Inside the Challenge Report: Real ABM Through Trust, VoC, and Alignment
Baris Vural, Chief Revenue Officer at Smartlinxs, and Rhiannon Staples, Chief Marketing Officer at ClearCompany, unpack the top growth blockers their peer C-suite leaders face. They connect internal misalignment, weak customer insight, and low trust to stalled revenue and show how ABM, if executed through brand and VoC, solves these gaps. As a result, you can expect practical guidance on aligning teams, refining ICP, and ultimately turning trust into pipeline momentum.
Inside the Challenge Report: Real ABM Through Trust, VoC, and Alignment A Conversation with Baris Vural, Chief Revenue Officer at Smartlinx, and Rhiannon Staples, Chief Marketing Officer at ClearCompany EPISODE 214 Steve MacDonald HOST:
Table of Contents • [1:49] Introduction to Baris Vural and Rhiannon Staples • [41:35] Full Podcast Episode • [3:26] Episode Highlights Video • [7:52] Unifying the ICP to Earn Market Trust • [4:32] Truth Serum: VoC Aligns ICP for Value Growth • [3:31] Rebalance for Expansion When CAC Keeps Rising • [5:54] Locking the Room by Aligning ICP with Data • [6:46] Controlling the Board Narrative with ICP Data • [7:36] Prioritizing ICP, VoC, and Brand Investment • [1:33] ICP: Define, Align, Enforce Relentlessly • [0:47] Short - Truth Serum: VoC Aligns ICP for Value Growth • [0:56] Short - Locking the Room by Aligning ICP with Data
ABOUT Baris Vural & Rhiannon Staples Baris Vural, Chief Revenue Officer at Smartlinx, and Rhiannon Staples, Chief Marketing Officer at ClearCompany, unpack the top growth blockers their peer C-suite leaders face. They connect internal misalignment, weak customer insight, and low trust to stalled revenue and show how ABM, if executed through brand and VoC, solves these gaps. As a result, you can expect practical guidance on aligning teams, refining ICP, and ultimately turning trust into pipeline momentum.
FULL EPISODE "People buy because they trust. And how do you build trust? You build it through your brand and through your voice of customers." – Rhiannon Staples
[3:26] Episode Highlights
[7:52] Unifying the ICP to Earn Market Trust "Trust with the community of your customers starts with your internal alignment." – Baris Vural
[4:32] Truth Serum: VoC Aligns ICP for Value Growth “It's not about that one whale customer that you hope to land, but really your ideal customer profile that helps you cut through the noise. They will tell you what's important to them and what's strategically critical for them to continue the relationship and deepen the partnership. It's a truth serum that drives that alignment.” – Rhiannon Staples
[3:31] Rebalance for Expansion When CAC Keeps Rising “When customer acquisition costs is becoming increasingly more, you might wanna shift that balance a bit to focusing on existing clients. Leaning into that not only deepens the stickiness with existing customers, but equally offers additional revenue potential.” – Rhiannon Staples
[5:54] Locking the Room by Aligning ICP with Data "Data doesn't lie. You're gonna have data proof to tell you where's your churn, what type of customers that churn is coming from, what type of good quality revenue and what type of customers that's coming from. I think you can answer a lot of questions by just looking at the data." – Baris Vural
[6:46] Controlling the Board Narrative with ICP Data “The board doesn’t know what they don’t know. They have their own vision and mission and strategy and growth targets, and it’s all in their head or on a spreadsheet somewhere, and they measure you against it. So, if the board is setting up the agenda, you’re in the wrong board meeting. You always have to set the agenda.” – Baris Vural
[7:36] Prioritizing ICP, VoC, and Brand Investment “Listening more to the customer unlocks insights and answers that your business needs to have to be able to operate with greatest efficiency and attract new, similar, clients in the market. It also becomes the fuel for every departmental function in understanding how they can contribute to strategic value.” – Rhiannon Staples
[1:33] ICP: Define, Align, Enforce Relentlessly “Go granular and dig deep into your ICP. Spend the time to get everybody to agree on what it is and what it's not.” – Baris Vural
YOUTUBE SHORT: “It's not about that one whale customer that you hope to land, but really your ideal customer profile that helps you cut through the noise. They will tell you what's important to them and what's strategically critical for them to continue the relationship and deepen the partnership. It's a truth serum that drives that alignment.” – Rhiannon Staples
YOUTUBE SHORT: “Data doesn't lie. You're gonna have data proof to tell you where's your churn, what type of customers that churn is coming from, what type of good quality revenue and what type of customers that's coming from. I think you can answer a lot of questions by just looking at the data.” – Baris Vural
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