The Secret Weapon of Operations in Modern Marketing: Jess Gonzalez with Joshua Monge

In this episode of #MarketersTalking, host Jess Gonzalez sits down with Joshua Monge, a fractional COO, to dive into the often-overlooked intersection of operations and marketing. The conversation covers the power of systematizing marketing efforts, the role of automation, the evolving relationship between sales and marketing, and the growing impact of AI and digital adaptation in the marketing landscape. With candid anecdotes and actionable advice, Jess and Joshua share how operational thinking can turn marketing from a series of scattered tactics into a repeatable, revenue-driving engine—while also exploring what it takes to survive and stand out as a marketer or agency in today’s rapidly changing environment.

4 Key Takeaways:

1. Operations Is Marketing’s Secret Weapon: Building solid processes and cadence into marketing allows teams to be agile, test new tactics effectively, and ensure every event and campaign has a follow-up system that converts interest into revenue.
2. Repeatability and Documentation Lead to Scale: Marketers should document their workflows and look for opportunities to automate and delegate. This not only increases efficiency but also makes it easier to onboard others and scale rapidly.
3. AI and Automation Are Raising the Bar: The adoption of AI and automation tools is accelerating, making some traditional marketing and sales roles obsolete. Marketers who embrace these technologies—and learn to integrate them smartly—will future-proof their careers.
4. Know and Own Your Niche: Whether you’re launching an agency or looking to level up, differentiating yourself with a clear ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) and demonstrating your marketing chops on your own brand is crucial in an ever-more competitive landscape.

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Sequence of Topics Covered

1. Introductions and Backgrounds

• Jess welcomes Joshua Monge and prompts him to introduce himself.
• Joshua shares his experience as a fractional COO, CRO, and CMO.
• Jess mentions her own operations/systems-focused marketing background.

2. The Strategic Power of Operations in Marketing

• Importance of operational processes behind marketing and sales.
• The difference between tactical actions vs. systematic, process-driven marketing.
• Value of consistent marketing cadence and adapting to market/team changes.
• Operations as a “secret weapon” for elevating marketing effectiveness.

3. Event Marketing: Pitfalls and Opportunities

• Common mistakes in leveraging leads from events.
• The lack of structured follow-up and nurture approaches post-event.
• Sales rep preparation and direction at events: hunter vs. farmer mentality.
• Anecdotes on successful client conversion through persistent follow-up.

4. Realities of Disorganized Marketing Operations

• Issues Jess and Joshua have seen: inconsistent naming conventions, report variations, lack of centralized asset repositories.
• The necessity of basic organization and standardized practices.

5. Joshua’s Agency and Fractional Work

• Launching and scaling an agency and transitioning into fractional operations roles.
• Core similarities between both fields: process, integration, and optimizing buyer journeys.

6. The Buyer Journey Across Multiple Channels

• How buyers interact with multiple touchpoints (social, website, forms, downloads).
• The concept of digital marketing as a “web” where all activities drive back to the CRM.
• Using operational insights to optimize and attribute marketing effectiveness.

7. CRM Selection: Preferences and Experiences

• Joshua’s philosophy of tool-agnostic processes, but current interest in High Level CRM.
• High Level’s features, digital marketing focus, and comparison to Salesforce and HubSpot.
• White-labeling and the affiliate/MLM aspect of High Level’s growth.

8. Recommendations for Marketers to Become More Operations-Focused

• The need for marketers (in any role) to document and systematize their processes.
• Steps for operationalizing marketing: process mapping, SOP creation, scalability.
• Importance of automation in marketing (intake forms, CRM and PM integration).
• Tools and integrations: make.com, Zapier, webhooks, automating meeting capture and follow-up.

9. Agency Growth & Lessons for Entrepreneurs

• Joshua’s contrarian advice: “Don’t do it” (if you’re discouraged easily), testing for entrepreneurial grit.
• Cautioning against entering commodity markets; necessity for unique competitive differentiation.
• The “cobbler’s children have no shoes” phenomenon in self-marketing for agencies.
• Importance of consistently marketing your own agency or freelance business.

10. Social Media, Branding, and Monetization

• Social media as an awareness driver, but not the entirety of a strategy.
• Conversation around influencers: follower counts vs. sustainable monetization.
• The value of comprehensive marketing strategy over chasing quick wins.
• Social media as part of a web that needs to align with products and sales.

11. Sales, Marketing, and the Evolving Customer Journey

• Shift in B2B and B2C buying: buyers are informed, sales involvement comes later.
• Decline in traditional trust dynamics; reliance on self-sourced information.
• Knowing your ICP (ideal customer profile) and tailoring marketing/sales to them.
• Changes in the role and methods of sales/marketing: increasing merger of both functions.

12. Internal Marketing and Proving Value

• The importance of “internal PR” or communicating marketing wins inside the company.
• Demonstrating marketing’s business value to avoid being seen as a cost center.

13. The Future of Marketing: Trends and Skills

• Ongoing impact and expansion of AI and automation in marketing.
• Jobs most at-risk and the increasing need for marketers to prove direct value.
• Advice for marketers: leverage AI/automation, focus on skills that drive business outcomes.
• Education and skill-building: easy access to knowledge online, importance of continuous learning.

14. Changing Workforce and Career Realities

• The shift from corporate job security to entrepreneurial/self-driven paths.
• Risks of relying solely on traditional employment; value of building personal brand/side hustles.
• Generational differences in workforce attitudes and the future for Gen Z professionals.

15. Community-Oriented Business Values

• Joshua’s preference for working with small/mid-sized, community-embedded businesses.
• Value creation and cash flow at the local level as opposed to mega-corporations.

16. Closing and Contact Information

• How listeners can connect with Joshua Monge (website, name).
• Invitation to check show notes for further resources and contact points.

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The Secret Weapon of Marketing Success: Systemic Operations and the Future of Martech

Marketing has always been at the intersection of creativity, analytics, and strategy. But in our latest episode of #MarketersTalking, Jess (Bahr) Gonzalez sits down with Joshua Monge—fractional COO, entrepreneur, and operations expert—to dive deep into how operational excellence can turn marketing from a cost center into a revenue engine. From the evolution of CRMs to the shifting tides of sales engagement, their conversation unfolded a roadmap for today’s marketers who aspire to not just keep up, but truly excel.

Operations: The Underestimated Superpower in Marketing

“Operations is like this secret weapon…if you understand it really well, you can play on a totally different field,” Jess points out early in the conversation. Far beyond just handling logistical minutiae, a solid operational backbone empowers marketing and sales teams to act consistently, adapt rapidly, and measure results with clarity. Joshua echoes this, stressing the need for a “core solid process” and a steady cadence for marketing activities—comparing it to the reliable drumline in a song. When market conditions shift or new tactics arise (like boothing at an event), it’s the operational process that ensures consistency without chaos and maintains a steady flow of opportunity, regardless of tactical shifts.

The Forgotten Side of Events: Follow-Up and Lead Nurturing

Events and trade shows often eat up a huge slice of the marketing budget, but according to Jess and Joshua, many organizations fail to capture the ROI because they lack structured follow-up processes. Instead of assuming that sales reps in booths will magically close leads, the duo emphasizes the importance of integrating these contacts into the CRM, creating thoughtful nurture sequences, and “operationalizing” ongoing engagement. Joshua shares, “That’s how I’ve gotten my best clients…people that didn’t buy right away, but I kept following up at a regular cadence.” The lesson? Systems and patience trump flashy sizzle every time.

CRM Selection: Don’t Chase the Shiniest Tool—Build for Your Process

When it comes to choosing the right customer relationship management (CRM) platform, Joshua cautions against hitching your wagon to the most popular or hyped solution. While he currently favors High Level (“built by digital marketers for digital marketing”), he remains technology-agnostic: “All systems have limitations.” What matters most is documenting your process, then identifying a CRM that aligns with your workflow and can scale with your business needs. A notable warning: Many CRMs come with enthusiastic (and sometimes aggressive) communities—including affiliate, “MLM-ish” reselling tactics—that can feel overwhelming to newcomers. Joshua suggests seeking genuine, platform-agnostic training and focusing on how your process can leverage automation for efficiency.

Start with Process, Then Automate for Scale

If you’re a marketer or business leader who’s still improvising processes, Jess and Joshua’s most actionable advice is simple: Document what actually works, refine it, and only then look to automate. Start “literally with pen and paper,” Joshua advises, so you can spot inefficiencies before you amplify them with automation. Once you’re confident, tools like Zapier, Make.com, and API-driven CRMs can multiply your output—so long as you’re not just automating a bad process.

The Changing Face of Sales: Unified Marketing & Sales, Empowered by Data

The B2B sales cycle isn’t what it used to be. Today’s buyers often research extensively before ever talking to a sales rep; by the time they do reach out, they’re typically ready to buy. This means lower lead volume but a much higher close rate—provided your brand is visible, credible, and trustworthy during their journey. Jess notes, “People are buying more, they want to be sold to less.” That’s why aligning marketing, sales, and operations around the complete customer journey—with shared data, messaging, and cadence—is key to thriving in the new reality. Companies that boldly integrate sales and marketing motions, instead of siloing them, stand to win.

What’s Next: Embrace Complexity, Level Up with AI, and Own Your Niche

Joshua’s final take on the future? The marketer’s job will only get more complex as AI and automation permeate every aspect of martech. It’s time to specialize, embrace technology, and constantly re-invest in your own learning. If you don’t, someone who knows how to use AI—and learn from YouTube tutorials—will. But in this democratized world of knowledge, the opportunity is enormous: “If you want to do something and develop a skill, you have the ability to do that”—now more than ever.

Final Thoughts

Marketing success in 2024 and beyond isn’t about chasing every shiny new channel. It’s about building, testing, and refining operational systems, leveraging technology with intention, and aligning your team around the entire customer journey. As Jess and Joshua affirm, success doesn’t come from luck or sizzle—it’s the outcome of repeatable, thoughtful processes amplified by the right tools and mindset. Stay tuned for more in-depth conversations from #MarketersTalking, and never stop leveling up your process!

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#MarketersTalking with Jess Gonzalez