Ep.141 - Conversation First. Pipeline Follows. - Evan Dunn
In this episode of Future Fuzz, Vince Quinn dives into the power of experimentation with Evan Dunn, Head of Marketing at Titan X. Evan shares why embracing strategic failure is essential to sharpening your go-to-market approach, and how most companies rely too heavily on assumptions and stale ICPs instead of real-time feedback. The conversation unpacks how founders can adopt a scientific mindset to sales and marketing, the underestimated power of cold calling, and why building tight feedback loops through direct human conversation is more vital than ever in an AI-heavy world. If you're tired of vague vibes and want a structured way to win faster—this episode delivers.
Guest Bio
Evan Dunn is the Head of Marketing at Titan X, a company redefining cold outreach through data-driven phone intent. With a background spanning SEO, paid media, and growth strategy, Evan is known for bringing scientific rigor to go-to-market models. He previously led segmented experimentation at a FinTech unicorn, helping disqualify inefficient segments and dramatically improve SDR performance. A passionate advocate for conversation-first growth, Evan helps companies eliminate guesswork and embrace failure as a catalyst for clarity. He’s also a frequent voice on LinkedIn, championing bold ideas about sales, marketing, and experimentation.
Takeaways
- Experimentation is strategic failure in pursuit of clarity.
- Most ICPs are outdated and lack feedback loops.
- Cold calling yields rapid feedback and accelerates understanding.
- Founders naturally thrive in sales because of tight feedback cycles.
- Segment disqualification is as important as identification.
- Paid media and content should follow, not precede, segment validation.
- Direct human conversations uncover real buyer sentiment.
- Modern GTM needs conversation-first strategies before automation.
Chapters
00:00 Welcome and Intro to Evan Dunn
01:02 What “Go-To-Market Scientist” Really Means
02:05 Why Embracing Failure Leads to Success
03:11 Breaking Down Product-Message-Segment Fit
05:00 Common Flaws in Sales Targeting and ICPs
06:09 The Power of Founder-Led Sales
08:50 How to Build a Go-To-Market Feedback Loop
10:30 Real Case Study: Industry Experiments in FinTech
12:00 The True Cost of Not Experimenting
13:22 Why Most Marketing Playbooks Fail
14:40 Social Media as a Rented Growth Channel
16:00 What Google, LinkedIn, and Twitter Changes Mean for Marketers
17:00 Why Cold Calling Works in 2025
18:58 The Value of Human Conversations
20:01 Certainty, Testing, and the $10K Guarantee
22:00 Morale Boosts From Real Conversations
23:05 How to Learn More About Titan X
Follow Evan Dunn on LinkedIn here
Follow Vince Quinn on LinkedIn here
