Stop Calling Everything Go-to-Market: Why It's Lost All Meaning with Melinda Stuart

In this episode, Vinnie sits down with ABM marketing expert Melinda Stuart to tackle one of B2B marketing's most misunderstood concepts: go-to-market strategy. What starts as a discussion about business language misuse quickly evolves into a deeper conversation about how marketers can remain strategically relevant in an AI-driven world. Melinda breaks down why go-to-market has become a buzzword that's lost its true meaning, and shares practical advice for B2B marketers who want to move beyond tactics to drive real organisational alignment. This episode is essential listening for anyone tired of seeing "go-to-market" slapped onto job titles without the strategic foundation to back it up. Guest Introduction Melinda Stuart is Enterprise Marketing Lead at Optus and a Marketing and Communications Leader with extensive experience in global and APAC markets. With over two decades of international experience and more than ten years in the technology sector spanning cloud, communications, and software, Melinda has successfully shaped go-to-market strategies across various new territories and verticals. She's worked in both agency and client-side roles, including previous positions at Macquarie Telecom and InterSystems, and serves as an advisor to organisations of varying sizes, particularly within the technology space. Key Topics The real definition of go-to-market strategy – Why it's a cross-functional, organisational approach, not just a marketing functionWhy marketers are taking on GTM responsibility – The rise of growth marketers and how stakeholder fatigue leads to siloed decision-makingThe critical question every marketer should ask – "Who do I need to get in a room?" before taking on go-to-market responsibilitiesStrategy vs tactics in the age of AI – How the abundance of marketing tools is creating more tacticians than strategistsSocial selling as part of account-based marketing – Using executive branding and authentic content to demonstrate growth within target accountsStaying relevant in an AI world – Why human strategic thinking remains the competitive differentiator for the next decadeThe importance of cross-functional collaboration – Breaking out of the marketing corner to ask questions and align with other teams Resources & Links Vinnie's article in Mediaweek: Stop selling tactics as strategy: The dangerous misuse of business languageAdam Turinas – Healthcare ABM specialist and founder of Health LaunchpadDr Catherine Ball – Futurist, Associate Professor at Australian National University, and author of "Converge"Vinnie Romano on LinkedIn – Host and executive branding specialistMelinda Stuart on LinkedIn – Guest and Enterprise Marketing Lead at Optus Subscribe to the xG Weekly Newsletter for weekly insights on B2B growth across APAC: https://xgrowth.com.au/newsletter Contact & Credits Host: Vinnie Romano Guest: Melinda Stuart Produced by: Shahin Hoda and Alexander Hipwell Edited by: Alexander Hipwell Music by: Breakmaster Cylinder APAC's B2B Growth Podcast is Presented by xGrowth

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