The podcast that turns quiet engineers into client-winning machines. If you’re brilliant at what you build. Your code hums. Your circuits sing. But the phone? Silent. The inbox? Crickets. Not because you lack skill, but because nobody knows you exist? That ends here. I’m Martin Salgado, founder of Influential Agency. In every episode, I hand you the marketing levers that most engineers never touch. We’ll tear apart the myths, wire up simple systems, and flip the switches that flood your calendar with the right clients. Let’s engineer the growth you’ve been too busy to chase.
Demand Engineering
Claim This Podcastby Martin Salgado
5.0(2 reviews)
11 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas Sponsors
Podcast Overview
The podcast that turns quiet engineers into client-winning machines. If you’re brilliant at what you build. Your code hums. Your circuits sing. But the phone? Silent. The inbox? Crickets. Not because you lack skill, but because nobody knows you exist? That ends here. I’m Martin Salgado, founder of Influential Agency. In every episode, I hand you the marketing levers that most engineers never touch. We’ll tear apart the myths, wire up simple systems, and flip the switches that flood your calendar with the right clients. Let’s engineer the growth you’ve been too busy to chase.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
1/11/2023
1 verified contact email on file for Demand Engineering
Pitch yourself as a guest, propose sponsorships, or reach out directly to the host.
Recent Episodes
October 15, 2025
Ep. 10 - Strategy to Life
<p><strong>“Positioning is why you matter. Messaging is how you prove it.”</strong></p><p>Let me break that down.</p><p><strong>Positioning</strong> is the context that helps people understand what your company is, why it matters, and who it’s for.<br>It’s what shapes their assumptions the moment they land on your site, see your logo, or hear your pitch.</p><p>It answers questions like:</p><ul><li><p>Where do you sit in the market?</p></li><li><p>What are you better at than anyone else?</p></li><li><p>Who should care—and why now?</p></li></ul><p><strong>Messaging</strong>, on the other hand, is how you bring that strategy to life. It’s the tactical execution—the headlines, emails, web copy, sales decks—that make your positioning real in your audience’s mind.</p><p>And if you want a no-fluff way to structure messaging that actually converts, <strong>Emma Stratton’s VBF Framework</strong> is one of the cleanest I’ve seen.</p><p>It breaks messaging into three interdependent layers:</p><p>1. 🧭 <strong>Value Proposition</strong></p><p>This is the core promise. The one-liner that answers:</p><p>“Why should someone choose you over everything else?”It’s not about features. It’s not your mission statement.<br>It’s a clear, bold statement of value that stops the scroll and starts the conversation.2. 💡 <strong>Benefits</strong></p><p>This is what your customers actually get from working with you.<br>Think outcomes. Tangible improvements. Business results.<br>You’re painting a picture of what their world looks like after they say yes.</p><p>3. ⚙️ <strong>Features</strong></p><p>This is the proof. The mechanism. The how.<br>Features are only compelling when they clearly lead to benefits.<br>They’re not the star of the show—they’re the supporting cast that makes the promise believable.</p><p><br></p><p>And here’s the trap most companies fall into:<br>They start with features. They talk about the “what” before their customer even cares about the “why.”<br>That’s how you end up with a brilliant product that no one gets.</p><p><strong>Start with why you matter. Then walk people down the ladder—from value, to benefits, to features.</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Want a shortcut to get there?</p><p>👉 <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-mAvwuB92po14aoZJ1UtfZDFNU9D-HZIFbUSXIVOh2o/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>Download the Dream 100 Template</strong></a>—it’s the tool I use with clients to identify the platforms, podcasts, influencers, and communities that already have your buyers’ trust.</p><p>Because once you know where they are—and you show up with the right message—you’re not just another option.<br>You become the obvious choice.</p>
October 13, 2025
Ep. 9 - Position Deliberately
<p><strong>“Positioning gives people context. Without it, even the best product is just noise.”</strong></p><p>Customers use what they already know to make sense of what they don’t.<br>So when you introduce something new—a product, a service, a platform—they immediately reach for reference points.What does this remind me of?<br>Who is this competing with?<br>What should this cost?<br>Is this for someone like me?And most companies let those assumptions happen by accident.</p><p><strong>Here’s the problem:</strong><br>Most companies think positioning is something they inherit.<br>“We’re a data analytics platform, so I guess we’re in the BI category.”<br>“We do FPGA design, so we must compete with the usual suspects.”</p><p><br></p><p>But <strong>positioning is not something that happens to you. It’s something you craft—deliberately.</strong></p><p><br></p><p>One of the clearest thinkers on this is <a href="https://www.aprildunford.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>April Dunford</strong></a>, and she breaks positioning down into five deeply interrelated components:</p><ol><li><p><strong>Competitive Alternatives</strong> – Not just competitors, but what customers would do if you didn’t exist.</p></li><li><p><strong>Unique Attributes</strong> – What you have that those alternatives don’t.</p></li><li><p><strong>Value</strong> – What those features enable for your customer.</p></li><li><p><strong>Customer Segmentation</strong> – Who deeply cares about that value.</p></li><li><p><strong>Market Category</strong> – The frame of reference that makes all of this make sense.</p></li></ol><p>And here’s what most people miss:Your value is only unique if your features are unique.But your features are only unique in contrast to the alternatives.So if you don’t define the alternatives, you can’t define your value.</p><p><strong>The sequence matters.</strong></p><p>Start with:If we didn’t exist, what would our ideal buyer do?<br>Would they hire internally?<br>Would they piece together a DIY stack?<br>Would they just live with the pain?</p><p>Then:<br>→ What features do we offer that those paths don’t?<br>→ What outcomes do those features enable?<br>→ Who specifically cares about those outcomes the most?<br>→ And what context—what category—makes that value instantly obvious?</p><p><strong>That’s positioning. And it’s not optional.</strong><br></p><p>If you want to start dialing in your positioning,<br>you need to understand where your <strong>buyers are already paying attention.</strong></p><p>That’s why I created the <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-mAvwuB92po14aoZJ1UtfZDFNU9D-HZIFbUSXIVOh2o/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>Dream 100 Template.</strong></a><br>It’s the same tool I use with clients to:</p><ul><li><p>Map out the <strong>influencers, communities, podcasts, and newsletters</strong> that already hold your buyer’s attention</p></li><li><p>Spot the positioning language your market is already using</p></li><li><p>Identify where your brand should plug in and differentiate</p></li></ul><p>👉 <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-mAvwuB92po14aoZJ1UtfZDFNU9D-HZIFbUSXIVOh2o/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>Download the Dream 100 Template</strong></a> and start positioning yourself intentionally—<br>not based on assumptions, but based on real conversations already happening in your market.</p><p>Because if you want to win the game of perception,<br>you have to stop waiting for people to “get it”—<br><strong>and start shaping how they see you from the start.</strong></p>
October 10, 2025
Ep. 8 - The Sea of Different
<p><strong>If you’re tired of competing, you’ve got two choices: create a blue ocean—or invent a new category.</strong></p><p>Both are escape routes from saturated markets.<br>But knowing which one to pursue?<br>That’s the difference between standing out and staying stuck.</p><p><br></p><p>I work with founders and technical leaders who are building incredible things—but struggling to get traction.<br>Why?<br>Because they’re trapped in “red oceans”—markets crowded with noise, copycat positioning, and a race to the bottom.</p><p>There are two proven ways out:</p><p><strong>1. Blue Ocean Strategy</strong></p><p>This is where you innovate inside known boundaries.<br>You strip away what others take for granted and offer something truly different—not just better.<br>You don’t fight competitors.<br>You make them <strong>irrelevant</strong> by solving a problem in a way no one else is thinking about.</p><p><strong>2. Category Creation</strong></p><p>This is the bolder play.<br>You don’t just offer something new—you <strong>change how people think</strong>.<br>You reframe the problem. You redefine the solution.<br>You build a new mental shelf in the minds of your buyers.</p><p>Category creation is longer. It’s harder.<br>But when you nail it? You don’t win market share.<br><strong>You own the whole market.</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Whichever path you take—blue ocean or category creation—your first step is the same:<br><strong>Figure out where your ideal buyers are already paying attention.</strong></p><p>That’s where the <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-mAvwuB92po14aoZJ1UtfZDFNU9D-HZIFbUSXIVOh2o/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>Dream 100 Template</strong></a> comes in.</p><p>It’s the same tool I use with my clients to:</p><ul><li><p>Map out the <strong>influencers</strong>, <strong>communities</strong>, <strong>newsletters</strong>, and <strong>platforms</strong> their audience already trusts</p></li><li><p>Find out who’s shaping the conversation—and how to plug into it</p></li><li><p>Build a real-world visibility strategy that doesn’t rely on guesswork or ad spend alone</p></li></ul><p>👉 <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-mAvwuB92po14aoZJ1UtfZDFNU9D-HZIFbUSXIVOh2o/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>Download the Dream 100 Template</strong></a> and stop trying to yell louder.<br>Start showing up exactly where your buyers already are.</p><p>Because escaping competition doesn’t start with building something new.<br>It starts with showing up differently.</p>
11 total episodes available
Deep-dive analytics for Demand Engineering
Frequently asked questions
Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
- What is Demand Engineering?
- How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.
Legal Disclaimer
Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.
All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.
We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at hey@podengine.ai for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.
By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.