This episode features a conversation with Tricia Gellman, CMO of Box. Tricia and Dan discuss the shortcomings of the traditional marketing funnel, how AI is reshaping pipeline generation, and why Box rebranded Qualified’s AI SDR agent Piper to “Bella.” They explore the scalability challenges CMOs face, the importance of 24/7 engagement, and why adopting AI is critical for efficiency and competitiveness going into 2025.

Key Takeaways

• The traditional funnel is outdated: Reliance on SDRs creates inconsistency, high costs, and limited scalability.
• AI-driven engagement is essential: AI SDRs provide consistent, always-on engagement with prospects, filling the gap when human teams are offline.
• Box's AI SDR Bella: The team wanted an identity unique to Box, approachable rather than aggressive, and aligned with the brand.
• Bella enables personalization at scale: Messaging can adapt for self-serve PLG users versus enterprise accounts, shortening sales cycles and boosting pipeline contribution.
• Efficiency under budget pressure: CMOs must deliver pipeline with flat or shrinking budgets, and AI SDRs automate repetitive tasks so humans can focus on strategic, high-value work.‍
• Competitive imperative: Companies embracing AI now will outpace slower adopters; AI is a “do more with less” mandate for marketing leaders heading into 2025.

‍TRANSCRIPTION

Dan Darcy:
Joining us today in the Qualified studio is the Chief Marketing Officer of Box, Tricia Gellman. Tricia, thanks for being here.

Tricia Gellman:
Thanks for having me. I’m excited about this topic.

Dan Darcy:
You’re a seasoned CMO—Salesforce, Checkr, and now Box. What’s your perspective on the traditional marketing funnel?

Tricia Gellman:
One of the biggest challenges for CMOs is improving the funnel and driving pipeline. Years ago, it was all about leads. Now it’s about pipeline contribution. The questions we constantly face are: should we gate content or not, and how do we hit the volumes we need with today’s smaller teams and tighter budgets?

Dan Darcy:
Box has been a leader in AI innovation. Your CEO, Aaron Levie, recently spoke at the AI Workforce Summit about autonomous agents. What’s your take on the new AI-driven funnel?

Tricia Gellman:
The old funnel relies heavily on SDRs. Humans are fallible, expensive, and hard to scale consistently. There’s often tension between sales and marketing over how SDRs spend their time. AI changes the equation—it creates consistency, scalability, and cost efficiency. At Box Works, we showed that you can now create no-code agents, which is part of a bigger transformation. Your website is essentially a 24/7 event, and AI ensures you’re engaging prospects even when SDRs are offline—especially executives who tend to research after hours.

Dan Darcy:
You’ve started that AI journey with Qualified, hiring Piper as your AI SDR—but you renamed Piper to Bella. Why?

Tricia Gellman:
We wanted an identity unique to Box. Bella represents an AI agent that knows everything about Box, trained with the right information to help our customers. We held a naming contest internally, and the team wanted something connected to Box but approachable. Names like “Boxy” felt too aggressive, so we landed on Bella, which felt softer and more human.

Dan Darcy:
Love it. What’s your vision for Bella at Box?

Tricia Gellman:
Scaling efficiently is a major challenge. We serve both PLG/self-serve users and enterprise accounts, which require very different engagement models. Bella can tailor messaging depending on who she’s talking to—something humans can’t scale cost-effectively. The goal is to engage more people, shorten sales cycles, and increase pipeline contribution.

Dan Darcy:
Heading into 2025, what advice would you give other CMOs?

Tricia Gellman:
Budgets are flat, but the pressure to deliver pipeline keeps growing. AI is the way forward. It’s not about replacing people but making them more efficient. For example, no one should spend hours resizing banner ads anymore—that’s what AI is for. CMOs who embrace AI will move faster, operate more efficiently, and stay ahead competitively.

Dan Darcy:
That’s excellent advice. Tricia, thank you for joining us today and for being such a great partner to Qualified.

Tricia Gellman:
Thank you—it’s been a great discussion.

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