Dave Gerhardt

Hey I'm Dave Gerhardt. I created Exit Five, which has turned into the top community for B2B marketing professionals. Before starting Exit Five I had a 10 year career in marketing and grew from PR intern to CMO. I even once had hair! My wife says I'm more handsome now though, and she's quite pretty so that means a lot -- but the internet just boxes me in as the typical bald guy tech bro. So oh look, another bald tech guy writing on LinkedIn! whoopty freaking do.

Anyway. Where was I... OH. Receipts! I wanted to talk about receipts, because in a world of fluff and online influencers, I actually have some receipts and I want to tell you about them here because it signals power, credibility, and makes it seem like I'm super rich, so: I used to be pretty good at marketing, and my work as a marketer played a key role (at least I think so) in helping two software companies to successful exits: Drift for $1B+ and Privy for $100M+. I certainly helped the founders make a bunch of money, and I was able to comfortably purchase a brand new Toyota Sienna minivan for my family in 2021.

Today I spend my time working on Exit Five, and it's actually been super fun and given me a bunch of purpose. We're a team of six full-time team members now, and we have a private online community and host in-person events around the world. Plus there's a popular podcast and newsletter for marketers. We reach something like 20 MILLION marketers with our content every year, and we've got a pretty special thing going on. I hope to keep it going. You can learn more about it all at exitfive.com.

I spent most of my life in the Boston area but now live in the woods in Vermont with my wife, two kids, two cats, and one dog.

You can reach me at dave@exitfive.com if you want, but TBD if I reply. Depends on the message. But please don't send me any more swag or books. But if for whatever reason you do want to send me something, I play the ProV1x golf ball and like the low numbers.

PS. Find my podcast “The Dave Gerhardt Show” on Spotify

Founder & CEO

Exit Five is a media company focused on B2B marketing. We help B2B marketers build successful careers through our content and community. Learn more at exitfive.com

We polled ~100 CMOs at companies $50M - $500M+ ARR on what their top marketing challenges are right now. Here are the top takeaways.

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1. AI. No surprise. 85% said AI adoption is # 1 priority for 2026.

But this goes beyond the cute use cases you see on LinkedIn and from the AI creators showing you all the new things to do with the new tools.

"I need practical use cases and quick wins to show” - VPM $25M ARR

“We are expected to be using AI to scale marketing  efficiently” - VPM $30M ARR

“We are under pressure to demonstrate hard savings and additional value created via AI adoption.” - CMO $450M ARR

“Wondering am I moving fast enough on AI transformation — not just adopting tools, but truly rethinking how marketing works from the ground up.” - CMO $600M ARR

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2. Everyone said some version of this: "We need to grow more, spend less, & prove marketing did it.”

Grow more. Spend less. And PROVE that marketing did it. That is the key word there.

They all talked about revenue growth, but the framing has evolved beyond "drive more MQLs."

The dominant language was:

• Marketing-sourced and marketing-influenced pipeline (not just leads)
• Pipeline quality over volume
• Tying marketing to ACV expansion and retention, not just new logos

“We ned to tie marketing more directly to revenue outcomes — not just MQLs, but marketing-sourced and marketing-influenced pipeline, ACV growth, and expansion revenue” - VPM $85M ARR

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3. The other repeat topics we heard included:

• Team too small for scope of work
• Feeling  caught between strategic work (positioning, GTM, C-suite influence) and heavy day-to-day execution
• Structural misalignment after acquisition or reorg
• AI search disruption
• Moving upmarket
• Moving from single product to multi-product

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PS. We run a private group for in-house B2B marketing leaders. If you're running the marketing team at a company doing $50M+ ARR you should check this group out. Apply here:

exitfive.com/cmo-council

LinkedIn is the number one channel for B2B marketers (for content, social, ads, you know we love it here) so I had LinkedIn VP Marketing Davang Shah on the podcast this week to go right to the source about what's working, what's not, and trends across the platform.

We covered: 

- What actually works with LinkedIn ads right now
- Brand vs performance marketing strategies and how they differ
- How to think about measurement beyond last-click attribution on ads
- Why 95% of your buyers aren't in market at any given time and what to do about it

Davang also shares the data behind thought leader ads, what most marketers get wrong about the buyer journey, and how he's leading his own team through the AI shift at LinkedIn.

Listen here:

https://lnkd.in/erc8w2vM

PS. Did you know the average B2B deal takes 211 days and involves 22 people?

AI Marketing Funnels & AI Systems Consultant For E-Comm, Wellness & Agencies

WHAT I DO: I help small businesses, agencies, and entrepreneurs attract, engage, and sell to their ideal clients online with funnels. 

You get 100% unique digital marketing content including ads, emails, lead magnets, social media posts, funnels, webinars, websites, and VSLs. 📈

WHO I WORK WITH: I've spent the last 10 years serving clients including:
🥼Sermo
👩‍💼Forbes
🏃‍♀️Custom Health Centers
📈Dentsu Aegis Network
👫Dr. Vivianna Coles
🏋️Gym Launch
👩‍💻Hirsh Marketing
🧠Integrative Concussion Therapy
💦Le Sweat
🏥Modoma Clinics
🩺Neuropathy Relief Project
🧑‍⚕️Practice Acceleration
💊Prestige Labs
🗣️Simon Sinek Inc.
🏒Sport Chek
🍹Tropical Smoothie Cafe
🧼Unilever

WHAT MAKES ME UNIQUE: I have consulted on marketing strategy for over 2,500+ small businesses, e-comm, and coaching entrepreneurs over the last 10 years. I DO NOT offer a one-size-fits-all strategy or 'templated' content to clients, but instead provide 100% done for you custom, data-driven campaigns pulled from my experiences of working with some of the most successful companies in their respective niches. With me, you will stand out AND reel in a positive ROI predictably without needing to hire a whole army of freelancers.

WHY IT WORKS: The majority of content agencies and providers online merely 'copy and paste' what they see others doing and then significantly upcharge you for it. I refuse to do this, but instead, conduct thorough research of your specific sub-niche, and create (or optimize your current) digital marketing strategy based on data you can easily understand. You'll be able to pivot faster than your competition and attract your perfect patients / customers without being spammy or shady. In fact, they won't be able to get enough of the killer content you'll be sending their way, resulting in a positive ROI on your marketing campaigns.

SERVICES I PROVIDE (Design & Copy):
Ads (videos & images for FB/IG/LI/Tok/YT)
Ebooks
Emails
Lead Magnets
Organic Social Media Posts
Sales Funnels / Landing Pages
SMS / Text sequences
Video Sales Letters
Webinars
Websites

READY TO TALK? 
Connect with me here on LinkedIn or visit me online at www.hardymarketing.biz

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