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Growth. You see this word everywhere. Growth marketing.

But do you know what uncontrolled growth in our bodies is called? It’s called cancer.

Sorry to be negative, but I think it’s helpful to provide a check on the groupthink and buzzwords roiling around our industry.

OK, growth. Sure, growth. But why? What is the vision? What is your business growing into? And how do you grow a business sustainably? Because again, not all growth is good…uncontrolled growth is cancer.

Which is why it was so refreshing for me to see this lesson in a podcast guest application – ‘high growth can be excruciating.’

In this episode of How I Made It In Marketing, I discuss the story behind that lesson, along with many more lesson-filled stories, with Pete Housley, Chief Marketing Officer, Unbounce (https://unbounce.com/).

Housley manages a team of 81 in marketing, customer success and enablement, an ad budget of $3 million, and 15 vendors, including software and direct media channels.

In 2020, the company raised $38.4 million in a funding round led by Crestron Partners. Unbounce currently has 17,000 customers.

Stories (with lessons) about what he made in marketing

• You are only as good as your team
• “How data saved my life”
• High growth can be excruciating.
• “How to crack a strategy. I mean really crack.”
• Everyone needs a mentor.
• Everyone needs true internal partner(s) in business.

Related content discussed in this episode

Servant Leadership in Marketing: We are only as good as how we handle humbling moments (podcast episode #54) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/servant-leadership)

3 case studies of marketers that made a positive change in customers’ lives (while getting results for their business) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/case-study/positive-change-marketing-case-studies)

Communicating Value Proposition: We answer questions from marketers and entrepreneurs  (https://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/website-and-landing-page-design/communicating-value-proposition/)

B2B Marketing: Marketing shouldn't be about driving demand; it's about driving value (podcast episode #40) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/B2B)

Introductory Guide to Developing Your Customer Theory [an interactive worksheet] (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/freestuff/MECLABS-customer-theory-worksheet)

About this podcast

This podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages (https://meclabs.com/course/) free digital marketing course.

Apply to be a guest
If you would like to apply to be a guest on How I Made It In Marketing, here is the podcast guest application – https://www.marketingsherpa.com/page/podcast-guest-application