How to Pitch Risky Initiatives with Sara Varni

On this episode of Marketing Trends, Chad and Ian talk to Sara Varni, the CMO of Twilio. She talks about how CMOs can pitch expensive and risky initiatives, how marketers waste money by failing to make long term plans, and she shares a few tactics that her team uses to be meticulous about finding ways to connect with the customer.  1:30 - How Sara got inspired to get into marketing. 5:30 - How form affects substance when you are creating content. 6:55 - Learning from both bad bosses and good bosses. 8:45 - Prioritizing a day and not being driven by your inbox. 11:00 - How to create a great conference. 14:00 - The marketing campaign Sara is most proud of in her career. 16:40 - Learning to pitch risky or difficult initiatives. 18:40 - Why demand gen is an art and a science. 21:20 - The worst campaign Sara has ever run. 24:15 - Generating word of mouth buzz. 25:40 - Lightning Round. 28:00 - Where marketers blow the most money.  Marketing Trends is brought to you by our friends at Salesforce Pardot, B2B marketing automation on the world’s #1 CRM. Are you ready to take your B2B marketing to new heights? With Pardot, marketers can find and nurture leads, close more deals, and maximize ROI. Learn more by heading to www.pardot.com/podcast. To learn more or subscribe to our weekly newsletter, visit MarketingTrends.com.