#161: Strategy | How to Enter New International Markets, Hiring Locally, and the Content Approval Trap with Max Van Den Ingh

Dave sits down with Max Van Den Ingh, founder and CEO of Unmuted, a B2B SaaS marketing agency based in Amsterdam. Max shares his insights from his background in Sales, sharing how his approach of building relationships has translated to a successful marketing agency.Max and Dave Cover:His high-touch approach to entering new markets by focusing on understanding the landscape and building relationshipsChallenges and advice for hiring in international marketsThe shift towards scrappier, more authentic content in B2B Marketing and the case against multiple layers of content approvalTimestamps(00:00) - - Intro (06:12) - - The US Approach to Marketing (09:00) - - Max’s Initial Agency Skepticism (12:11) - - B2B Marketing Strategies for Dutch Tech Companies (14:10) - - Challenges of Expanding SaaS in EU Markets (18:26) - - How to Effectively Use Local Expertise (22:12) - - Building Your First Customer Playbook (25:56) - - Creating a Long-Term Strategy for New Markets (28:36) - - Branding and International Expansion (34:53) - - Challenges of Hierarchy in Large Organizations (36:19) - - Multiple Layers of Approval and In-authentic Content Send guest pitches and ideas to [email protected] the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***Today’s episode is brought to you by Grammarly.Ever have one of those weeks where you spent more time replying to Slack and email than doing actual marketing work?You’re not alone. The average marketing team spends 28+ hours a week just keeping up with comms.That leads to burnout, frustration, and a whole lot of performative productivity that doesn’t actually move the needle.AI-fluent marketing teams are changing that. Grammarly’s 2025 Productivity Shift Report shows how they’re using AI to:– Cut down on back-and-forth– Automate content, research, and reporting– Eliminate busywork– Make space for strategyWe’re marketers because we love crafting campaigns, driving revenue, and proving impact – not spending all day buried in messages.Get the report and see how top teams are making AI actually useful.Visit go.grammarly.com/exitfive to grab it.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more