GTM in the GenAI Era: ActiveFence’s CRO on Safety, Research-Led Outreach, and Precision Prospecting

Summary

GenAI is surging—and so is the noise. How do you build pipeline, stay credible, and keep customers safe in the process? John O’Donnell, Chief Revenue Officer at ActiveFence, shares how his team protects 3B+ users while helping enterprises deploy AI responsibly. ActiveFence partners with the world’s largest social platforms and foundation model companies, powered by a world-class research team and a “database of evil” that tracks bad actors and emerging threats. John breaks down a research-led outreach motion that leads with value, not hype; how tools like Clay and Gong sharpen targeting and speed execution; and why “go-to-market” is becoming “go-to-network.” He also covers the biggest GTM challenge right now—filtering FOMO-fueled noise—and how to qualify by GenAI maturity stage. Expect practical tactics to mobilize subject-matter experts without pulling them off their day jobs, build credibility even when mentioning competitors, and scale globally as AI agents move into production.

Timestamps

- [00:45] – Guest intro: ActiveFence’s mission and protecting 3B+ users online

- [01:04] – John’s path from Rapid7 to CRO and why AI safety is a GTM advantage

- [03:17] – Precision prospecting with GenAI and Clay: from “wide nets” to right-time outreach

- [05:57] – Research-led messaging: dark web intel, value-first content, credibility at first touch

- [07:29] – Today’s GTM challenge: filtering FOMO noise and qualifying by GenAI maturity

- [09:15] – Operational leverage with Gong: CRM automation, email summaries, and faster follow-up

- [11:59] – Mobilizing SMEs: using AI to turn expert insight into scalable content (without the drag)

- [14:17] – Go-to-network: everyone sells; overcoming “salesy” fears and earning peer trust

- [18:16] – What’s next for ActiveFence: securing GenAI agents and global expansion

- [20:59] – Parting advice: continuous learning as a competitive edge

Takeaways

- Lead with intelligence: share research and threat insights upfront to earn trust before the first call.

- Use Clay to segment by industry, role, and GenAI stage; personalize messaging to policy and risk.

- Automate the admin: deploy Gong to capture notes, summarize emails, and accelerate next steps.

- Turn SMEs into multipliers: use AI to draft white papers and briefs from expert input in hours.

- Build a go-to-network culture: equip non-sales teams to answer peer questions credibly—even when mentioning competitors.

- Qualify for signal: map prospects by GenAI deployment maturity to focus timing, message, and resources.