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Outsider Insights | You Can't Measure AI ROI If You Can't Measure Marketing ROI
Outsider Insights
Across Chief Outsiders, we talk to hundreds of CEOs every month. In this series, we explore the trends and challenges we’re hearing from these discussions – and what you can do if you’re facing the same issues in your business.
Pipeline Integrity: How Hidden Revenue Leaks Sabotage Growth
Tue, Apr 7, 2026 — Executive Takeaways A pipeline that looks healthy can still be losing 15–25% of achievable revenue. When teams define MQLs, SQLs, and pipeline stages differently, every other fix fails. Work backwards from your revenue target using conversion rates to find and close the gaps. A one-time diagnostic fades without the right recurring reviews and accountability rhythms.
CPG Industry: Is Now the Time to Start Strategizing a Price Increase?
Fri, Apr 3, 2026 — The short answer is yes, and the operators who begin planning now will be the ones who stay in control of their margins. This isn't alarmism. It's a clear look at the cost-structure reality taking shape while much of the industry is still operating with a 2021–2022 mindset. Executive Takeaways Start planning a price increase now, not when you need one. Waiting until margin pressure forces your hand means you've already lost leverage. Energy and input costs are structurally elevated and not going back down. Brands still operating with a 2021–2022 mindset are walking into margin compression. Renovation and innovation are what make price increases stick. Pairing a price move with product news gives retailers a reason to support it and consumers a reason to stay.
Outsider Insights | What We’re Hearing from CEOs Right Now — And Why AI Keeps Coming Up
Wed, Mar 18, 2026 — Outsider Insights Across Chief Outsiders, we talk to hundreds of CEOs every month. In this series, we explore the trends and challenges we’re hearing from these discussions – and what you can do if you’re facing the same issues in your business. Executive Takeaways AI accelerates clarity. It doesn’t fix broken data. Speed to confident decisions is the real competitive edge. Shared definitions matter more than more dashboards.. Governance comes before automation, alignment before acceleration.
Turning Competing Revenue Team Truths into Market Insight
Tue, Mar 10, 2026 — Executive Takeaways Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success each see different parts of the market. Conflicting perspectives usually reflect incomplete insight, not poor execution. Cross-functional pipeline, win/loss, and customer data turn friction into insight. A unified GTM operating model aligns teams around shared market truth.
Why the CEO-Led Growth Model Breaks at Scale
Tue, Feb 10, 2026 — Series Overview As companies grow, GTM breakdowns rarely show up as sudden failures. They emerge as friction. Progress slows, pipelines become less predictable, and confidence in forecasts declines, even as teams work harder and act with good intent. Written from both the marketing and sales lens, this six-part series, Building a Unified GTM Operating Model, explores why scale exposes weaknesses in informal GTM systems and how an intentional operating model restores clarity, alignment, and scalable growth. Executive Takeaways CEO-led, informal GTM models break predictably as scale introduces complexity. Early GTM failure shows up as friction, not collapse. Sales–marketing misalignment is a structural issue, not a performance problem. A unified GTM operating model is required to restore growth, confidence, and value.
Your AI Search Playbook - 6 Moves to Reclaim Visibility and Demand
Tue, Feb 3, 2026 — Part 4 of our four-part series exploring how AI search is transforming visibility, SEO, and digital strategy - and what CEOs need to do now to stay competitive.
You’re Being Talked About (or Ignored) - Offsite Signals Drive AI Search Visibility
Fri, Jan 23, 2026 — Part 3 of our four-part series exploring how AI search is transforming visibility, SEO, and digital strategy - and what CEOs need to do now to stay competitive. Executive Takeaways AI search engines pull data and content from across the web - not just your website. Brand mentions, reviews, and forum posts now shape how AI describes you. Reddit, G2, Quora, and even Amazon reviews influence AI-generated answers. Monitoring and managing offsite presence is now a strategic imperative.
Outsider Insights | Beyond the Sale—Why CEOs Are Turning Attention to Retention and Expansion
Wed, Jan 14, 2026 — Outsider Insights Across Chief Outsiders, we talk to hundreds of CEOs every month. In this series, we explore the trends and challenges we’re hearing from these discussions – and what you can do if you’re facing the same issues in your business.
GEO – What it is and Why You Should Understand It
Fri, Jan 9, 2026 — Part 2 of our four-part series exploring how AI search is transforming visibility, SEO, and digital strategy - and what CEOs need to do now to stay competitive. Executive Takeaways GEO is about optimizing for answers within AI search engines. Ranking well doesn’t guarantee visibility anymore – AI citations are needed too. Offsite reputation and mentions are just as critical as on-page SEO.