Earlier this month, we revisited my favorite hidden gems, now it's your turn. This blog revisits your favorite content from 2024, with key takeaways in case you missed it the first time around, and of course fresh perspectives as we head into 2025.
2024 was a year of immense growth and discovery, not just for businesses navigating the ever-changing landscape of B2B, but for me personally as I worked alongside leaders like you to align teams, strategies, and goals. Reflecting on what we explored together, certain themes came up often, and those will guide the work in 2025.
Unification, Alignment, working In Sync. Not these guys though.
Aligning your offerings to buyer challenges
Sales and Marketing working in sync to produce messages that resonate
Customer service and Sales operating as a unified team
IT and HR working together to implement AI and learning
You and your partners winning together
Your teams working together on complimentary goals that will launch your business into a new era of growth
So let's take another look at the lessons that resonated the most for you, with an eye the theme that will guide us in 2025.
1. Blog: What I’ve Learned After Launching My Podcast (And How You Can Skip the Hard Parts)
Snippet: Launching a podcast is a grind. Business podcasting is increasingly being used by marketers as a channel for delivering value and connecting with potential buyers. To explore why I decided to start a podcast in the first place, read here, this blog was just outside of the top read in 2024, showing a consistent interest in B2B podcasting.
In the "Look What I Learned" blog, I shared the behind-the-scenes realities of creating a show that adds value, from tech setup to finding your voice.
Key Takeaway: Consistency beats perfection. Whether it’s your first episode or your 50th, showing up with authenticity will always resonate more than a perfectly polished production.
Fresh Perspective: In 2025, I’ll be inviting more voices to the mic. (I always intended this to be an interview show and I can't be the only one who's sick of hearing me talk to myself.)
Podcasting is a powerful platform for alignment—between ideas, people, and industries. A lot of folks read this blog, but I didn't notice a lot of new podcasts in my feed - did I scare you off? Get some extra exposure without all the hard work and join me! Check out my [FAQ page] and let’s create something impactful together.
Read the entire blog here, including tools I use and costs associated.
2. Blog: Using AI in B2B Sales: Get Started or Get Left Behind
Snippet: AI isn’t just a tool; it’s a game-changer for how we approach sales. In this blog, I broke down the steps to incorporate AI into your strategy and warned against the risks of falling behind in an increasingly tech-driven landscape. It's my perspective that AI, when used strategically, can automate and streamline in a way that helps smaller brands keep up with or surpass their larger competitors.
Key Takeaway: AI can’t replace human connection. Use AI to enhance your process, not to eliminate the relationships at the core of successful sales.
Fresh Perspective: 2025 will be the year where AI goes from novelty to necessity. To thrive, align your AI adoption with a strategy that centers your buyers’ needs and your team’s unique strengths.
Read the entire blog here, which includes research form Gartner and HubSpot, and also advice on how you can get started.
3. Blog: Fractional Leadership Explained: It’s Trending but What in the Actual...?
Snippet: Fractional leadership is having its moment, but what does it actually mean? In this blog, I demystified the concept and explained how part-time leaders can drive full-time results for growing businesses.
Key Takeaway: It’s not about the hours—it’s about the impact. Fractional leaders bring focus, expertise, and agility to businesses navigating growth or transition.
Fresh Perspective: I don’t talk about this often because what I do isn’t the point. What matters are the results you achieve. For anyone curious about how fractional leadership works, this blog is a great place to start.
Read the entire blog here, should answer all your questions and more.
4. Podcast: 7 Strategies for Your Most Successful Conference Season Yet
Snippet: Conferences are more than just networking—they’re opportunities to showcase your value, build relationships, and close deals. In this episode, one of my marketing partners shared practical strategies to make your next conference season your best yet.
Key Takeaway: Preparation creates opportunities. The more intentional you are about your goals and outreach, the more impactful your conference experience will be.
Fresh Perspective: As 2025 brings new challenges and opportunities, conferences will remain vital for aligning your brand with your industry and forging meaningful connections. We need to meet people where they are, and it's not always online.
Listen to the episode here, it's worth it - even I learned a few new tricks!
5. Podcast: 6 Easy Steps to Better Sales & Marketing Alignment
Snippet: Sales and marketing alignment isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s the secret weapon for hitting revenue goals. This episode offered actionable steps to bridge the gap between these two critical functions.
Key Takeaway: Aligned teams win together. Clear communication, shared goals, and mutual accountability are the building blocks of alignment.
Fresh Perspective: As businesses continue to face evolving buyer expectations, alignment will remain the foundation for sustainable growth in 2025. And since this was such a popular topic in 2024, we're going to go the next step and focus on aligning other departments in 2025.
Listen to the mini pod here, which includes tips and actionable insights stragith from my corporate career.
6. Blog: Balancing AI and Ethics in B2B Sales: 6 Key Considerations
Snippet: AI is powerful, but with great power comes great responsibility. This blog explored how to leverage AI ethically while building trust with your buyers. AI can be a great tool to streamline work and create efficiencies. AI can also worry your team and creep out your buyers; so this blog explored key questions you need to ponder to avoid both of those scenarios.
Key Takeaway: Transparency is non-negotiable. Trust is your greatest asset, and ethical AI use ensures you keep it.
Fresh Perspective: As we embrace AI in 2025, it’s not just about what we can do but what we should do. Let’s prioritize ethical adoption to build businesses that buyers and teams can believe in.
Read the blog here
7. Podcast: When B2B Selling is Slow - 4 People You Can Call
Snippet: Slow sales seasons (like this week) can be frustrating, but they’re also an opportunity to build relationships and refine strategies. In this episode, I shared four types of people you can call to keep momentum going.
Key Takeaway: Relationships are always in season. Whether it’s past clients, strategic partners, or mentors, your network is a valuable resource for driving progress.
Fresh Perspective: In 2025, make relationship-building a year-round strategy. Nurture your network before you need it, and you’ll always have options when challenges arise. And since alignment is the theme of 2025, there's someone in here you can call that will get that ball rolling.
8. Podcast: 5 AI-Powered Strategies to Close Your Deals and Fill Your Pipeline for Q1 2025
Snippet: AI can help you work smarter, but it won’t fix broken processes. This episode explored how to integrate AI into strategies that align with your buyers’ needs.
Key Takeaway: AI amplifies what works. Focus on the fundamentals: clear messaging, buyer alignment, and strong follow-up. And use AI to enhance those strengths.
Fresh Perspective: As we step into 2025, focus on AI tools that amplify your team’s strengths. Use AI to personalize outreach, refine targeting, and support decision-making, always keeping an empathetic human in the driver's seat.
Listen to the mini pod here, and since 1Q25 is just around the corner, the lessons are still current.
Closing it out - the year and this blog
2024 taught us that the pace at which business is changing isn't going to slowdown any time soon, if ever. When constant change is as much a given as death and taxes, adaptability, continuous learning, and working together toward common goals are how you'll win.
These blogs and podcasts reflect the journey we’ve been on together, and they’re a testament to the power of thoughtful leadership and shared learning.
As we enter 2025, let’s carry these lessons forward. Let’s align our teams, embrace innovation, and remain steadfast in our commitment to creating meaningful, human-centered businesses.
Explore these insights and more as we shape 2025 together.
AI Transparency: The original blogs and podcasts were written by me, edited by ChatGPT. For this "Best of" post, I analyzed top performing content, entered them into ChatGPT and asked it to come up with snippets and key takeaways using my words, and to look at my 2025 predictions post (also written by me), for my fresh perspectives. I edited this post.
Rise of Us is a practice run by Summer Poletti, specializing in revenue growth: sales, strategic partnerships, customer success, marketing alignment. We generally work with financial services and SaaS companies from $3MM - $10MM ARR and help them plan and execute for their next stage of revenue growth. We concentrate on strategy, coaching, and organizational alignment.
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