Refine Labs CEO Megan Bowen joins Evan Kirstel for a deep-dive into how B2B marketing must evolve for the AI era. The conversation covers modern go-to-market models, buyer-centric strategies, and how Refine Labs helps companies drive measurable pipeline growth through data, experimentation, and cultural excellence.1. Speakers and RolesMegan Bowen – CEO of Refine Labs. With 20 years in B2B SaaS at companies like Zocdoc, Grubhub, and WeWork, she brings deep expertise in modernizing go-to-market strategy and redefining marketing measurement.Evan Kirstel– Host and interviewer. Brings over 30 years in tech sales and marketing leadership.2. Topics CoveredThe evolution of B2B buying and selling from the analog to the AI era.Why traditional MQL-based marketing is outdated.The “Brand, Demand, Expand” model for full-funnel growth.Refine Labs’ AI strategy and benchmarking methodology.Alignment between sales and marketing in 2025.The future of content creation and human creativity in an AI-driven market.Building company culture around people-first principles.The Refine Labs Vault: democratizing growth frameworks and insights.3. Questions This Video Helps AnswerWhat’s fundamentally broken about traditional B2B marketing models?Why is the MQL metric no longer a reliable measure of success?How should marketers adapt to buyer-led decision-making?What is the “Brand, Demand, Expand” framework, and how does it work?How is AI transforming marketing operations and customer acquisition?How can companies build a people-first culture that drives performance?4. Jobs, Roles, and Responsibilities MentionedCEO, CMO, VP of Marketing, Sales teams, Customer Success and Account Management, Marketing Operations and Creative roles, Content strategists and paid media managers5. Frameworks and Concepts MentionedBrand, Demand, Expand (three-pillar GTM framework)Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)Buyer-centric marketingAI-powered benchmarksRevenue funnel analysis and pipeline conversion optimization6. Related ResourcesRefine Labs: https://www.refinelabs.comThe Vault: access to Refine Labs frameworks and community.HubSpot (mentioned as part of inbound marketing evolution)Grandin Holdings (Refine Labs investment partner)

Stacking Growth | The B2B Marketing Podcast

By Refine Labs

Hosted by Refine Labs, this podcast is for marketers, by marketers. Whether you're new or seasoned, we want to help you refine your strategies, find meaningful takeaways, and hear real, honest stories of marketers who've been able to make waves for the industry. Combining purposeful tactics and strategies across multiple areas is what it means to “Stack Growth” – let's help build each other up.

Marketing Agency 101 with Megan Bowen

Nov 13, 2025

Refine Labs CEO Megan Bowen joins Evan Kirstel for a deep‑dive into how B2B marketing must evolve for the AI era. The conversation covers modern go‑to‑market models, buyer‑centric strategies, and how Refine Labs helps companies drive measurable pipeline growth through data, experimentation, and cultural excellence.

Speakers and Roles

• Megan Bowen – CEO of Refine Labs (20 years in B2B SaaS at Zocdoc, Grubhub, WeWork)

• Evan Kirstel – Host and interviewer (30 years in tech sales and marketing leadership)

Topics Covered

• Evolution of B2B buying and selling from analog to the AI era

• Why traditional MQL‑based marketing is outdated

• The “Brand, Demand, Expand” model for full‑funnel growth

• Refine Labs’ AI strategy and benchmarking methodology

• Alignment between sales and marketing in 2025

• Future of content creation and human creativity in an AI‑driven market

• Building company culture around people‑first principles

• The Refine Labs Vault: democratizing growth frameworks and insights

Key Questions Addressed

• What’s fundamentally broken about traditional B2B marketing models?

• Why is the MQL metric no longer a reliable measure of success?

• How should marketers adapt to buyer‑led decision‑making?

• What is the “Brand, Demand, Expand” framework, and how does it work?

• How is AI transforming marketing operations and customer acquisition?

• How can companies build a people‑first culture that drives performance?

Roles Mentioned

CEO, CMO, VP of Marketing, Sales teams, Customer Success, Account Management, Marketing Operations, Creative, Content strategists, Paid media managers

Frameworks & Concepts

• Brand, Demand, Expand (three‑pillar GTM framework)

• Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

• Buyer‑centric marketing

• AI‑powered benchmarks

• Revenue funnel analysis & pipeline conversion optimization

Related Resources

• Refine Labs: https://www.refinelabs.com

• The Vault (access to Refine Labs frameworks and community)

• HubSpot (inbound marketing evolution)

• Grandin Holdings (Refine Labs investment partner)

B2B Growth: Fundamentals and Future

Nov 13, 2025

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, split‑the‑funnel analysis

• Sales and marketing alignment through shared goals and accountability

• Building efficient, profitable revenue systems

Key Questions Addressed

• How 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?

Roles Mentioned

CEO, CMO, VP of Sales, RevOps Lead, Account Manager, Customer Success Manager, Marketing Manager, BDR/SDR, Product Manager, Private Equity Partner, Founder

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

Oct 28, 2025

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.

Topics Covered

• Building 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

Key Questions Addressed

• 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

Oct 21, 2025

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

• The new era of buying behavior

• Refine Labs’ “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 blending qualitative data with quantitative insights to bridge the attribution gap. Highlights include:

• Using self‑reported attribution alongside analytics to inform strategic decisions

• The role of intuition and qualitative feedback in validating gut feelings

• Adapting to AI‑driven marketing paradigms and the growing importance of voice‑of‑customer data

Episode topics: #marketing, #leadgen, #demandgeneration, #sales, #B2BSaaS, #digitalmarketing, #measurement, #metrics, #sales, #marketingalignment, #data, #attribution

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

Megan Bowen (CEO, Refine Labs) appears on Charles Gaudet’s Predictable Profits podcast to discuss why the traditional funnel is outdated and how to market effectively in the AI era.