Leave Your Ego at the Door: The Sales and Marketing Partnership that Disrupted an Industry with Patrick Pordage and Steve Bell

A Mini Cooper convertible. A surgical robot strapped in the back. And a photographer sworn to secrecy.In this episode of Spotlight on B2B Marketing, host Karen Lloyd is joined by Patrick Pordage, former Head of Marketing and Steve Bell, former Chief Commercial Officer at CMR Surgical, to share the real story behind one of the most disruptive challenger brands in surgical robotics.Taking on a competitor with 100% market share, on a fraction of the budget, Patrick and Steve rebuilt the entire commercial model from the ground up, treating sales and marketing as one function rather than two. From a BBC launch that reached over 100 million people, to a velvet rope strategy that made surgeons desperate to get into the room, this is an unfiltered account of the bold decisions, the friction, and the commercial results that followed.What You'll Learn in This Episode:✔️ How a shared mission aligned an entire company, from the CEO to the factory floor ✔️ Why leaving ego out of disagreements is what makes a sales and marketing partnership work  ✔️ How deliberate exclusivity created a "brand of desire" among key customers ✔️ Why B2B buyers are consumers first, and post-rationalise their decisions with data afterwards ✔️ Why incentivising a commercial team on customer happiness, not commission, changed the culture This episode is the second in our sales and marketing mini-series. Whether you're a marketer trying to prove your value, a commercial leader wanting more from your marketing team, or a business tired of playing it safe, this one is for you.- Connect with Patrick on LinkedIn- Connect with Steve on LinkedInBrought to you by Armstrong Lloyd - your go-to solution for recruiting marketing, sales, and business leaders in B2B. Want to know more?Discover more at armstronglloyd.co.uk