Architecting a revenue-aligned marketing organization
Transforming 2nd Watch Into a Unified, Sales-Aligned Growth Engine
How do you reignite growth in a commoditized enterprise market where sales and marketing operate in silos? As Head of Marketing at 2nd Watch (now part of Ollion), I faced that exact challenge. Growth had stalled, teams were disconnected, and marketing’s contribution to pipeline was unclear. My mission was to rebuild the function—from messaging to measurement—into a true revenue engine.
Over three years, I led the design and execution of a four-pillar go-to-market (GTM) framework that unified sales, marketing, and partners under one growth system. The outcome: a brand repositioned as a trusted strategic advisor, not just another cloud reseller.
The Challenge
When I joined 2nd Watch, the company was recognized for its AWS expertise but lacked a clear GTM engine.
Growth stagnation: marketing efforts weren’t tied to revenue
Fragmented alignment: sales, marketing, and partners operated independently
Brand commoditization in a crowded market
The challenge wasn’t just tactical — it was organizational and cultural. My goal was to rebuild marketing into a high-velocity, sales-aligned engine that could prove measurable pipeline impact.
The Strategy
I designed a Four-Pillar GTM Framework that created shared accountability between sales, marketing, and partner teams.
Sales-Aligned Planning — rebuilt planning around territory & segment revenue goals
Partner-Led Growth — launched new AWS co-marketing programs
Content Engine Activation — scaled customer stories, SEO, and thought leadership
Field + ABM Execution — deployed “campaign-in-a-box” frameworks for local activation
This framework turned marketing from a campaign function into a pipeline-velocity system.
The Solution
Rebuilding the Marketing Core
I reorganized the team into an agile model centered on pipeline generation, sales enablement, and partner co-marketing. Together with Sales Ops, I implemented dashboards that tracked funnel velocity, lead quality, and expansion pipeline impact—ensuring transparency and accountability across departments.
Fueling Demand and Authority
Under my direction, we developed over 20 customer case studies in a single year and showcased key client success stories live at AWS re:Invent. Each story became both a sales enablement asset and ABM content fuel—connecting credibility with conversion.
Partner Co-Marketing
I led joint GTM initiatives with AWS, including a flagship Cloud Cost Optimization campaign that delivered 4x ROI while strengthening our field alignment and MDF utilization efficiency
Local Execution at Scale
I launched modular “campaign-in-a-box” frameworks empowering regional sales teams to run localized programs with unified messaging and creative. This gave every team access to enterprise-grade campaigns—without waiting on central marketing.
The Results
The transformation produced measurable growth across the business
“Michael’s leadership redefined how marketing and sales collaborate. His framework gave us a repeatable, data-driven system that still powers our growth today.”
VP of Sales, 2nd Watch
improvement in lead velocity
increase in pipeline contribution
The Takeaway: Align. Orchestrate. Scale.
The lesson from 2nd Watch is simple: growth is engineered, not improvised.
By leading with shared metrics, repeatable frameworks, and human collaboration, I turned marketing into a measurable business function—one capable of sustaining double-digit growth and proving ROI on every initiative.
When sales, marketing, and partners operate from the same GTM blueprint, growth becomes predictable, scalable, and human-centered.
Why It Worked
Leadership and Alignment — I ensured every marketing initiative was co-owned with sales leadership, building trust and accountability.
System over Campaigns — Replaced random acts of marketing with a scalable, repeatable GTM system.
Partner Leverage — AWS co-marketing amplified reach, credibility, and pipeline velocity.
Operational Visibility — Dashboards and data discipline tied marketing directly to revenue KPIs.
Bottom line: When marketing operates as an agentic growth system—led by alignment, data, and creativity—it becomes a true engine for sustained enterprise value.