Welcome, Steve! Let’s kick this off with your marketing journey—how did it all lead to your role as CMO at Paycom? Thanks! I come from the agency world originally. I spent years running my own firm, and that’s actually how I connected with Paycom over 15 years ago. Chad Richison, Paycom’s founder and co-CEO, reached out to me for a few radio spots—and we clicked immediately. What’s stuck with me since then is the power of curiosity. I’ve lived through the ups and downs of agency life, and I bring that perspective to everything I do today: take bold risks, think creatively, respect the talent in the room, and if something doesn’t work, learn fast and fail forward. That mindset is what excites me most about this role—Paycom is a brand people genuinely love, and we’ve got an incredible team focused on pushing boundaries and driving real growth. In your view, what’s broken in today’s B2B marketing and MarTech ecosystem—and what needs to change? One word: overload. There’s an explosion of tools, platforms, and data sources out there. The paradox? More options don’t always make it easier—they often make things slower and more confusing. Two big B2B missteps I see: We’re too obsessed with quick wins. But in reality, effective marketing means slowing down to speed up. Understand your buyer journey. Build trust. Respect the process. Martech should help us create meaningful experiences, not bypass them. Let’s talk AI. What role do you see it playing in modern marketing—and how should marketers approach it? I’ve had some fascinating conversations with my son—he just earned his master’s in AI and data analytics. One thing’s clear: AI isn’t going anywhere. And we shouldn’t be afraid of it—we should learn to work with it. From content generation and SEO to segmentation and analytics, AI is transforming marketing workflows. But it’s not about replacing people. I see AI as an amplifier—enhancing creativity, enabling scale, and unlocking faster decision-making. Over time, I think we’ll see humans and AI working side by side, each focused on what they do best. What core strategies or MarTech approaches have helped you lead effective marketing teams? We use many of the same tools everyone else does—it’s not the tool, it’s the timing and intent behind it. The key questions we ask: It always comes back to strategy. If you’re not starting with a measurable, insight-driven objective, the tech won’t do the heavy lifting for you. Strategy gives you focus—and focus helps you pick the right tools at the right time. With so much digital noise, how can brands cut through and truly connect with their audience? Stop trying to boil the ocean. Too many brands mistake their logo or tagline for their brand. But your brand is what people feel and say about you when you’re not in the room. Once you accept that, you start doing things differently. You stop publishing the same post on every channel. You stop chasing virality for its own sake. Instead, you get surgical. You focus on convergence—delivering the right message, through the right channel, at the right time, to the right people. And that takes real insight. Knowing your customer deeply. Taking creative risks. Trusting that resonance matters more than reach. Any career lessons or leadership philosophies you lean on? I’ve been lucky to work with some incredibly talented people who’ve shaped how I lead. I’m drawn to Jim Collins’ concept of a Level 4 leader—someone who brings out the best in others. I don’t need to be the smartest person in the room—I want to hire the smartest people into the room. And I’ve found that when you build diverse, high-caliber teams, and give them the space to lead, you unlock something special. I’m focused on significance, not just success. Building something meaningful. Creating better conditions for the next generation. That’s what drives me. Last one—what’s your take on boldness in B2B marketing today? Playing it safe is a fast track to mediocrity. If you want to stand out, you need to challenge the status quo. Try what hasn’t been tried. Be willing to ruffle a few feathers. The best B2B brands don’t follow—they lead. They’re not afraid to inject personality, emotion, and risk into their messaging. And they don’t confuse volume with value. We’re here to build something that lasts. That’s the only strategy that matters. MartechHeads Takeaway:Steve Sturges reminds us that bold marketing isn’t just a campaign—it’s a mindset. From slowing down the buyer journey to speeding up innovation through AI, his human-first, insight-led approach offers a blueprint for modern CMOs navigating a complex, noisy world.
