Disrupting the GTM Lie: Ed Locher Exposes Why the MQL Machine is Failing B2B Growth
In this episode of Disruption Interruption, Ed Locher, CMO of PureFacts Financial Solutions, joins host Karla Jo Helms to dismantle the "MQL Lie." Locher explains why traditional automation fails to drive revenue, how AI impacts marketing quality, and why emotional connection beats algorithms in the complex B2B buying journey.
TAMPA BAY, Fla., Jan. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- For 15 years, marketing automation promised accountability—yet the average tenure for marketing leaders has plummeted to just 18 months. Ed Locher, CMO of PureFacts Financial Solutions and author of Digital Transformation: People, Process and Technology, joins host Karla Jo Helms on the Disruption/Interruption podcast to dismantle the "MQL lie." He explains that while technology promised predictable growth, it often delivered only a short-term "sugar rush" followed by a revenue crash—leaving businesses stuck in chaos instead of clarity.
Locher argues that the industry's obsession with attribution has fueled broken strategies and accelerated turnover at the top. As he puts it: "There will never be a cast iron steel rod of attribution that says marketing did X, which led to this person buying something. It just doesn't work that way."
The MQL Mirage and the Attribution Myth
The industry has long operated on the belief that hitting Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) targets equates revenue growth. Locher argues this is a fallacy that targets only the 5% of the market ready to buy immediately, ignoring the 95% who need demand creation. This "demand capture" focus fails to account for the complexity of modern B2B buying committees, which have exploded from five people to an average of 16 stakeholders.
"There will never be a 'cast iron steel rod of attribution' connecting marketing activities directly to purchases. It just doesn't work that way," explains Locher. "Marketers who work for leadership that doesn't understand this are doomed to 18-month tenures, chasing MQL targets that deliver short-term sugar rushes followed by revenue crashes."
Locher emphasizes that you cannot build credibility with 16 different stakeholders through automated email sequences alone. "You need emotional connection and personalized storytelling that speaks to each person's specific drivers—whether that's the CFO caring about ROI or compliance caring about regulations," he adds.
Raising the Floor, Not the Ceiling
While many fear AI will replace marketers, Locher presents a nuanced view of the technology as a tool for discipline rather than a replacement for strategy. He argues that AI is excellent for tactical efficiency—raising the quality floor and protecting bad marketers from themselves—but it cannot replace the human element required to close enterprise deals.
"AI protects terrible marketers from themselves by raising the quality floor, but it hasn't raised the bar for great marketing," says Locher. "The real opportunity lies 3-4 standard deviations above the mean—where human empathy, emotional triggers, and genuine understanding of customer pain create outsized impact that AI can't replicate."
Locher concludes that the future of growth lies in using AI to handle the chaos of data and tactical execution, freeing up marketers to focus on the psychological drivers of their customers. "The rare CEO or investor who recognizes this broken motion is the problem—not the marketer—creates space for real growth," Locher notes.
Links
Disrupting the GTM Lie: Why Most Growth Strategies Are Just Chaos with Ed
Locher
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edlocher/
Company Website: https://purefacts.com
Disruption Interruption is the podcast where you will hear from today's biggest Industry Disruptors. Learn what motivated them to bring about innovation and how they overcame opposition to adoption.
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About Disruption Interruption™
Disruption is happening on an unprecedented scale, impacting all manner of industries— MedTech, Finance, IT, eCommerce, shipping, logistics, and more—and COVID has moved their timelines up a full decade or more. But WHO are these disruptors and when did they say, "THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT!"? Time to Disrupt and Interrupt with host Karla Jo "KJ" Helms, veteran communications disruptor. KJ interviews badasses who are disrupting their industries and altering economic networks that have become antiquated with an establishment resistant to progress. She delves into uncovering secrets from industry rebels and quiet revolutionaries that uncover common traits—and not-so-common—that are changing our economic markets… and lives. Visit the world's key pioneers that persist to success, despite arrows in their backs at www.disruption-interruption.com.
About Ed Locher
Ed Locher is a seasoned C-level marketing executive, author, and expert in brand and demand generation. As the Chief Marketing Officer at PureFacts Financial Solutions, Ed is transforming go-to-market strategies for PE-backed businesses by building AI-powered, next-generation marketing engines that deliver measurable growth. With decades of experience in B2B SaaS, fintech, and revenue optimization, Ed specializes in turning chaotic, underperforming marketing operations into disciplined, scalable systems that drive predictable pipeline and revenue.
At PureFacts, Ed created the company's first sustained modern marketing capability, launching a new visual identity, refreshing two websites in just eight months, modernizing the martech stack, and generating $2 million in measured pipeline within the same timeframe. His expertise spans category creation, demand generation, ABM, sales enablement, and RevOps partnership, making him a trusted partner for enterprise go-to-market strategies.
Ed's superpower lies in fixing what's broken and building durable value across organizations. He is known for stabilizing, systematizing, and scaling marketing operations by creating clear, motivating narratives, wiring data for accountability, and coaching high-performing teams. His approach ensures category clarity, clean data, and operating cadences that make growth measurable, while also strengthening customer loyalty through advisory boards and user groups.
As the author of "Digital Transformation: People, Process and Technology," Ed brings a unique perspective on how AI can be operationalized to raise the quality of marketing while maintaining a small, fast-moving team. His work reflects a commitment to turning attention into pipeline and pipeline into revenue, all while lifting pride in the work and rallying stakeholders around a shared vision.
About Karla Jo Helms
Karla Jo Helms is the Chief Evangelist and Anti-PR® Strategist for JOTO PR Disruptors™. Karla Jo learned firsthand how unforgiving business can be when millions of dollars are on the line — and how the control of public opinion often determines whether one company is happily chosen, or another is brutally rejected. Being an alumnus of crisis management, Karla Jo has worked with litigation attorneys, private investigators, and the media to help restore companies of goodwill into the good graces of public opinion — Karla Jo operates on the ethic of getting it right the first time, not relying on second chances and doing what it takes to excel. Helms speaks globally on public relations, how the PR industry itself has lost its way, and how, in the right hands, corporations can harness the power of Anti-PR to drive markets and impact market perception.
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SOURCE Disruption Interruption
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