The Launch Playbook Fueling Qualified's Demand Gen Engine With Sarah McConnell Tech Marketing Rewired podcast

The Launch Playbook Fueling Qualified's Demand Gen Engine with Sarah McConnell

2d ago 43:57

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The old launch playbook is broken, and we’re not waiting for GA to prove it. We sit down with Sarah McConnell, VP of Demand Generation at Qualified, to unpack a product launch strategy built for AI speed: CEO-led storytelling, live demos that actually work, and agent-driven follow-up that turns events into measurable pipeline. If you’ve wondered how to ship, sell, and scale an AI product before the ink is dry, this is the blueprint you’ve been hunting for.
Sarah explains how Qualified moved from a simple chatbot to Piper, an AI SDR agent designed to generate pipeline, and why Piper X sits front and center on the website guiding buyers in real time. We dig into the mechanics of a high-velocity launch: crafting the keynote that becomes the messaging script, filming studio-grade demos with an in-house team, and running virtual and in-person events that prioritize hands-on access. The kicker? Piper handles email outreach for registrations and post-event follow-up, driving a reported 70% lift in event-sourced pipeline.
We also explore how measurement and SEO are shifting. Registrations and CTA engagement remain core, but “pipeline in the room” now sets sales priorities. On the discovery side, AEO (AI Engine Optimization) matters: structuring pages so LLMs and Piper can cite, navigate, and highlight content leads to smaller yet higher-converting traffic. Throughout, Sarah shows how AI accelerates the work without replacing the human judgment that makes a launch land. Ready to rewire your go-to-market for AI speed and real outcomes? Hit play, subscribe, and share your boldest launch experiment with us.

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Chapters

1. Only Moat Is Speed (00:00:00)

2. Host And Guest Introduction (00:00:34)

3. From Chatbot To AI SDR Agent (00:02:11)

4. Piper X: Vision And Capabilities (00:04:19)

5. Launching In Trusted Tester Mode (00:06:02)

6. The New Launch Playbook (00:07:35)

7. Keynotes As Messaging Source (00:10:57)

8. In-House Video And Live Demos (00:13:28)

9. Driving Registration Without Heavy Paid (00:16:32)

10. Hands-On Demos And Event Strategy (00:19:10)

11. Building A Scalable Customer Marketing Engine (00:22:01)

12. Event Mix And Piper-Powered Follow-Up (00:25:12)

13. Measurement: Registrants, CTA, Pipeline (00:28:18)

14. Structuring Content For LLMs And Piper (00:31:38)

15. AI In The Workflow, Humans In The Loop (00:34:05)

16. AEO, LLM Traffic, And Quality (00:37:18)

17. Closing And How To Connect (00:42:31)

25 episodes