- Dear XIR
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- Unfair XIR advantage
DEAR XIR
Letters from the Intersection
DEAR XIR –
Want to know the real reason traditional B2B growth is getting so damn expensive?
It's not just rising ad costs. It's not market saturation. It's not even the economy.
It's because most companies are still running like it's 1999 – (shoutout to Prince. SN: if you don’t get this reference, baby girrrrl you’re too young lol) with departments that barely talk to each other.
Marketing launches campaigns without talking to sales. Product builds features nobody asked for. Sales promises things the product team has never heard of.
(legit have seen this happen) 😂
And customers? The poor things are caught in the middle, frustrated by the shit show of disconnect.
I witnessed this firsthand at both Brex and Stenn.
Brilliant people stuck in their lanes while multi million-dollar opportunities slipped through the cracks between departments.
But here's where it gets interesting.
When I stepped in as an XIR – operating at the intersection of community, marketing, and revenue – something super dope happened.
I spoke to founders. I collected their feedback. I saw patterns the individual teams couldn't see.
Then I became the bridge – sharing insights with content, translating needs to marketing, and helping sales understand what customers actually wanted.
The result? $20M in pipeline in 6 days from a single campaign.
I’m not gon hold you: that shit was a liiiiiitle bit of luck (like 15% tops).
But more so, it was the unfair advantage of operating at the intersection.
This is what research has been telling us all along: orgs with collaborative teams are 36% more likely to outperform their competitors. Well-coordinated, cross-functional teams are 50% more efficient at completing tasks than siloed ones.
Yet most companies still structure themselves around rigid departments and narrow roles.
That's where your advantage as an XIR comes in, my dear.
The Revenue Translation Matrix
How XIRs turn cross-functional insights into tangible growth
While traditional teams operate in silos, XIRs create value at the intersection through what I call the Revenue Translation Matrix:
✅ See What Others Miss
Traditional: Marketing team notices declining email opens
XIR Advantage: Connects declining opens to product feedback and customer support trends to identify the actual problem
✅ Translate Across Departments
Traditional: Sales shares customer feedback that gets lost in translation
XIR Advantage: Translates feedback into specific action items for product, marketing, and sales simultaneously
✅ Connect Dots That Create Revenue
Traditional: Community team measures engagement without tying to revenue
XIR Advantage: Identifies which specific community behaviors indicate buying intent
✅ Build Systems That Bridge Gaps
Traditional: Each department has their own tools and processes
XIR Advantage: Creates cross-functional workflows that maintain the human touch while scaling efficiently
Here's a real example: At Stenn, I noticed that ecomm founders weren't responding to traditional outreach about financing options. The marketing team was creating beautifully crafted messages that nobody read. The sales team was following up diligently but getting nowhere.
So what did I do? I created a single post speaking directly to founders' immediate needs:
"Founders: I have $10M to deploy within the next 40 days."
Simple. Direct. Human.
Then I built a cross-functional system that qualified leads, maintained relationships, and created a seamless handoff to sales – all while keeping that personal touch.
The campaign generated $20M in qualified pipeline.
Why? Because I wasn't limited by departmental thinking.
That's your unfair advantage as an XIR. You're not just deep in one discipline – you see how everything connects, and you translate those connections into revenue.
(my absolute favorite song lol)
Companies using cross-functional talent like this consistently outperform their competitors.
Harvard Business Review found that 75% of cross-functional teams outperform siloed counterparts in knowledge sharing and innovation. Stanford research confirms these teams are 50% more efficient at completing tasks.
The data is clear: different drives better results.
For Companies: A Competitive Edge
If you're a founder or executive reading this, consider the growth opportunities you're missing by keeping talent in rigid boxes.
When you hire an XIR (or position existing talent to work across functions), you get:
Faster innovation cycles: problems get solved before they become emergencies
Better customer insights: because XIRs see patterns across the entire journey
Lower acquisition costs: through more efficient, targeted growth strategies
Increased revenue: by identifying opportunities others miss
One XIR can often do the work of multiple specialized roles – not because they're superhuman, but because they eliminate the friction and miscommunication between departments.
For XIRs: Your Time Has Come
If you're someone who's always felt like you "do too much" or are “too unfocused” for traditional roles, this is your moment.
The very qualities that made you seem unfocused are exactly what make you invaluable in today's complex business environment.
These bo bo heads just don’t fully know it yet.
And that’s the beauty of being early.
Your ability to speak multiple business languages, to translate across departments, to see connections others miss – these aren't weaknesses. They're superpowers that create measurable, revenue-generating advantages.
The world needs fewer specialists who can't see beyond their domain and more translators who can bridge the gaps where the real opportunities live.
INTERSECTION OF PRODUCT X SALES
This PMO role by DOSS is giving BIG ASS XIR Energy. They literally created their own role for what they needed and I am here for it.
If this is not signaling that times are changing then idk what is.
Credit: me
"An amalgamation of every component of a business: sales, customer success, and product development."
Got something that gave you that feeling this week? Spotted something in the wild?
Submit it. We'll feature one drop per issue.
Where XIRs spot patterns others miss
This job screams XIR: Head of Growth Marketing at Zuma – perfect for growth-obsessed revenue beasts who lead with natural curiosity.
Tool I’m testing: Bro…I just ascended with ChatGPT. Created a coach that pushes me to operate like the top 0.01% CEO. Been using it for the last 24 hours. Already improved productivity 4x. Reply if you want help w/ this.
Must-follow move: My boy MJ Jaindl puts out the most fire 🔥content for AI x Content Creation. Super practical. Good for XIRs looking to monetize content and develop thought leadership.
3 WAYS I CAN HELP:
For Companies: Book a 30-minute Cross-Functional Growth chat to jam on where department gaps are costing you revenue. I'll help you spot at least three immediate opportunities to bridge these gaps. Or just reply.
For XIRs: Tap into my free Trust-to-Revenue Engine – the exact system I use to turn cross-functional insights into tangible business impact (and higher compensation). Putting y’all boys on game fr fr lol.
For Companies + XIRs: Join the new XIR Interest List if you want to discover ways to partner with us. Intake starts soon!
Final Note
YOUR WEIRD IS YOUR WORTH.
Remember this: Being cross-functional isn't a disadvantage in the modern business world – it's an unfair advantage that traditional specialists simply can't match.
Your ability to see connections, translate across departments, and build bridges where others see barriers is worth millions to the right company.
The future belongs to those who can operate at the intersection.
And that, my friend, is you. So proud of you.
Genuinely honored to be in your orbit.
See you at the intersection,
with love and light always,
The future belongs to the intersection.