What Scott doesn’t mention below is that the “Fill in the Blank” survey is the path for enterprise tech executives to apply for a spot on Crane’s CXO Advisory Board, where your expertise will directly influence and shape the future of technology startups. To be considered, simply complete our “Fill in the Blank” survey. #CXOAdvisory #EnterpriseTech #TechLeadership #Innovation #CraneVenturePartners #FillInTheBlank #TechFounders

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Industrial manufacturing continues to shine as a resilient industry, showcasing remarkable strength in the post-pandemic landscape. While many major American industries face high quit rates, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce highlights that "in more stable, higher-paying industries, such as financial activities and manufacturing, the number of employees quitting has been lower." This confidence among manufacturing workers is vital, driving the industry's remarkable recovery and paving the way for a brighter future. #IndustrialManufacturing #Data #EmployeeSatisfaction

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We had a fascinating guest on the most recent episode of A BROADcast For Manufacturers. Rachel Slade, an award-winning author and journalist, joined us to discuss her latest book, "Making it in America," which focuses on the revival of American manufacturing. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in manufacturing or just looking for a great read. During the episode, we also explored topics such as the history of American labor and a whole lot more. You can listen to our full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/gJj7TPDY #Manufacturing #AmericanManufacturing #Podcast

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As we close out 2024, I’ve been reflecting on an incredible few months at Amper Technologies and the manufacturing industry at large. Here are some highlights, challenges, and a glimpse into what’s ahead: 🚀 Accelerated Growth This year, Amper hit new milestones, especially in our enterprise segment, with much larger deal sizes and accelerated growth metrics. It’s exciting to see the momentum build as manufacturers turn to us for solutions. ⚙️ Challenges on the Shop Floor Manufacturers faced a tough landscape—labor shortages, supply chain issues, and rising material costs left many stuck in survival mode, with little bandwidth to make improvements. Our team stayed laser-focused on delivering immediate impact by honing in on time to value for our customers. 🤖 AI in Manufacturing While robotics and AI remain hot topics, many manufacturers are still grappling with visibility and cleaning up historically bad data—a critical barrier to implementing AI effectively. The opportunity is massive, but the path forward requires solving foundational challenges first. 💡 A New Chapter at Amper Joining Amper has been a shift for me, coming from later-stage companies to an earlier-stage environment. Tackling problems from first principles and implementing nimble strategies—like our AI approach—has been both challenging and incredibly rewarding. 🌟 Looking Ahead to 2025 Next year is shaping up to be transformational. Amper is on a mission to unlock reality on the shop floor, enabling manufacturers to harness insights on their machines, jobs, people, and issues—and innovate with AI agents on top of that data. #Leadership #Manufacturing #AI #Growth

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https://lnkd.in/gDPEDrN5 Great quick article for any #CMO of a startup or #privateequity backed tech company. "Which is why business leaders talking to data-driven board members stick with what can be measured – marketing’s contribution to the near-term pipeline. However, that only tells half the story, and honestly, it does marketing (and the value of your board) a disservice." What if you could tell the other half of the story in financial terms that board members do understand? Revup Marketing, Inc. #MarketingROI

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Beyond the family and food, my favorite part of Thanksgiving, is taking a moment to reflect on what and more specifically who we are grateful for. For example, I’m grateful to Advance Auto Parts and my local hardware store for having the odd combination of components to allow me to improvise a swaybar bushing so our family can finally test drive our latest project car. Seriously though. I’m grateful to the startup founders working in climate. Nearly everyday, I get to see a new pitch that has the potential to not just reduce global impact of climate but usher in a new era of faster, better and cheaper tech with often unpredictable benefits (yes, there are always tech downsides, but that’s for another day). Thank you for not listening to the the majority of people who try to talk you out of starting or continuing when things are hard - which they are bound to be, frequently and for long durations. Thank you for trusting our team with your plans and your visions of what is possible when you eventually succeed. Most people will focus on all the way things can go wrong, but you stay focused on what happens when things go right. Thank you for caring. Choosing to build in climate is often signing up, intentionally, to deal with things that other founders actively try to avoid - regulations, more complex capital stack, geo politics, hardware, supply chains, permitting, customers who want to buy, but often cannot. The next few years are especially critical. Government support will be significantly dialed back in the US and probably many parts of EU too. Take inspiration from the founders who set out a decade or more ago when there was almost no support and have still been enormously successful. And thank you. Happy Thanksgiving.

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Mea Culpa: Revisiting My Bold Statement on Precision Mailers vs. Trade Shows After my last post, I realized I should provide additional context because I made a bold statement about how the ROI of our Precision Mailer strategy can outperform attending a trade show. To be fair, this is a nuanced comparison, so here are the numbers I used to support my statement. This comparison relies on averaged numbers for our expenses—your numbers will vary depending on your circumstances. Scenario 1: Precision Mailer to 500 Key Decision Makers Here’s the breakdown for our mailer strategy: Cost Per Mailer: $14 (includes UPS delivery and packaging). Total Cost: $14 × 500 = $7,000. Response Rate: 4% engagement = 20 responses. Meetings Secured: 30% of respondents book meetings = 6 meetings. Follow-Up Travel Costs: $400 per trip for half the meetings (the rest are virtual) = $1,200. Total Investment: $7,000 (mailers) + $1,200 (travel) = $8,200. Cost Per Meeting: $8,200 ÷ 6 = $1,367 per meeting. Scenario 2: Trade Show Attendance Here’s the breakdown for a typical trade show: Booth Space Rental: $10,000. Promotional Items & Giveaways: $800. Staffing Costs: $3,000 (travel, lodging, and per diems for 2 staff). Follow-Up Travel Costs: $400 per trip for 9 meetings = $3,600. Dinners with Prospects: $500 per dinner × 2 dinners = $1,000. Total Cost: $10,000 (booth) + $800 (promos) + $3,000 (staffing) + $3,600 (follow-up travel) + $1,000 (dinners) = $18,400. Meetings Secured: 300 booth visitors → 10% qualify as leads (30 leads) → 30% of leads book meetings = 9 meetings. Cost Per Meeting: $18,400 ÷ 9 = $2,044 per meeting. Precision Mailers deliver a 33% lower cost per meeting while focusing directly on decision-makers. Trade shows, while excellent for brand visibility and networking, often involve higher costs and less targeted engagement. That said, let me be clear; I am not advocating for abandoning trade shows. They are absolutely critical for many businesses and play an essential role in industry networking, brand exposure, and relationship-building. What I am advocating for is a rethinking of how we allocate resources. Instead of overusing email and generic direct mail campaigns, we should consider reallocating those resources into precision marketing where it makes sense. Targeted approaches, like Precision Mailers, can complement trade shows, driving focused, high-value engagement with decision-makers.

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Picture this: You’re operating a busy franchise, juggling inventory, suppliers, and customer demand like you’re in a high-intensity workout. 🏃‍♂️ It’s tough to keep everything moving smoothly, right? That’s where Logicbroker can help. We help franchises like Orangetheory Fitness streamline supplier connections, speed up fulfillment, and strengthen their supply chain-while keeping their brand experience on point. The result? Their franchisees operating at peak performance and crushing their growth goals. 💪 Ready to take your franchise to the next level? Learn More ⏬

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MetaProp bringing together leading industry executives, investors, and entrepreneurs who are transforming how we conceptualize, utilize, build, transact, interact with, and manage physical space. It’s called leading!

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What (Management) lessons can we learn from Los Angeles' apocalypse fires, and why is it time for Californians to rise against professional politicians and ideologues... First and foremost, I am so sorry for the hard-working people of Los Angeles, the gardeners, construction workers, retail/services managers, and entrepreneurs. What happened was unfair and heartbreaking but mostly outrageous because it was so predictable and avoidable. I (legally) immigrated to this country 25 years ago. In exchange for an Eb1 visa, I had to produce a five-year plan, hire many people, and pay many taxes. This led to a green card and eventually US citizenship... Originally, from Europe, I always thought of my affiliation as progressive, squarely leaning toward democrats (the 80s and 90s version), although I was always fiscally conservative... After 2 decades of no changes, worse infrastructures, growing taxes (why are we paying $4.89 a gallon vs. the national average of $3 again?), exploding homelessness, and consistent deficits... California, the 5th largest economy with a budget of $322B, should LEAD THE WORLD FOR ITS INFRASTRUCTURES, have the most modern high-speed trains (LA to Seattle in 5 hours), quality and abundant water, and clean (nuclear) energy (France relies 75% on it). Modern buildings, with yearly preventive clean-ups and fire prevention strategies and equipment, and communities of tiny houses solving homelessness and addiction. Dream on... The Tenderloin (a dangerous San Francisco neighborhood) 25 years ago is the same as it is today, but some say it is probably more dangerous and dirtier...Homeless people have grown significantly over these last 5 years (~200,000 people), $24B has been spent on the problem, and there has been no progress... Why? Less than 20% goes to helping people, the rest and the vast majority in the hands of administrations and mindless bureaucrats...such a waste, such as shame... It does not matter if you lean right or left; the bottom line is that we should not support politicians who are incompetent and live only to protect ideologies... When will California change and recognize that politicians have failed us over the last thirty years? It's time to rally, rise, and shake up the status Quo. Let's remain civil and temper our (justified) anger, but man o man... Go to any city in Asia or Dubai, and you'll realize we are short-changed. As in any capitalistic corporation, how about demanding the following from our leaders: 🔥 Extreme transparency on budget allocation 🔥 One-time term 🔥 Enforce Lobbyist $ Caps 🔥 Enforce performance-based reviews 🔥 Streamline Recall mechanisms

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Thanks to Dave Rigotti and team for a wonderful #PLGTM conference in SF. I had great discussions with sales and marketing leaders and here are some observations on how PLG has evolved. Part 1: Time to rethink PLG practice ✔ While the core idea of PLG revolves around self-service adoption and user-driven growth, the practice has evolved, and companies are recognizing the need for a hybrid approach. ✔ For a lot of practitioners, PLG means self-service and users adopt the product without sales support. In practice, PLG leads to increases S&M costs increasing CAC. So, it no more just about building a product but putting the marketing $ behind it. ✔ Enterprise buyers are researching on their own and have good information before they come to the call. Huge number of prospects want sales help in navigating the value prop but want to try out themselves. ✔ PLG does lead to execution speed driving the awareness, showing the value, decreasing sales cycles and enabling simple and faster expansion. ✔ There is a myth that only startups or B2C companies use PLG and has to be bottom-up approach. While many of the companies we know and products we use might be B2C, lot of enterprise B2B companies are PLG as well. e.g. users can simply signup and start using Calendly, Canva or Airtable. teams can start using the products like loom, figma and datadog. ✔ Bringing customers need a hybrid approach in 2024. You need to provide user value created by the product and buyer value created by sales teams. Think about product market fit and product customer fit - leading to greater number of happy customers ✔ Every KPI you are measuring should drive an outcome. If you collect data, ask "what is it used for? " and "how does it help customer or adoption?" ✔ As the PLG model continues to evolve, companies must adapt and embrace a balanced approach that leverages the power of self-service adoption while providing sales support to drive customer success and long-term growth. Thanks to David Yockelson and Dave Boyce for providing engaging discussion on the core of PLG. #productledgrowth #productledsales #salesledgrowth #startups #salesleadership #productmanagement

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It was an honor to host Andrew Bagley on our podcast! Andrew is the President of Boncom, one of Utah’s largest marketing agencies, and the founder of The Visible Hand. He’s an expert in behavioral psychology and persuasion, sharing powerful insights on leadership and human behavior. Here’s a quick clip where he breaks down a leader’s responsibility for their employees' beliefs—whether they’re true or not. Catch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gpd_R9QF #Leadership #BehavioralPsychology #Marketing #Podcast #Entrepreneurship #EmployeeEngagement #LeadershipResponsibility #BusinessGrowth

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The Future Belongs to the Bold: Are You Ready to Compete in the New Arenas? Industries are evolving faster than ever. Over the past two decades, we’ve seen an incredible shift as new arenas like cloud services, AI, EVs, and semiconductors emerged, reshaping markets and driving exponential growth. These arenas are where transformation happens—and where bold leaders thrive. 💡 What sets these arenas apart? Insights from McKinsey's research reveal three key factors driving success in these high-growth areas: 1. Higher Growth Rates: Arenas like cloud computing and semiconductors are growing 2–3x faster than traditional sectors. 2. Dynamic Competition: Escalatory investments create a "winner takes more" effect, rewarding those who move decisively. 3. Global Opportunities: Many of these arenas operate on a global scale, offering untapped potential beyond borders. 📊 Visual Context: I’m sharing a fascinating chart from McKinsey & Company that maps industry growth and dynamism, highlighting these transformative arenas. The insights provided by McKinsey Global Institute serve as an incredible guide for businesses navigating this era of rapid change. 💼 How I Help Businesses Transform Drawing on 30+ years of experience leading growth and transformation at tech giants like Salesforce, Oracle, and Sage, I partner with leaders to: - Align Strategy: Develop go-to-market plans to capture opportunities in high-growth arenas. - Decode Customer Needs: Apply frameworks like Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) to reposition offerings for emerging markets. - Build Resilient Teams: Equip leaders and teams to thrive in disruptive, high-stakes environments. 🌍 Your Opportunity The next decade belongs to those who embrace transformation. Whether it’s rethinking your value proposition, expanding into new arenas, or tackling digital transformation, there’s a path forward. 👋 Let’s Talk: - Are you positioned to win in these new arenas? - What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to transformation and growth? A big thanks to McKinsey & Company and the McKinsey Global Institute for their thought leadership and inspiring research that helps us all better understand where the future is headed. #Innovation #Transformation #GrowthStrategy #DigitalTransformation #AI #CloudComputing #Leadership #JobsToBeDone #BusinessGrowth #GoToMarket #Strategy #Resilience #EmergingMarkets

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EngagedAI Welcomes its newest addition and member of the Executive team, Bryan Wilson! We’re excited to announce Bryan Wilson as EngagedAI's Chief Search Officer! 🎉 Bryan brings award-winning SEO expertise and a proven track record in AI-driven digital marketing, helping dealerships increase engagement and drive conversions. EngagedAI’s Omni-Channel Engagement Platform, powered by Otto, revolutionizes customer interactions and streamlines productivity. Let your team focus on selling cars while Otto handles CRM updates and customer communications with advanced conversational AI. Under Bryan’s leadership, we’re poised to elevate branding, SEO, and overall marketing success. He’s already delivering outstanding results, not just for our customers but also by driving EngagedAI to the top ranks in high demand keyword Google searchers alongside billion-dollar enterprises! Welcome, Bryan Wilson! On behalf of our customers already working with you and all of us here at EngagedAI we could not be happier with your decision to join the vision of our movement revolutionizing CRM and communication between the Dealerships and their customers. It was a natural progression for us to go upstream a bit and start utilizing Otto to help harness the power of data and Ai to provide more leads now that they are already using the the strength of Ai to its fullest potential to nurture them through EngagedAI's Otto. We’re excited for this next chapter in transforming Automotive success with AI. 🚀 #EngagedAI #AI #AutoDealerships #DigitalMarketing #ProductivitySolutions https://lnkd.in/gEXidF_m

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It's a Science of B2B Webinar with Kerry Cunningham. The results from this research won't disappoint and will make you think about new ways to engage with your ICP. CHECK IT OUT!

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Many thanks to Kelly Hopping and Demandbase for inviting me to the podcast! Kelly asks super thoughtful questions and she was a lot of fun to talk to about marketing leadership at different growth phases. Be sure to put NextGen CMO on your go-to list for podcasts, and have a listen to our conversation. Link in comments. #b2bmarketing

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"An innovation juggernaut." "A leader." These are a few of the things I love about Cresta's recognition on the Forrester Wave for Real-Time Revenue Execution. (Getting the highest score in 15 of the 31 evaluated categories is also pretty sweet). My favorite one though from this wave was a statement about our customers. "Customers validated that its innovative platform is delivering results." People are driving results with our platform, today. This isn't something far out into the future. Fortune 500 customers are using Cresta to improve agent productivity, make their managers more effective, and supply insights to the leadership team that propel their business forward. MASSIVE thank you to our customers and to all Crestans who make it possible. ...Still lots more to do. It's always day 1. To get a complimentary copy of the Wave and read more about it, check out my blog on it here: https://lnkd.in/dj-hfYMt

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Do you trust AI? Would you ride in a Waymo? Damon posted a poll about this today and it got me thinking. I recently had the chance to experience riding in a Waymo with Madison. Check out a short video of our ride below! I have to say, it was an awesome experience! But it got me thinking about how people view AI, especially when it comes to something as personal and critical as transportation. There’s no denying that AI is becoming more integrated into our everyday lives, yet a lot of people still have a hard time trusting it. This mistrust often comes from a few key concerns: • Lack of transparency: Many people don’t fully understand how AI works or how it makes decisions, leading to a sense of unpredictability. • Fear of errors: The idea that AI could make a mistake, especially in high-stakes situations like driving, causes hesitation. • Job displacement: AI’s increasing role in various industries creates anxiety about job security, which fuels broader skepticism. • Loss of control: Handing over control to a machine, particularly in a scenario like autonomous driving, can feel But here’s the thing: AI is also improving efficiency, safety, and convenience in ways that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. My ride in the Waymo was a perfect example of how AI can be trusted in the right environments. The car drove smoothly, followed every traffic law, and even handled unexpected situations with precision. Now, let me ask another question: Would you use AI to improve your customer engagement and develop more personalized content? Want to learn how you can use AI to boost your marketing productivity? Download this ebook from ON24 to learn how you can use AI at every step of the marketing campaign lifecycle: https://lnkd.in/ey3QjeBT So, back to my original question: Do you trust AI? Would you be comfortable riding in a Waymo or using AI to elevate your business strategies? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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TAKING THE STAGE We've learned a lot about #ai in the sales space over the last year. Our take: Every company will fall into one of three buckets. 1. You embrace Ai in your #sales today and start separating yourself from the pack. 2. In 2-3 years, you look for an off the shelf solution so you don't lose too much market share. 3. You refuse to #adapt and get left behind. We'll be talking about where the industry is right now and the options you have. Should be a fun one! #presentation #SASW2024 #training

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