I'm the Managing Director and co-founder of Filament, a digital agency specialising in Go-to-Market strategy and partner marketing for B2B tech companies and vendor channel programs.

Over the last 17 years, I've worked with diverse companies to build and expand marketing frameworks, deploy demand gen and lead gen programs, enter new markets, unlock support from tech vendors, and increase market share. 

Tech companies and vendor channel programs I’ve supported include VMware, Microsoft, Dell, Cisco, HPE, AWS, Google, IBM, NetApp, Veeam, Tata, Zerto, Dropbox, Nutanix, Symantec and Splunk.

This has meant I’m experienced in working with a variety of B2B tech company and channel partner types, including:

👉 Independent Software Vendors (ISVs)
👉 Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Value-Added Resellers (VARs) and System Integrators (SIs)
👉 Cloud-based service providers, including IaaS, PaaS and SaaS companies
👉 Cybersecurity and Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs)
👉 Edge infrastructure and IoT providers
👉 Virtualization and application deployment specialists
👉 Data centres, and
👉 Distributors and Aggregators.

Prior to leading agencies I was primarily leading marketing and communications programs in the finance and investment sector.

Key career highlights I’m proud of include:

✅ Articulating the state of mobile marketing for Google SE Asia, in partnership with Capitalis
✅ Supporting Australian tech companies to enter and expand in the US
✅ Significantly growing a channel program by 4x in 12 months
✅ Leading the corporate communications on a $47.1 million off-market transaction of an investment firm with $3 billion FUM
✅ Expanding a SaaS multinational's footprint in SE Asia

Jeremy Balius

Many tech companies think they have a growth problem, when they actually have a visibility problem.

A common theme so far this year in conversations I'm having with tech execs is operational efficiency. 

Not in terms of cost-cutting, but rather, in terms of clarity.

When they talk about “GTM efficiency" or even "GTM focus", what they’re really trying to get to the bottom of is:

What’s meaningful GTM investment… and what’s waste?

It's tricky to write about in general terms but here’s where I see some hidden waste creeping in.

❗️ Multiple campaigns targeting overlapping audiences and creating confusion, or worse, all getting ignored
❗️ Successive campaigns not retargeting audiences to create meaningful moments over longer periods of time 
❗️ Different teams telling slightly different stories
❗️ Vendor-funded activity that doesn’t align with core positioning or serves vendor sales cadence rather enabling Partner sales nurture rhythm
❗️ Sales enablement assets that don't enable, i.e. never get used, because GTM or marketing doesn't understand the complexities sales professionals face

None of these look dramatic on their own. But together, they create drag.

That’s waste.

GTM investment, on the other hand, feels expensive upfront.

✅ Tightening positioning and meaningful differentiation before scaling campaigns, ensuring you lead with value rather than "Always Be Closing"
✅ Retargeting, nurturing, trust building over uncomfortably-long periods of time
✅ Taking control over going-to-market together with vendor alliance partners, rather than following their lead
✅ Aligning sales and marketing around one narrative and mutually-agreed lead definitions
✅ Reworking partner motions instead of layering on more tactics

These decisions don’t create instantly attributable return - especially when analysed on their own.

But the coherence and focus this creates compounds.

Right now tech executives aren’t asking me, “How do we spend less?”

They’re asking, “Where is effort being diluted so we can double down on what is working?”

There’s a big difference and that's been the main theme in January.

What feels like real meaningful GTM investment for you… and what feels like a drag?

#GTM #gotomarket

I help B2B tech companies go to market faster. Founder with 1 exit.

GTM waste vs efficiency

"You should embrace AI” has been a real common GTM push (wrapped up as strategic advice) by Partners to their end user clients.

Very few leaders know how to visualise success or measure if it’s working. 

I was reminded of this clip from Episode 26 of Go-To-Market Playmakers in discussion with Dave Boyce from Winning by Design. 

If AI is reshaping go-to-market…

How do you evaluate success when you don’t even know what the final model looks like yet? And what if there are no traditional guide posts along the way?

There's a practical concern here:

How do we know if this is actually improving performance when the landscape changes so fast within even a quarterly cycle?

One idea that resonated strongly with me in the discussion was this: If you can’t measure the experiment, why are you running it?

The way Dave frames the concept of Minimum Viable Signal Loop was a gamechanger for me.

That AI adoption in GTM isn’t about tools, it’s about signal.

It's a real mindset shift.

Full episode is down there 👇

Strategy has never looked better on the slide deck. But momentum hasn't felt this hard inside the organisation in a long time.

In conversations with tech execs across cyber, IaaS and hardware manufacturers over the past week, a theme kept surfacing:

The strategy is clear. The goals are dialled in. It's been impressive to see! 

But the execution feels scattered. 

Teams are super busy, but they're stretched. Everyone is moving… but not always in the same direction.

That gap between strategy and execution is widening. And this isn't a clarity problem.

There's potentially three quieter forces at play here.

First, strategy shifts faster than operating rhythm.
By the time teams galvanise around one direction, the next adjustment comes through. Momentum resets before it compounds. Staying afloat and keeping up becomes the unspoken priority.

Second, too many things qualify as “strategic.”
When everything is a priority, focus fragments. Individually, each initiative makes sense. Collectively, they create drag. It seems like common sense but this one quietly becomes the norm.

Third, incentives rarely align perfectly with stated intent.
Leadership may emphasise long-term positioning. Teams are often measured on short-term output. Monthly and quarterly cycles shape behaviour. Whether we admit it or not. 

What I’m noticing is this:

The organisations that feel stuck aren’t lacking intelligence or effort. It's the coherence that turns strategy into momentum.

Are you seeing this as well?

The widening gap between GTM strategy and execution

A weak value proposition shows up as a growth problem. But does that mean it's a messaging problem?

In a lot of tech companies I speak with, there is a strong internal belief in their positioning.

The feature comparison is strong. The deck is polished. Sales can explain what the service or product does.

They'll even talk about how they have the best tech, the best service and the best people.

But when you zoom out, something's not landing.

Whether that's visible in demand, pipeline, deals dragging or inconsistent win rates, it's usually not a sales capability issue. It starts much earlier in the causation chain.

It’s usually a positioning issue.

When the value proposition is similar or same with other competitors, the consequences ripple.

There's no cut-through to reach net new prospects. Sales teams start customising the story deal by deal. Each rep frames the product slightly differently. Consistency erodes. 

Partner sales team or distie sales teams struggle even more. If your own team can’t articulate sharp differentiation, how do you expect an external team to do it?

They also default to features. Or worse, they deprioritise your offer because it doesn't land as easily or quickly as other offers in their stable.

None of this breaks the business overnight. And none of this can be clearly pointed to as a direct cause for any of the issues. 

That’s what makes it so tough to navigate.

The cost compounds quietly:
➞ Lower quality pipeline.
➞ Longer sales cycles.
➞ Increased discounting.
➞ Fragmented brand perception.

And by the time leadership notices, it looks like a demand problem.

Differentiation isn’t a marketing exercise.

It’s a strategic control point. It's the very core of your Go-to-Market as a company.

Clear differentiation that means something to your target buyers or ICP buying committee members? 

That's what separates momentum from drag.

I've seen this pattern countless times: GTM strategy doesn't lead to sales momentum.

The leadership team invests time and effort into a brilliant go-to-market strategy. The positioning is sharp. The differentiation is clear. The pricing tiers make sense.

Then sales has to translate it. And then the GTM fragments.

Reps default to features. Objections get handled inconsistently. New offers launch without playbooks. 

By the time the strategy reaches the end user prospect, it's unrecognisable.

The problem isn't the strategy. It's the execution layer between strategy and sales conversations.

I just recorded an on-demand webinar that shows how B2B tech companies solve this with high-impact GTM enablement. (and I'm trialling long-form uploads here on LinkedIn!) 

It covers:
→ Why great strategies fragment at the sales level 
→ The 4-phase framework we use to build structured enablement systems 
→ How to standardise value conversations across your entire team 
→ A real case study from FUJIFILM CodeBlue NZ

This isn't about creating more collateral. 

𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧.

If you're a tech leader watching your sales reps improvise your carefully crafted positioning, this one's for you.

Watch the full webinar below. 👇

“Security is not an option anymore. It’s part of the infrastructure.”

Storage used to be a capacity discussion, but it's become so much more.

Jeff Hyunshik Park, Country Manager Australia at Seagate Technology, shares in this edition of Tech Exec Insights how Seagate is increasing enterprise capacity without increasing footprint or power consumption.

That matters because AI growth is not slowing down.

He also made it clear that hardware encryption and embedded security are now baseline requirements, not premium add-ons.

The bigger shift? In 2026, infrastructure decisions are being shaped by:
• AI workload pressure
• Data sovereignty concerns
• Cyber resilience expectations

Are your infrastructure conversations evolving fast enough?

It's not that GTM strategy fails. It's the 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 that fragments.

After years of working with B2B tech companies, we see the same patterns repeat:

➞ Leadership decks are crystal clear. Sales conversations are less clear.
➞ Reps pitch features. Customers need value.
➞ Objection handling varies wildly across your team.
➞ New offers launch with excitement, but no playbook leverages the attention.
➞ Sales tools are scattered across folders, formats, and individual laptops.

The gap may not be your strategy. 

It's the system that translates strategy into sales conversations.

Watch this quick breakdown from our recent sales enablement webinar. 👇

#SalesEnablement #B2BSales #GTMStrategy

Storage decisions are no longer made by IT alone. 

Security wants risk clarity. Finance wants lifecycle visibility. Executives want continuity and AI readiness.

In this clip from Tech Exec Insights, Jeff Hyunshik Park from Seagate Technology explains why partners must shift from product-centric pitches to outcome-based conversations.

If your sales narrative still focuses on technical features only, you’re missing half the room.

He also shared something that really stood out to me:

Partners should bring vendors like Seagate Technology into architecture conversations early.

Why?

Because security, scalability, and lifecycle decisions are being shaped before procurement ever happens. By the time RFPs land, strategy is already set.

To me, this aligns with the mindset of "going to market together".

Are you strategically getting upstream in deals? Or are you still responding to requirements someone else defined?

I’m an entrepreneur turned product and GTM leader who builds businesses where relationships are the moat. 

At Pavilion, I lead our Product (aka Member Programs) team, overseeing the programs and experiences that make Pavilion what it is — from Pavilion University and Mentorship to Functional Groups, Small Councils, Chapters, and the broader Community experience. 

My focus: create products that help go-to-market professionals achieve their fullest career potential.

Before Pavilion, I founded Firneo, a learning community for Partnerships and Business Development professionals.

I’ve also had the chance to work at both rocketship startups (like WeWork) and Fortune 500 enterprises (like American Express and Dow), which taught me how to scale ideas, teams, and impact.

My background as an entrepreneur and partnerships operator shapes how I lead: I’m results-driven, deeply empathetic, and comfortable navigating complex, high-stakes environments where strategy, execution, and relationships intersect.

Scott Pollack

Every morning, his desk would crackle with the sound of freshly brewing coffee from the Mr. Coffee he kept in his cubicle.

It's been almost 20 years since I met Alan Stein as cubicle-neighbors in the American Express tower.

I've been fortunate to remain friends long after we parted as colleagues, and as he soared to new heights at Google, Facebook, Meta, and as startup founder at Kadima Careers.

I'd admired how he built his business. "You're killing it," I'd say.

What I (and probably most people) didn't realize was how much the stress and challenges of the entrepreneurial journey were killing *him.*

We had a hearty chat over a meaty lunch yesterday at Hamburger America (as evidenced by my post about another Amex reunion a couple weeks at a grungy noodle joint, I clearly identify more as "chowhound" than "foodie" with a taste for decidedly un-fancy meals). 

He shared the story of his last 67 days in recovery -- an intentional detox from the stress and stressors that brought him and his family to the brink.

He looked and sounded happier and healthier than I'd seen him in years.

But here's what struck me: despite knowing someone for most of my adult life, you never know how much you don't know. We keep so much of our stress and struggle locked inside that most people never see it.

It's cliche to say "you never know what someone's going through." But relationships are what afford us the opportunity to be there for someone. To have the kind of trust where they can share what's really happening.

Another chat with a colleague-turned-friend, and another reminder of what I really treasure most about keeping up a strong "network": building and maintaining relationships, not as a means to an end, but as the end itself.

In business, in careers, in life, and sometimes at the intersection of all three.

I build businesses where relationships are the moat – GTM, ecosystems, and community-led growth

When I was younger, I'd look at people who were content to stay in the same job, at the same level, for years or decades with mild contempt. 

What's *wrong* with them? Why aren't they striving for more?

But I get it now.

I had a conversation a while back with my friend James Queen who told me about the "Post-Achievement" stage of life & career: that point when people who've achieved great heights suddenly turn it in for a "simpler" life. 

The high-powered executive becomes an executive coach. Corporate leader to cafe owner. Ladder-climbing VP to fractional consultant.

I caught up today with my old American Express colleague Laura Nelsen. We remarked on how NYC amplifies ambition - almost like the geography itself adds to the burnout. It takes highly ambitious people and makes you strive even harder. 

It's exhilarating, but exhausting.

Being a striving, overachiever seems great when you're in your 20s. But in your 40s and 50s, you realize it's not all it's cracked up to be.

There's always a higher rung on the ladder. And success begets stress. Burnout lurks.

That's what I was missing all of those years ago, when judgement clouded my vision. I was blinded to what those non-striving colleagues who were living simple lives of contentment had all along: 

Enough.

I wish I had it then. But I'm happy to be finding it now.

"Keep your knees bent"

He didn't know he was giving advice. But Jeremy Schwartz dropped this nugget of career wisdom that I think ambitious person should heed.

Jeremy and I were introduced in 2012, when he was a friend-of-a-friend (thanks Graham Siener!), former-lawyer-turned-startup-founder thinking about his next gig. 

A bit later, a chance introduction I made led to a 13-year (and going!) stint at Squarespace where he went on to conceive, build, and scale their $100M+ channel program from scratch.

Over breakfast last week, we were dissecting what led to his success in building a business unit that drives a double-digit % of revenue for a multi-billion dollar company.

It's not easy to survive (let alone thrive) at a company for more than a decade -- it requires intestinal fortitude to manage the rollercoaster of org changes, strategy shifts, market cycles, and more.  

But he off-handedly told me that a mantra that he embodies, and encourages his teams to remember: "Keep your knees bent."

It's familiar advice for any athlete - stay in a ready stance, so you can strike, pivot, or react, no matter which way the ball goes.

Having worked at some of the largest enterprises and fastest-growing startups, let me tell you: that's gold advice at any stage.

Stay light on your feet and be ready to move is good advice at every stage.

It's easy to get nauseous from change. To reject pivots out of fear or get tired of change.  

But you can't birth a unicorn without being adaptable.

I love having these catchup chats and seeing my friends thrive. 

But selfishly, I also love being able to take away those poignant reminders (and unexpected advice) that remind us all of why they succeeded in the first place.

Some of the most important work I've done never showed up in a metric.

The conversation before a meeting that prevented an escalation.
The context shared privately that changed a decision.
The alignment created before anything broke.

None of that looks impressive on paper.

But when it's missing, everything gets harder.

Relationship-driven work often goes unnoticed -
until it's no longer there.

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