B2B Agility with Greg Kihlström™: MarTech, E-Commerce, & Customer Success

Why is it that B2C marketers can target someone who left a pair of shoes in their cart and follow them around the internet for a week, but that same level of precision just hasn't been the same for B2B?
Agility requires closing the gap between insight and action. It's not enough to know who your audience is; you need the capability to reach them precisely, wherever they are, at the moment it matters most.
Today, we're going to talk about why B2B advertising has historically lagged behind its B2C counterpart in audience targeting and activation. We'll explore the challenges of working with fragmented data and the new opportunities that are emerging to create highly precise, actionable audiences by combining different data sources in a new way.
To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Mark Connon, CEO at Bombora.
 
About Mark Connon
 
Mark Connon was Chief Operating Officer at TapAd when Experian acquired that company in 2020 — becoming TapAd's General Manager and EVP of Product and Marketing for Experian Marketing Services. As the former SVP, Global Chief Mobile and Data Officer at AOL (a subsidiary of Verizon formerly known as Verizon Media Services), Connon led mobile advertising and data strategy, as well as enterprise-wide data commercialization. He has held a number of C-level positions at both public and private marketing and advertising companies and currently serves as an advisor or board member for several companies in the ad/martech space.
 
Mark Connon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markconnon/
 
Resources 
 
Bombora: https://bombora.com/
Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/
 
Keep up with the latest B2B Marketing insights by following the B2B Agility Podcast: https://www.b2bagility.com
Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom
Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com

"Despite the global opportunity available to so many businesses, most are constrained by finite resources. So, the more interesting question isn't "what should we translate?" but rather, "what's the real cost of not localizing the right customer touchpoint, and how do you even begin to calculate that risk?"
Agility requires more than just speed; it demands the sensitivity to know when a universal message fails and a local one is needed. It's the capacity to pivot your entire customer experience to resonate in a new market, not just as a translation, but as a native conversation.
Today, we're going to talk about navigating the complexities of global expansion. We'll get into the strategic decisions leaders have to make when localizing content, such as where to spend the budget for maximum impact, and the critical choice between leveraging AI for scale and speed versus deploying human experts for nuance and connection.
To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Ilya Spiridonov, Chief Commercial Officer at Alconost.
About Ilya Spiridonov
 
Ilya Spiridonov is the Chief Commercial Officer at Alconost, an ISO-certified localization company that has been helping businesses grow internationally since 2004. He leads the company's sales and revenue strategy, focusing on building long-term client partnerships and driving sustainable growth. With expertise in scaling global sales operations, Ilya oversees everything that fuels revenue - from business development and client success to aligning commercial initiatives with Alconost's localization and technology services.
 
Ilya Spiridonov on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilyaspiridonov/
 
Resources 
 
Alconost: https://alconost.com/en
  
Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/
 
Keep up with the latest B2B Marketing insights by following the B2B Agility Podcast: https://www.b2bagility.com 
Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom
Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com

Are most of your channel partners producing very little value for your business?
Agility requires more than just signing up partners; it demands a dynamic approach to activating and enabling the *right* ones. It's about ruthlessly prioritizing relationships that generate mutual value and being nimble enough to change or sunset those that don't.
Today, we're going to talk about the often-unspoken reality of partner programs: the vast gap between the impressive number of logos on a partner page and the handful that actually contribute to the bottom line. We'll explore why so many partners become ""paper partners""—partners in name only—and how to build a program that focuses on tangible value and repeatable revenue, not just vanity metrics.
To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome Peter Fogelsanger, Fractional Partner Executive at Peter Fog LLC. Peter, welcome to the show!
 
About Peter  Fogelsanger
 
Peter is a seasoned partner executive and partner program consultant. He provides fractional consulting and program advisory services to growth companies. Current engagements include several early-stage PE or VC backed startups.. Prior to consulting, Peter was founding Head for Partnerships and Enablement at Contentstack, building the program from the ground up which produced over $22M in pipeline.
Prior to Contentstack, Peter was VP of Partner Engagement (NA) at Thunderhead, an omni-channel customer journey and personalization platform. While at Thunderhead, Peter led the enablement in NA for Salesforce Marketing Cloud - Interaction Studio, helping drive more than $50M in ARR in 24 months.
Earlier in his career, Peter was in direct sales for over eight years at leading CMS vendors Sitecore and SDL. He also spent more than 12 years in sales/marketing at digital agencies helping clients with digital transformation related projects. Major clients have included FedEx, Charles Schwab, Humana, Duke Energy, TD Bank, Stanley Black & Decker, Nasdaq, Marriott, and the Veterans Administration.
Peter has been a speaker on partner programs, enablement, personalization/content management, and active in several related communities. In his spare time, Peter enjoys carpentry and DIY projects and has many years as a coach for youth soccer and high school track.
 
Peter  Fogelsanger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterfog/
 
Resources 
 
Peter Fog LLC: www.peterfog.com

 
Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/
 
Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom
Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.b2bagility.com
Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com

With all the talk about the business impact of AI, why aren't more people talking beyond the most straightforward examples and more about sectors like construction, energy, and manufacturing where there is real potential for impact that has yet to be tapped? 
Agility requires a willingness to challenge the core processes of how work gets done, even in industries where "how it's always been done" is the default operating system. 
Today, we're going to talk about the practical, powerful, and often overlooked application of AI in what some call the 'real economy'—the foundational industries that build and make our world. We'll explore how AI-powered digital workers are moving beyond the hype to create tangible value, and what it takes to drive this kind of technological adoption in sectors traditionally resistant to change.
To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Bassem Hamdy, CEO and Co-Founder at Briq.
 
About Bassem Hamdy 
 
Author, executive and technology pioneer, Bassem Hamdy is world renowned in the construction technology space. With over 19 years of construction software experience Bassem Hamdy is bringing harmony to construction through the delivery of modern tools to drive better decision making for general and subcontractors. ,Yes,This will be completed shortly
 
Bassem Hamdy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bassem-hamdy
 
Resources 
 
Briq: briq.com 
Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/
 
Keep up with the latest B2B Marketing insights by following the B2B Agility Podcast: https://www.b2bagility.com 
Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom
Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com

Many entrepreneurs dream of scaling a niche product, achieving market dominance, and ultimately securing a successful exit—but few actually make it happen. How do you take an idea from concept to acquisition, and what key lessons can other business leaders, including marketers, take from that journey?
Joining me today is Chris Tilkov, General Manager at DocuSketch, an automated estimation and documentation platform that helps homeowners rebuild after natural disasters. Before joining DocuSketch, Chris founded Ask AiME, a platform that was successfully acquired. But his journey didn't start in tech—he began his career as a carpet cleaner before transitioning into the world of technology and entrepreneurship.
About Chris Tilkov
 
Chris Tilkov is a director at DocuSketch and is the founder of Ask Aime, an InsurTech that simplifies estimating and quality assurance for the insurance restoration industry to settle claims quickly and accurately. With over 25 years' experience from flood technician to nationally held positions, Chris works with companies to provide the training and education needed to produce fair and consistent estimates through collaborative technology. In 2023, DocuSketch acquired Aime Estimate Review Inc.
 
Chris Tilkov on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-tilkov-a5038b3b/
Resources 
 
Docusketch: https://www.docusketch.com/
 
Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Palm Springs, Feb 23-26 in Palm Springs, CA. Go here for more details: https://etailwest.wbresearch.com/
 
Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom
Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.show
Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com