Megan Bowen, CEO of Refine Labs, shares the core fundamentals behind modern B2B growth. She explains how buyer behavior has shifted, how marketing must evolve, and what it takes to build a profitable, scalable go-to-market engine rooted in focus, data, and customer understanding.Topics CoveredEvolution of B2B buying: analog → website → dark social → AI era.Aligning go-to-market around buyer behavior.Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) definition and validation.Strategic narrative development using Andy Raskin’s framework.The “Brand, Demand, Expand” model for growth.Simplifying measurement: attribution, share of search, and split-the-funnel analysis.Sales and marketing alignment through shared goals and accountability.Building efficient, profitable revenue systems.Questions This Video Helps AnswerHow has B2B buying behavior evolved and what does it mean for marketers?What are the most important elements of a modern go-to-market strategy?How can you define and operationalize an ideal customer profile?What is a strategic narrative and how does it drive company alignment?How should marketing and sales collaborate to achieve efficient growth?What metrics actually matter when measuring pipeline performance?Jobs, Roles, and Responsibilities MentionedCEO, CMO, VP of Sales, RevOps Lead, Account Manager, Customer Success Manager, Marketing Manager, BDR/SDR, Product Manager, Private Equity Partner, Founder.Key TakeawaysFocus beats complexity: simplify your go-to-market strategy around what works.The best companies deeply understand buyer behavior shifts and adapt early.A validated, data-driven ICP ensures efficiency and profitable growth.A strong strategic narrative, backed by leadership, drives internal and external alignment.Growth requires balanced investment in brand, demand, and expansion.Align marketing, sales, and finance goals to create predictable, sustainable performance.Measurement should prioritize insight and decision-making over vanity metrics.

Stacking Growth | The B2B Marketing Podcast

By Refine Labs

Nov 04, 2025

B2B Growth: Fundamentals and Future

Megan Bowen, CEO of Refine Labs, shares the core fundamentals behind modern B2B growth. She explains how buyer behavior has shifted, how marketing must evolve, and what it takes to build a profitable, scalable go‑to‑market engine rooted in focus, data, and customer understanding.

Topics Covered

• Evolution of B2B buying: analog → website → dark social → AI era.

• Aligning go‑to‑market around buyer behavior.

• Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) definition and validation.

• Strategic narrative development using Andy Raskin’s framework.

• The “Brand, Demand, Expand” model for growth.

• Simplifying measurement: attribution, share of search, and split‑the‑funnel analysis.

• Sales and marketing alignment through shared goals and accountability.

• Building efficient, profitable revenue systems.

Key Takeaways

• Focus beats complexity: simplify your go‑to‑market strategy around what works.

• The best companies deeply understand buyer‑behavior shifts and adapt early.

• A validated, data‑driven ICP ensures efficiency and profitable growth.

• A strong strategic narrative, backed by leadership, drives internal and external alignment.

• Growth requires balanced investment in brand, demand, and expansion.

• Align marketing, sales, and finance goals to create predictable, sustainable performance.

• Measurement should prioritize insight and decision‑making over vanity metrics.

Get Started: Performance Marketing Plays that WORK

Refine Labs’ Stacking Growth roundtable, hosted by Matt Sciannella with guest Ky Shaw of DemandOS, dives deep into performance‑marketing plays that generate real pipeline fast. The discussion covers tactical frameworks for aligning with sales, running direct‑response ads, and launching actionable campaigns that drive measurable results in B2B environments.

Topics Covered

• How to build pipeline through performance‑marketing plays that actually work.

• Aligning marketing with sales via pipeline activation projects.

• Structuring high‑intent offers for low‑brand‑recognition companies.

• Best practices for direct‑response advertising and manual bidding on LinkedIn.

• Frameworks for upstream problem‑solving and content‑offer creation.

• Designing tools, calculators, and incentivized demos that convert.

• Evaluating signal strength and intent from leads.

• Examples of competitive and industry‑specific campaign execution.

Questions This Episode Helps Answer

• How can marketing and sales collaborate effectively to activate pipeline quickly?

• What performance‑marketing plays are working best in B2B right now?

• How can you design content offers that signal strong buying intent?

• What’s the right way to use incentivized demos without attracting low‑quality leads?

• How can marketers tailor campaigns for competitive versus novel markets?

How to Thrive in the New Era of Marketing

Megan Bowen was featured on the most recent episode of Tech Impact, hosted by Evan Kirstel. In the full interview (including extra, unaired questions) she discusses:

• The new era of buying behavior.

• The “Brand, Demand, Expand” strategy.

• How AI has impacted the marketing‑agency landscape.

How to Bridge the Attribution Gap | Sidney Waterfall

Sidney Waterfall walks through her journey as a marketer blending qualitative data with quantitative insights to bridge the attribution gap. Highlights include:

• The power of self‑reported attribution and how it complements quantitative analytics.

• Using qualitative feedback to validate gut‑feel decisions.

• Adapting to changes such as AI integration and the growing importance of voice‑of‑customer data.

Episode topics: marketing, lead generation, demand generation, B2B SaaS, digital marketing, measurement, metrics, sales‑marketing alignment, data, attribution.

How to Capture, Create, and Convert Demand in the AI Era

Megan Bowen appears on Charles Gaudet’s Predictable Profits podcast to discuss why the traditional funnel is outdated and how to market in the AI era.

Key Takeaways

• Volume‑based funnel marketing fails: high‑intent leads convert at ~25 % vs. <1 % for low‑intent leads.

• Use “split‑the‑funnel analysis” to highlight lead‑quality differences and stop wasting budget on low‑intent leads.

• By 2030, nearly 100 % of buying decisions will happen before sales calls, making self‑service information critical.

• Place pricing, social proof, and competitive advantages directly on your website to eliminate buyer friction.

• Brand marketing gets you into buyers’ “day‑one consideration set” before they start searching for solutions.

• Dark social represents the invisible 6‑12 month buying cycle where prospects research before visiting your site.

• Create content that solves buyer problems rather than merely promoting services.

• Regularly talk to customers to understand evolving needs and grow beyond seven‑figure revenue.

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