Russell Scherwin

Excited to share the latest episode from my colleague, Meha Varier, and Jeff Epstein from 16 Volts as they continue their Straight Talk on Product Marketing series. In this episode, they dig into the true scope of product marketing with a fantastic lineup of seasoned Marketing leaders. From GTM strategy and competitive intel to customer insight, this one’s packed with real talk and practical wisdom. Check it out below 👇 #ProductMarketing #PMM #B2BMarketing #MarketingLeadership

14

1 Comment

Driving Consistency and Insights with PSQuote At Perceptiv Group, we’re transforming the way we scope and quote professional services projects. By leveraging PSQuote, we have standardized our quoting practices, enabling us to: 💻 Create repeatable, accurate quotes with clear scope, roles, and timelines in a fraction of the time it takes to create them over spreadsheets and email. 💡 Gain real-time visibility into our “as sold vs. as delivered” metrics, helping us identify and address gaps early in the delivery cycle. 🔎 Enable scalable insights across our services portfolio—improving forecasting, resource planning, and overall profitability. This alignment between quoting and downstream delivery has not only enhanced our operational efficiency but also elevated the customer experience by ensuring expectations are clear and met consistently. #ServicesDeliveryAdvisory #ProfessionalServices #QuotingExcellence #AutomationFirst

25

10 Comments

🎙️ New Connex Podcast Episode is Live! 🚀 In this episode, Connex Founder & CEO Joseph Anderson sits down with Jason Masciarelli (VP GTM at Launchpad.io & Pega Ventures at Pegasystems) to explore how SaaS founders and ecommerce operators can scale smarter with AI, agentic workflows, and low-code tools. Here’s what you’ll learn: ✅ Why pre-AI SaaS companies are getting stuck—and how to break through ✅ How adaptive workflows make AI practical for non-technical leaders ✅ The shift from efficiency to outcome-based growth models ✅ Common mistakes founders make with DIY builds (and how to avoid them) ✅ How ecommerce workflows can become growth-driving differentiators ✅ Why AI is an opportunity—not a threat—for SaaS leaders If you’re ready to stop firefighting and start scaling with intention, this conversation is for you. 👉 Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gQU7rQAV #Connex #Podcast #Ecommerce #SaaS #AI #Leadership #BusinessGrowth

2

1 Comment

Many industries still rely on reactive maintenance, costing them millions every year. But what if you could 👉 Extend asset life 👉 Slash maintenance costs 👉 Increase operational uptime 👉 Boost ROI across facilities It's time to move From Reactive to Proactive with Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM)! In our latest blog, we break down: - What RCM is and why it’s critical today - How RCM directly impacts asset longevity and cost-efficiency - Real-world strategies for Oil & Gas, EPC, Marine, Healthcare, Aviation, and more - Practical steps to start your RCM journey (even if you're starting from scratch!) Ready to future-proof your assets? 👉 Read the full blog here: https://lnkd.in/gsZjf-CF #ReliabilityCenteredMaintenance #AssetManagement #MaintenanceStrategy #ProactiveMaintenance #Manufacturing

4

Many partner programs look like growth engines but quietly lose revenue through inefficiency, churn, and missed opportunities. At Customertimes, we’ve seen through years of working with the largest software vendors - how the right systems and partner management practices can flip that dynamic, which makes the perspective in this article especially relevant. https://lnkd.in/eW-H5UDz  

10

AI in healthcare and life sciences is no longer theoretical. It is actively helping organizations make faster, safer, and more ethical decisions. Healthcare organizations face growing complexity. Administrative burden is rising. Clinical workflows remain fragmented. Scientific discovery moves faster than traditional systems can support. Trust, safety, and regulatory compliance remain non-negotiable. Steve Sweetman’s article, “Bridging the gap between AI and medicine: Claude in Microsoft Foundry advances capabilities for healthcare and life sciences customers”, shows how Anthropic’s Claude, built on Microsoft Azure, helps organizations deploy AI responsibly at scale, from prior authorization to clinical trial design and regulatory submissions. From my experience starting my AI journey in compliance and ethics with Microsoft products, I see three trends emerging that move AI beyond rule enforcement while helping organizations improve workflow efficiency and strengthen compliance: 1. Predicting Compliance Risks Flags upcoming FDA guidance so patient consent forms and trial documentation stay compliant. 2. Optimizing Ethical Choices Recommends protocols that meet recruitment targets while protecting privacy and ensuring diversity. 3. Enhancing Responsible Experiment Design Spots high biosafety or reproducibility risks during protocol drafting and suggests safer alternatives. Anthropic’s Claude, running on Microsoft Foundry, provides domain-aware AI as a strategic partner in ethical, high-impact workflows. For Mr. Sweetman's article, please read it here: https://lnkd.in/eXQ7iA3E As always, views and ideas are my own.

2

We’ve already published 12 Briefing Documents covering leading CPQ vendors, including: Bit2win, Conga, Elfsquad, Engineering Intent Corporation, iQuoteXpress, Kugamon, Nue.io, PROS, Salesforce Revenue Cloud (RCA), Salsita, SAP CPQ, and Threekit Visual Commerce. 📌 Coming soon: Briefings on Configit, DealHub.io, Vendavo, 3D Source, camos Software und Beratung GmbH, Tacton, and Xait CPQ — with around 20+ more briefings scheduled by mid-September. Whether you're evaluating solutions or tracking market shifts, these vendor-neutral documents offer practical, fact-based insights. Don’t miss out on this high-value, budget-friendly resource—I’m genuinely excited to share it with you 👉 https://lnkd.in/g6FpBA3t FYI – feel free to DM me if you encounter any issues on the website! #CPQ #RevOps #B2B #SaaS #ProductManagement #SalesEnablement #ConfigurePriceQuote

13

3 Comments

Check out another great blog post from your friendly and awesome #hcmtechnology experts at HRchitect. In today's Tech Trends Blog, we talk about how we’re increasing our clients’ success rates by bringing a fresh perspective to a traditional framework. RASCI is helping client stakeholders and team members align roles across the project life cycle, from kickoff to post-go-live. Senior Director of Service Operations, Crystal Judd, details the #HRchitect difference. Check it out https://lnkd.in/gfhFzNYJ “We know that implementation projects succeed not just because tasks are completed, but because our implementation teams are supported throughout the process. The distinct supportive (S) role in the RASCI matrix helps clarify expectations. It indicates who will provide resources and guidance to enable the responsible (R) party’s success. It also helps to reduce friction by ensuring the support team is proactive rather than reactive. This eliminates the need for someone to “jump in” to help when issues arise or assistance is needed.” The HRchitect difference is real. There are plenty of implementation firms out there who can assist you in getting a product set up. HRchitect is a strategic implementation firm that takes your experience to a whole new level to ensure the highest level of success. And we do this with numerous leading HCM and WFM vendors. Our focus and familiarity with multiple vendors and the industry as a whole gives us a unique advantage over others when providing services on behalf of our clients and partners as multiple different viewpoints vastly expand the horizon of what’s possible. Doesn’t your organization deserve the VERY BEST there is? Of course you do! From strategic planning, evaluation and selection, merger and acquisition assistance, implementation, system assessment and optimization, integration, report writing, day to day concierge-level managed support services, and everything in between, let's talk! https://lnkd.in/gZj-bKrB #implementation #strategicplanning #changemanagement #payroll #benefits #workforcemanagement #talentacquisition #talentmanagement #timeandattendance #absencemanagement #WFM #ADP #Dayforce #Paylocity #UKG #Workday #WorkForceSoftware #TeamHRchitect #HR #womenintech

19

2 Comments

The average organization underestimates its SaaS footprint by 2-3x. That’s a lot of surprise renewals, shadow IT, and wasted spend hiding in plain sight. The solution? Continuous SaaS discovery. Not a one-time audit. Not a spreadsheet exercise. ✅ Real-time visibility into every app ✅ Automated tracking (no more chasing down departments) ✅ Insights to take action before waste piles up Bottom line: You can’t manage what you can’t see. Dive deeper into why SaaS discovery is the foundation of effective SaaS Management: https://lnkd.in/gYyczEHu

2

Check out October's blog post discussing the importance of a unified dashboard and singular strategy in aligning various aspects of a business for impactful results. The C-suite, comprising of the CEO, COO, CFO, CMO, CTO, CHRO, and CIO..., all play crucial roles in addressing GTM failures and driving growth. According to GTM Partners' State of GTM benchmark, alarming statistics reveal that 51% of companies missed sales and revenue targets in H1 2025, with 54% falling short of pipeline goals. Additionally, 68% of GTM leaders emphasize the significance of executive clarity, alignment, and trust (C.A.T.) in achieving revenue objectives. The key challenge lies not in the lack of effort but in the absence of UNIFIED VISIBILITY across the organization. Discover more insights in the full article: [Why the C-suite must work together](https://lnkd.in/eNe-qSyK). #GTMStrategy #B2BCMO #B2B #B2BCRO #2026 #B2BMarketing

13

3 Comments

90% of small business AI implementations fail. Not because the tools don’t work. Because adoption does not. Mike Mortlock shares his insights and stories from his business in my latest podcast - Full Episode Link in the comments. The common failure pattern: buying AI before defining the workflow. AI can’t ‘fix’ unclear handoffs, undefined success metrics, or inconsistent inputs. The fix: *Choose one workflow (lead response, quoting, onboarding, support) *Document it in 5 steps *Assign ownership per step *Define 1 metric (time-to-respond, conversion, cost-per-ticket) *Add AI only where it augments humans #ai #business #businessgrowth #businessmindset

8

3 Comments

If there’s one pain almost every SaaS presales team silently suffers… …it’s the document chase. Every demo, every RFP, every solution call starts with the same chaos: “Who has the updated deck?” “Where’s the last proposal version?” “Did someone change the pricing sheet?” “Wait, that doc is outdated—don’t send it!” By the time the team collects the right files, half the energy (and momentum) is gone. Presales isn’t slow because of complexity. Presales is slow because information is scattered. And when information hides, → demos become inconsistent → proposals lose accuracy → customers sense confusion → your deal velocity tanks This shouldn’t be normal. That’s exactly why we built DemoDesk inside DexKor: ✔ One central place for every solution document ✔ Version control — no more “latest.pdf vs final_final.pdf” ✔ Access for sales, presales, onboarding, CS — everyone aligned ✔ Faster proposals, faster demos, faster decisions Presales teams shouldn’t waste time looking for information. They should spend it winning deals. If this pain feels too familiar… you’re not alone. And yes — we’re fixing it. Book the demo - https://lnkd.in/gRZYkGRQ Richard Samuel | Shashank Srivastava | Neshat Ghazali

12

CRM vs. CMR Bill Price, President of Drive Solutions, raises an important point: it’s not just about customer retention, but also about customer-managed relationships—where customers are in charge and truly listened to. Watch the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/gSjcVUBn If you’re curious about how AI is redefining customer experience—or want a glimpse into the future of CRM—this is a must-watch. To see how we’re building that future at TNE.ai, visit: https://tne.ai/ #AI #CRM #CustomerExperience #Innovation

6

AI projects are not sold; they are earned, and most vendors still don’t get that. Demos prove the tech. Consulting proves the value. The winners do both, guiding buyers through complexity and earning trust.

4

Intriguing Insights into RFPs and Scripted Demos   "There are two winners in every deal: the person who wins the deal and the first person out of it." – Patrick McLoughlin What’s in this article for you? Some tactical nuggets and the occasional strategic gem! This article explores practices that can improve your decision-making and response efficacy, including: RFP Responses: -      Should we participate? -      Engaging your prospect’s consultant -      Being first -      The anchoring effect -      Adding rows -      Conversations with your prospect -      Pulling back Delivering Scripted Demos: -      Basic principles -      Rearranging the order -      Death by corporate overview -      The Menu Approach -      Subverting the introduction -      Using a checklist -      Adding rows -      Understanding the scoring -      Engaging, entertaining, enlivening -      Summarizing Should We Participate? “Yes, definitely…!” cries the salesperson, who BELIEVES he has little to lose by pursuing a response. “It’s a HUGE opportunity!” “Oh god, no no no…!” laments the presales player, whose plate is ALREADY overflowing with doing discovery, demos, and the myriads of other activities that consumes her days. “This RFP was clearly written for our competition!” You can find the full article here – enjoy! https://lnkd.in/gEkWtHUV

9

2 Comments