39: How sales and marketing can grow together: Insights from Braze Chief Revenue Officer Ed McDonnell

What can stronger sales and marketing alignment look like in practice?  

In today's episode, Alan Hart talks with Braze Chief Revenue Officer Ed McDonnell about building a career by chasing experiences and skills instead of titles; why strong sales and marketing partnerships start with shared ownership of the customer journey, and how marketers can stay close enough to customers to understand where performance is really breaking down. 

Drawing on leadership experience across high-growth software, Ed explains why alignment can improve when teams focus less on funnel labels and more on the full customer journey, from awareness to renewal and advocacy. He also talks about the role of data, regular review cadences and honest conversations about where pipeline performance is falling short. 

Ed shares how Braze is using AI to support decision-making, campaign execution and marketer workflows, and why he believes AI will make shopping more curated, conversational and immediate. For marketers, his message is clear: Better tools matter but staying close to customers and evolving as quickly as they do matters more. 

 

In this episode, you'll learn: 

Why growth can happen faster when sales and marketing stay focused on the customer 

What leaders can do to spot weak points early and keep teams moving together 

Where AI can help make customer experiences more relevant and responsive 

 

Key highlights: 

[00:00] Introduction  

[01:00] Inside fantasy baseball 

[03:30] Ed's path to Braze 

[09:15] Where Braze is today 

[11:10] Bringing sales and marketing together 

[15:30] Tips for creating a better customer experience  

[16:45] Building internal trust 

[19:30] The impact of AI 

[23:20] An experience that defines you: Family ties and a health scare  

[26:30] Advice to your younger self: Chase experiences and skills, not titles 

[28:50] A topic marketers need to learn more about: AI applications for go to market  

[30:50] What are you interested in right now: Fantasy books and golf  

[32:30] Largest opportunity or potential threat to marketers today: Themselves 

 

Resources mentioned:   

Braze 

 

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