10 Quick, Hard-Won Lessons to Succeed in Marketing Ops

Also - Attribution isn't perfect and that's ok

In this edition:

1. 10 Quick, Hard-Won Lessons to Succeed in Marketing Ops

2. Attribution isn't perfect, and that's ok (Podcast Episode)

3. Exclusive For Paid Subscribers: Real Interview Questions for Marketing Ops Leader Roles (Not What You Would Expect)

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10 Quick, Hard-Won Lessons to Succeed in Marketing Ops

1️⃣ If you have hit a career plateau, you are probably not asking for enough help. Help from mentors. Help from peers. Help from those who have been there before.

2️⃣ Documentation is a secret weapon. Not just after projects. Document before to clarify your thinking, during to train others, and after to showcase the value of your work.

3️⃣ To level up, focus on being more autonomous, bringing clarity from chaos, and driving measurable impact.

4️⃣ From Mark Stouse: “The other word for experience is bias.” What bias are you bringing into the situation? The landscape shifts fast, and sometimes you need to update your thinking.

5️⃣ Marketing Ops has always been about the entire GTM engine. If you only focus on marketing, you are missing more than half the picture.

6️⃣ My favorite analogy: Marketing Ops = pit crew. GTM = race car driver. The car only wins when both work together seamlessly.

7️⃣ Working harder is not a strategy. Success comes from building systems that are sustainable and scalable.

8️⃣ The best ICs do not automatically become the best leaders. Just like in sales, leadership in Marketing Ops requires new skills: communication, influence, and studying leadership itself.

9️⃣ When you think about “winning” in Marketing Ops, replace “marketing” with customer experience. Your work should make things better for both internal stakeholders and external customers.

🔟 At the end of the day, Marketing Ops is about leverage. It is not about doing more work. It is about making everyone around you faster, clearer, and more effective.

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Attribution Isn’t Perfect, But That’s Ok (Podcast Episode)

Attribution will never be perfect. But it doesn’t have to be.

Here are my takeaways from Nadia Davis, MBA on Humans of Martech 🎙️ with Phil Gamache.

1️⃣ Marketing is held to a higher bar. Other departments spend money. Marketing has to prove ROI.

2️⃣ Attribution will always have gaps. That doesn’t make it useless. Good enough data still guides better decisions.

3️⃣ The longer your sales cycle, the more you need multi-touch attribution (MTA).

4️⃣ Chain-based MTA matters: events that happen in sequence are far more powerful than random touches.

5️⃣ Siloed data = broken attribution. You need unified data across platforms, CRM, and sales.

6️⃣ Last-touch doesn’t work in complex B2B purchases. Way more happens before the deal closes.

Stop chasing perfect attribution. Instead, build unified data, use smarter models, and act confidently on “good enough.”

Listen to the whole podcast episode here.

Check out the state of marketing attribution report here.

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