Marketing and sales departments rely on one another to complete the loop in a go-to-market strategy, but not many companies dare to place the two departments under the same team. Not so at Pax8, where the tech company has combined its sales and marketing teams into one interlocked group that’s as focused on increasing the bottom line as it is on maintaining a dynamic culture.
We spoke to four team members about the advantages of integrating marketing and sales — and how this structure empowers the company to innovate.
FOUNDED: 2012
EMPLOYEES: 215 (200 local)
WHAT THEY DO: Through billing, provisioning, automation, industry-leading PSA integrations, and pre- and post-sales support, Pax8 simplifies cloud buying, improves operational efficiency and lowers customer acquisition cost.
WHERE THEY DO IT: Greenwood Village
PERKS: Fully paid medical, dental and vision insurance and an open vacation policy are just a couple perks.
SKYSCRAPING: Pax8’s first office was CEO John Street’s basement. Now the company inhabits a 17,500-square-foot suite on the 15th floor of one of Denver Technology Center’s largest buildings — and is quickly outgrowing it.
Nick Heddy, SVP Sales and Marketing
Nick Heddy leads the strategic direction for the entire sales and marketing organization to meet the company’s monthly goals and objectives.
BEYOND WORK: When not at the office, Heddy can be found outdoors hiking, hunting, snowboarding or camping.
How does the fact that sales and marketing are so intertwined help drive Pax8’s success?
Sales and marketing are often siloed at other organizations. This leads to finger pointing and can hinder collaboration. By having the two groups under the same umbrella, it enables a focused go-to-market strategy. No marketing moves are made without complete buy-in from sales. We believe the marriage between sales and marketing has been a driver for our success.
Describe your approach to training.
Our people are our most important asset, so we invest in the training of our employees as much as we can, and in an intelligent way. We deliver the training through Pax8 University (PaxU), which focuses on product knowledge, process improvements and sales skills. Just like when I received my MBA through University of Colorado Denver, we are focused on making resources available so each of our employees can get the training and certifications when they really need them.
Our people are our most important asset, so we invest in the training of our employees as much as we can, and in an intelligent way.”
How are quotas determined? Do you change or reevaluate these on a regular basis?
Quotas at Pax8 are determined by evaluating our customer acquisition costs and building the finances needed to maintain and support the business. This is a difficult task as we are a monthly recurring revenue-focused business. But over the years, we have built a solid understanding of the key performance indicators at Pax8.
We look at our quotas on a quarterly basis and make changes whenever needed. We are fortunate to have a group who understands that our ability to make and implement changes quickly is one of our core strengths as an organization.
Don Jeter, VP of Marketing
Don Jeter is responsible for the company’s go-to-market strategy, including overseeing brand development and digital and field marketing.
BEYOND WORK: Jeter’s personal creative projects include screen printing, writing, web design and creating digital videos.
How do you support team members’ individual professional aspirations?
Freedom! I want people to feel creative freedom in their roles and have a sense that they can drive initiatives without a lot of oversight. Having outright ownership of initiatives and ultimately the results (good or bad) provides the tangible experience that can be leveraged for future opportunities, both within the company and down the road in their careers.
What was a major pivot that led you to your current role?
After working for a handful of large enterprise technology companies, I knew I wanted a change. For the most part, I found B2B marketing super boring and I wanted the opportunity to make an impact creatively. After turning down a couple opportunities at more well-known tech companies, a friend asked me to fly out to meet Pax8. It was an instant fit. From the minute I met the team, I knew I wanted to be part of what they were building.
From the minute I met the team, I knew I wanted to be part of what they were building.”
What gets you and your team through the long hours?
Pax8 does an amazing job of attracting and hiring like-minded people. To work at our pace, you have to have a certain level of perseverance and grit. Our people are able to work long hours because we have an organizational culture that not only cultivates perseverance, but encourages and celebrates it. We have amazing people and expect amazing things. Long hours are often what it takes to get to amazing.
Natasha Wright, Director of Demand Generation
Natasha Wright creates, develops and manages the digital marketing strategy in order to drive new customer acquisition and unearth up-sell and cross-sell opportunities within Pax8’s current customer base.
BEYOND WORK: Wright skis and snowshoes in the winter and paddle boards and bikes in the summer.
What initially drew you to Pax8?
The Wingman Professional Services concept was what first drew me to Pax8. I loved how the company differentiated itself from the competition and other boring B2B companies. Also, our CEO, John Street, tells a pretty compelling story about how what we’re doing makes a difference.
Our CEO, John Street, tells a pretty compelling story about how what we’re doing makes a difference.”
If you look at your to-do list, what’s the one thing you love to do most? What gets you out of bed in the morning?
Analyzing the performance of our campaigns and initiatives that we have in market makes me smile. I love looking into the impact the marketing activities are making. Sometimes that analysis uncovers things are not working, so we’ll pivot fast and make changes. However, it’s having the insight into the data that is so key in this process. I like to make decisions based on the data — and sometimes it’s a gut feeling, too.
What tools does your team currently use?
The team currently relies on Marketo, Salesforce and other technology vendors that integrate into these two platforms. My peer, Lee Knight, and I are always looking at how to improve our tech stack. In this role, it’s important to keep looking ahead to what new tools will support our sales and marketing efforts to improve processes and results.
Lee Knight, Director of Marketing Operations
Lee Knight oversees how the company procures its tools and implements them throughout its processes.
BEYOND WORK: Knight says yoga allows her to compartmentalize and adapt to new initiatives quickly, and to be more creative when offering new ideas and approaching different challenges.
How has Pax8 evolved since you joined? How has your role evolved?
The culture is the one constant. We believe in those who want to change the status quo and never become stagnant or stale. I started as a team of one for marketing and sales, owning the operation tools to elevate both teams. Since marketing operations moved under the R&D department, we have grown to four team members, and remain an integral part of company operations and how we leverage technology to make our data smarter.
We believe in those who want to change the status quo and never become stagnant or stale.”
If you look at what Pax8 has achieved so far, what are you proudest of?
I’m proud of the growth and visibility we’ve achieved within our industry. It’s what keeps our culture energized.
What problems are you solving with technology? How are you solving them?
My team and I are data geeks! We love data and use it as a means to evaluate our strategy. We constantly reevaluate how effective the team is and which tools and processes are working. Our KPIs need to be agile enough to where, when we see an opportunity, we can pivot quickly and effectively.
