From the Pentagon to B2B: Colby Proffitt's Journey and ABM Insights

Welcome to Marketing From the Front Lines, where we have unfiltered conversations with the B2B marketers who are bringing innovative technology to market. In today's episode, we're speaking with Colby Proffitt, VP of Marketing at Shift5, a cybersecurity and predictive maintenance platform for critical transportation infrastructure that's raised $90 Million in funding.

Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:

• Unique Path to Marketing: Colby transitioned from IT project management at the Pentagon to marketing, where he realized the importance of differentiation in a crowded defense contractor market.
• Public Sector Sales Challenges: Selling to the government requires patience, with sales cycles often exceeding 18 months and a complex procurement process. Traditional B2B tactics like incentive gifts are not applicable.
• Mission-Driven Work: Despite the challenges, Colby finds public sector marketing rewarding due to its impact on national security and public services, which requires navigating unique procurement processes and funding allocations.
• Shift5’s DoD-First Strategy: Unlike many startups that expand into the public sector later, Shift5 began by addressing cybersecurity issues identified during the co-founders' time at Cyber Command, now extending solutions to commercial aviation, maritime, and rail.
• Effective ABM Strategies: Colby emphasizes the importance of understanding customer pain points, personalizing outreach, and viewing ABM as a long-term investment rather than a quick fix.
• Experimentation and Adaptation: Shift5’s marketing team runs micro-experiments to test new channels and messaging, including successful campaigns on non-traditional platforms like Reddit, proving the importance of creative, data-driven strategies.

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