Instead of viewing competitors as enemies, savvy leaders see them as the people who best understand their professional challenges. Outside the company bubble, rivals can become sources of inspiration, advice, and friendship, as they operate with a shared context that outsiders lack.
Qualified supports its relentless product launch schedule by operating its own creative studio. This eliminates dependency on external agencies, allowing the marketing team to move faster, shoot multiple keynotes and demos weekly, and maintain a high bar for quality.
Instead of ad-hoc campaigns, Qualified's marketing team organizes its rhythm around monthly and quarterly product launches. This cadence aligns the entire company, creates a constant "why now" for sales, and ensures the corporate narrative continually evolves.
Outbound AI tools fail without dedicated human oversight. Qualified found success by having a person manage the AI agent daily, ensuring its personalized emails are better than a human's. The secret is treating the AI as a tool to be managed, not an autonomous replacement.
Qualified's CMO, Mara Rivera, argues that a leader's success isn't about being an expert in everything. The key is to conquer imposter syndrome and build a team of A-players in domains like demand gen or ops, who can then teach and guide you.
A strong product-marketing relationship goes beyond friendship. To achieve true alignment, marketing must embed product leaders into their processes from day one, inviting them to keynote jam sessions and press release reviews to eliminate surprises and build shared ownership.
Qualified's CMO and much of her team have stayed for over four years—a rarity in tech. This stability isn't just about culture; it's fueled by a consistently innovative product roadmap. The constant excitement from the product team translates into higher morale and retention for marketing.
AI tools are shifting power dynamics. By deploying AI agents for tasks like inbound lead qualification, CMOs can regain direct control over pipeline conversion—a function often managed by sales-led SDR teams. This elevates marketing from a cost center to a strategic, revenue-driving hero.