The 2025 Modern GTM stack with Tom Keefe of Demandbase

Inside the Modern Go-to-Market Engine: A Conversation with Demandbase’s Tom O’Regan

In a recent chat with Tom O’Regan, a go-to-market (GTM) expert at Demandbase, we got a behind-the-scenes look at how one of the most complex, AI-powered martech stacks in B2B is powering a multi-hundred-million dollar revenue engine—and redefining the role of marketing operations along the way.

The DemandBase martech stack

From Marketing Ops to GTM Expert

Tom, who previously led marketing operations at Demandbase for over four years, now spearheads a small but mighty team of GTM experts. These are seasoned practitioners—former marketing and sales ops pros—who now focus on educating prospects and customers. Their job? To show how Demandbase fits into an enterprise's existing tech stack, improve adoption, and advise on strategy. In 2024 alone, Tom’s team handled over 1,300 calls with customers and prospects, helping bridge gaps between sales, marketing, and operations.

The Rise of the GTM Engineer

One of the most compelling parts of the discussion centered around the emerging role of the Go-To-Market Engineer. Tom likens it to the “front-end engineer” of the revenue organization—someone deeply technical, agile, and cross-functional. Unlike traditional roles siloed within marketing or ops, the GTM engineer interfaces across product, finance, customer success, and more. And yet, despite being responsible for massive revenue-driving infrastructure, this role is often undervalued in terms of equity and compensation. “They’re running over 30 tools that fuel revenue. They should be seen on par with back-end engineers,” Tom argued.

The Martech Universe: Powered by AI

Tom shared a visually rich Martech Universe map they created, submitted for this year’s Stackie Awards. The map showcases how Demandbase integrates across advertising, content, CRM, analytics, and more. Salesforce, Tableau, and Demandbase form the core triangle, with over 70–85% of tools integrated into these platforms. While some tools—like Canva or Grammarly—remain standalone, most data flows through this integrated triangle.

What’s striking is how AI is embedded everywhere. From SDR prospecting to customer usage analytics via tools like ChurnZero, Demandbase leverages AI to inform everything from pipeline velocity to customer health. And tools like Clay aren’t just data sources—they act as operators, helping automate enrichment and extract insights from sources like public 10-K reports.

The Evolving Channel Mix

On the outreach front, Tom noted that while the channels haven’t drastically changed, tactics have evolved. LinkedIn voice notes, event-driven customer interaction, and tighter webinar targeting are gaining traction. Events, Tom noted, shouldn’t be viewed as lead gen machines, but as critical moments to deepen customer relationships.

Communities and customer playbooks are also rising in importance. Demandbase recently launched “Go-To-Market Playbooks,” enabling customers to share strategies and insights peer-to-peer. “We want customers teaching customers,” Tom said, pointing to the power of community in accelerating adoption.

Integration, Attribution & Smart Data Stacking

Despite having dozens of tools—including LeadIQ, Lucia, Clay, and Pitchbook—Tom emphasized the importance of data waterfalls and integration discipline. Each tool serves a unique purpose, but only when orchestrated properly. They don’t yet use a full CDP or Snowflake setup—but rely heavily on the synergy between Salesforce, Demandbase, and Tableau.

Final Thoughts

Tom’s session was more than a look at a martech stack—it was a lens into how modern GTM teams operate. By combining tactical expertise, cross-functional collaboration, and smart tech orchestration, Demandbase shows how the future of B2B growth is being engineered—not just marketed.

Stay tuned: Demandbase is gunning for another Stackie Award with their Martech Universe. If you’re building out a GTM engine or revamping your tech stack, this is the benchmark to watch.