Best William Macaitis Podcasts (2025)

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The secret to winning in AI & SaaS: Ruthless Prioritization 7:44

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13d ago7:44

7:44

I've worked at a lot of companies in my life. And the ones that absolutely dominated all had one thing in common. They ruthlessly prioritized. The best one that did this was Salesforce. I'll share some of the secrets we used there that I believe created incredible focus and allowed us to dominate the competition. Learn marketing + watch full video …

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Leads are down somewhere. Don't stress. Here's why. 3:29

20d ago3:29

3:29

You are a good person. You try really hard. But damn it, leads are down. Wait. I thought we were killing it? Leads are always down ... somewhere. As your AI or SaaS software company gets bigger, you just start getting tons of geo's, segments, product lines. And inevitably in one of them leads are down. So don't fret. It's normal. Just make sure the…

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Why internal stakeholder surveys are the KEY to better marketing 5:16

3M ago5:16

5:16

Marketing teams for B2B tech serve a lot of different stakeholders ... sales, product, finance and more. Yet often these stakeholders get frustrated at a lack of communication, responsiveness or value created from their marketing counterparts. Internal stakeholder surveys are a new approach to treating these teams like customers and surveying them …

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The Secret Power of Political Capital Explained! 4:40

4M ago4:40

4:40

What the heck is political capital? And how can you use it to your advantage to get stuff done in a SaaS or AI company? I dive into both those questions today and walk you through some practical ways to leverage political capital for good. ============================= 🦥 SaaS CMO Pro ============================= Official website: https://www.saasc…

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How Slack Skyrocketed: Lessons from their original CMO 44:00

6M ago44:00

44:00

Today I'm diving into a question I often hear from founders: How did Slack grow so fast? What was the key factor that really made the difference? I was fortunate enough to get an inside view of Slack from the early days, joining as CMO around employee #50. During my time there, I built out the marketing team and eventually led sales, customer succe…

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5 Proven Ways to Beat Internal Resistance to PLG (Product Led Growth) 24:53

8M ago24:53

24:53

Big believer in Product Led Growth? In charge of implementing PLG at your company? Well you are most likely going to encounter some stiff resistance. Not everyone drinks the PLG juice and you may have some internal stakeholders (sales, finance, board members, c-suite) who actively try to keep the status quo and are afraid of what PLG might mean. I …

1
AI Founders Are Making This CRITICAL Go-To-Market Mistake 4:24

8M ago4:24

4:24

Something has been bothering me recently New AI startups using old marketing & sales playbooks Skipping straight to the enterprise Cold calling and cold e-mails AI spam Top down sales Mindless press releases Trying to buy off analysts Long deal cycles Looks and sounds like everyone else No one knows about their startup I’ve been trying to work with…

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Why Tech Marketers Lose Promotions (Your Outfit Matters) 6:52

10M ago6:52

6:52

Most people think promotions are all about performance—but like it or not, perception plays a role too. In this video, I dive into the surprising impact your outfit can have on your career growth as a B2B tech marketer. Does what you wear really matter? How do top marketers think about workplace dress codes? And can dressing a certain way actually …

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The better (and cheaper) alternative to multi-touch attribution. 🧪📊 7:53

10M ago7:53

7:53

Learn how to use control groups to measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts with precision. In this video, I’ll share practical examples from my time at Slack, Zendesk, and Salesforce, showing how control groups can help you evaluate ad campaigns, website changes, customer success initiatives, and more. Whether you’re a marketer, CEO, or…

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Should you skip the SMB segment? 11:12

11M ago11:12

11:12

Every SaaS and AI founder is forced with this question early on ... should you skip the SMB segment and go straight to the enterprise? I dive into the pros and cons here and lay my case for what I think is the clear answer. ============================= 🦥 SaaS CMO Pro ============================= Official website: https://www.saascmopro.com/ =====…

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My best productivity hacks 4:24

12M ago4:24

4:24

When Are You at Your Best? 🔋 I didn’t always think about my peak energy hours—but once I did, it changed everything. Here’s what worked for me: 1️⃣ Map Your Energy: Take note of when you feel most productive and energized during the day. For me, it’s 8–10:30 AM. That’s when I tackle big projects or creative work. 2️⃣ Plan Around It: Align your toug…

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Unlocking Hyper-Growth: The Art of Removing Friction in PLG 14:54

1y ago14:54

14:54

Learn how to identify and eliminate friction in your Product-Led Growth (PLG) strategy. From pricing and adoption friction to cognitive and invite friction, I’ll share actionable tips to help SaaS and AI companies grow faster and more efficiently. Perfect for founders, marketers, and product teams looking to accelerate growth. 🚀 ===================…

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The Golden Rule of Professional Communication ✨📜💼 4:56

1y ago4:56

4:56

Hey folks. Today, I want to share one crucial lesson I learned the hard way: never put anything in writing that you wouldn’t be comfortable with everyone at your company seeing. Let's dive into this topic and I'll share some strategies I used to help avoid this. ============================= 🦥 SaaS CMO Pro ============================= Official web…

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Scale Your Marketing Team: In-House 🏠 vs. Agency 🤝 Guide 6:26

1y ago6:26

6:26

When I built marketing at Slack, Zendesk and Salesforce, I always had to make a fundamental decision. Which functions should we hire internal marketers for and which should we outsource to agencies? In this video I walk you through the pros and cons of in-house vs agency in this ultimate battle royale! ============================= 🎥 Chapters =====…

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🔑 Two words took Zendesk from zero to IPO 🚀 8:40

1y ago8:40

8:40

I had the great pleasure of working with a spectacular team at Zendesk. I joined at an early stage (about 65 people) and came on as their first CMO. I built out the marketing team and in a couple years we took Zendesk IPO. We had a guiding principle at Zendesk and it could be distilled into two words: Beautifully Simple. This video dives into how t…

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The 🔒 HIDDEN Potential of 💬 In-Product Messaging in SaaS 🚀 9:18

1y ago9:18

9:18

Spend a little time learning about In-Product Messaging (IPM) and why I'm such a huge fan of it. IPM is an incredible way to educate and nurture your users within your SaaS or AI tool. ============================= 🎥 Videos mentioned ============================= https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFhqt_82AGLqM_XRLLqHqbsLHrA6rlSX_ =============…

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7 tips for more customer references 💬🤝✨ 15:02

1y ago15:02

15:02

Great customer references are always hard to get. I spill the beans on my top 7 strategies to get more and better customer references. These help even if you are going after the elusive enterprise segment. ============================= 🎥 Videos mentioned ============================= https://youtu.be/FcQ-Qxdvq_8 https://youtu.be/Ol6kMjzMOAs =======…

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PLG 100% ❌ Does Not Work for This Industry 🏭 5:51

1y ago5:51

5:51

Ok you teased me Bill with that title. I'm a PLG fan. What the heck industry doesn't work for PLG?!?. Listen on my friend. ============================= 🎥 Videos mentioned ============================= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUZngF95dyo ============================= 🦥 SaaS CMO Pro ============================= Official website: https://www…

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How I handle work mistakes. The simple 3 step process 🛠️ 3:49

1y ago3:49

3:49

Mistakes happen. It's just the truth. And at some point you or your team will make the mistake and it will get called out in a big meeting. Here is my simple 3-step formula that my Dad taught me on how to communicate the problem. ============================= 🦥 SaaS CMO Pro ============================= Official website: https://www.saascmopro.com/…

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10X Your SaaS Growth: Advanced Pricing Strategies 30:13

1y ago30:13

30:13

Supercharge your SaaS growth! I reveal six advanced pricing secrets I've used to help ignite your y/y ARR growth to new levels. These are advanced strategies but can be leveraged by any SaaS and AI company. Go get em! Carpe diem my friends. ============================= ⏰ Table of Contents ============================= 0:00 - Introduction to Advanc…

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Why B2B Marketers Feel Overwhelmed 😩 & How to fix it! 8:24

1y ago8:24

8:24

Are you a B2B SaaS Marketer? Do you feel a bit overwhelmed? Don't worry, you are not alone. There are just so many internal stakeholders that all want a laundry list of things from marketing. I share my best tips on how to handle the chaos and focus your marketing team. ============================= ⏰ Table of Contents =============================…

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The Weird Truth About SaaS Freemium Plans 29:49

1y ago29:49

29:49

Discover the weird truth about SaaS freemium plans as former Slack CMO, Bill Macaitis, dives into the pros, cons, and hidden benefits of this controversial pricing strategy. From transforming millions of free users into a powerful marketing force to creating an unbeatable defensive moat, learn why freemium might be the game-changer your SaaS compan…

1
What the Heck is PLG? 🤔🚀 34:03

1y ago34:03

34:03

Want to learn a little bit more about what Product Led Growth (PLG) is? You are in the right place. I'm the former CMO of Slack and I've helped SaaS and AI startups with dozens of PLG implementations. In this video, I give you my perspective on what PLG really is, why it matters, and how to implement it successfully. Learn about the key elements of…

1
✨ The Best Career Advice I Ever Got 🚀 4:01

1y ago4:01

4:01

Did you ever get a really good piece of career advice that you stowed away in your head for life? I want to hear it! Share it so everyone can learn and get a little better. Well I got mine on my first job out of college. There was a tradition we had where we would all go out to lunch when it was someone’s last day. And I made it a habit to ask the …

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📊 Mastering Marketing Metrics for B2B SaaS 📊 26:21

1+ y ago26:21

26:21

Marketing metrics demystified. I've spent 30 years thinking about what should be the right marketing metrics that incentivize the right behavior for the team. Here are the six categories I used at Slack, Zendesk and Salesforce for my B2B marketing teams. 1.Funnel Metrics 🔄 These are the bread and butter of every B2B SaaS marketing team. I really ad…

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Why PLG is Your Secret Weapon in Enterprise Sales 🚀 13:37

1+ y ago13:37

13:37

In this pod, I dive into why Product-Led Growth (PLG) is a salesperson’s best friend. I’ll break down what PLG is, how it reduces friction in the sales process, and why it’s especially effective in enterprise sales. Whether you’re dealing with long deal cycles or trying to build brand awareness, PLG offers powerful tools like freemium models and in…

1
Behind Slack’s Success: 🔥 The Fair Billing Policy 🔥 5:12

1+ y ago5:12

5:12

In this video, I dive into Slack’s Fair Billing policy and how it became a key part of our product-led growth (PLG) strategy. By offering credits for inactive users, we aligned our goals with those of our customers, ensuring that we only made money when people actively used the product. This approach not only built immense goodwill but also drove S…

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😓 4 Strategies to Survive a Toxic Workplace 😓 6:06

1+ y ago6:06

6:06

We’ve all been there at some point. You work long enough and at some point you encounter a really bad work environment. A workplace that stresses you out, drains your energy, and makes you dread coming to work each day. Toxic environments fester like a week old fish in the fridge. No one like them. Unfortunately, it’s not always as simple as leavin…

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Avoiding PLG Landmines ❌ 7 Mistakes That Can Doom Your Strategy ❌ 17:27

1+ y ago17:27

17:27

Product-led growth (PLG) can drive incredible results, but only if you avoid these 7 common pitfalls. I break down the top reasons PLG initiatives often fail and provide strategies to ensure your success. Don’t let these challenges stand in your way—watch now to learn how to navigate the PLG landscape effectively. ============================= 🦥 Sa…

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Building the ultimate Zoom setup 🎥💰 1:07:37

1+ y ago1:07:37

1:07:37

Watch this video podcast on Youtube for more visuals of the studio itself! If you want to up-level the professionalism of your Zoom setup, then this video is for you. Have you ever had a project that got a little out of hand? That you obsessed over and wanted to make sure every detail was right? Well, that may or may not have been me. Okay, it was …

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Top 8 CMO interview questions (for founders & CEOs) 24:58

1+ y ago24:58

24:58

Are you looking to hire a CMO but unsure where to start? I share my top eight interview questions that can help you find the right fit. Whether you’re seeking a creative genius or a data-driven strategist, these questions will guide you to the best candidate for your company’s needs. #CMO #Hiring #MarketingLeadership #SaaS Learn marketing + watch f…

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🚀 How to Hire the Right CMO for Your SaaS Startup! 💡 1:19

1+ y ago1:19

1:19

🔍 Introduction to the Challenge Hey folks! Hiring the right Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) can be a daunting task for any CEO, especially in the fast-paced world of SaaS and AI startups. But fear not, because today, I’m breaking down the key lenses you need to consider to make this critical hire. From understanding your go-to-market motion to identi…

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Credits 💡 The SaaS Growth Hack You Aren't Using Yet 💡 4:28

1+ y ago4:28

4:28

Cash 💵, Moolah 💰, Chedda 🧀, Benjamins 💸, Bread 🍞 Who doesn’t want some? And when it is free money … ooooooh baby, now we are talking. So today, I’m going to talk about CREDITS and how to use them effectively in your SaaS company. We’ll dive into the history of credits, how we used them at Slack to grow faster, and I’ll share some practical tips on …

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💸 How to Build a Brand with Zero Budget 🚀 11:43

1+ y ago11:43

11:43

I’ve been doing online tech startups my entire life (past 30 years). Sometimes I had a big marketing budget, sometimes I had zero budget. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But I started with zero budget. And having nothing is the mother of invention when it comes to finding creative ways to build a brand. 🌟 So this post is for all those AI and SaaS startups that WANT to c…

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OMG it is PLG time!! 📊 Top 5 PLG metrics! 📊 21:12

1+ y ago21:12

21:12

I am SUPER excited because we are finally diving into PLG!!!! (Product Led Growth) This is by far one of my favorite topics to talk about and I went a little crazy here. This is the first of 26 videos on PLG. That was not a typo. Yeah. Did you know you were subscribing to a crazy growth marketer who loved PLG so much? No? Well you do now. No take b…

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Unlocking Hidden Revenue💰 The Power of Customer Marketing in SaaS 💰 11:00

1+ y ago11:00

11:00

Unlocking the Power of Customer Marketing in SaaS: Let’s Dive Deep! 🚀 Hey folks, today I’m talking about something crucial that I see too few SaaS marketing teams focusing on: customer marketing. I’m going to break down what customer marketing is, why the metrics often work against it, and why we need to do more of it. Alright, let’s dive in. What …

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Billboard Ads for Tech Companies 🚀 Brilliant Move or ❌ Big Mistake 11:48

1+ y ago11:48

11:48

💬 Speaking as someone who was a bit skeptical about these and from someone who actually ran billboard ads, I’ll give you my 2 cents on this age-old question. 💭 Also if you are a fan of SaaS CMO Pro and want to see more subscribe to our social channels: 📱 Tiktok SaaS CMO Pro 📸 Instagram SaaS CMO Pro 🐦 X Saas CMO Pro Thanks and have a wonderful day! …

1
🚫 Career Killers 🚫 Common Mistakes New Marketing Director Makes 17:09

1+ y ago17:09

17:09

🚫 Avoid these common pitfalls that many new Directors of Marketing face. I've seen many new managers or directors of marketing make these mistakes, and often their careers stall or even cause them to lose their jobs. And often, these are good people. I don't want to see that happen to anyone watching a SaaS CMO Pro video! So buckle in for an import…

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🚀 3 Game-Changing Metrics SaaS CEOs Overlook: Are You? 📊 16:52

1+ y ago16:52

16:52

🎯💡 Are you tracking the right metrics? It is always interesting when I work with different AI and SaaS founders and what metrics they choose to track and put importance on. In this video, I delve into the top 3 overlooked metrics that every SaaS & AI leader should monitor. These aren't just any metrics; they're the game-changers that can supercharg…

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💥 Crappy Sales Response Times to Marketing Leads 💥 5:37

1+ y ago5:37

5:37

Excited to kick off the launch of SaaS CMO Pro with a timeless B2B topic: why sales often has crappy response times to marketing-generated leads. I discuss 🤔... 🚀 My name is Bill Macaitis and I am your host for the SaaS CMO Podcast. I am a seven time marketing leader, with 3 CMO tours of duty and five tech exits. I'm hear to help you learn about ma…