Barracuda B2B Marketing

06/16/2026

A client recently told me that I need to stop being so nice, stop letting people take advantage of me, and start charging what I'm worth. It was uncomfortable to hear, but it made me realize how invested I become in my clients' success. Their baby becomes my baby.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized many manufacturers face the same challenge. They pride themselves on being easy to do business with and saying yes to customers. But there is a fine line between great customer service and unlimited accommodation, and crossing it can lead to scope creep, shrinking margins, constant disruptions, and burned-out teams.

Manufacturers pride themselves on customer service, but saying yes to everything can lead to scope creep, shrinking margins, and burnout.

06/09/2026

Last week, a CT scan uncovered something I never wanted to find. This week, I underwent a stat MRI and now face a surgical consultation while waiting for answers I hope never come.

As difficult as this experience has been, it reminded me of something I see in manufacturing all the time: finding a problem is only the beginning. The real challenge comes when you have to dig deeper, confront uncomfortable truths, and gather the information needed to make the right decisions.

In my latest blog, I share how the uncertainty between diagnosis and treatment mirrors what many manufacturers face when growth stalls, margins tighten, or customer relationships begin to change.

Sometimes the hardest part isn't discovering there's a problem. It's having the courage to learn how serious it really is.

After a CT scan raised concerns, a stat MRI offered a lesson for manufacturers: meaningful improvement requires deeper investigation.

06/03/2026

A personal health challenge reveals an important business lesson: symptoms are not the problem. Learn why manufacturers must diagnose root causes before growth can happen.

A personal health challenge reveals an important business lesson: symptoms are not the problem.

05/27/2026

After a week of being sick, stuck at home, and realizing I couldn’t “push through” without help, I started thinking about how many businesses operate the same way.

My latest blog explores what business “illness” looks like, why companies get stuck in survival mode, and why holistic diagnosis is often the turning point.

Businesses can become stuck in survival mode just like people. Learn why holistic diagnosis, alignment, and strategy are essential for growth.

05/20/2026

Most sales communication problems are not really sales problems. They are people and communication problems.

In this webinar, we discuss how using DiSC profiles with your sales team and customers can completely change the way you communicate, build trust, handle conflict, and move deals forward.

When you understand how different personality styles process information, make decisions, and prefer to communicate, your team becomes more effective internally and externally.

This is especially important in B2B sales where relationships, communication, and understanding the customer matter as much as the product or service itself.

Watch the webinar here:

In this episode of The Manufacturers' Efficiency Webinar Series, Ma...

05/20/2026

If you want to view a webinar series by three industry experts -- Richard Bello, Matt Wizeman, and me -- created specifically for manufacturers, check out our website, register for the next webinar in June, and view past sessions on YouTube.

Unlock proven strategies for manufacturing success! Register free for our expert-led webinar series with industry leaders. Limited spots—reserve yours now!

05/20/2026

The Manufacturers' Efficiency Webinar Series is hosting Lowering Taxes & Improving Employee Benefits at the Same Time. Make sure to attend on June 9 at 11:30 a.m. ET.

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05/19/2026

I used to describe my work as marketing strategy and fractional CMO support, but over time that label stopped fitting what I was actually doing inside B2B organizations.

The more I worked with leadership teams, sales processes, customer insights, competitive positioning, and operational systems, the clearer it became that growth challenges are rarely “marketing problems” in isolation. They are alignment problems across the business.

That realization is what led to this newsletter, where I share the shift from marketing leadership to B2B growth strategy and why companies often struggle to invest in work they don’t fully understand until they see it in action.

If you’ve ever felt like your growth challenges run deeper than marketing alone, this will resonate.

Lean Six Sigma, leadership alignment, sales assessments, and customer insights drive sustainable, strategic, holistic growth for B2B companies.

05/12/2026

Most B2B companies are still chasing buyer personas when they should be paying attention to something even more useful: signals.

The behaviors, questions, and timing cues your best customers consistently show before they ever buy are already there. Most companies just aren’t looking for them, or worse, they’re ignoring them in favor of more data and more assumptions.

I wrote about what signals actually are, what they look like in manufacturing and B2B, and how to start using them to focus on the right opportunities.

If you’re tired of more leads and want better ones, this is worth your time.

Learn how B2B manufacturers use buyer signals—not personas—to identify ideal customers, prioritize leads, and drive more profitable growth.

05/04/2026

Sales can't drive B2B growth alone when only a small percentage of your market is ready to buy now. The rest need time, context, and education before they’ll be open to a conversation. There’s a better way to make sure sales is talking to the right people.
https://barracudab2b.com/sales-cant-do-it-alone-and-that-expectation-is-where-the-problem-lies/