Spiraling Up — Marketing For Professional Services
Tired of dry, predictable marketing podcasts? Us too. Welcome to Spiraling Up—the show that puts a playful twist on professional services marketing.
A few times each month, you'll hear Pivotal Stories about the hottest B2B marketing research and trends before diving headfirst into interactive games and challenges with marketing leaders, Visible Experts™, and practitioners.
Whether you’re spearheading marketing and business development efforts or building your expertise in the field, this podcast is your go-to resource for actionable insights and real-world advice with a fun twist!
Hosted by Austin McNair, Joe Pope, and Mary-Blanche Kraemer.
Join us as we spiral up with the brightest minds in professional services marketing. Get ready to laugh, learn, and level up your marketing game! Subscribe Today.
Episodes
29 episodes
Culture vs Data: What AEC Firms Do to WIN
What happens when you take a podcast out of the studio… and put it on stage in front of a live audience?In this special Spiraling Up keynote episode recorded live at The SMPS Southeast Regional Conferenc...
VP of Marketing Reveals the 4 Tactics That Still Work in 2026
If you could only choose four marketing strategies to rely on for the next year, what would make the cut?In this episode of Spiraling Up, the team is joined by Dawn Hancock, VP of Marketing at Vertex, for a practical and engagin...
AI Search Has ARRIVED (Are you ChatGPT & Gemini-ready?)
AI search has arrived—and it’s reshaping how buyers discover and evaluate companies.In this episode of Spiraling Up, the team welcomes Leah from Brandi to explore the rise of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) an...
Business Leaders That CARE (Why Authenticity Always Wins)
In this episode, the Hinge team explores whether the gap between thriving and struggling marketing leaders can really be traced back to four letters: C.A.R.E.Leadership strategist and bestselling author Jonathan Eldridge joins us to put ...
Crazy, Stupid Rebrands (and How to Avoid Catastrophe)
Rebrands are hard. And when they go wrong, they can be really wrong.In this episode of Spiraling Up, the Hinge team takes a playful—but deeply practical—look at Crazy, Stupid Rebrands: the most common ways profes...
New Years Resolutions For Business Leaders
Every year, business leaders set ambitious resolutions—delegate more, lead better, work less, grow faster. And every year, most of those goals quietly disappear.In this episode of Spiraling Up, the team sits down with Dr. Josh Elmore, or...
This or That: What High-Growth Professional Services Firms Do Differently
Download the executive summary of the 2026 High Growth Study: www.hingemarketing.com/hgsWhat marketing decisions truly drive growth in professional services firms?In this episode of...
The ROI of a Business Podcast: Was Spiraling Up Worth It?
Was launching Spiraling Up actually worth it?In this special year-end episode, the team looks back on 2025 and asks the honest question every firm-led podcast eventually faces: did this experiment deliver real value?We revisit s...
The Human Advantage: Why EQ Beats AI
Now that AI is inundated across everything that we do at work, what are the most important leadership skills to prioritize in your organization?In this episode of Spiraling Up, Dr. Mikah Sellers takes on our Blind Rankings challen...
M&A Brand Therapy: Sorren’s Approach to Uniting 16 Firms
In today’s episode of Spiraling Up, we explore one of the boldest moves in the accounting world: the creation of Sorren, a new Top 50 accounting firm formed through the merger of 16 independent firms.We...
Date, Marry, Dump: Making Good Marketing (And Design) Choices with Thiel & Team
The Spiraling Up crew takes the show on the road to Southlake, Texas, for a special live recording with Paige Byrd and Elyssa Stephenson, co-presidents of the award-winning interior design and procurement firm Thiel & Team.Together,...
Swipe Right: The Business Development Dating Game
What if winning work felt a little more like dating? In this episode of Spiraling Up, Joe and Mary-Blanche sit down with marketing pros Amy Cuddy (Wilmot Sanz) and Abby Harrington (Gilbane Building Company) to unpack the parallels ...
How To Lose A Lead In 10 Days
Participate in the 2026 High Growth Study Today: https://hingemarketing.com/surveyIn this episode of Spiraling Up, the Hinge team dives into classic rom-com territory with 'How to Lose a Lead in 10 Days.' Austin McNair, Mary Blanche Kra...
5 Ways to Fix Your CRM, with Wayne Larson
Participate in the 2026 High Growth Study today: https://hingemarketing.com/surveyIn this episode of Spiraling Up, the Hinge team welcomes Wayne Larson, the CRM Plumber, for a lively discussion on how to un-clog your CRM pipes. From bad...
Buy or Sell: The Case for Building B2B Relationships, with Dr. Ryan O’Sullivan
Buy or Sell? Relationships are the #1 asset to your organization.In this episode of Spiraling Up, Austin, Joe, and Mary-Blanche sit down with Dr. Ryan O'Sullivan, Global Account Manager at Introhive for a game of ‘Buy or Sell?’ This fun...
Don't SEVER Your Personality at Work, with John Garrett
Fight back against toxic workplace cultures ✊In this episode of Spiraling Up, the Hinge team dives into the evolving landscape of work culture, featuring an insightful discussion with John Garrett, author of 'What's Your And?' Garrett e...
Firing Toxic Clients, Valuing Your Time, and Adapting to Change with Matt Tait
In this episode, Matt Tait, Co-Founder of Decimal joins the show to play a game of 'Would You Rather?' with Austin, Joe, and Mary-Blanche. Spinning a digital wheel to decide the questions, Matt is given abominable choices across 5 ...
Intern TAKEOVER: Will Gen Z Put Marketing in Jeopardy? with Sabrina Alperin
In this special Intern Takeover episode of Spiraling Up, the 2025 Summer Intern, Sabrina Alperin, hosts an exciting gameshow very similar to (but definitely different than) the popular gameshow, Jeopardy!Austin, Mary-Blanche, and Joe co...
10 Things We Hate About Websites (And Examples of Ones We Like)
In this episode of Spiraling Up inspired by the hit 1999 movie, "10 Things I Hate About You", Austin, Mary-Blanche, and Joe dive into the top ten things they hate about professional services websites. They discuss issues from huge navigation me...
Google Veo 3 is here and we're DOOMED...or are we? + B2G Power Plays with Megan Battaglia
In this episode of Spiraling Up, the team dives into the implications of Google's new AI product, Veo 3, which can generate highly realistic video content from text prompts. What impact will this have on marketing? On humanity? The...
Fractional EVERYTHING + Business Operations ‘Blind Rankings’ Game with Jen Hamilton
In this episode of Spiraling Up, the Hinge team dives into the growing trend of fractional executives in professional services. Austin, Mary-Blanche, and Joe are joined by Jen Hamilton, a fractional COO and mentor to COOs, to play a game of “Bl...
LIVE from the 2025 AAM Summit: Pivotal Stories in Accounting Marketing
Download the 2025 Marketing Budget Benchmark Study Executive Summary: https://accountingmarketing.org/category/surveys-studies-research-and-more/In this special in-person episode of Spiraling Up, the team attended the 2025 AAM Summit in...
Is SEO DEAD!? + Marketing Superlative Awards
Download the 2025 High Growth Study Executive Summary:www.hingemarketing.com/highgrowthIn this episode of Spiraling Up, we tackle the ever-persistent question: Is SEO dead? Join Austin, Joe, and Mary-Blanche as they dive into fascin...
Buy or Sell: Do Billable Hours Sabotage Marketing? with Becca Johns
How do High Growth professional services firms go to market today? Download the 2025 High Growth Study to find out: https://www.hingemarketing.com/highgrowthIn this episode of Spiraling Up, the Hinge team discusses the complexities of t...
Would You Rather: B2B Sales Edition + Is Marketing Attribution Real? with Amy Franko
How do High Growth professional services firms go to market today? Download the 2025 High Growth Study to find out: https://www.hingemarketing.com/highgrowthIn this episode of Spiraling Up, we discuss whether marketing attribution is a ...
