SaaStock speaker
Alison Murdock
Founder / CEOFounder & Chief Marketer, Trusted CMO
- Appearances
- 12
- Years
- 2019–2024
- Main stage
- 2
- YouTube views
- 4,437
Alison Murdock, Founder & Chief Marketer at Trusted CMO has made 12 SaaStock appearances between 2019 and 2024, speaking at SaaStock USA 2024, SaaStock USA 2023, SaaStock Europe 2023, and SaaStock Europe 2019. Talks include "A Positioning & Messaging Masterclass: Leveling-Up Your Marketing ROI", "Growth Stage Opening from Stage MC, Alison Murdock!", "The Growth Stage Opening Ahead of Day 2!". This page collects every recorded SaaStock keynote, fireside chat, panel, and podcast appearance by Alison Murdock.
Most-watched talk
SaaS marketing: How to build a brand that generates demand [Alison Murdock, live at SaaStock 2019]
Keynote · SaaStock Europe 2019 · Dublin · 4.4K YouTube views
Well, hello everybody. Welcome — this is my first time at SaaStock, and I'm really excited to be here. My talk is a little bit less quant and a little bit more qual. What I mean by that is talking about how you can balance building your brand for the long term while also hitting your demand goals. How many of you are currently selling to the enterprise — so companies larger than 3,000? About half the room, and how many of you are planning to sell to the enterprise eventually, once you get your s…
About Alison Murdock
Who is Alison Murdock?
Alison Murdock is the founder and Chief Marketer of Trusted CMO, a marketing leadership practice serving B2B SaaS companies. A seasoned marketing executive, she previously served as CMO at SocialChorus, the role she held when she first took the SaaStock stage in Europe in 2019. Across her appearances she has built a reputation as one of the most recognizable voices in SaaS marketing, equally at home delivering tactical masterclasses on positioning and messaging as she is hosting the room as a Growth Stage MC.
Her debut talk at SaaStock Europe 2019, "SaaS marketing: How to build a brand that generates demand," set the tone for the perspective she brings: a deliberate blend of the qualitative and the quantitative. As she put it that day, her approach is "a little bit less quant and a little bit more qual" — a talk centered on how marketers can balance building a brand for the long term while still hitting near-term demand goals. She framed the discussion around selling to the enterprise, polling the room on who was already selling to companies larger than 3,000 employees and who planned to.
By 2023 and 2024, Murdock had become a fixture at SaaStock USA and SaaStock Europe, returning as the Growth Stage MC who opens the show on Day 1 and Day 2, runs live debates on the future of sales performance, leads sessions on growing through a down economy, and moderates conversations on startup mistakes and high-profile acquisitions. This page collects her recorded SaaStock talks with transcripts.
About Trusted CMO
Trusted CMO is the marketing practice Alison Murdock founded and leads as Chief Marketer. Positioned at the intersection of fractional marketing leadership and hands-on B2B SaaS go-to-market work, the company reflects the discipline Murdock champions from the stage: clear positioning, sharp messaging, and a brand that earns demand rather than buying it outright.
The themes that run through Murdock's SaaStock sessions map directly to the work Trusted CMO does. Her positioning and messaging masterclass at SaaStock USA 2024 was billed as a guide to leveling up marketing ROI — the practical heart of what a CMO is hired to deliver. Her recurring "Lessons From The Trenches" sessions on growing in a down economy speak to the resilience marketing leaders need when budgets tighten and headwinds are strong, surfacing tactics around optimizing processes, smarter decision making, and doubling down on what works.
As a Growth Stage MC across multiple SaaStock editions, Murdock also shapes how SaaS operators encounter ideas: opening the show, prompting audiences to ask the questions they need answered, and moderating debates and acquisition backstories such as Beamer's multi-million-dollar acquisition of Userflow. That convening role mirrors the way Trusted CMO operates — connecting strategy to execution and helping SaaS companies translate brand into measurable growth.
Key lessons from Alison Murdock's talks
Balance brand-building with demand. Murdock's core marketing thesis is that the long game and the short game are not opposites. Her 2019 talk was explicitly about how to balance building your brand for the long term while still hitting your demand goals — a reminder that brand investment and pipeline targets can, and should, coexist.
Blend the qualitative with the quantitative. Describing her own approach as "a little bit less quant and a little bit more qual," Murdock argues that great SaaS marketing is not purely a numbers exercise. The story, the positioning, and the brand narrative carry as much weight as the dashboards — especially when selling into the enterprise.
Positioning and messaging drive ROI. Her SaaStock USA 2024 masterclass framed positioning and messaging as the lever for leveling up marketing ROI. The takeaway: before optimizing channels or spend, get the words right, because clarity on who you are and why you matter compounds across every campaign.
Grow deliberately through a down economy. In her recurring "Lessons From The Trenches" sessions, Murdock and her guests stress that few SaaS companies make it through a downturn without a scar or two. The path forward is optimizing processes, making smarter decisions, and doubling down on priorities rather than spreading thin when the headwinds are strong.
Company
Trusted CMO — at a glance
| Company | Trusted CMO |
|---|---|
| Founder & Chief Marketer | Alison Murdock |
| Category | Fractional CMO / B2B SaaS marketing services |
| Prior role | CMO, SocialChorus |
Figures are drawn from Alison Murdock's SaaStock talks and her stated roles at the time of each appearance.
Topics covered
What Alison Murdock speaks about
- Positioning
- Messaging
- Brand building
- Demand generation
- Marketing ROI
- Enterprise SaaS marketing
- Growing in a down economy
- Startup mistakes
In their words
Top quotes from Alison Murdock
“this is my first time at SaaStock, and I'm really excited to be here”
— SaaStock Europe 2019
“talking about how you can balance building your brand for the long term while also hitting your demand goals”
— SaaStock Europe 2019
Keynotes
Alison Murdock keynotes at SaaStock
SaaS marketing: How to build a brand that generates demand [Alison Murdock, live at SaaStock 2019]
SaaStock Europe 2019 · Dublin · Keynote · 4.4K YouTube views
CMO, SocialChorus (at the time of the talk)
From the transcript
Well, hello everybody. Welcome — this is my first time at SaaStock, and I'm really excited to be here. My talk is a little bit less quant and a little bit more qual. What I mean by that is talking about how you can balance building your brand for the long term while also hitting your demand goals. How many of you are currently selling to the enterprise — so companies larger than 3,000? About half the room, and how many of you are planning to sell to the enterprise eventually, once you get your s…
Fireside chats & panels
Alison Murdock fireside chats and panels
Lessons From The Trenches: How To Grow in a Down Economy
SaaStock USA 2023 · Austin · Fireside Chat · 37 YouTube views
Founder & Chief Marketer, Trusted CMO (at the time of the talk)
From the transcript
Tell us a little bit about your background and your company. At what stage are you buying them? Have they received a bunch of funding, or are they typically bootstrapped? Do you bring a team on to work with them? That's really interesting — you're sort of training up your core people with different experiences. Well, let's talk about the world we're in now, which is not a pretty one. Out of curiosity, for everyone here — how many people are thinking about saving money or reducing their budget on…
Other appearances
Other SaaStock appearances by Alison Murdock
A Positioning & Messaging Masterclass: Leveling-Up Your Marketing ROI
SaaStock USA 2024 · Austin
Founder & Chief Marketer, Trusted CMO (at the time of the talk)
Growth Stage Opening from Stage MC, Alison Murdock!
SaaStock USA 2024 · Austin · MC Address
Founder & Chief Marketer, Trusted CMO (at the time of the talk)
From the transcript
Your Growth Stage MC, Alison Murdock, Founder & Chief Marketer of Trusted CMO opens the show for Day 1. Get involved by asking the questions you need answers to, make new connections for your network and soak up the impactful content delivered by our SaaS experts on the Growth Stage!
The Growth Stage Opening Ahead of Day 2!
SaaStock USA 2024 · Austin · MC Address
Founder & Chief Marketer, Trusted CMO (at the time of the talk)
From the transcript
The Growth Stage reopens for Day 2, ahead of an agenda packed with world-class content and speakers!
Inside a Multi-Million Acquisition - Backstory on How Beamer and Userflow Joined Hands
SaaStock USA 2024 · Austin · Fireside
Founder & Chief Marketer, Trusted CMO (at the time of the talk)
From the transcript
What goes on behind the scenes during an acquisition? Let's find out. Beamer's recent multi-million-dollar acquisition of Userflow, has shaken up the product management landscape. A journey which began at SaaStock USA 2023, where the connection was established between Satya Ganni (CEO of Beamer) and Esben Friis-Jensen (Co-founder, Userflow) resulted in a deal that sees them join forces to solidify their position as a leading provider in the no-code product engagement market. With bullish sentiment for this space and market growth forecasted to reach $29B by 2030 [Gartner], join us to hear the ins and outs of the acquisition and why the best is still to come.
Live Debate: Predicting The Future of Sales Performance & Efficiency
SaaStock USA 2024 · Austin · Live Debate
Founder & Chief Marketer, Trusted CMO (at the time of the talk)
From the transcript
Is your sales performance and efficiency up to scratch? The future of selling has changed but there's one thing we know for certain, an average sales cycle garners average results. So, how should you be levelling up your approach, activity and automation? To hear the answers, join this live debate as we uncover what changes you could need to make today to land bigger deals and better results in the near future.
How NOT to Build a Startup - 5 Mistakes to Avoid
SaaStock USA 2024 · Austin · Fireside
Founder & Chief Marketer, Trusted CMO (at the time of the talk)
From the transcript
We all hear of the pitfalls, common mistakes and warning signs as a startup grows - some are trivial and some can save the painful hindsight. Hear from founders themselves as they share key mistakes to actually avoid and the traps you definitely don't want to fall into when building a startup.
The Growth Stage Opening! Alison Murdock Opens The Show For Day 1.
SaaStock Europe 2023 · Dublin · MC Address
Founder & Chief Marketer, Trusted CMO (at the time of the talk)
From the transcript
Founder & Chief Marketer of Trusted CMO, Alison Murdock gets things underway on the Growth Stage!
The Growth Stage Returns! Alison Murdock Opens The Show for Day 2.
SaaStock Europe 2023 · Dublin · MC Address
Founder & Chief Marketer, Trusted CMO (at the time of the talk)
From the transcript
The Growth Stage reopens for the final day!
Lessons From The Trenches: How To Grow in a Down Economy
SaaStock USA 2023 · Austin · Fireside
Founder & Chief Marketer, Trusted CMO (at the time of the talk)
From the transcript
There aren't many SaaS companies who are able to innovate, pivot or grow their way through a down economy - not at least without a scar or two. So when the headwinds are strong, how can you level up during a slowdown? Whilst there isn't a cheat sheet with all of the answers, there are invaluable lessons from the trenches that can significantly improve your odds. From optimizing processes, smarter decision making to doubling down, SaaS veteran Sujan Patel takes the stage to share his top priorities to weather the storm.
MC Closing Address
SaaStock USA 2023 · Austin · MC address
Founder & Chief Marketer, Trusted CMO (at the time of the talk)
From the transcript
Closing address from Alison Murdock, Founder & Chief Marketer at Trusted CMO.
All appearances
Every SaaStock appearance by Alison Murdock
| Year | Conference | Talk | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | SaaStock USA 2024 · Austin | A Positioning & Messaging Masterclass: Leveling-Up Your Marketing ROI | — |
| 2024 | SaaStock USA 2024 · Austin | Growth Stage Opening from Stage MC, Alison Murdock! | MC Address |
| 2024 | SaaStock USA 2024 · Austin | The Growth Stage Opening Ahead of Day 2! | MC Address |
| 2024 | SaaStock USA 2024 · Austin | Inside a Multi-Million Acquisition - Backstory on How Beamer and Userflow Joined Hands | Fireside |
| 2024 | SaaStock USA 2024 · Austin | Live Debate: Predicting The Future of Sales Performance & Efficiency | Live Debate |
| 2024 | SaaStock USA 2024 · Austin | How NOT to Build a Startup - 5 Mistakes to Avoid | Fireside |
| 2023 | SaaStock USA 2023 · Austin | Lessons From The Trenches: How To Grow in a Down Economy | Fireside Chat |
| 2023 | SaaStock Europe 2023 · Dublin | The Growth Stage Opening! Alison Murdock Opens The Show For Day 1. | MC Address |
| 2023 | SaaStock Europe 2023 · Dublin | The Growth Stage Returns! Alison Murdock Opens The Show for Day 2. | MC Address |
| 2023 | SaaStock USA 2023 · Austin | Lessons From The Trenches: How To Grow in a Down Economy | Fireside |
| 2023 | SaaStock USA 2023 · Austin | MC Closing Address | MC address |
| 2019 | SaaStock Europe 2019 · Dublin | SaaS marketing: How to build a brand that generates demand [Alison Murdock, live at SaaStock 2019] | Keynote |
FAQ
Frequently asked about Alison Murdock
Who is Alison Murdock?
Alison Murdock, Founder & Chief Marketer at Trusted CMO has made 12 SaaStock appearances between 2019 and 2024, speaking at SaaStock USA 2024, SaaStock USA 2023, SaaStock Europe 2023, and SaaStock Europe 2019. Talks include "A Positioning & Messaging Masterclass: Leveling-Up Your Marketing ROI", "Growth Stage Opening from Stage MC, Alison Murdock!", "The Growth Stage Opening Ahead of Day 2!". This page collects every recorded SaaStock keynote, fireside chat, panel, and podcast appearance by Alison Murdock.
How many times has Alison Murdock spoken at SaaStock?
Alison Murdock has spoken at SaaStock 12 times between 2019–2024 — including 1 keynote, 1 fireside chat or panel, and 0 podcast interviews.
What did Alison Murdock speak about at SaaStock?
"A Positioning & Messaging Masterclass: Leveling-Up Your Marketing ROI" at SaaStock USA 2024; "Growth Stage Opening from Stage MC, Alison Murdock!" at SaaStock USA 2024; "The Growth Stage Opening Ahead of Day 2!" at SaaStock USA 2024; "Inside a Multi-Million Acquisition - Backstory on How Beamer and Userflow Joined Hands" at SaaStock USA 2024; "Live Debate: Predicting The Future of Sales Performance & Efficiency" at SaaStock USA 2024; "How NOT to Build a Startup - 5 Mistakes to Avoid" at SaaStock USA 2024; "Lessons From The Trenches: How To Grow in a Down Economy" at SaaStock USA 2023; "The Growth Stage Opening! Alison Murdock Opens The Show For Day 1." at SaaStock Europe 2023; "The Growth Stage Returns! Alison Murdock Opens The Show for Day 2." at SaaStock Europe 2023; "Lessons From The Trenches: How To Grow in a Down Economy" at SaaStock USA 2023; "MC Closing Address" at SaaStock USA 2023; "SaaS marketing: How to build a brand that generates demand [Alison Murdock, live at SaaStock 2019]" at SaaStock Europe 2019
What is Alison Murdock's most-watched SaaStock talk?
"SaaS marketing: How to build a brand that generates demand [Alison Murdock, live at SaaStock 2019]" delivered at SaaStock Europe 2019 has 4,400 YouTube views.