What does it take to succeed in sales today—especially in the competitive world of legal tech? It’s not just about dialing for dollars or blasting cold emails. In this episode of the Marketing Phoenix Podcast, Melissa “Rogo” Rogozinski sits down with Gil Wolchock, VP of Outside Sales at Steno, to explore the mindsets and mechanics that drive results: the Hunter vs. the Challenger.
Together, they uncover how aligning your sales team and marketing teams with clear strategy, strong buyer personas, and smart tools like AI and email templates leads to measurable improvement in conversion rates, open rates, and long-term customer loyalty.
Sales Process Redefined
Gil explains that the modern sales process is a collaborative, full-cycle effort—not a solo endeavor. At Steno, their go-to-market approach integrates sales, marketing, and RevOps to create a consistent, high-impact experience for every potential customer.
From the first interaction, reps are equipped with research-backed insights, tailored content, and access to a robust knowledge bank filled with customer feedback, case data, and marketing materials. This enables sales to tell a story that speaks directly to the pain points of their target audience, improving lead generation efforts and helping prospects see immediate value in the product or service.
Marketing’s Role in Every Stage
Marketing supports each stage of the journey—from lead generation to post-sale nurturing. Here’s how:
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Prospecting: By using ICP data and buyer personas, marketing provides targeted outreach content, improving email marketing strategy performance.
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Discovery Meetings: Reps walk in with deep context and personalized email templates built to address specific pain points.
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Closing the Deal: Marketing helps create branded proposals, SLA documents, and rate cards designed for clarity and visual appeal.
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Customer Success: Through onboarding packs, educational materials, and follow-ups, marketing helps turn buyers into loyal members of the customer base.
This partnership ensures that every marketing channel—whether email, LinkedIn, or in-person events—delivers a consistent message and measurable ROI.
Legal Tech Insights: AI, Timing & Trust
In legal tech, sales cycles can be unpredictable due to court timelines. That’s why Steno focuses on building trust and proving reliability in real time. Their sales team guarantees one-hour SLA turnarounds (averaging just 12 minutes), showing clients they can be counted on when timing matters most.
AI plays a growing role, but sellers must carefully frame it. Gil shares how poor positioning can create fear of job loss, especially among paralegals. But when framed correctly—as a tool that helps teams save time, streamline work, and shift back to billable activities—AI becomes a compelling value add for the target market.
Growth Marketing Through Experience
This episode also reinforces the importance of believing fully in what you sell. Without conviction in your product or service, your conversion rates will suffer—no matter how sophisticated your tech stack.
Gil and Melissa emphasize that strong sales and growth marketing strategies must be rooted in genuine customer experiences, research, and thoughtful outreach. This is how long-term brand equity is built—through personalized attention, helpful tools, and a sincere commitment to the buyer’s success.
Conclusion
Aligning your sales team, marketing teams, and customer success functions isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a competitive advantage. Whether you’re refining your email marketing strategy, improving how you qualify leads, or preparing to offer a free trial, this episode will leave you with practical ways to improve your outcomes and build a healthier, more scalable customer base.