Beyond the Pitch Deck: Turning Whiteboard Ideas to Market Wins

What’s holding your marketing team back — lack of strategy or lack of execution?

Given how fast the B2B landscape changes, the answer is increasingly clear: execution is everything.

In a recent episode of the #shifthappens podcast, we spoke with Mark Donnigan – Virtual CMO for B2B Tech Companies – shares how he helps companies rethink how they build, operate, and scale their marketing teams. With a background that spans both computer science and jazz performance, Mark brings a rare blend of technical depth and creative agility to the conversation, which makes him the perfect voice to unpack how AI, team structure, and buyer centricity reshape modern marketing.

This is not a conversation about trends. It is a blueprint for how marketing leaders can adapt, evolve, and thrive in an era where speed, relevance, and automation are no longer optional.

Strategy Is No Longer the Starting Point

For years, marketing teams have built around strategy-first thinking: plan the campaign, map the buyer journey, then execute. However, as Mark points out, that model is breaking down. The pace of change in B2B markets and shifting buyer behavior means that long planning cycles often lead to missed opportunities. “Execution trumps strategy in almost every case,” Mark shares. “Without it, all the planning in the world is wasted.” This does not mean strategy is irrelevant. It means that the strategy must be embedded in the day-to-day, not separated from it. The best teams plan and execute simultaneously, adjusting course as needed without losing momentum.

Marketing Teams Win When Execution Leads Strategy

Mark’s central message is clear: the teams that succeed are those who prioritize action and adaptability over lengthy planning. Here’s how to turn ideas into real market wins:

1. Prioritize Execution Over Planning

Agile, iterative work beats long strategy cycles. Results come from doing, not just thinking.

Mark points out that the old model of planning first and executing later is breaking down in today’s fast-moving B2B landscape. Long planning cycles often lead to missed opportunities. Instead, strategy should be embedded in daily actions. Teams that plan and execute simultaneously can adjust quickly and seize opportunities before they pass. The best teams do not separate strategy from execution; they make both part of their everyday workflow.

2. Integrate AI Into Daily Workflows

Let AI handle repetitive tasks like drafting and listening. Free up your team to focus on strategy and storytelling.

Mark emphasizes that AI is not just a tool, but a teammate that amplifies output. By using AI for content generation, social listening, and workflow automation, small teams dramatically increase productivity and focus their energy on creative, strategic work. These are not use cases for the future – rather, they’re happening now, and they are accessible to any team willing to experiment. The key is to start small, iterate, and trust AI to handle the heavy lifting. Even basic AI workflows evolve into powerful systems, so keep experimenting and scaling as you learn.

3. Build Teams Around Skills, Not Titles

Organize by skill and not job titles. Execution thrives when you prioritize people’s strengths and not structure.

Mark advocates for forming marketing pods based on core creative capabilities – writing, design, video, and community building – rather than traditional functional silos. This approach fosters better collaboration, faster output, and more relevant content, especially when paired with AI-enhanced workflows that empower each creative to work at their best. When each team member brings a distinct creative lens, the result is richer, more resonant content that connects with buyers at every stage.

4. Design Content Around the Buyer’s Journey

Relevance is everything. Create assets that anticipate buyer needs and accelerate decisions.

Mark stresses the importance of understanding the buyer’s journey because great content is not enough unless it moves the buyer closer to a decision. Teams should listen closely, analyze engagement patterns, and use AI to surface insights that inform content strategy, ensuring every asset serves a clear purpose. It is about being proactive, not reactive, and making sure your content is always aligned with what buyers need next.

5. Start Simple, Then Automate and Scale

Even basic AI workflows evolve into powerful systems. Mark recommends starting with simple automation, learning what works, and scaling up as tools improve. Experimentation and iteration are key to staying ahead as technology evolves. The future belongs to marketers who execute quickly, adapt constantly, and leverage AI intelligently.

The Future Belongs to the Fast and Focused

Mark’s message is clear: the future of marketing belongs to those who execute quickly, adapt constantly, and leverage AI intelligently. It is not about having the biggest team or the most elaborate strategy; it is about being nimble, focused, and aligned with your buyer.

For marketing leaders, this means rethinking how teams are built, how work gets done, and how success is measured. It means embracing AI not as a threat, but as a partner. And it means showing your work because, in the end, results speak louder than process.

“We’re entering a work environment where the separation between human and AI-generated output won’t matter,” Mark says. “What will matter is the quality of the result.”