Episode Description

In today’s episode of the Marketer’s Journey, I interview Jessica Gilmartin, CMO of Calendly. You’ve probably used Calendly to book meetings, appointments and organize your busy schedule- but how does Jessica juggle their astounding 20 million users? We dive into that today while tracing Jessica’s nontraditional route to CMO from investment banking, and explore her two decades' worth of B2B and B2C experience. We also discuss how Jessica is redefining what Calendly can be for an organization, how she segments users, and why marketers need to understand the people, the story, and the data. 

Check out this and other episodes of The Marketer’s Journey on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify
 

Key takeaways from this episode:

Effective CMOs are well-rounded. Jessica stresses that effective CMOs need to understand every aspect of marketing, because every decision they make will impact the brand's image and messaging. She also says that having a well-rounded understanding of marketing allows her to be a more empathic and effective leader. 
Team communication is key. Jessica says she spends a lot of time focusing on how she can create an effective communication process with her team. Marketing teams work best when everyone understands what they are doing, why they are doing it, and how it ladders back into company goals. 
Find the right level of engagement. When deciding what path to send leads down, Calendly focuses on key personas when sending leads to a salesperson. Most leads don’t need to speak with a customer service person, so sales shouldn't be flooded with leads who don’t need them. Jessica and Calendly are constantly tweaking their lead scoring to make sure the level of engagement each lead receives is right for them. 

Learn more about Calendly here
Learn more about Jessica here