Content to Close

Most B2B content tries to impress. The best content removes confusion.In this episode of Content to Close, Kris Moriarty joins us to unpack a simple but overlooked truth: information without orientation creates overwhelm. And overwhelm kills deals.Kris has spent her career at the intersection of customer experience and business development. She’s seen firsthand how teams unintentionally create friction—by speaking in internal language, overloading buyers with documentation, and assuming understanding instead of confirming it. The result? Polite agreement, hidden confusion, and stalled momentum.About Kris MoriartyKris Moriarty works at the intersection of customer experience and business development, where she focuses on reducing friction across the entire customer journey — from first sales conversation to onboarding and implementation.Throughout her career, Kris has helped teams identify where buyers get stuck, where language creates confusion, and where process adds unnecessary cognitive load. She brings a beginner’s mindset to complex platforms and challenges teams to explain their solutions in plain language.Her philosophy is simple: when customers feel oriented, they learn faster, adopt more confidently, and succeed sooner.You can connect with Kris on LinkedIn here:Kris's LinkedIn ProfileWhat Confidence Actually Looks like in Your DataWhy Early Confidence Matters More Than Full Understanding

What do you do when you are the enablement team?In this episode of Content to Close, John Machak shares what it really takes to build sales enablement from the ground up—without a big team, a big budget, or a safety net. From training 20–30 new hires a month to breaking down silos across sales, marketing, product, and customer success, John reveals how a team of one can still drive measurable impact.This is not theory. It’s practical. It’s tested. And it’s built around one simple idea: if it doesn’t help sales close more deals, it doesn’t matter.John walks us through how he decides what content to create, how he earns buy-in across departments, and how he uses data—not opinions—to shape strategy. He also shares why internal messaging must answer one core question for sales reps: What’s in it for me?If you’ve ever felt stuck, stretched thin, or unsure where to focus your enablement efforts, this episode will give you clarity—and a plan.What you'll learn in this episode:How to prioritize enablement initiatives when you’re the only person in the roleHow to use closed-won and closed-lost data to shape better sales contentHow to structure internal communication so reps actually read—and act on—itHow to partner with marketing and customer success to create targeted content that convertsHow to use tools like CRM data and Gong snippets to strengthen your recommendationsWhy LinkedIn is a powerful (and underused) enablement lever for modern sellersHow to say “no” strategically when resources are limitedHow to build credibility so your ideas get implementedAbout John MachakJohn Machak is a sales enablement and training leader based just outside Chicago, with a career rooted deeply in sales performance and team development.He spent 13 years at Echo Global Logistics, where he started as an individual contributor before moving into management. He later led the client sales training program in Chicago, onboarding and ramping 20–30 new hires per month. During his tenure, he built scalable training systems that helped new reps go from zero industry knowledge to closing business within weeks.John then joined PerkSpot, where he built the company’s formal training program from scratch and expanded his role into sales enablement. There, he worked cross-functionally with sales leadership, marketing, product, and tech to align messaging, improve adoption, and equip reps with the tools they needed to win.Today, John is at Fooda, where he’s building out the company’s 2026 training and enablement strategy.Connect with John on LinkedInFooda

AI can create content at lightning speed—but speed alone doesn’t close deals. In this episode, Roderick Jefferson breaks down how enablement leaders can use AI to sharpen conversations, personalize coaching, and align teams around the one thing that matters most: the buyer’s “why.”With three decades spanning sales, enablement, and revenue leadership, Roderick shares what’s changed, what hasn’t, and where enablement teams must lead—not follow—as AI becomes part of the go-to-market engine.What you’ll learn in this episode:Why the shift from presentations to conversations defines modern enablementHow AI improves speed and focus without stripping out human judgmentThe four-legged stool of enablement: aligning marketing, sales, ops, and enablementHow to avoid generic, low-quality AI content while still scaling outputWhy personalization, real-time coaching, and micro-learning matter more than everHow enablement leaders can use data—not opinions—to influence revenue decisionsGuest BioRoderick Jefferson is one of the earliest architects of modern sales enablement and a founding member of what is now the Revenue Enablement Society. He began his career in inside sales at AT&T, earned multiple President’s Club awards, and made a defining move into sales training to scale impact beyond individual deals.Over the past 30 years, Roderick has led enablement, training, and effectiveness teams at companies including AT&T, eBay, HP, Oracle, Salesforce, and Marketo. His work centers on aligning enablement with go-to-market strategy, helping teams focus on buyer outcomes, and integrating AI in ways that increase productivity without losing credibility or trust.You can connect with Roderick and explore his work here:LinkedInWebsiteYouTubeInstagram

Stop chest-pounding and start arming your team with the confidence to win. In the debut episode of Content to Close, host Ben Ard sits down with sales enablement veteran Steve Thoennes to dismantle the traditional "fire hose" approach to internal training. Steve reveals why product experts are often the worst people to lead a training session and explains his "Know, Feel, Do" framework for turning complex product releases into high-impact sales tools.From leveraging adult learning principles to avoiding the trap of "selling to sales," this conversation provides a practical blueprint for creating content that actually drives customer discovery and handles tough competitive objections. Learn how to transform your next Zoom training into an interactive workshop that keeps your sales reps awake, engaged, and ready to close.Guest Bio: Steve ThoennesSteve Thoennes is a seasoned sales enablement leader with a career spanning technical support, sales engineering, and global enablement strategy. After starting his career in psychology, Steve transitioned into the tech world, eventually scaling a sales engineering team from seven to 60 members. His pivot into enablement was sparked by a passion for adult learning principles and a mission to replace "checked out" training sessions with high-energy, streamlined learning experiences.Steve specializes in marrying technology with teamwork, focusing on creating "confidence in the conversation" for sales teams. He is known for his consultative approach and his ability to translate complex product roadmaps into actionable assets that resonate with both sellers and customers.Connect with Steve on LinkedIn.