Six Months of Conversations with Founders and C-Level Leaders
By Gabrio Linari, Last Updated on 3 June 2025
Introduction
Over the past six months, I’ve had dozens of conversations across Zoom calls, in-person events, and networking groups with founders, CMOs, marketing directors, and a mix of curious operators trying to make sense of growth in 2025.
These weren’t just agency sales calls. I’m talking real conversations, many of them coming through spaces like Business Round Table in Milan (in person events), BI Network UK (webinars), Founders Network UK (Zooms), Luca’s Networking (Zoom), Haleh’s Networking (Zoom) and ASIA CEO Community (in person/Zoom).
Another interesting option is the Software Oasis Referrals Community, which is a paid service focused on strategic partnership referrals with my good connection Michael.
What I’ve noticed is a shift in how people are thinking. It’s not just about getting more traffic anymore. Most businesses are either trying to recover from a drop or rethink their entire approach. And more often than not, they’re unsure where to start.
A Tale of Two Mindsets
In the EU and the U.S., marketing conversations are stalled. Many companies are either cutting budgets or waiting it out. Even those with strong products are postponing decisions, saying “Let’s reconnect in a couple of months.” It’s a form of budget paralysis, driven by uncertainty and a fear of committing to innovation at the wrong time.
Marketing budgets reflect this stalling. According to Gartner, budgets in 2025 remain at 7.7% of total revenue, the same as in 2024, with half of CMOs operating on just 6% or less (source). That’s not growth. That’s survival mode.
But not everywhere.
In Asia, things look different. I’ve had conversations with founders across the region, and the tone is noticeably more proactive. Companies there are still investing. They’re careful, but they’re not frozen. Consumers are still spending. Businesses are still launching. According to Dentsu’s 2025 Ad Spend Forecast, Asia-Pacific is set to grow by around 4.0% this year, outperforming the global average and resisting the general slowdown (source).
If you’re a consultant or a founder targeting growth markets, this matters.
Why Networking Still Beats Cold Outreach
Most of the leads that have converted into clients didn’t come from cold DMs or mass email campaigns. They came through real conversations. Zoom networking sessions. Micro-events. WhatsApp groups. Quick intro calls from mutual contacts.
We don’t sell in the first five minutes. That’s not the point. It’s about being present when someone says, “Hey, we’re actually looking for help with that right now.”
Here’s what didn’t work: mass outreach around conversational search. As innovative as our strategy is, sending cold pitches to marketers got us nowhere. Not because the product was weak. But because nobody is shopping for that solution at the exact moment your email hits their inbox.
Relationships change that.
People respond to someone they’ve spoken to. And the same goes for me. If I’ve spoken to you at an event and you email me two weeks later, I’ll probably reply. But if you’re some random tool vendor blasting outreach at 5 p.m. on a Tuesday? Hard pass.
When the Right Mindset Shows Up
The best conversations often start with two types of people:
1. Founders who’ve never really tried SEO and want to explore a different growth channel.
2. Operators under pressure because something just broke, traffic dropped, bookings are down, performance flatlined.
Both are open to ideas. Not because they’re trend chasers. But because they know standing still is riskier than trying something new.
One of our latest clients, a UK-based business consultancy, was in the first group. They weren’t doing any marketing. We connected through a Zoom event, had a follow-up chat, and within a week, they signed up for our conversational search strategy, ROCKY IV. Simple. Frictionless. Not because of our pitch, but because the relationship was already there.
Conversational Search as the New Channel
Search is evolving. We’re seeing fewer typed keywords and more voice commands, more intent, more chat. And most importantly, less “search” and more “ask.”
That’s what we’ve built our Rocky IV strategy around. It’s designed for a world of AI-powered assistants, chat-first interfaces, and experience-led navigation. The old way of SEO “rank & hope” (or was it “spray & pray?” I digress 😅) doesn’t cut it anymore. You need to guide the narrative across all surfaces where your brand appears.
If you’re unfamiliar with how conversational search works in practice, here’s a quick breakdown on conversational search.
Why Conversational Search It’s a Shift
- The conversational AI market is projected to reach $34.7 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 20.9% (source).
- Over 88% of consumers had at least one interaction with a chatbot in 2023 (source).
- Nearly 60% of hospitality companies use conversational AI tools to manage bookings and customer interactions (source).
- Deloitte highlights how conversational AI is moving from novelty to infrastructure-level necessity for digital experience delivery (source).
This isn’t just a new channel. It’s a redefinition of what “search” even means.
Real Client Outcomes
We designed an integrated search strategy focused on increasing visibility across both organic search and AI interfaces. Results:
- Bookings increased by 10%
- Blog impressions rose 42%
- A noticeable rise in qualified leads from outside their usual channels
- #1 SearchGPT example
We built a conversational co-pilot that helped prospective clients understand the service flow and navigate through the highest drop-off points on their quote form. Results:
- Drop-offs reduced by 10% at steps 1 and 2
- Branded mid-funnel traffic improved significantly
- Stronger engagement from high-value projects
- Copilot live example
We engineered a guided experience that met users where they were and pulled them further into the funnel.
Consultant vs. Agency
Consultants win when conversations are the main currency. Agencies are usually tied to rigid scopes, dashboards, and set deliverables. But when you’re a consultant, you can be more aligned, more adaptive, and more affordable.
You also get closer to the founder’s headspace. You hear their hesitation. You feel the budget anxiety. And you can design solutions around real problems, not just deliverables.
This only works if you put in the time. Talking to people. Asking what’s changing. Following up. It’s not scalable, but it’s what works now.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a business leader wondering whether now is the time to invest in a new growth channel, remember this: the real cost lies in standing still.
If you’re a consultant, double down on relationships. Avoid the cold outreach spam spiral. Be where the conversations are happening. That’s where the needs are, and that’s where the next client is coming from.
We designed ROCKY IV so that brands don’t have to lift a finger on the technical side. It’s a fully managed strategy delivered as service-as-software, combining AI, search, and experience design into a single, scalable system.
If you’re curious about what this could look like for your business, book a 20-minute call, contact me, or come find me at one of the many networking events I attend across Europe.
Let’s talk.
About The Author
I have over 15 years of professional experience spanning SEO, strategic digital transformations, and business growth initiatives. My expertise lies in aligning SEO efforts with business goals to drive meaningful results. I regularly post on LinkedIn about Growth Marketing, remote work, and inspirational topics. Check out my latest posts on Gabrio’s Thoughts and subscribe to my YouTube Channel ROCK SEO (Rocky is the boss!). You can discover more about me here.