The Psychology of B2B Marketing: Understanding Buyer Behavior and Demand Generation With Kerry Rana

About Guest

Kerry Rana is the Senior Director for Digital Marketing and Experience at ExtraHop, a cybersecurity company specializing in AI-based network intelligence. In this role, she built a robust digital marketing team that drove a $48 million opportunity pipeline, achieving a 3X return on investment. Prior to ExtraHop, Kerry served as Director of Bank Partnerships and Marketing Strategy at Bottomline Technologies, managing relationships with seven banks and developing targeted marketing campaigns.

In this episode

Understanding the motivations behind complex B2B purchasing decisions can be the key to building a high-performing demand generation engine. So how can businesses apply psychological principles to optimize marketing and drive better results?

According to Kerry Rana, a seasoned B2B marketing leader, the key lies in deeply understanding buyer behavior. She highlights that decision-making in B2B is driven by risk aversion, trust, and influence, making it crucial for marketers to create messaging that emotionally connects with their audience. By leveraging psychology, businesses can craft campaigns that trigger engagement and build credibility — critical factors in long sales cycles. She also emphasizes the power of A/B testing and real-time analytics to refine marketing efforts and enhance customer experiences.

In this episode of the Revenue Engine Podcast, host Alex Gluz and Kerry Rana, Senior Director for Digital Marketing and Experience at ExtraHop, discuss how psychology influences B2B buyer behavior and demand generation. Kerry shares insights on creating emotionally compelling messaging, structuring effective go-to-market strategies, and using data-driven decision-making to optimize engagement. She also talks about emerging trends in AI-driven personalization and what’s next for B2B marketing leaders in 2025.

A glimpse of what you will learn

• [01:26] Kerry Rana’s journey from psychology to B2B marketing
• [03:28] How psychology influences buyer behavior and decision-making in B2B marketing
• [06:28] Key components of a successful go-to-market strategy
• [10:35] The importance of A/B testing to refine value propositions and messaging
• [12:04] The most overlooked aspects of an effective demand generation strategy
• [16:00] A data-driven approach to optimizing website conversions and CTAs
• [20:51] Emerging trends and technologies shaping the future of B2B marketing
• [24:27] Biggest challenges for B2B SaaS marketing leaders in 2025 and how to overcome them

Resources Mentioned in this episode

• T.A. Monroe Digital Agency
• Alex Gluz on LinkedIn
• Kerry Rana on LinkedIn
• ExtraHop

Quotable Moments

• “Psychology is all about understanding human behavior, why people make certain decisions, and what is the motivation behind all of that.”
• “If you’re not able to showcase that you can solve someone’s problem, they’re likely not going to pay attention to you.”
• “You can’t just have one set plan and think that it’s going to go well.”
• “Marketing to the cybersecurity audience is an interesting battle because a lot of these people prefer to be anonymous.”
• “AI is only going to drive more efficiencies for us with hyper-personalized campaign content and optimizations.”

Action Steps

1. Leverage psychology to craft compelling messaging: Understanding buyer behavior helps create emotionally resonant marketing that drives engagement and trust.
2. A/B test value propositions and messaging: Testing different approaches ensures the most effective strategy is used to convert prospects into customers.
3. Align sales and marketing for better demand generation: Collaboration between teams improves lead quality, customer experience, and overall revenue growth.
4. Use data analytics to optimize website conversions: Insights from user behavior can reveal barriers to engagement and improve call-to-action effectiveness.
5. Stay ahead of emerging B2B marketing trends: Adapting to AI-driven personalization and evolving buyer preferences ensures continued success in a competitive market.

Sponsor for this episode

This episode is brought to you by T.A.Monroe Digital.At T.A.Monroe, we build world class revenue engines for B2B SaaS companies. What that means is we do everything behind the scenes to generate you tons of qualified leads, opportunities and customers.

1. We build highly effective marketing systems and scale their profitably through our demand generation strategies.
2. We think scientifically on how to scale your demand and revenue.
3. We bring decades of experience.

Email us at alex@tamonroe.com or visit www.tamonroe.com today to schedule a strategy session or learn more about our mission.