Stop Selling Features — Teach a Story Buyers Remember w/ Ryan Yackel | Databand.ai

Like this episode? Clicking Like and Subscribe go further than you know. Thank you 💛Episode 13: Ryan Yackel, CMO at Databand.ai (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanyackel/) joins me (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-chronister/) to share why product marketers make great CMOs and how narrative design can transform product launches. We dig into how he uses storytelling to cut through complexity, why sales enablement is often more about creativity than slides, and how to keep demand gen aligned when the market shifts. Ryan also explains his approach to competitor research using AI tools like Gemini and NotebookLM, the “red box vs. green box” framework he uses with sales teams, and why he believes go-to-market execution beats having the “best” product every time.//💡 During our conversation, you’ll learn:Ways to use narrative design in product launchesA very compelling sales narrativesHow to use AI for competitive researchHow product marketing is different at a startup vs. enterprise//🎙️ In our conversation, we cover: 00:00 – The “secret sauce” in messaging: telling a story buyers remember00:35 – Intro to Ryan Yackel, CMO at Data Band01:31 – Why product marketers make great CMOs02:17 – From sales engineer to product marketing leader03:43 – Why recruiters seek CMOs with product marketing backgrounds06:02 – Product marketing as the headlights guiding demand gen08:21 – Analogies that explain the role of product marketing09:36 – Narrative design: framework for product launches12:29 – Case study: Continuous Testing at Tricentis13:26 – Case study: Machine identity management at KeyFactor14:22 – Case study: Data observability at Data Band15:30 – Bringing narrative design into IBM product launches17:44 – Where narratives live: sales decks, messaging docs, and pitches21:36 – Using reference points like Datadog to simplify complex products22:07 – Building narratives for multi-product organizations24:40 – Using AI (Gemini + NotebookLM) for competitive research28:05 – Prompt engineering for category deep dives (Collier Rosin Kranz example)30:12 – Framework mashups: April Dunford + corporate visions + AI research32:27 – The “Red Box vs. Green Box” exercise for sales differentiation36:35 – Teaching sales teams to sell stories, not features38:17 – How messaging shifts from startup to enterprise companies43:28 – Three tactics to win sales mindshare in large enterprises46:52 – AMA sessions, newsletters, and internal podcasts for sales enablement50:11 – Contrarian opinions: AI for messaging, PLG caution, GTM beats product55:46 – Why go-to-market strategy beats having a “better” product58:23 – Ryan’s #1 piece of messaging advice: define your secret sauce1:00:56 – What life is all about: gratitude, faith, and perspective1:03:38 – Where to find Ryan and his children’s book Pancakes and Mr. Bear//🔦 Where to Find Ryan (and more links):LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanyackel/ Why A Product Marketer Should Be Your Next CMO Defeat Your Prospect’s Status Quo with Unconsidered NeedsHow narrative design works in product marketingApril Dunford BooksMy Book | Watch for Free//🔦 Where to Find Josh:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-chronister/ Newsletter: https://onmessaging.substack.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3E1gduFoKQYHiLNmNLzeF4?si=c3e2bc4bd362490f Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/on-messaging/id1787098696 //Follow On Messaging:Subscribe, like, and share if you’re a product marketer crafting messaging in B2B SaaS. New episodes drop every other week 💛