Grow with the Flow by The Growth Syndicate

About Grow with the Flow by The Growth Syndicate

Honest stories, controversial opinions and a bit of banter for b2b founders and professionals who want to achieve scalable and sustainable growth. thegrowthsyndicate.substack.com (https://thegrowthsyndicate.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

The Growth Syndicate

Category

business · business

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

29 Apr 2024

Latest episode

7 Aug 2025

Latest episodes

33 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Aug 2025

   Watch this if your growth is stagnant: Why marketing needs to reclaim GTM

   In our latest episode of Grow with the Flow, Georgi (https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgi-furnadzhiev/) sits down with Ferdinand (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ferdinandgoetzen/) and Joliene (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jolienevangrieken/) to discuss the critical inflection point for the B2B tech landscape. They tackle a provocative question: Has the concept of "go-to-market" been hijacked by sales teams, and is it time for marketing to reclaim its rightful place? Here are the three biggest takeaways from this thought-provoking conversation: Takeaway #1: GTM should be marketing-led, not sales-led Ferdinand makes a compelling case that go-to-market has been misappropriated by sales teams. When you break down what makes a good GTM strategy: understanding markets, audiences, positioning, differentiation, and reaching the right people with the right message….these are fundamentally marketing disciplines. "Go-to-market is much more of a marketing discipline than it is a sales discipline," Ferdinand argues. "This whole idea that GTM is a sales discipline is ludicrous." While sales is undoubtedly part of the GTM equation, the strategic foundation belongs to marketing. Yet we've seen a proliferation of sales-focused titles like "GTM Engineers" and "Revenue Leaders" claiming ownership of this territory. Takeaway #2: AI is reshaping commercial functions As AI automation takes over more routine tasks across commercial operations, we're seeing a shift in who handles what. Interestingly, it's often marketing teams stepping in to manage these new automation tools. "Who has those skills? Marketing automation people have those skills," Ferdinand points out. "CRM marketers have those skills." The irony is that while sales teams focus on automating processes, the true value of sales lies in the human element—building relationships and closing deals through personal connection. This human touch is precisely what AI won't easily replace. Takeaway #3: Most marketers aren't ready for their new role While marketing should become more important than ever in this new landscape, there's a sobering reality: many marketers aren't prepared for this shift. "I would reckon that 70 to 80% of them are not ready for the change," Joliene observes. Many don't understand their market well enough, lack stakeholder management skills, or haven't built the necessary trust within their organizations. The successful marketers of tomorrow will need to bridge the gap between strategic thinking and technical knowledge, between creativity and business acumen. They'll need to stop focusing on the "fluff" and start owning their role in driving revenue. The bigger picture The entire B2B landscape is at an inflection point. With increasing competition, more noise than ever, and AI disrupting established playbooks, companies need to rethink how their commercial functions operate. "The whole world is at an inflection point, and we are no exception," Ferdinand emphasizes. "We're seeing more noise, more competition. We're seeing the rise of automation and AI." But the conversation shouldn't just be about the technology; it should be about how these changes will transform how we do business. The focus needs to shift from the tools themselves to the strategic implications of these tools. For marketing leaders, this represents both a challenge and an opportunity. Those who can adapt, who can reclaim their strategic role in go-to-market, and who can effectively leverage new technologies while maintaining the human elements of their craft will thrive in this new era. Want to hear more insights on navigating your company through this inflection point? Join us at TGS Con (https://www.thegrowthsyndicate.com/conference) this September 18th! See you there,The Growth Syndicate Team This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thegrowthsyndicate.substack.com (https://thegrowthsyndicate.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

2. 

   9 Jul 2025

   #31 Canberk Beker: Breaking free from “paid addiction”

   You’ve probably felt the pressure: the pressure to hit your pipeline goals, keep CAC under control, and somehow justify ever-increasing ad budgets. But what if the real risk to your company’s growth isn’t not spending enough — but spending too much, too predictably, on paid channels? In our latest conversation with Canberk Beker, founder of ROASted and a B2B growth marketing leader who’s managed hundreds of millions in ad spend and seen the ugly side of “paid media addiction” up close. Here are the biggest takeaways from our discussion: Takeaway #1: Paid addiction starts with success, but typically ends with fragility The story of most paid channels start the same way: you find a channel (LinkedIn or Google, for example) that works, so you double down. Budgets go up. Pipeline goes up. Reporting looks great. But cracks can begin to appear quite quickly. In Canberk’s own experience, he’s seen paid campaigns work wonders. But these short-term wins tend to hide a deeper issue: the same playbooks get recycled every quarter, and over time, each dollar spent on paid brings fewer returns. Even when paid was “working,” it still may only touch about 5% of your total market — that tiny slice that’s already in the market for what you’re selling. The other 95% can’t be captured that way, because you need to move them from out to in-market. The real issue is teams building an entire marketing strategy on something that’s easy to track and quick to show results, but has a distinct ceiling. They become “hooked” on the immediate gratification of paid channels. Takeaway #2: If everything becomes a campaign, you’re in trouble It’s easy to spot a team (or entire company) that’s become too dependent on paid. That’s because every marketing activity starts to look like a “campaign.” * Events are run for lead generation, not genuine connection. * Content is written just to drive paid traffic, not real thought leadership. * Success is measured by UTM codes and click-through rates, not by whether you’re actually building a sustainable brand. Canberk calls this out as a major warning sign: when every part of your team’s output is designed to be “fuel” for paid campaigns, you’re limiting creativity and resilience. Paid is easy to track, sure. But that’s what makes it a crutch. The more you let your marketing strategy be dictated by what’s measurable, the more you ignore the slow-burn activities (community, partnerships, organic, product education) that actually move the needle for long-term growth. And when you finally try to shift budget into something new? Stakeholders panic, because the numbers don’t show up as quickly or as clearly as they do in paid. Takeaway #3: LinkedIn’s double-edged sword (and why Reddit isn’t a magic wand) LinkedIn has become the default for B2B paid — and for good reason. The targeting is strong, the reporting is easy, and the audience is (mostly) relevant. But costs are rising, and the platform’s monopoly means marketers are overexposed. Canberk points out that while you can “diagnose” your campaigns on LinkedIn with confidence, you’re also at the mercy of their ever-changing algorithms and rising CPCs. In the interest of diversification, Reddit strikes an intriguing proposition. This is especially true for certain technical or community-heavy products. But it’s not a silver bullet. Canberk’s own testing shows that while Reddit can deliver a ton of traffic at a low CPC, the quality can be wildly inconsistent. Only about 5% of that traffic is truly qualified, compared to 40%+ on LinkedIn. If you try Reddit, be ready to experiment, measure carefully, and adjust quickly. The big lesson: New channels are useful for resilience, but they’re not a replacement for a solid foundation. Max out what works, but always have a few experiments running so you’re not caught flat-footed when your main channel changes the rules. The big picture Paid represents a powerful part of your marketing mix, and in certain contexts it can be a powerful growth engine. But if it becomes the only engine, you’re setting your business up for: * Volatility * Rising costs * Missed long-term opportunities The teams who will win when the market inevitably shifts are the ones who break this cycle — balancing paid with brand, community, product, and organic growth. Some final takeaways from our chat with Canberk include: * Max out your proven channels, but don’t stop there. * Experiment with new platforms like Reddit or community plays, but measure quality, not just clicks. * Don’t let reporting drive strategy. Not everything that matters can be tracked in a dashboard. * Build your forecasting around repeatability, not one-off spikes. Three months of solid results matter more than a single lucky month. * Push for balance in the boardroom. Remind stakeholders that true growth means building for longer-term sustainability, not just hitting this quarter’s number. Ready to break the habit? This episode with Canberk Beker is a great place to start. Want to hear the full conversation with Canberk? Listen to the complete podcast episode for deeper insights on lead scoring, stakeholder management during attribution battles, and why AI won't solve your measurement problems. Check it out here. (https://youtu.be/IkI7_enVHH8) Episode Highlights 👇 00:00 – Canberk’s story 09:20 – Discovering the paid addiction 15:32 – First steps towards fighting the paid addiction 16:40 – Combating seasonality 19:25 – Evolution of LinkedIn as a main paid channel 21:38 – Is Reddit worth it? 26:06 – Budget allocation of established channels vs new channels 29:00 – Exploring Reddit ad types and first steps towards winning the channel 35:00 – Rapid fire questions 37:00 – Is Canberk really going to retire? WTF This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thegrowthsyndicate.substack.com (https://thegrowthsyndicate.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

3. 

   25 Jun 2025

   #30 Barbara Galiza: Gaining the attribution edge

   Growth and Marketing Analytics Consultant Barbara Galiza discusses why marketing teams obsess over attribution models, often leading to imperfect decisions and skewed budget allocations, in this interview.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

113,896

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 59 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

60

Social presence

0

YouTube

82

Engagement

60