Ep. 541 | Build Legos, Not Decks: Amber Naslund on Strategic Selling

OnBase: Smashing Sales and Marketing Misalignments

Episode Summary

In this episode of OnBase, host Chris Moody reunites with longtime friend and podcast co-creator Amber Naslund for a reflective and forward-thinking conversation. Amber brings a wealth of experience across the marketing-sales spectrum and shares how her background in marketing has become her superpower in sales.

They explore how better collaboration between marketing and sales can unlock massive gains, why product marketing and sales enablement should stop building models and start offering "Legos," and how storytelling in sales is less about fables and more about connecting dots. Amber also gets real about brand vs. demand debates and why marketers need to stop underestimating the power of long-term influence.

Key Takeaways

• Marketing Skills Supercharge Sales:
  Amber’s success in sales stems from her deep understanding of marketers. Being able to “speak the same language” has helped her build trust, credibility, and strategic partnerships with customers.
• Empathy > Silos:
  Sales and marketing still operate too independently. The cure? Cross-functional humility, joint planning, and sitting in on each other's meetings.
• Build Legos, Not Models:
  Product marketers and sales enablers should create modular, adaptable building blocks—not rigid, linear pitch decks. Sellers need the freedom to customize.
• Get Comfortable with Casual:
  Great sellers are simplifying, listening deeply, and having real, unscripted conversations. Over-reliance on pitch decks and sequences is hurting connection.
• Brand is Demand:
  The divide between brand and demand gen is artificial. Brand is what puts you on the buyer’s shortlist on Day 1—it’s measurable, just not always trackable.

Quotes

“Brand is demand. It’s all one thing. The biggest mistake marketing made was thinking brand was separate from measurable success.”

Best moments

01:20 – Amber’s career journey: from nonprofit fundraising to sales leader at LinkedIn.
05:30 – What marketers misunderstand about sales (and vice versa).
09:15 – The art of “getting comfortable with casual.”
12:30 – Why enablement teams need to provide mix-and-match sales materials.
15:30 – Storytelling in sales: not fluff, but hypothesis.
18:00 – The real power of brand—and why we’re measuring it all wrong.

Resource recommendations

Books:

• The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins
• Babel by R.F. Kuang

Podcasts:

• Hidden Brain Podcast

Shout-outs

• Ashley Faus, Head of Lifecycle Marketing, Portfolio at Atlassian – She is admired for her community leadership and generosity.
• Jenn VandeZande, Digital Engagement Strategy at SAP CX – Amber praised Jenn for her editorial excellence and long-game content strategy.

About the Guest

Amber Naslund is a seasoned marketing and sales executive, currently serving as a Director at LinkedIn within their Marketing Solutions business. With over 25 years of experience across nonprofit fundraising, B2B marketing, tech startups, and enterprise sales, she brings a rare dual-lens perspective from both sides of the revenue table.

From co-founding a podcast with host Chris Moody over a decade ago to transitioning from marketing leader to sales director, Amber has continually embraced growth, reinvention, and empathy as cornerstones of her leadership. She’s passionate about bridging the gap between marketing and sales teams, crafting meaningful stories, and advocating for the value of brand in today’s attribution-obsessed world.

Connect with Amber.