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Trust & Influence in B2B

Trust & Influence in B2B

Written by: Joel Harrison
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About this listen

 I’m Joel Harrison, founder of B2B Marketing.net (formerly B2B Marketing magazine) Propolis and the B2B Marketing Awards. It’s been my mission for the past 21 years to recognise, celebrate and evangelise for the amazing profession that is B2B marketing, which has evolved beyond that recognition in that time. In this podcast, I’ll be exploring what I believe is the biggest challenge facing B2B marketers today: Trust. Buyers have always been cynical, hard to reach and even harder to convince, and increasingly expect to be self-directed in their research. In other words, they only want to engage with you on their terms. As if that wasn't bad enough, media and content channels are fragmented whilst AI is opening the floodgates to a tidalwave of content of questionable quality and veracity. It all adds up to a crisis of trust in B2B. In this podcast, I'll be interviewing innovative and inspirational marketers in the front line of addressing this challenge, providing deep insights into the context of this challenge, exploring new insights about its implications and looking at real world solutions and success stories. I’ll be exploring this topic from every relevant angle and perspective, but I’m going to focus particularly on thought leadership, influencer marketing and advocacy as they have particular relevance to this challenge.Copyright 2026 Joel Harrison Art Economics Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • Is PE killing the B2B ROI imperative? | Nick Eades on what PE-backed marketing teaches the rest of B2B

    Is PE killing the B2B ROI imperative? | Nick Eades on what PE-backed marketing teaches the rest of B2B
    May 4 2026
    In this episode of Trust and Influence in B2B Marketing, Joel Harrison sits down with Nick Eades, Chief Strategy Officer at Freemarket and one of B2B marketing's most experienced senior leaders, having served as CMO five times across PE-backed, publicly quoted, and VC-funded businesses at companies including IBM, Dell, BT, and Fujitsu. Together, they explore one of the most consequential shifts reshaping the marketing profession: the rise of private equity ownership in B2B — and what it demands of marketers operating inside it. Could the high-pressure, outcome-driven discipline of PE-backed marketing actually be making all of B2B better?➡️ Nick holds nothing back. He dismantles the cult of MQLs — sharing real-world cases where marketing leaders were measuring leads that never converted to revenue — and argues that closed-won SQLs sourced by the GTM function is the only metric that truly counts. He introduces his operating mantra of "evidence builds confidence," explains why he talks about reputation and positioning rather than brand, and breaks down what a genuine GTM engine looks like in practice: daily standups, zero ego, AI-powered tech stacks, and full sales-marketing alignment. He also speaks candidly about the personal demands of PE culture and how to manage your own capacity without burning out. If you're a marketer whose organisation has been acquired, is at risk of acquisition, or simply wants to sharpen your commercial instincts, this conversation will challenge how you think about your role and what it's really there to deliver.Chapters:00:00 - Introduction: PE and B2B Marketing 02:09 - Nick Eades: Background and Career 03:13 - How PE Transformed the B2B Landscape 06:06 - Buy and Build: The SaaS Era and Cheap Capital 08:08 - What PE Owners Actually Expect 12:09 - Marketing Inside a PE-Backed Business 14:25 - Why MQLs Don't Matter (And What Does) 17:03 - Building a GTM Engine That Drives SQLs 18:15 - The CMO Role in PE: Myth vs. Reality 22:02 - Riding Two Horses: Brand vs. Demand in PE 25:14 - Evidence Builds Confidence: Metrics That Matter 28:16 - Personal Wellbeing and Capacity in PE 32:18 - GTM as a Silo Buster 36:11 - The Death of ROI as a Standalone Metric 36:53 - Future-Proofing Your Career for a PE WorldFollow Nick Eadeshttps://linkedin.com/in/nickeades/https://freemarket.com/If you care about making B2B marketing more meaningful, useful, and memorable, this conversation is for you. It's honest, reflective, and packed with takeaways that can help elevate your approach to thought leadership—whether you're a content creator, strategist, or brand leader.🌐Visit Joel Harrison's website to explore exclusive reports, upcoming events, and join the B2B marketing community ➡️ https://www.joelharrisonb2b.com/💬What do you think comes first—proving marketing ROI or building a GTM engine that makes ROI irrelevant? Let us know in the comments below.🔔Subscribe to the channel for weekly insights, interviews, and on-the-ground perspectives from the world of B2B marketing. https://youtube.com/@JoelHarrison-B2B?sub_confirmation=1📲Follow Joel Harrison and Trust & Influence in B2B across the web: LinkedIn ▶ https://linkedin.com/in/joelharrison/ Podcast ▶ https://trust-influence-in-b2b.captivate.fm/ Instagram ▶ https://instagram.com/joelharrisonb2b/#JoelHarrisonB2B, #B2BMarketing, #ThoughtLeadership, #ContentStrategy, #MarketingTrends, #B2BContent, #BrandVsDemand, #Storytelling, #MarketingPodcast, #B2BInsights, #JoelHarrison, #B2BVideos, #B2BStrategy, #PrivateEquity, #PEMarketing, #GoToMarket, #GTMStrategy, #RevenueMarketing, #SalesAndMarketing, #CMOLeadership, #B2BGrowth
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    41 mins
  • Chaos is B2B's problem. Coherence is the answer | Why B2B marketers need to fix their operating model, with Alastair Hussain of TMP

    Chaos is B2B's problem. Coherence is the answer | Why B2B marketers need to fix their operating model, with Alastair Hussain of TMP
    Apr 28 2026

    In this episode of Trust and Influence in B2B Marketing, Joel Harrison sits down with Alastair Hussain, Chief Strategy Officer at TMP (The Marketing Practice), a specialist B2B marketing agency. Together, they confront one of the most pressing realities in B2B marketing today: the chaos most marketers are experiencing isn't a streak of bad luck—it's the symptom of operating models that have fundamentally broken down. Is coherence the cure, and what does it actually take to build it from the inside out?

    ➡️ Alastair draws on TMP's Cost of Chaos Report—research spanning over a thousand B2B marketers and tech buyers—to map out the "chaos cascade": how macro forces like geopolitical instability, economic uncertainty, and rapid technological change filter down into fragmented teams, stalled deals, and burned-out marketers. He argues that the instinct to move faster or pile on more technology doesn't fix chaos—it accelerates it. The real answer is coherence: aligning brand, messaging, product, and strategy so every part of the marketing function pulls in the same direction. Along the way, they explore why product has become marketing's most disconnected discipline, how cognitive fluency underpins buyer trust, and why CMOs need to take back control of the strategic conversation rather than waiting to be handed objectives. Whether you're leading a stretched team or questioning the value of your marketing function, this episode delivers both the diagnosis and a clear direction forward.

    Chapters:

    00:00 - Introduction: The Chaos Facing B2B Marketers

    02:12 - What Is the Chaos Cascade?

    05:30 - The Human and Commercial Cost of Chaos

    09:00 - Why Faster and More Tech Makes Things Worse

    13:15 - Defining Coherence: What It Actually Means

    17:00 - The CMO as Chief Market Officer

    19:45 - Why Product Is the Most Disconnected Area

    22:20 - Making the Business Case for Coherence

    24:00 - 97% of Buyers Notice Vendor Coherence

    26:30 - Cognitive Fluency and Buyer Trust

    30:00 - Buyer-Side Barriers: Decision Makers, Messaging, and Trust

    33:45 - Realistic Expectations for CMOs Under Pressure

    36:00 - Where Coherence Breaks Down in Practice

    38:00 - Advice for Overwhelmed Marketing Leaders


    Follow Alastair Hussain,

    https://linkedin.com/in/alastairhussain/

    https://tmpb2b.com


    If you care about making B2B marketing more meaningful, useful, and memorable, this conversation is for you. It's honest, reflective, and packed with takeaways that can help elevate your approach to thought leadership—whether you're a content creator, strategist, or brand leader.

    🌐Visit Joel Harrison's website to explore exclusive reports, upcoming events, and join the B2B marketing community ➡️ https://www.joelharrisonb2b.com/

    💬What do you think comes first—fixing internal alignment or improving external messaging? Let us know in the comments below.

    🔔Subscribe to the channel for weekly insights, interviews, and on-the-ground perspectives from the world of B2B marketing. https://youtube.com/@JoelHarrison-B2B?sub_confirmation=1

    📲Follow Joel Harrison and Trust & Influence in B2B across the web:

    LinkedIn ▶ https://linkedin.com/in/joelharrison/

    Podcast ▶ https://trust-influence-in-b2b.captivate.fm/

    Instagram ▶ https://instagram.com/joelharrisonb2b/

    #JoelHarrisonB2B, #B2BMarketing, #ThoughtLeadership, #ContentStrategy, #MarketingTrends, #B2BContent, #BrandVsDemand, #Storytelling, #MarketingPodcast, #B2BInsights, #JoelHarrison, #B2BVideos, #B2BStrategy, #MarketingOperations, #CMOLeadership, #B2BGrowth, #CostOfChaos, #MarketingAlignment, #BuyerTrust, #B2BStrategy
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    39 mins
  • Is fractional the future — or a warning sign? | Skip Fidura on what the rise of the fractional CMO really tells us about B2B marketing

    Is fractional the future — or a warning sign? | Skip Fidura on what the rise of the fractional CMO really tells us about B2B marketing
    Apr 21 2026

    In this episode of Trust and Influence in B2B Marketing, Joel Harrison sits down with Skip Fidura, Fractional CMO, Non-Executive Director, and Board Advisor with over 20 years of experience across B2B and B2C marketing on the client, agency, and provider sides. The fractional CMO model is having a moment—but is it a real structural shift in marketing leadership, or just a buzzword that's been marketered up? And what does its rapid rise reveal about how organizations truly value marketing?

    ➡️ Skip has been working fractionally since before it was fashionable, and he doesn't hold back. He breaks down the real distinctions between a fractional CMO, a consultant, and a contractor—and why getting that wrong can cost organizations dearly. He explores the cost and structural forces driving the fractional trend, from cash-strapped scale-ups to founders seeking an exit strategy. Skip also addresses the harder truths: how marketing's long-standing failure to speak the language of finance has made it easier for businesses to sideline strategic marketing in favor of cheaper, more piecemeal solutions. He shares how trust is built (and lost) when you're only present part-time, and offers a grounded take on whether this model is a genuine step forward—or a warning sign for the profession. If you're weighing up a move to fractional, hiring one, or simply trying to understand where senior B2B marketing leadership is headed, this is essential listening.

    Chapters:

    00:00 - Introduction to the Fractional CMO Trend

    02:13 - Defining the Fractional CMO Role

    05:00 - Fractional vs. Consultant vs. Contractor

    07:10 - Why the Term "Fractional" Has Exploded

    09:00 - How Skip Got Into Fractional Work

    10:30 - Cost and Structural Drivers Behind the Model

    13:35 - Marketing's Place in the Revenue Function

    18:20 - The Fractional CMO in Unstable or Transitioning Orgs

    21:55 - Marketing's Failure to Speak the Language of Finance

    25:00 - Is a Little Marketing Better Than No Marketing?

    28:00 - How Fractional CMOs Build Trust

    31:45 - The Gig Economy and the Fractional Lifestyle

    34:45 - Is the Fractional Model Here to Stay?

    Follow Skip Fidura,

    linkedin.com/in/skipfidura

    If you care about making B2B marketing more meaningful, useful, and memorable, this conversation is for you. It's honest, reflective, and packed with takeaways that can help elevate your approach to thought leadership—whether you're a content creator, strategist, or brand leader.

    🌐Visit Joel Harrison's website to explore exclusive reports, upcoming events, and join the B2B marketing community ➡️ https://www.joelharrisonb2b.com/

    💬What do you think comes first—proving marketing's ROI or earning a seat at the leadership table? Let us know in the comments below.

    🔔Subscribe to the channel for weekly insights, interviews, and on-the-ground perspectives from the world of B2B marketing. https://youtube.com/@JoelHarrison-B2B?sub_confirmation=1

    📲Follow Joel Harrison and Trust & Influence in B2B across the web:

    LinkedIn ▶ https://linkedin.com/in/joelharrison/

    Podcast ▶ https://trust-influence-in-b2b.captivate.fm/

    Instagram ▶ https://instagram.com/joelharrisonb2b/

    #JoelHarrisonB2B, #B2BMarketing, #ThoughtLeadership, #ContentStrategy, #MarketingTrends, #B2BContent, #BrandVsDemand, #Storytelling, #MarketingPodcast, #B2BInsights, #JoelHarrison, #B2BVideos, #B2BStrategy, #FractionalCMO, #MarketingLeadership, #CMO, #ScaleUp, #B2BTech, #MarketingROI, #GigEconomy, #SeniorMarketing
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    38 mins
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