The Agentic Revolution Transforming Go-to-Market/Chandar Pattabhiram - Workato, AI Agents, Onlyness ~ Spark of Ages Ep 38

Spark of Ages

Chandar Pattabhiram, marketing maestro and Chief Go-to-Market Officer at Workato, shares his expertise on the agentic economy and the revolutionary impact of AI on go-to-market strategies.
• The rise of AI agents brings productivity without pause, enabling organizations to shift from reactive to proactive approaches
• Current AI implementation remains largely experimental and edge-focused rather than addressing core business processes
• Workato's approach focuses on cross-functional processes versus siloed applications to prevent agent sprawl
• Traditional go-to-market principles still apply – win more, win bigger, win faster – but AI provides unprecedented efficiency
• Enterprise context is crucial for AI effectiveness – it's not just about LLMs but Enterprise Learning Models (ELMs)
• AI enhances storytelling capabilities but emotional connection remains essential – "heart to head, not head to heart"
• Success requires identifying your "onlyness" and selling to markets that value your unique differentiation
• Bring philosophies rather than playbooks when moving between companies
• Balance technical understanding with human connection – "CTFO: chill the F out"
• Life ultimately comes down to health, experiences, and relationships (H-E-R)
Ready to master go-to-market strategy in the AI era? Chandar Pattabhiram reveals the secrets behind scaling companies into billion-dollar powerhouses:
🤖 The Agentic Economy Unveiled
"It's reigning agents everywhere," Chandar declares as he breaks down how AI agents are revolutionizing business operations. We're only in "the bottom of the first inning" of this transformation, but the potential is mind-blowing. Learn how these intelligent agents eliminate productivity pauses and shift organizations from reactive to proactive across every function.
🎯 Beyond "Agent Sprawl" – The Process Revolution
Forget siloed thinking. Chandar reveals Workato's competitive edge: cross-functional process thinking. "Don't think functionally, think process. The process grows across systems." Discover why this approach is crucial as companies face "agent sprawl" – a problem he warns will be "1000X worse than application sprawl."
💡 Marketing Fundamentals That Still Matter
Even in our AI-driven world, emotional connection reigns supreme. "People think hard to head rather than head to heart," Chandar observes. Learn his philosophy of identifying your "onlyness" and positioning to markets that value your differentiation – essential wisdom for scaling companies.
🚀 Career Transformation Insights
From mechanical engineering to marketing visionary, Chandar shares his personal journey and life motto: "Health, Experiences, Relationships." His advice to aspiring leaders? "Bring philosophies, not playbooks" when transitioning between companies.
Chandar Pattabhiram: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandarp
With over 25 years in strategic marketing, Chandar has been the Chief Marketing Officer at companies like Marketo and Coupa, helping grow Coupa from $150 million to nearly $1 billion in revenue. He's been recognized by LinkedIn as one of the top 5 CMOs in the world to follow and he gained these insights while cutting his teeth at some great companies: Accenture & IBM. Originally from Chennai, Chandar did his undergraduate at PSG College of Technology in India with a background in mechanical engineering, and went to the University of Texas for Business School.

Website: https://www.position2.com/podcast/
Rajiv Parikh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajivparikh/
Sandeep Parikh: https://www.instagram.com/sandeepparikh/

Email us with any feedback for the show: [email protected]

Chapters

1. The Agentic Revolution Transforming Go-to-Market/Chandar Pattabhiram - Workato, AI Agents, Onlyness ~ Spark of Ages Ep 38 (00:00:00)

2. Meet Chandar Pattabhiram, Marketing Maestro (00:00:05)

3. The Agentic Economy and Enterprise Context (00:02:01)

4. Workato's Cross-Functional Go-to-Market Approach (00:07:46)

5. AI-Powered Storytelling and Brand Advocacy (00:16:37)

6. Spark Tank: Word Association Challenge (00:34:56)

7. Personal Journey and Life Philosophy (00:43:26)

8. Key Takeaways and Closing Thoughts (01:02:19)