The Value Path
The Value Path is a comprehensive methodology series exploring the 8-stage customer progression framework—from Audience through Champion—that replaces
The Value Path is a comprehensive methodology series exploring the 8-stage customer progression framework—from Audience through Champion—that replaces traditional funnel thinking with natural human behavior recognition.
Episodes
The Value PathAugust 6, 2026
The Value Path - Aug 6, 2026
Joshua Oakes opens on rare-earth magnets — a physics lab, a broken engine repair, the platters they pulled out of destroyed hard drives — and then asks Chris…
Open the episodeThe Value PathJuly 30, 2026
The Value Path - Jul 30, 2026
Lifecycle stages were built to move one direction. People don't. Chris Carolan and Joshua Oakes take apart why MQL/SQL and deal stages misread a room full of…
Watch the episodeThe Value PathJuly 9, 2026
The Value Path - Jul 9, 2026
Chris Carolan and Who-First's Joshua Oakes close the eight-stage Value Path walk with the Champion stage's green-flag side: the things a business does FOR a…
Open the episodeThe Value PathJuly 2, 2026
The Value Path - Jul 2, 2026
Champion, Part 1 opens the Value Path's eighth stage — "I am a raving fan." Joshua Oakes (Who-First) and Chris Carolan introduce the red/green-flag board and…
Watch the episodeThe Value PathJune 25, 2026
The Value Path - Jun 25, 2026
Part 1 made the case: you don't create advocates, you equip them — and advocacy almost always begins internally, with a customer making the case up their own…
Watch the episodeThe Value PathJune 18, 2026
The Value Path - Jun 18, 2026
Part 1 of the Advocate stage: why the transactional testimonial ask backfires, and how to equip customers to share realized value organically — beginning…
Watch the episodeThe Value PathJune 4, 2026
The Value Path - Jun 4, 2026
Two weeks ago, Chris Carolan and Joshua Oakes opened up the Adopter stage of the Value Path — the sixth stage, "I Realize Your Value," and the most…
Watch the episodeThe Value PathMay 21, 2026
The Value Path - May 21, 2026
Watch the episodeThe Value PathMay 14, 2026
The Value Path - May 14, 2026
Watch the episodeThe Value PathMay 7, 2026
The Value Creator Stage: What the Work Actually Looks Like
The Apr 16 episode framed the moment of crossing into Value Creator: potential trust becomes kinetic, or it doesnt. The work of Stages 1-4 either pays off in…
Open the episodeThe Value PathApril 9, 2026
The Value Path - Apr 9, 2026
Every HubSpot portal has the same problem hiding in plain sight: the data that tells you whether a deal will close is scattered across properties,…
Open the episodeThe Value PathMarch 26, 2026
Deal Tags: Building Buyer-Centric Intelligence in HubSpot
Ask a revenue team what they know about a deal, and they will describe their own pipeline. The stage. The probability. The expected close date. The source.…
Open the episodeThe Value PathMarch 5, 2026
The Value Path - Mar 4, 2026
Everyone focuses on the wrong person in the Buyer stage. Organizations obsess over their own sales process — pipeline velocity, deal stage progression,…
Watch the episodeThe Value PathFebruary 26, 2026
The Value Path - Feb 25, 2026
Watch the episodeThe Value PathFebruary 19, 2026
The Value Path - Feb 18, 2026
Watch the episodeThe Value PathJanuary 22, 2026
The Value Path - Jan 21, 2026
Recording from live stream on 1/21/2026
Watch the episodeThe Value PathJanuary 16, 2026
Understanding Your Audience: Why Attention Isn't Intent
You downloaded a guide. Now you're a "lead." Within minutes: email from an SDR. Phone call. "I'd love to schedule 15 minutes to discuss your needs." You…
Watch the episodeThe Value PathNovember 27, 2025
The Value Path with Joshua Oakes Ep. 2: Uncovering the Path to Value
Episode 2 of The Value Path series with Joshua Oakes. The tools and framework you need to reveal the Path to Value.
Watch the episodeThe Value PathNovember 14, 2025
The Value Path with Joshua Oakes Ep. 1: Why Customer Journey Mapping Fails
The Value Path with Joshua Oakes Ep. 1: Why Customer Journey Mapping Fails
Watch the episodeClips
8 short cuts from The Value Path — most under a minute, straight into the conversation.
The next step