“What’s more critical to me than reporting structures is strategic alignment. What is strategically and critically important to the business?”
William Chia, VP of Marketing at Styra
In this episode of Executive Conversations, Maeva interviews William Chia, the VP of Marketing at Styra. They discuss the challenges of getting buy-in from various stakeholders in the go-to-market space. William shares his experience of building the skill of negotiation and persuasion throughout his career as a marketer. They also discuss the importance of strategic alignment and how reporting structure is not the sole determinant of success. William shares a story of disagreeing and committing to a decision that went against his beliefs, which turned out to be a successful move. He also shares a story of influencing a change in the go-to-market motion by transitioning from a traditional MQL-based model to an account-based motion.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Strategic alignment
- Product marketing
- Account-based marketing
Takeaways:
- Leadership by influence: How to influence without authority, especially in product marketing.
- Strategic alignment: The crucial role of strategic alignment over traditonal reporting structures in achieving company goals.
- Transparency benefits: How transparency, even with competitors, can enhance credibility and SEO.
- Disagree and commit: The value of committing to a strategy even when you initially disagree.
- Transitioning marketing models: Shifting from traditional MQLs to account-based marketing for better quality leads.
Time Chapters:
[00:01] Introduction
[02:36] Learning leadership skills in marketing
[04:15] The role of product marketing and leadership by influence
[06:45] Reporting structure and its impact on marketing strategies
[10:30] Strategic alignment vs. reporting structure
[13:26] Navigating misalignment in organizations
[18:00] Embracing transparency in competitive strategy
[22:11] The power of Bezo’s disagree and commit
[25:57] Achieving buy-in for strategic changes
[28:31] Wrap-up
About William Chia
Product-minded storyteller who’s been crafting both code and copy since the late 90’s. Obsessed with customers, I leverage both qualitative and quantitative research to make data-driven decisions. With the heart of a teacher, I make others around me better. Proven track record of driving go-to-market strategy, sales enablement, content, messaging, and positioning for new technologies in new markets. Connect with William here.
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