Ben Smith, Marketing Director at Reachdesk, shares his journey from professional ice skater to marketing leader and dives into the power of gifting in B2B. He explains how Reachdesk helps businesses source, personalize, and automate gifting at a global scale, and why combining physical and digital experiences creates deeper customer connections.

Ben also discusses Reachdesk’s marketing strategy, the role of AI in modern marketing, and why personalization, creativity, and genuine relationship building are key to successful outreach.

About Ben

Meet Ben Smith, a dynamic marketing leader with a passion for driving strategic growth and creative impact. As a seasoned professional at Reachdesk, he’s helped brands build stronger connections, unlock new opportunities, and deliver customer experiences that truly engage. Known for translating big ideas into measurable results, Ben shares actionable insights on outbound and allbound strategies — from sparking pipeline to scaling engagement. Join us as he brings fresh perspectives and stories from the cutting edge of modern marketing.

About ReachDesk

At Reachdesk, we believe that strong relationships fuel success. Whether you're engaging prospects, celebrating customers, or recognizing employees, our platform makes it simple to deliver personalized moments that resonate at scale. As the only fully integrated gifting and swag solution, we empower go-to-market and people teams to:

• Strengthen connections with prospects, customers, and employees.
• Remove operational headaches with a seamless global fulfilment network.
• Measure the impact of every send, so gifting becomes a strategic advantage, not just a nice-to-have.

Time Stamps

00:00:00 - Introduction to Marketing B2B Tech Podcast 00:00:18 - Guest Introduction: Ben Smith from Reachdesk 00:00:41 - Ben's Unique Career Journey 00:01:42 - What Reachdesk Does 00:02:31 - Challenges of International Shipping 00:03:15 - The Importance of Physical Gifts in a Digital World 00:04:30 - Customer Use Cases for Reachdesk 00:05:55 - Navigating Gifting Mistakes and Concerns 00:07:36 - The Philosophy of Gifting in Marketing 00:09:02 - Marketing Strategies at Reachdesk 00:11:35 - Building Brand Reputation vs. Driving Leads 00:13:04 - Influencer Marketing in B2B 00:15:05 - Understanding the Buying Committee 00:18:00 - Identifying Gifting Touchpoints in the Customer Journey 00:22:04 - The Impact of Technology on Marketing 00:25:21 - Advice for New Marketing Professionals

Follow Ben:

Ben Smith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bensmith-reachdesk/

Reachdesk website: https://www.reachdesk.com/

Reachdesk on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reachdesk/

Follow Mike:

Mike Maynard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemaynard/

Napier website: https://www.napierb2b.com/

Napier LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/napier-partnership-limited/

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Want more? Check out Napier’s other podcast – The Marketing Automation Moment: https://podcasts.apple.com/ua/podcast/the-marketing-automation-moment-podcast/id1659211547