B2B Copy That Actually Sells

Generic messaging is dead; learn the new wedge playbook and why trust is the last moat. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

July 17, 2025 |Read OnlineB2B Copy That Actually SellsGeneric messaging is dead; learn the new wedge playbook and why trust is the last moat.Tyler Morian🚀 Connect on LinkedIn💡 B2B Website InspirationThe New Economics of SaaSLean is the new law.A quiet reset is under way:16-week-old startups now run with 50% fewer peoplethan in 2022. That's not a layoff cycle—it's an operating-model change. Usage-based pricing (think Anthropic, $0 → $4 B ARR in three years) finallydivorces revenue from headcount.For CMOs, this flips the classic motions. Pricing shifts from seats → tokens, marketing budgets are pegged to GPU queries, andthe finance team now sits in your stand-up. If your LTV model lacks a "$0.002 per prompt" line, you're building an unprofitable funnel on purpose.BIG IDEAUnit economics are moving from predictable seats to volatile usage velocity.WHY IT MATTERSA GTM engine that ignores COGS per query is doomed to outrun itself.Comment insightsByrne Hobartties usage tiers tovideo-game leveling—an instant framework for tiered pricing.High Alphafinds41% of SaaS firms now monetize AI directly; most are finishing the shift before next renewal cycle.Tier One Insightspredicts "pure seat-based SaaS"won't clear 2026 renewalswithout a hybrid twist.38% Leaner GTM Teams — Without Losing GrowthAI lets one marketer do the work of a 2019 team of five.Lemkin's latest SaaStr pieceshows AI tools shaving 38% staff from top-of-funnel roles. SDR bots fire off thousands of hyper-personalized emails—thencrash stale leads back to life. In one test, four "dead" contacts booked $50k meetings within 48 hours.But the human piece grows heavier. That same AI SDR required daily prompt-patching, data-wrangling, and escalation rules.The bottleneck isn't headcount: it is orchestration talent.If your PMM can't run a 3-hour prompt-tuning sprint, the AI writes better copy than quarterly planning.BIG IDEAAI is leverage, not labor substitution; 10× output demands 2× smarter systems design.WHY IT MATTERSHiring budgets shift from executors to prompt engineers, data janitors, and behavior analysts.Comment insightsChristopher Pennshows how tomine 10-K filings with RAG—exactly the new orchestration muscle CMOs need.Nate's Newsletternotes 16% of buyers nowpull vendor spreadsheets through ChatGPTduring discovery—optimize for LLMs, not SEO.The B2B Playbook Was a MirageWhen the funding ends, generic drivel fails.Missteps laid bare: the "old playbook" only looked brilliant whileVC cash floated every CAC above $20.68% of buyerssay vendors sound identical—because they all chased the same boiler-plate persona pages.The new framework is ruthlessly clear:explain your one wedge unmistakablyor be replaced by the next tab.Robert Kaminskicalls for "obvious, not clever" copy. Consistency beats clever,retention > acquisition, and niche positioning outruns feature parity.BIG IDEATrust is the only moat; coherence across every touchpoint is the new growth hack.WHY IT MATTERSCMOs can't fix messaging with a copy tweak—they must architect narrative from ad to renewal.Comment insightsDale W. Harrisonargues B2B basket size makes funnel math different—5-seat vs 50k-seat deals can't share a CAC model.Pam Didnersuggests marketers adoptrev-quotas tied to pipe velocity, replacing fluffy MQL metrics with real downstream impact.The Rise of the Agent ManagerIT budgets are quietly minting new org titles.Box'sAaron Leviewatched IT leaders hire not new reps, but"Agent Managers"—people who wrangle squads of AI botsbefore any layoffs hit humans. The job: prompt engineering, data stewardship, and "human-in-the-loop" exception handling that never clocks out.Marc Benioff warnsAI has no empathy, making orchestration the premium skill. YetTom Tunguzpredicts a single manager will supervise dozens of agents—provided the company first cleans its messy internal processes. The meta task:automate after fixing the mess, not the other way around.BIG IDEAAI is system augmentation; human orchestration unlocks 10× ROI.WHY IT MATTERSCMO hiring profiles must evolve from "can use HubSpot" to "can train and troubleshoot 5 live prompt engines per quarter."Comment insightsDan Martellseesattitude > code ability; fastest learners become irreplaceable when skills shift.a16znotes 24-year-old "AI-native" talent isteaching 500-person firms how to move at startup speed.Sound Bites🎙️Santosh Sharan on Zeer AI: Forecasts a next-gen SaaS world withfewer unicorns but more deca-cornsand armies of profitable niche mini-brands.The takeaway is plain:leaner, louder, and orchestrated beats bigger, noisier, and bloated. If your 2026 budget relies on adding headcount instead of adding AI orchestrators, the gap between promise and profit only widens.Until next week!Update your email preferences or unsubscribehere© 2025 B2B Marketing Brief228 Park Ave S, #29976, New York, New York 10003, United StatesTerms of Service

July 17, 2025 |Read OnlineB2B Copy That Actually SellsGeneric messaging is dead; learn the new wedge playbook and why trust is the last moat.Tyler Morian

July 17, 2025 |Read Online

B2B Copy That Actually SellsGeneric messaging is dead; learn the new wedge playbook and why trust is the last moat.

Tyler Morian

🚀 Connect on LinkedIn💡 B2B Website InspirationThe New Economics of SaaSLean is the new law.A quiet reset is under way:16-week-old startups now run with 50% fewer peoplethan in 2022. That's not a layoff cycle—it's an operating-model change. Usage-based pricing (think Anthropic, $0 → $4 B ARR in three years) finallydivorces revenue from headcount.For CMOs, this flips the classic motions. Pricing shifts from seats → tokens, marketing budgets are pegged to GPU queries, andthe finance team now sits in your stand-up. If your LTV model lacks a "$0.002 per prompt" line, you're building an unprofitable funnel on purpose.BIG IDEAUnit economics are moving from predictable seats to volatile usage velocity.WHY IT MATTERSA GTM engine that ignores COGS per query is doomed to outrun itself.Comment insightsByrne Hobartties usage tiers tovideo-game leveling—an instant framework for tiered pricing.High Alphafinds41% of SaaS firms now monetize AI directly; most are finishing the shift before next renewal cycle.Tier One Insightspredicts "pure seat-based SaaS"won't clear 2026 renewalswithout a hybrid twist.38% Leaner GTM Teams — Without Losing GrowthAI lets one marketer do the work of a 2019 team of five.Lemkin's latest SaaStr pieceshows AI tools shaving 38% staff from top-of-funnel roles. SDR bots fire off thousands of hyper-personalized emails—thencrash stale leads back to life. In one test, four "dead" contacts booked $50k meetings within 48 hours.But the human piece grows heavier. That same AI SDR required daily prompt-patching, data-wrangling, and escalation rules.The bottleneck isn't headcount: it is orchestration talent.If your PMM can't run a 3-hour prompt-tuning sprint, the AI writes better copy than quarterly planning.BIG IDEAAI is leverage, not labor substitution; 10× output demands 2× smarter systems design.WHY IT MATTERSHiring budgets shift from executors to prompt engineers, data janitors, and behavior analysts.Comment insightsChristopher Pennshows how tomine 10-K filings with RAG—exactly the new orchestration muscle CMOs need.Nate's Newsletternotes 16% of buyers nowpull vendor spreadsheets through ChatGPTduring discovery—optimize for LLMs, not SEO.The B2B Playbook Was a MirageWhen the funding ends, generic drivel fails.Missteps laid bare: the "old playbook" only looked brilliant whileVC cash floated every CAC above $20.68% of buyerssay vendors sound identical—because they all chased the same boiler-plate persona pages.The new framework is ruthlessly clear:explain your one wedge unmistakablyor be replaced by the next tab.Robert Kaminskicalls for "obvious, not clever" copy. Consistency beats clever,retention > acquisition, and niche positioning outruns feature parity.BIG IDEATrust is the only moat; coherence across every touchpoint is the new growth hack.WHY IT MATTERSCMOs can't fix messaging with a copy tweak—they must architect narrative from ad to renewal.Comment insightsDale W. Harrisonargues B2B basket size makes funnel math different—5-seat vs 50k-seat deals can't share a CAC model.Pam Didnersuggests marketers adoptrev-quotas tied to pipe velocity, replacing fluffy MQL metrics with real downstream impact.The Rise of the Agent ManagerIT budgets are quietly minting new org titles.Box'sAaron Leviewatched IT leaders hire not new reps, but"Agent Managers"—people who wrangle squads of AI botsbefore any layoffs hit humans. The job: prompt engineering, data stewardship, and "human-in-the-loop" exception handling that never clocks out.Marc Benioff warnsAI has no empathy, making orchestration the premium skill. YetTom Tunguzpredicts a single manager will supervise dozens of agents—provided the company first cleans its messy internal processes. The meta task:automate after fixing the mess, not the other way around.BIG IDEAAI is system augmentation; human orchestration unlocks 10× ROI.WHY IT MATTERSCMO hiring profiles must evolve from "can use HubSpot" to "can train and troubleshoot 5 live prompt engines per quarter."Comment insightsDan Martellseesattitude > code ability; fastest learners become irreplaceable when skills shift.a16znotes 24-year-old "AI-native" talent isteaching 500-person firms how to move at startup speed.Sound Bites🎙️Santosh Sharan on Zeer AI: Forecasts a next-gen SaaS world withfewer unicorns but more deca-cornsand armies of profitable niche mini-brands.The takeaway is plain:leaner, louder, and orchestrated beats bigger, noisier, and bloated. If your 2026 budget relies on adding headcount instead of adding AI orchestrators, the gap between promise and profit only widens.Until next week!

🚀 Connect on LinkedIn💡 B2B Website Inspiration

The New Economics of SaaS

Lean is the new law.

A quiet reset is under way:16-week-old startups now run with 50% fewer peoplethan in 2022. That's not a layoff cycle—it's an operating-model change. Usage-based pricing (think Anthropic, $0 → $4 B ARR in three years) finallydivorces revenue from headcount.

For CMOs, this flips the classic motions. Pricing shifts from seats → tokens, marketing budgets are pegged to GPU queries, andthe finance team now sits in your stand-up. If your LTV model lacks a "$0.002 per prompt" line, you're building an unprofitable funnel on purpose.

BIG IDEAUnit economics are moving from predictable seats to volatile usage velocity.

WHY IT MATTERSA GTM engine that ignores COGS per query is doomed to outrun itself.

Comment insights

Byrne Hobartties usage tiers tovideo-game leveling—an instant framework for tiered pricing.High Alphafinds41% of SaaS firms now monetize AI directly; most are finishing the shift before next renewal cycle.Tier One Insightspredicts "pure seat-based SaaS"won't clear 2026 renewalswithout a hybrid twist.

38% Leaner GTM Teams — Without Losing Growth

AI lets one marketer do the work of a 2019 team of five.

Lemkin's latest SaaStr pieceshows AI tools shaving 38% staff from top-of-funnel roles. SDR bots fire off thousands of hyper-personalized emails—thencrash stale leads back to life. In one test, four "dead" contacts booked $50k meetings within 48 hours.

But the human piece grows heavier. That same AI SDR required daily prompt-patching, data-wrangling, and escalation rules.The bottleneck isn't headcount: it is orchestration talent.If your PMM can't run a 3-hour prompt-tuning sprint, the AI writes better copy than quarterly planning.

BIG IDEAAI is leverage, not labor substitution; 10× output demands 2× smarter systems design.

WHY IT MATTERSHiring budgets shift from executors to prompt engineers, data janitors, and behavior analysts.

Comment insights

Christopher Pennshows how tomine 10-K filings with RAG—exactly the new orchestration muscle CMOs need.Nate's Newsletternotes 16% of buyers nowpull vendor spreadsheets through ChatGPTduring discovery—optimize for LLMs, not SEO.

The B2B Playbook Was a Mirage

When the funding ends, generic drivel fails.

Missteps laid bare: the "old playbook" only looked brilliant whileVC cash floated every CAC above $20.68% of buyerssay vendors sound identical—because they all chased the same boiler-plate persona pages.

The new framework is ruthlessly clear:explain your one wedge unmistakablyor be replaced by the next tab.Robert Kaminskicalls for "obvious, not clever" copy. Consistency beats clever,retention > acquisition, and niche positioning outruns feature parity.

BIG IDEATrust is the only moat; coherence across every touchpoint is the new growth hack.

WHY IT MATTERSCMOs can't fix messaging with a copy tweak—they must architect narrative from ad to renewal.

Comment insights

Dale W. Harrisonargues B2B basket size makes funnel math different—5-seat vs 50k-seat deals can't share a CAC model.Pam Didnersuggests marketers adoptrev-quotas tied to pipe velocity, replacing fluffy MQL metrics with real downstream impact.

The Rise of the Agent Manager

IT budgets are quietly minting new org titles.

Box'sAaron Leviewatched IT leaders hire not new reps, but"Agent Managers"—people who wrangle squads of AI botsbefore any layoffs hit humans. The job: prompt engineering, data stewardship, and "human-in-the-loop" exception handling that never clocks out.

Marc Benioff warnsAI has no empathy, making orchestration the premium skill. YetTom Tunguzpredicts a single manager will supervise dozens of agents—provided the company first cleans its messy internal processes. The meta task:automate after fixing the mess, not the other way around.

BIG IDEAAI is system augmentation; human orchestration unlocks 10× ROI.

WHY IT MATTERSCMO hiring profiles must evolve from "can use HubSpot" to "can train and troubleshoot 5 live prompt engines per quarter."

Comment insights

Dan Martellseesattitude > code ability; fastest learners become irreplaceable when skills shift.a16znotes 24-year-old "AI-native" talent isteaching 500-person firms how to move at startup speed.

Sound Bites

🎙️Santosh Sharan on Zeer AI: Forecasts a next-gen SaaS world withfewer unicorns but more deca-cornsand armies of profitable niche mini-brands.

The takeaway is plain:leaner, louder, and orchestrated beats bigger, noisier, and bloated. If your 2026 budget relies on adding headcount instead of adding AI orchestrators, the gap between promise and profit only widens.

Until next week!