Karen Oakland

Pioneer
DISC Type : DSI

Head of Marketing at Blend

Orange County, California, United States

Overview

Karen is a customer-obsessed B2B marketing leader specializing in propelling high-growth SaaS companies through the power of storytelling. Described by colleagues as strategic and exceptional, she has a history of leading global teams to exceed pipeline and revenue targets at firms like Blend and Smart Communications. She holds a BA from UCLA.

Originally a business journalist and editor, Karen is a self-proclaimed "word nerd" with a passion for the nuances of language and grammar, from the proper use of an apostrophe to the Oxford comma debate. This background in writing fuels her approach to creating authentic and compelling brand narratives.

Unique fact: She intentionally pivoted her career from journalism to marketing to get closer to making a direct impact on business revenue.

Personality Overview

Driven But Considerate

Friendly But Fast

Decisive But Friendly

If they are convinced, they can become very strong champions for your product  They combine a unique set of diverse traits where they are fast and friendly but can slow down to be thorough when needed They have the unique ability to win both love and respect from their team (or outsiders)

Topics They Care About

B2B Storytelling
Her profile highlights a passion for using storytelling to help high-growth B2B SaaS companies achieve global prominence and connect with customers.
Revenue Marketing
Her career focus is on impacting revenue, with recent posts highlighting learnings from the 6sense Breakthrough conference, a revenue-focused marketing event.
Fintech Marketing
Has deep subject matter expertise from leading marketing in the financial services sector at both Blend and Smart Communications.

Media Appearances

Karen has no verified media appearances

Work History

12-2024
Head of Marketing at Blend
12-2024
Director of Marketing at Blend
2021 - 2023
Vice President of Marketing, Financial Services Solutions at Smart Communications.
2020 - 2021
Vice President, Industry Marketing at Smart Communications.
2019 - 2020
VP of Marketing, SmartIQ at Smart Communications.

Education

BA Communication Studies from UCLA
Master of Arts from California State University, Fullerton

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 26 Location : Orange County, California, United States Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Head of Marketing at Blend

Interested in

Sports

Road cycling

Health & Outdoor

Travel, Exploring trends, Traveling

Lifestyle

Finding the best places for coffee

URL has been copied!

Insights For Selling To Karen

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Showcase existing customers and use case-studies to grab their attention
  • Ask them for a lunch or coffee once some rapport has been established
  • Use phrases like ‘your decision will’, ‘you will impact’ etc.

DONT's

  • Avoid focusing only on the product or its ROI, keep building trust subtly
  • Don’t be too verbose or overly friendly; a little bit, however, is fine
  • Don't lean very heavily into providing too much information, sharing whitepapers etc.

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Karen is

  • Nothing less than a strong combination of proof of results, relationship and high levels of professionalism is effective with them.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Karen

  • They can say no while staying friendly, but can also be pursuaded to reconsider

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Karen move?

  • They are generally fast movers and can take quick decisions
  • Can Karen take some risk or not?

  • They have high risk-appetite but can get ahead of themselves once in a while. Observe carefully

You And Karen

Personality Compatibility


Other Blend Employees

Explore more public profiles from related professionals at the same organization.

More Profiles

Discover additional public profiles from our index.

Search more profiles

Looking for someone else? Search here for anyone.

Or visit Humantic AI to know more.