What if winning work felt a little more like dating? In this episode of Spiraling Up, Joe and Mary-Blanche sit down with marketing pros Amy Cuddy (Wilmot Sanz) and Abby Harrington (Gilbane Building Company) to unpack the parallels between proposal pursuits and modern matchmaking. From the principal in charge who “flies in and out” to the designer who just can’t stop tweaking, Amy and Abby share how to manage every personality type you’ll encounter in business development — and when it’...

Participate in the 2026 High Growth Study Today: https://hingemarketing.com/survey In this episode of Spiraling Up, the Hinge team dives into classic rom-com territory with 'How to Lose a Lead in 10 Days.' Austin McNair, Mary Blanche Kramer, and Joe Pope discuss seven surefire ways to lose a lead, from neglecting your website to giving prospects only one option. The team touches on the importance of social media, the pitfalls of responding to every RFP, and why you should never just t...

Participate in the 2026 High Growth Study today: https://hingemarketing.com/survey In this episode of Spiraling Up, the Hinge team welcomes Wayne Larson, the CRM Plumber, for a lively discussion on how to un-clog your CRM pipes. From bad data to cumbersome reports, learn how to clean up your tech issues. Finally, the team dissects common branding missteps, taking lessons from Cracker Barrel and Patron Tequila. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Welcome 06:20 Becoming a CRM Plumber 07:04 The Current Conv...

Buy or Sell? Relationships are the #1 asset to your organization. In this episode of Spiraling Up, Austin, Joe, and Mary-Blanche sit down with Dr. Ryan O'Sullivan, Global Account Manager at IntroHive for a game of ‘Buy or Sell?’ This fun conversation centers on the importance of building stronger business relationships. Then, the gang cuts through the GEO vs. SEO hype in this week’s Pivotal Story inspired by a post by Jeremy Moser. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Welcome 04:26 Dr. Ryan O’Sullivan 08...

Fight back against toxic workplace cultures ✊ In this episode of Spiraling Up, the Hinge team dives into the evolving landscape of work culture, featuring an insightful discussion with John Garrett, author of 'What's Your And?' Garrett emphasizes the importance of valuing employees beyond their job titles and integrating personal passions into professional life. The conversation also explores the impact of AI on productivity, managing work-life balance, and creating a people-centric workplac...

In this episode, Matt Tait, Co-Founder of Decimal joins the show to play a game of 'Would You Rather?' with Austin, Joe, and Mary-Blanche. Spinning a digital wheel to decide the questions, Matt is given abominable choices across 5 various categories: people, growth levers, profit centers, leadership, and business killers. This fun, gameshow-style podcast interview showcases important business leadership lessons in an entertaining way. Then, the gang explores why CMOs have shifted their...

In this special Intern Takeover episode of Spiraling Up, the 2025 Summer Intern, Sabrina Alperin, hosts an exciting gameshow very similar to (but definitely different than) the popular gameshow, Jeopardy! Austin, Mary-Blanche, and Joe compete to answer questions in categories like 'Everything Sabrina,' 'Marketing Mayhem,' and 'Hinge Story.' Sabrina also shares insights from her internship at Hinge, discussing the importance of SEO, social media strategies, and the role of AI in marketing. Th...

In this episode of Spiraling Up inspired by the hit 1999 movie, "10 Things I Hate About You", Austin, Mary-Blanche, and Joe dive into the top ten things they hate about professional services websites. They discuss issues from huge navigation menus to poor SEO optimization and offer illustrative examples of websites that are doing it right. Hinge's Art Director Christian Baldo, also joins the show to share his perspective on why brands (and the world) has gone gray. And don't miss the u...

In this episode of Spiraling Up, the team dives into the implications of Google's new AI product, Veo 3, which can generate highly realistic video content from text prompts. What impact will this have on marketing? On humanity? Then, the hosts welcome Megan Battaglia, VP of Marketing at ThunderCat Technology, for a game of 'B2G Power Plays.' Megan shares valuable insights on building a government-focused marketing strategy, leveraging vendor partnerships, and ensuring event success. Do...

In this episode of Spiraling Up, the Hinge team dives into the growing trend of fractional executives in professional services. Austin, Mary-Blanche, and Joe are joined by Jen Hamilton, a fractional COO and mentor to COOs, to play a game of “Blind Rankings” in a fun exploration of on-demand work in various aspects of business operations.

Download the 2025 Marketing Budget Benchmark Study Executive Summary: https://accountingmarketing.org/category/surveys-studies-research-and-more/ In this special in-person episode of Spiraling Up, the team attended the 2025 AAM Summit in Phoenix, Arizona. During the event, marketing leaders, practitioners, and industry experts joined the show to share their ‘pivotal stories’ from the event—key learnings, takeaways, and overall impressions. Many common themes bubbled up, like how to build mar...

Download the 2025 High Growth Study Executive Summary: www.hingemarketing.com/highgrowth In this episode of Spiraling Up, we tackle the ever-persistent question: Is SEO dead? Join Austin, Joe, and Mary-Blanche as they dive into fascinating new data from SparkToro (‪@SparkToro‬ ) highlighting Google's dominance and the relevance of SEO best practices. The team also hands out special marketing superlatives, recognizing companies excelling in thought leadership, talent acquisition, past perform...

How do High Growth professional services firms go to market today? Download the 2025 High Growth Study to find out: https://www.hingemarketing.com/highgrowth In this episode of Spiraling Up, the Hinge team discusses the complexities of time tracking in professional services, debating its benefits and drawbacks. Then, Becca Johns, an expert in accounting marketing, joins the show to play ‘Buy or Sell?’ where she shares insights on the challenges and potential of marketing in the accounting in...

How do High Growth professional services firms go to market today? Download the 2025 High Growth Study to find out: https://www.hingemarketing.com/highgrowth In this episode of Spiraling Up, we discuss whether marketing attribution is a myth, inspired by Sherehan Ross’ hot take on LinkedIn which sparked a debate about revenue as a marketing KPI. Then, we welcome author, speaker, and sales strategy expert Amy Franko to play a game of ‘Would You Rather: Sales Edition.’ In this fun, game...

How do High Growth professional services firms go to market today? Download the 2025 High Growth Study to find out: https://www.hingemarketing.com/highgrowth In today's episode of Spiraling Up, Austin, Joe, and MB look at the cringy side of LinkedIn, exploring some of the most awkward moments on the platform. Then, they welcome podcast expert John Tyreman to debunk common myths about podcasting in professional services, like: Myth #1: Podcasts don't work in professional servicesMyth #2: You n...

How do High Growth professional services firms go to market today? Download the 2025 High Growth Study to find out: https://www.hingemarketing.com/highgrowth In today's episode of Spiraling Up, Austin, Joe, and MB explore the new challenges marketing faces in professional services, especially with the rising influence of AI and automation. Then, they channel the excitement of the NFL Draft by hosting the inaugural marketing tactic draft where each host picks from a selection of high growth&nb...

How can professional services firms get started with video marketing? Yes, it is possible to get started with video, even right now! In this episode of Spiraling Up, Austin, Joe, and MB explore whether or not professional services marketers can actually measure ROI on their marketing. And then video producer Dane Frederiksen joins the show to play a game called 'fill in the blank.' In this fun conversation, we cover: The biggest mistakes firms make when starting with videoThe most important e...

How do High Growth professional services firms go to market today? Download the 2025 High Growth Study to find out: https://www.hingemarketing.com/highgrowth In this episode of Spiraling Up, the gang draws parallels between Super Bowl advertisements and professional services marketing. Then, Austin tries to trick Joe and MB in a marketing game of “Fact or Fiction” based on the results of Hinge’s recent 2025 High Growth Study. In this episode, you’ll learn: If creating content is still the top...