Stacie Sussman

CRO l We're the all-star team that'll actually increase your bottom line revenue l Business Strategy l Operations l Sales l Marketing l Revenue Growth

After 17 years in media sales, I thought success meant grinding harder and steering the ship alone.

Then I looked around at the CROs I admired—brilliant, well-paid executives who looked… haggard. Burnt out. Like they’d lost their spark somewhere between board meetings and impossible targets.

That’s when it hit me: the system was broken. And I’d lived it.

I spent those 17 years running into obstacles that shouldn’t have existed, feeling like a one-woman show when sales should have been a team sport. I watched talented leaders march in place, trying the same patch-job solutions while the real problems—misaligned departments, broken attribution, CROs and CMOs working against each other—went unfixed.

For the past 7+ years, my team and I have been fixing foundations, not symptoms.

At RevUp Advisory, we take B2B businesses from duct-taped growth to marketing and sales alignment that actually works. We create cohesion between departments that have been at war, align everything with executive vision, and build operational excellence that turns chaos into consistent revenue.

Here’s the truth: we often rip out bad consulting work first. Everyone says they can drive more sales. But saying it and delivering sustainable results? Two very different things.

The transformation? Those scathing emails from bosses stop coming. Pipeline reports finally line up. Attribution makes sense. And instead of being seen as “that hopeless department,” you’re respected as the strategic partner you always were.

Because here’s what I’ve learned: companies should work smarter, not harder. And when you fix the foundation instead of patching the cracks, everyone gets their spark back.

Ready to stop the patch-jobs and actually scale? 

Let’s talk: stacie@revupadvisory.com

CRO - Revenue - Sales - Marketing - Operations - Business Strategy - Growth Plans - Customer Journey - Salesforce - HubSpot - Enablement - Training - OKRs - KPIs - Tech Stack - Pipeline - Forecasting - Sales Operations - Marketing Operations - Revenue Operations- B2B - Founders - CRO - CMO - CRM  - Pricing - Revenue Modeling - Sales Funnel - Marketing Funnel - Customer Success - Foundational Structure - ICP - CAC - LTVC - ARR - MRR - Fundraising - Leadership Consulting - Management Consulting - Sales Coaching - Compensation Planning - Workshops - Training - AI Agents - Process Optimizations - Flows - Automations - Tech Stack

Founding Member

The Upside is a curated, global community for consultants and industry experts.

Yesterday was International Women’s Day.
I spent mine at my first hackathon, n a swanky Miami tech office, laptop open, a few business cards in my pocket, not knowing a single person in the room.

I’d seen that Lovable was hosting SheBuilds events globally and thought, “Why not show up?” 

So I drove over an hour on a Sunday to do exactly that.

What happened next? I got to build alongside engineering legends and AI innovators. I had conversations about the sustainability of AI that stretched my thinking. I met women who were creating, sharing, collaborating and genuinely lifting each other up.

I have a motto in life and in work. ABL—Always Be Learning.

If I’m going to help my clients navigate what AI and emerging tech mean for their marketing and sales systems, I can’t just read about it or theorize from the sidelines. I need to get my hands dirty. I need to understand how these tools actually work, what’s possible, and where the gaps are.

So yesterday, I built a marketing engine diagnostic using Lovable’s vibe coding platform. 

Is it perfect? Absolutely not. But it’s real, it’s functional, and it represents what I believe. You can’t connect the dots for others if you’re not willing to connect them for yourself first.

This work and these platforms are changing how businesses operate. 

The CMOs and revenue leaders I partner with are facing these shifts every single day. My job isn’t to have all the answers. It’s to show up, learn alongside them, and bring back what I discover in the field.

That’s the commitment. That’s the work.

Grateful for the incredible humans I met yesterday. 

Grateful for Thalía Diedrick  and the GoTu Team for hosting. And grateful to the Loveable team for building tools that make this kind of exploration possible.

And lastly there’s a Link to our marketing engine  diagnostic in the comments. 

CC: Noelle R.

RevUp Advisory | We fix broken systems so CMOs can prove ROI | Systems & Revenue Alignment l AI Acceleration l Podcast Host, C-Suite Strategies

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This week, I judged Harvard Business School’s 6th annual pitch competition for the South Florida Alumni Angels. 

4 presentations back-to-back showed me exactly what separates founders who get funded from those who don’t.

First pitch: The founder owned that room. Knew her numbers cold. Answered tough questions without flinching. Her deck told a clear story, and she made eye contact with every single judge. When we asked about competitors? She rattled off three and explained exactly why her approach was different. Her financials weren’t just pretty slides—they actually made sense.

Confidence wasn’t arrogance—it was preparation meeting opportunity.

Next pitch: Brilliant subject matter experts. Solid tech. But they were reading off notes, couldn’t hide their nerves, and when we offered feedback? You could feel the resistance. Their competitive analysis was thin, and the financial projections felt more like wishful thinking than strategic planning.

Here’s the thing about pitch competitions—judges give feedback whether you want it or not. That’s literally the point.

The gap between these two wasn’t talent or even the quality of their ideas.

It was readiness.

If you’re going to compete for funding, here’s what “ready” actually looks like…

• Know your story arc cold. Problem, Market, Solution, Team, Traction. In that order. No stumbling.
• Your financials need to make sense. Not aspirational math—actual strategic projections we can believe in.
• Research your competitive landscape. Know who else is playing in your space and why you’re different. Saying “we have no competitors” is a red flag.
• Your deck is visually clean and your narrative is tight. No mental gymnastics required for judges to follow along.
• Show traction. Even early MVP wins matter. Revenue matters more.
• Be open to feedback. Especially when it stings. That’s how you get better.
The founders who get this? They don’t just present well. They make you want to write the check.

If you’re gearing up for a pitch competition, don’t just apply and hope for the best. 

Get pitch-deck ready first. The difference shows up in the room, and it shows up in the outcomes.

It was a pleasure to meet you: Sertaç Oral, Tupa Gomes, Antonio Vasaiely and Danilo "Danny" Castillo.

I left at the top of my sales game because I was winning at the wrong thing. 

PIcture this…I was crushing it in Manhattan sales. Big brands. High-paid role. Racing between Midtown and the Lower East Side, Tribeca to Soho and back again—subway tracks were my office. 

From the outside? I was winning.

But here’s what nobody saw, I was being measured on outcomes I couldn’t fully control.

I’d pitch programs I knew were wrong for the client. 

Quote pricing I knew was too high to close. 

Chase business from clients I knew were bad bill payers. 

And when things didn’t work out? 
When I didn’t hit quota? 

It wasn’t because I failed, it was because the SYSTEM was broken.

I could see exactly what needed fixing…

The pricing strategy that was killing deals
The program offerings that didn’t match market needs
The client vetting process that set us up to fail
The operational chaos that made everyone’s job harder

But I “only had control over so much.”

So I’d speak up. “I have ideas about how to fix this.”

And I’d hear some version of, “That’s not your job. Just focus on your quota.”

Here’s what I finally realized, I wasn’t failing. I was succeeding at something too small for what I was capable of doing. 

I didn’t leave because I couldn’t hit numbers. I left because I wanted to build something where FIXING THE FOUNDATION was the whole point—not a side conversation nobody wanted to have.

That’s why I built RevUp Advisory. Because CMOs and revenue leaders deserve a partner who doesn’t just help them hit their numbers within broken systems—but actually FIXES the systems so success becomes sustainable.

You don’t have to keep playing someone else’s game by someone else’s rules.

Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is build the game you were meant to play all along.

Quick question, when’s the last time you Googled yourself? Now here’s the better question.When’s the last time you asked an AI about yourself?

Because your buyers aren’t just Googling anymore. 

They’re asking ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity—and getting synthesized answers before they ever visit a website.

And if you’re not showing up in those answers? 

You don’t exist in their consideration set.

I recorded this quick episode for every B2B leader who’s been following our SEO → AEO conversation on our podcast, C-Suitr Strategies. 

Listen to it. Watch it. Then actually DO what I’m asking.

Because what you’re about to discover isn’t just a marketing problem—it’s an attribution crisis that’s making your dark funnel even darker.

Listen to our 15 minute solo episode and let me know what you find.

And yeah, if you’re driving… keep going but do this later. I’m serious.

So you tested it. You asked the AI tools about your company, your category, your competitors.

Now here’s the question that matters…

Why did some names show up… and others didn’t?
It’s not random. And it’s not just about who has the best SEO.

AI-powered answer engines use completely different criteria to decide whose content gets cited. 

And if you’re still optimizing for the old SEO playbook? You’re invisible.

In this video, I break down what answer engines are actually looking for—and why keywords alone won’t cut it anymore.

This is where it gets interesting.

(And yes, my nerdy brain is very excited about this. You’ve been warned.)

Listen to our full episode below for more details.

Nashua Community College

I teach in person and online business classes

Adjunct Professor

University of Massachusetts Lowell

• Develop and manage the course syllabus, ensuring that the syllabus meets department and university standards
• Organize and coordinate lectures, in-class discussions and assignments
• Create and grade assigned papers, quizzes and exams
• Assess grades for students based on participation, performance in class, assignments and examinations
• Collaborate with colleagues on course curriculum
• Advise students on how to be successful in class
• Stay informed on innovations and changes within the global economy

Senior Adjunct Faculty, Manning School of Business at Umass Lowell

DifferenceMaker

•	Recruit student entrepreneurs for the DifferenceMaker Program.
•	Help student teams develop their idea for the DifferenceMaker Program.
•	Attend DifferenceMaker events to support the program.
•	Visit classrooms and student organization meetings to promote the DifferenceMaker Program

Manning School of Business Fellow for the DifferenceMaker Program

Southern New Hampshire University

I teach Entrepreneurship, Strategic Management and Business Communication as part of the SNHU Global Campus

•	Prepare weekly announcements where I share my knowledge and experiences to help students understand the lesson for the week 
•	Respond to student emails to ensure that they understand their assignments for the week. 
•	Communicate with students and advisors by email, zoom and telephone to ensure that students are submitting their work on time.
•	Provide feedback to students for their weekly discussion board posts that encourage them to share their experiences with their classmates.

Adjunct Faculty, Global Campus Southern New Hampshire University

New England B2B Networking Group

New England B2B Networking Group offers monthly networking events for people in the B2B market. For more information about the benefits of membership and to hear about upcoming events please visit our website at www.newenglandb2bnetworking.com

Friends of Kevin

The Friends of Kevin is a unique networking group that combines in person networking events with online social media promotion to my over 20,000 followers. Networking events are held in the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire. For more information about the benefits of membeship or to see a list of upcoming events please visit our website at www.friendsofkevin.com

Founder

Kevin Willett - Author

In May of 2015 I released my first book about business networking. The book offers tips on what to do before, during and after networking events. I also offer advice on using social media for networking. The book is available on Amazon.

One Connection - How you can grow your business (and change the world) one connection at a time

The Washington Savings Bank

Manage the Finance area of a 160 million dollar Bank. Responsible for the management of the Banks investment portfolio and interest rate risk

NMTWCU

Ran the Accounting Department of a 300 Million Dollar Credit Union

Accounting Manager

We can promote your business through the New England B2B Networking Group for only $25.00 per month. 

Here is a list of the benefits that you receive. You can learn more at www.newenglandb2bnetworking.com/membership 

Each Member receives a page on the New England B2B website
As a member of the group you will receive your own page on our website. The page describes the services you offer and includes valuable back links to your website and social media sites to help improve your SEO results.

Monthly Social Media Promotion
The New England B2b Networking Group and our CEO Kevin Willett are very active on all of the major social media sites. We will promote your business monthly to our over 30,000 social media connections. This is a great way to expand the reach of your social media posts. There is no need to worry if you are not active on social media as many of our clients who join the group are not, but enjoy the benefits of this type of exposure via the posts we create for them.

Radio Show/ Video Interview Promotion
Our CEO Kevin Willett will interview you on his podcast to help you promote your business. The podcast is a great way to share your knowledge with potential clients. All of the podcasts are uploaded to our website and we will provide you with a copy of the MP3 file that you can share on your website and social media accounts. Podcasts are approx. 15 minute long with predetermined questions.

Kevin also does a short video segment called 3 Questions With. This video is uploaded to both the website and YouTube and shared on social media. The video is typically 5 minutes and a quick way to get your name and business info  out to potential clients.

Networking is all about building relationships
We focus on helping our clients build relationships with referral partners because we believe that is the best way to grow your business. We will personally introduce you to referral partners to help you grow your business.

Feel free to call me at 978-995-1743 or email me at Kevin@newenglandb2bnetworking.com if you have any questions.

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Stacie Sussman

Kevin Willett

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The Battle

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Kevin Willett

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Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Stacie Sussman's LinkedIn Performance

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