Here’s What Works in Manufacturing Sales Now with Jennelle McGrath

It's not every day you hear about a CEO who went from 3 AM emergency calls at boot camps to leading a digital transformation for some of the most traditional industries in America. But that's exactly the journey Jennelle McGrath took. From a high-stress fitness business to founding Market Veep, a diamond-tier HubSpot partner that just posted a staggering 79% revenue growth over two years.

In her conversation with Cory Cotten-Potter on The B2B Revenue Executive Experience podcast, Jennelle shares how she built a thriving agency by centering happiness, aligning values, and helping legacy manufacturers embrace modern marketing without losing their human touch.

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Learn More About Jennelle McGrath

Jennelle is the Founder and CEO of Market Veep. With over 20 years of entrepreneurial experience, she began her journey by founding her first business at age 18 while studying business and marketing at Merrimack College. Jennelle is particularly known for helping manufacturing and industrial companies modernize their sales and marketing strategies, bringing contemporary digital solutions to traditionally relationship-focused industries. As the host of the Finding Business Happy podcast, she explores the intersection of professional success and personal fulfillment, sharing insights on creating positive business environments and achieving work-life integration in today's hybrid workplace.

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1. From Burnout to Breakthrough

Jennelle's story starts in a very different world: the high-octane, always-on environment of a mobile fitness company. For 15 years, she hustled between school gyms, parks, and private homes, managing a team and running large-scale boot camps. But something didn't sit right. The work was demanding, the calls came at all hours, and the weight of unpredictability eventually crushed her sense of fulfillment.

At the 15-year mark, Jennelle hit a wall. So she did what few entrepreneurs dare to do; she stepped away. Jennelle started consulting, helping companies modernize their marketing, and for the first time in a long time, she felt aligned. What began as freelance gigs turned into Market Veep, a full-fledged agency with a clear focus: doing meaningful work with people who share your values.

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2. Why Manufacturing?

You'd think the tech-savvy, automation-loving founder of a digital agency might avoid slow-to-change industries like manufacturing. But for Jennelle, the connection was personal. Her first industrial client came through a referral, and she was hooked, not by the product lines, but by the people.

In an industry where competitors are known to visit each other's factories and share notes, Jennelle found the value alignment she was looking for. It wasn't long before Market Veep focused almost exclusively on helping traditional manufacturing companies modernize their sales and marketing without losing their authenticity.

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3. The Boots-on-the-Ground Mindset Meets Modern Martech

A major struggle in this work? Breaking through decades of sales culture that values face-to-face meetings over digital touchpoints. Many manufacturing sales teams still live on the road, and it's not uncommon for companies to fund long-term lodging in client-rich cities just to maintain that presence.

Jennelle doesn't try to blow up that model. Instead, she advocates for a hybrid, omnichannel approach. It's more than just a productivity move; it's a retention one. With many sales reps aging out and younger talent hesitant to adopt the same grind-heavy model, companies have to evolve to stay competitive.

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4. Where to Start? CRM and Small Wins

For many manufacturing businesses, the idea of a digital overhaul is paralyzing. Jennelle's advice: start small. Don't rip and replace. Instead, focus on one friction point and solve it beautifully.

Her go-to entry point? CRM systems. Many of her clients come to her with sales pipelines that exist entirely in someone's inbox, or worse, a notepad. The first transformation is getting that data organized and visible. Then comes segmentation, territory planning, and streamlined messaging.

For reps who are hesitant to adopt tech, Jennelle meets them where they are. Once reps see that they can automate follow-ups, use templates, and offload repetitive work, they begin to fall in love with the system. Adoption becomes a no-brainer, not because leadership forced it, but because it makes the reps' lives easier.

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‍5. A Trade Show Framework That Works

Jennelle doesn't just modernize the backend. She also helps her clients extract maximum ROI from trade shows, still a critical piece of the manufacturing marketing puzzle.

Too many companies show up to expos without a plan, hoping serendipity will deliver good leads. Jennelle flips the script. Her Trade Show Success Framework includes:

• Pre-show email nurture campaigns
• Digital ads targeting attendees
• Social engagement with companies exhibiting or attending
• Physical booth strategies like giveaways, interactive elements, and unique experiences

Creativity wins. The booth has to be more than just a table and a banner. But Jennelle is quick to note: what works at one show might flop at another. Knowing the audience is key. So is being willing to test new tactics, measure the outcomes, and improve over time.

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6. Sales and Marketing Alignment

One of the most rewarding shifts Jennelle sees when implementing CRM and marketing automation is the softening of cold relationships between sales and marketing.

In traditional industrial companies, these departments often operate in silos. Jennelle breaks down those walls by encouraging open feedback: What makes a lead high quality? Where are reps getting stuck in the pipeline? What messaging actually converts?

The most successful clients, she says, are the ones where reps are willing to share call recordings, marketers are willing to tweak messaging based on real-world data, and leadership embraces cross-functional transparency.

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Sustainable growth doesn't come from hustle alone. It comes from clarity on what kind of work you want to do, who you want to do it with, and what kind of life you want to lead.

By the end of the conversation, it's clear that Jennelle didn't just build a high-performing agency; she built one that reflects her values. And in doing so, she helped a traditionally analog industry step confidently into the digital age.

Burnout might have started her journey. But alignment, culture, and systems thinking turned it into rocket fuel.

Now that you know how traditional manufacturers can modernize their sales approach while maintaining valuable relationships, discover the full list of episodes at The B2B Revenue Executive Experience. If you enjoy the show, instructions to rate and review it are found here.

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