In this episode of CMOs Unscripted, host Lisa Martin sits down with Diana Eadington, chief marketing officer at FE fundinfo, for a candid deep dive into the evolution of B2B demand generation. From moving beyond MQL vanity metrics to working backwards from bookings, Diana unpacks the KPIs that matter, how to operationalize sales–marketing alignment (including owning BDRs), and why agility is now a cultural non-negotiable. She also shares practical AI use cases, from agentic AI in the BDR motion to SEO for AI engines—and explains how to tailor channel mix and content to relationship-heavy sectors like financial services.

Key Takeaways:

• Start with bookings, then build the funnel backwards. Measure marketing by bookings impact, then marketing-sourced pipeline, meetings required, ASPs, and sales cycle length.
  

• Shared goals beat silos. Company-level objectives set from the CEO/CRO down create “one team” accountability across product, sales, marketing, and finance.
  

• Own (or tightly align to) BDRs. Clear sales plays, clean target lists, and strong messaging are now increasingly supported by agentic AI, which expands capacity without ballooning headcount.
  

• Agility is a cultural imperative, not a project. Leaders must double down on honest performance readouts, double-down where winning, and pull back fast where not while keeping teams engaged through change.
  

• Channel strategy is sector-specific. In financial services, relationships and education (events, webinars, peer networking) outperform broad, digital-only plays.
  

• Personalization is table stakes. Build persona-level journeys and offers that make switching from the status quo obviously worthwhile, with proof of value/ROI baked in.
  

• AI is shifting discovery. Optimize for AI search/answer engines in addition to classic Google SEO, and use AI to accelerate original and derivative content development.
  

• Right-fit marketing org for growth. Core functions: product marketing, demand gen, marketing ops, brand/comms, BDR, and channel strategy, all tightly integrated with product and sales.
  

• Team sport mindset. The “win” is organizational; no functional heroics in isolation. And the scoreboard is pipeline quality and bookings velocity.
  

• Leadership principle: Be transparent about what’s working, pivot quickly, and maintain psychological safety so teams can iterate without fear.

Diana’s blueprint reframes modern demand gen as a commercial engine, not a campaign calendar. With bookings as the north star, shared objectives, and a culture of agility, CMOs can align teams, activate AI where it truly adds leverage, and meet buyers in the channels that matter. Bottom line: build the systems that reliably create a pipeline that converts and prove it with bookings.

No matter where you are in your marketing journey, this episode delivers valuable insights and real-world strategies you can put into action. Don’t miss out, watch now on YouTube and subscribe for biweekly conversations with top industry leaders.