5 ways B2B marketers can justify brand spend to their CFO -- with Patrick Cumming
Closing Time: quick insights from sales & marketing experts
Release Date: 07/21/2025
Thinking about a career change into sales? Expert advice for reinvention in 2026 -- with Katia Vlachos
Closing Time: quick insights from sales & marketing experts
Is 2026 your year for a career change into sales? And what if that next chapter offers more flexibility, income potential, and ownership over your future? In this episode of Closing Time, we explore why sales is emerging as a powerful option for career reinvention—especially for women considering a midlife career change or looking for a more autonomous, growth-oriented path. Val is joined by reinvention coach Katia Vlachos, author of Uncaged, to unpack what really drives a career pivot, the benefits of changing direction, and the internal barriers—like fear, identity, and confidence—that...
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Paid media strategy 2026: Surviving rising CPCs and budget shifts in SaaS -- with Jonathan Bland
Closing Time: quick insights from sales & marketing experts
Rising ad costs and tighter performance expectations are forcing SaaS marketers to rethink their paid media strategy in 2026. On this episode of Closing Time, Jonathan Bland, paid media strategist and co-founder of Omni Lab, breaks down the paid media trends shaping the year ahead—from rising CPCs and shifting Google Ads economics to what’s actually working on LinkedIn ads for SaaS. Covering seasonal pricing dynamics, creative formats like thought leader ads, and when it makes sense to rethink channel mix altogether, this conversation offers practical guidance to help digital marketing...
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Master your brand storytelling in 2026: Proven frameworks, real examples, and the role of AI -- with Park Howell
Closing Time: quick insights from sales & marketing experts
Brand storytelling is becoming one of the most critical growth levers for B2B marketers—and in 2026, it’s being reshaped by AI. In this episode of Closing Time, we’re joined by brand storytelling expert and author Park Howell to break down what brand storytelling really is, why it matters more than ever, and how B2B marketing leaders can use proven frameworks to stand out in an increasingly automated world. Park introduces his simple but powerful ABT (And, But, Therefore) framework, explains how storytelling builds trust and emotional connection, and shows how it can be applied across...
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Sales and marketing misalignment: How RevOps and culture can help fix it -- part 2 with Jeff Davis
Closing Time: quick insights from sales & marketing experts
Sales and marketing misalignment is one of the biggest (and most expensive) problems facing modern go-to-market teams. It slows down deals, creates internal friction, and leads to inevitable revenue loss. In this episode of Closing Time, we are joined for a second time by the author of Create Togetherness, Jeff Davis, so he can finish sharing the final two of his five big ideas around sales and marketing alignment: why RevOps is responsible for creating one source of truth and how culture is the foundation for sustainable alignment. Jeff breaks down what has changed in the modern buying...
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Three brands, three GTM motions, one playbook: Inside Unbounce’s multi-brand paid media strategy -- with Unbounce's Alexa Tsongranis
Closing Time: quick insights from sales & marketing experts
Running a paid media strategy for one brand is tough. Running it for three—with entirely different go-to-market motions—is a whole new level of complexity. In this special internal spotlight episode of Closing Time, Val Riley sits down with Unbounce’s Senior Manager of Digital Marketing, Alexa Tsongranis, to unpack how her team of one built a unified playbook for scaling paid media across Unbounce, Insightly, and LeadsRx. From shared infrastructure and flexible frameworks to unified measurement and data-driven decision-making, Alexa shares how operational clarity and focus help her run...
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The 4 levers of B2B sales negotiation that protect margin and build trust -- with Todd Caponi
Closing Time: quick insights from sales & marketing experts
B2B sales negotiation doesn’t have to feel like a high-pressure personality shift the moment a customer says “yes.” Too often, sellers tense up, change their tone, and fall back into outdated tactics—but today’s guest on Closing Time says there’s a better way. In his new book Four Levers Negotiating, sales leader and speaker Todd Caponi shares his practical framework that transforms the negotiation phase into a natural extension of the sales process. Todd shares immediately actionable negotiation strategies that protect margin while strengthening long-term customer relationships....
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How to launch a high-impact B2B field marketing strategy without blowing your 2026 budget -- with Jonathan Kazarian
Closing Time: quick insights from sales & marketing experts
Events are back and bigger than ever. Whether you’re new to events or scaling an existing program, this episode is packed with tips to launch or improve your field marketing strategy in 2026. Accelevents CEO Jon Kazarian joins Closing Time to share a practical, modern take on B2B event marketing, including why micro-events and intimate dinners are outperforming saturated digital channels. You’ll learn how to test your first event, partner with other brands, and build engaging sidecar events that fuel long-term pipeline—not just quick leads. Jon also breaks down real cost-per-head...
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The ecommerce holiday marketing strategy to drive more sales in Q4 -- with Webistry's Jonathan Naccache
Closing Time: quick insights from sales & marketing experts
A strong holiday marketing strategy can make or break your Q4. November and December drive over $1 trillion in ecommerce spending, with conversions spiking up to six times higher during the Cyber Five. But with ad costs rising and competition at an all-time high, marketers need to move fast and optimize smarter. In this episode of Closing Time, Val chats with Jonathan Naccache, Co-founder and President of Webistry, a performance marketing agency that helps brands win on Meta. Jonathan shares how to design high-performing holiday campaigns—from choosing the right mix of static and video ads,...
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CRM implementation best practices that drive sales efficiency and maximize ROI -- with CRM consultant Vanessa Hunt
Closing Time: quick insights from sales & marketing experts
Getting CRM implementation right is one of the biggest levers for improving sales performance and efficiency. Yet many teams struggle to select the right system and see a fast return on investment. In this episode of Closing Time, CRM consultant Vanessa Hunt shares proven CRM implementation best practices that help companies boost ROI, improve CRM adoption, and reduce the total cost of ownership. She also breaks down the latest CRM trends shaping 2025 and 2026—from smarter integrations to the growing role of AI in CRM—and explains how sales leaders can future-proof their tech stack for the...
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Sales and marketing alignment: What it really takes to operationalize it -- part 1 with Jeff Davis
Closing Time: quick insights from sales & marketing experts
Sales and marketing alignment is one of the most persistent challenges for go-to-market leaders. While most teams say they’re aligned, the reality often looks different—with missed opportunities, broken handoffs, and a lack of shared accountability. In this episode of Closing Time, Val sits down with Jeff Davis, author of Create Togetherness, to unpack the first three big ideas about sales and marketing alignment: building it as an operating system, fixing the business design flaws that discourage collaboration, and understanding the “misalignment tax” that silently erodes revenue....
info_outlineDo you speak CFO? It’s a skill every marketer needs to master—fast. There’s often a gap between marketers who want to invest in brand (because they know it works) and CFOs who need to see clear metrics tied to that spend. Drawing that line isn’t always easy, but this week’s guest on Closing Time is here to help. Patrick Cumming of KlientBoost shares five practical tips to help marketers justify brand spend and communicate its value using the metrics and language CFOs care about most.
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Connect With:
• Patrick Cumming: LinkedIn // KlientBoost
• Val Riley: LinkedIn
• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website