Refine Labs

Demand Gen strategy and execution for B2B companies.

Senior Director of Demand Generation

Refine Labs is a progressive demand generation firm focused on growth-stage B2B SaaS. We start with a strategy that’s built for the way customers buy in 2022. By executing this strategy every day at 60+ B2B SaaS companies, we generate insights at scale, which fuels continuous research and innovation. Together we're writing the new demand generation playbook.

Director of Demand Generation

Gorilla 76

Lead client strategy team and for Gorilla 76, developing processes to improve our client strategy delivery, execute at a higher level, and iterate our services.

Thinker & Strategy Director

Formulate and execute marketing strategy for B2B industrial clients, including positioning, content, demand gen, marketing operations, and analysis.

Thinker & Senior Strategist

Sales Enablement for B2B Manufacturing

Part-time strategic advisor for BAM! Sales Enablement.

Marketing Advisor

Gravy

Lead content developer. Developed content strategy and approach around blogs, podcast, webinars, and hard copy newsletter.

Director of Content Marketing

Abicor Binzel

Direct all marketing activities for United States and Canada for international welding torch and laser product manufacturer. Responsibilities include email marketing, multi channel advertising, social media, content development and management, new product development, trademarks, and events.

Help administer digital marketing and digital lead generation efforts across multiple BINZEL business units and maintain marketing-sales alignment, evolving company's marketing platform from brand-based to lead-based and demand generation approach.

Platforms used include SalesForce, HubSpot, Google Ads, Facebook Ad Manager, LinkedIn Campaign Manager, and Survey Monkey.

Director of Marketing

Oversee all marketing activities for United States and Canada for international welding torch and laser product manufacturer. Responsibilities include email marketing, multi channel advertising, social media, content development and management, new product development, trademarks, and events.

Formulate and deploy all creative for BINZEL USA and Canada marketing efforts.

Work with executive level to develop market insights through surveys and sales team feedback.

Evolving company's marketing platform from a brand-based to lead-based and demand gen (ABM) marketing philosophy.

Platforms used include SalesForce, HubSpot, AdWords, Facebook Ad Manager, LinkedIn Campaign Manager, and Survey Monkey.

Marketing Manager

Kirlin Builders LLC

Worked with Executive team to respond to and produce solicitation packages. Developed strategy for responses and collaborate with other company expertise to produce comprehensive content. Led the production and procurement effort of solicitations.

Managed social media accounts and their content for Twitter (@KirlinBuilds), LinkedIn, and Google+. Led new logo creation. Developed and created all content for the Kirlin Builders website.

Part of integration team to develop new customer relationship management platform on SharePoint/CorasWorks to improve efficiency and accuracy to task order (project) responses. Integral to developing system design, functionality, and training of entire business development team to ensure comfort in use of system.

Conducted market research to identify new opportunities and client development. Researched competitors. Performed SWOT analysis and assist in developing response strategies leading up to a solicitation issuance.

Managed development of technical documents under our various contract vehicles. This entailed disseminating information from RFPs and Scopes of Work issued by clients and identifying solution strategies, including composing large sections.

Maintained templates, databases, and resumes for our responses, compose RFP sections in conjunction with other team members, maintain versions, back-check solutions, verify veracity of our solutions, and publish proposals for submission. 

Developed surveys and questionnaires to procure client feedback in order to increase company efficiency and accuracy in proposal responses through adapting our responses based on the customer being responded to.

Marketing and Brand Manager

Government Services IPT

Writer, analyst, and editor charged with completing quality control assignments for disciplines including Architecture, Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Facilities Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Program Management. I supported these higher level disciplines by proofreading and integrating their revisions into extensive government documents, including Request for Proposals, Project Definition Reports, Newsletters, Basis of Design, as well as Requests for Information. I ensured grammatical correctness and maintained style, tone, and format consistent with company style guide.

As part of the RFPs completed by my company, I was responsible for compiling, editing, and submitting construction and contract specifications through SpecsIntact in coordination with the Architecture and Planning team. 

With Project Managers, I was sent to numerous military bases, including Naval Air Station Corpus Christi and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to complete Asset Evaluations for  Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC).  I had the responsibility post-field work in updating Property Record Cards and performing backcheck for all Basic Facility Requirements composed to be sent to Facility Managers at both NAVFAC and corresponding installations.

Composed meeting minutes and notes for programming, charrette, and review meetings and edited and revised Minutes for my Directors and co-workers.

Wrote Business Development proposals focusing on Sources Sought Notices. Researched, interviewed, compiled, and creatively wrote Sources Sought responses associated with Program Management.  In tandem with the Marketing Department, assisted in editing/updating resumes and biographies from the Human Resources department to be included in contract bidding to produce strongest management/program team possible.

Technical Writer

Federal Reserve System

Wrote short articles and maintained an electronic newsletter drafted with Internship Coordinator for weekly distribution to other interns, many of which from other parts of the country. Composed PowerPoint slides in conjunction with Human Resources Coordinator presented to city and government officials. Designed and created webpage using Dreamweaver HTML software for summer interns to provide free events occurring in DC/Metro area, concerts, places to dine, museum attractions and available means of transportation  through the area.

Marketing and Communications Intern

National Association for Credit Management

Converted Business Credit Manual (3000) pages from hard copy to HTML format. Wrote articles for weekly online newsletter.  Researched news articles in the business, finance and credit field from multiple newspapers and websites to compile articles for NACM’s website. Wrote two articles for Business Credit magazine, a bi-monthly publication distributed nationally. Wrote feature article for magazine’s June 2006 article, going on site with several credit managers from different companies, gaining insight into the logistics of what a credit manager does and how integral their job function is to the success of their companies.

Demand Generation @ Refine Labs | Demand + Content + Product | Industrial → SaaS | Living My Dream | #GirlDad | Proud Minivan Driver

Started out working in government contracting. After 6 years, decided it wasn't for me and switched to pursuing B2B marketing. Fell in love instantly with the creativity and analysis of impactful marketing programs.

The first part of my marketing career had me in hardware - mainly manufacturing and OEM equipment. After that, took a cup of coffee at a startup before transitioning into agency / consulting.  Now I'm part of one of the top B2B demand gen firms in the country, Refine Labs, revolutionizing the function of marketing for high growth B2B SaaS companies.

OOH for the win.

It feels like what's old is new again in marketing. SaaS marketers talking about OOH, TV, etc. more than ever. 

For good reason, too. Ads like these at events stand out. 

Look at how much (or little) eyeball competition this OOH truck has going round and round the event facility.

While others can compete on the show floor with signage, stickers, and the inventory everyone else funnels themselves into from the show vendor, going a little outside the box (literally) made this the first thing you saw the moment you arrived and the moment you left.

Unmissable. And the best show to date to boot.

We're doing fun creative projects like this all the time. Don't contain your creative to boring statics only.

In an AI slop world, real creative taste and execution stands out. A lot. 

Shoutout to the amazing Chris F. for working his magic on this. If you aren't checking out his designer-specific takes on AI creative, you're missing out.

And to the team at Providence. Appreciate you all putting so much trust in us. Such a fun client to work with a little outside our core ICP.

🤘 Matthew Sciannella

You can be thankful for LinkedIn. 

Where else are you going to learn and keep up with the rapid state of change better?

It's easy to 💩 post this platform. There's plenty of fair criticism of it to go around.

But the network you can build here and the professional relationships you can create with people hundreds or thousands of miles physically away from you? 

That's what makes this place special. Still.

So for that, I am thankful. 

For people like Liam Moroney for elevating the conversation and the approach about building and maintain brand.

For those like Dale W. Harrison for putting hard measurements towards brand - its been such a pleasure getting to work more closely with you this year.

For old coworkers like Ky Shaw 🏹 I still get to collaborate with, learn from, and share messages and ideas with.

And for others who challenge my thinking, how I do things, and force me to seek betterment all the time professionally.

There really isn't another place you are going to get that besides LinkedIn.

So stop complaining about it and be thankful, because it gives a lot more than it takes.

Onward. 🦃

Thank a Vet today if you know one.

I get to sit here in a cushy chair and a comfortable home and talk about marketing and tech and B2B business all day.

But that's a pithy amount of struggle and sacrifice others in my family went through to give me that opportunity in life.

Don't ever take the service of your military for granted. Especially when their mission is being perverted like it is today to occupy our own cities.

Most people in the United States don't have a close connection to a veteran. I am fortunate enough to have 3:

- My grandad John McFarland (U.S. Navy, WW2 Veteran)
- My uncle John McFarland (U.S. Navy, Vietnam Veteran)
- My grandfather Joseph Sciannella (U.S. Army, Korean War Veteran)

It's why I always show gratitude and respect for anyone who wears the uniform. Its a service to country and a debt thats always owed. 

So if you see one, thank one. And if you have one, thank them, even if they're not here with us anymore.

Keep that memory enduring 🇺🇸

One of my favorite clients I work with is not a SaaS client at all.

It's B2B medical device. Highly compliance driven and super technical product with an unforgiving, small TAM (surgeons).

This marketing team is so much more of a 4P function that think holistically about the market. It's no wonder they have 3X'd in the last couple years on top of having a great sales org.

They consistently:

- Review their product messaging, especially when its clear the market isn't receiving it. We are working on a product marketing matrix and a new narrative arc for one of their key product lines.

- Bring Level I, randomized controlled trial data to bolster the efficacy of their product in the market. They commissioned a 240 subject randomized control trial comparing their solution against the industry standard with independent verification of the study result. Their study was FDA cleared last year and we've been running ever since.

- Create deep relationships with their customers across the org - Sales, Marketing, and Product all have relationships with the customer and work with them on product improvement, promotion, and helping navigate billing for patients;.

- Do programs to meet their customers where they're at. They created their own Trade Organization independent of their brand to call attention to the big problem they are actively solving for. And help events for it 4X per year.

- Put their customer front and center of every piece of content they create. They do sit down interviews, sponsored live events, mock keynote talks with their customer advocates that we distribute in paid. All in additional to the Level I study efforts.

- They craft tons of offers. Currently we push an LMS to get prospects educated on the product and the Level I data, but we're moving towards regional in-person symposiums and peer to peer mentorship as other offers to create signals that these prospects are ready for a demo (simulated lab training).

Their model is super similar to software as well. Recurring revenue via single use device. $12K in revenue per case. Average surgeons nets them >$300K per year in revenue.

Proof you don't need to be a SaaS company to be 'innovating' in GTM. We wrap all this around cutting edge SaaS promotion tactics - Clay-enriched audiences, omnichannel advertising (brand and demand), outbound cold email, and CRM orchestration around the entire thing.

So if you're watching all the gurus on here making you feel like you aren't worth your salt, know there are lots of companies quietly going about their business, doing innovative stuff within their market, and getting results and drivng growth in the business.

Onward.

What are you doing next year to prove that your advertising campaigns work?

The state of advertising for B2B is getting harder. And the uphill climb is happening in ways quiet and loud:

- Website signals is less and less effective
- CAC is going up, especially as brands grow and wallets tighten
- Channel costs are rising as most players enter the space
- Click-based attribution is harder to prove outside direct response
- Ad fraud is quietly out a control and most brands have no idea

To make your ads work in 2026, you're going to need to reimagine how you advertise and rethink the ad approaches of years past:

ABM tooling need a serious unbundling.
B2C channels give you much broader reach and coverage.
Media tests prove ad effectiveness outside attribution.
Fraud tools protect your traffic and delivery quality from ads.

If you want a tactical way to approach and prove ad impact in 2026 after struggling to make that case in 2025, Keith Putnam-Delaney, CEO of Primer, is joining me next week to talk through the exact steps you need to take to get outside the advertising duopoly, prove your impact without attribution, and how to unbundle ABM to show brand impact.

Register to join here: https://lnkd.in/eWpt2cVx

Not every company can be an AI-first company. 

That's the majority of companies here right now. The AI rush on LinkedIn may make you feel like a laggard and a luddite, but get outside the LinkedIn echo chamber and realize:

Most companies aren't using N8N workflows.
Most companies / people have not vibe coded a Cursor or Lovable tool
Most companies are barely scratching the surface of LLMs for their work
Most companies aren't even using AI GTM tools let alone to their full extent.

It can feel exhausting watching everyone here act like they have it all figured out while you feel you don't. But it is hardly reality.

I would know. That was me in May, when I ruined my mom's Mothers Day with a diatribe of existential dread about how my career was about to be ruined because I couldn't get any traction using AI for myself.

And that's when I decided to do something about it and work much more intentionally with it.

That meant looking at our toolset, deconstructing our work, and really learning how to prompt to get the outputs I wanted on repeat with AI for things like creative scopes, data analysis, presentation building, and reconciliation.

Along the way, one of our DGL OGs Karl Yeh became a huge sounding board for me as he has been working on the bleeding edge of AI-based implementation for all sorts of companies in all kinds of use cases.

Most are just not using AI at the scale people comment-gating here will lead you to believe, and it doesn't always have to be in the name of voluminous GTM.

It can also be in the name of operational efficiency, where AI is really going to serve most of us long term. 

That still makes 2026 an opportunity for you. Because for all the doom loop you may read here or elsewhere, the adopter curve is still on the upswing. You can make 2026 the year you get comfortable using AI in your work without feeling like you are losing what makes your work unique and valuable.

Next week I am jumping on with Karl to talk through building AI into your workflows for next week, geared to be accessible for marketers who are not coders or inclined to be coders, but instead simply want to make AI work harder for them.

We're going to bring use cases to the table, practical ways you can use AI with tools you probably already have, and give you space to talk how you are looking to use AI in 2026 and a roadmap on how to give there.

Links are where links go.

taplio

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