Always Be Testing – Episode #100

The Cowboy Code of Marketing: Building Trust in B2B with Tye DeGrange

Host: Tye DeGrange
Date: September 16, 2025

Episode Overview

In this special 100th episode, host Tye DeGrange explores what B2B marketers can learn from the “Cowboy Code”—a set of old-school, values-driven principles rooted in his personal upbringing and family history. Tye applies these cowboy values to the modern B2B landscape, focusing on the urgent problem of the trust deficit in the industry. He weaves stories from his own career, lessons learned from consumer brands, and practical advice on building trust and authentic partnerships in B2B, all through the lens of the Cowboy Code. The overarching message: Building trust is hard but crucial, and the time is now for B2B to embrace authenticity and relationship-driven growth.

Key Points & Insights

1. The Cowboy Code — Core Principles in a Noisy World

Timestamps: [00:06]–[04:45]

• Tye introduces the “Cowboy Code,” a real framework of values from his upbringing on a Californian ranch:
  • Live with courage
  • Take pride in your work
  • Finish what you start
  • Be tough, but fair
  • Keep your promises
  • Be brief and concise in communication
  • Honor what "is not for sale"
• He attributes his own professional values to these lessons from his rancher parents and a mentor, Bob, who was inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame.
• “You need to show strength and be just and be compassionate... show empathy for people when it’s tough.” (Tye, [03:10])
• Asks the audience to reflect: “These are all things that seem a little hokey at first... but when you dig deeper, they matter and they can help you build a brand and improve how you’re thinking about your marketing.” ([04:07])

2. Trust Deficit: The Central Problem in B2B

Timestamps: [05:00]–[11:30]

• Identifies the major challenge: A widespread trust gap in business.
  • Trust in business and CEOs is low: “Only 41% of Americans trust businesses to do the right thing.” ([10:17])
  • Affiliate marketing’s “checkered past” has contributed to skepticism.
  • B2B buyers, especially millennials (71% of current buyers), are among the least trusting and are making most of the decisions.
• “We live in an era where there isn’t a lot of trust… that trust gap is real across a number of things—CEO credibility, trust in businesses to do the right thing is extremely low.” (Tye, [09:55])
• Suggests the solution is sincerity, action matching words, and showing genuine care for clients and partners.

3. Lessons from Consumer Brands — Building Authentic Partnerships

Timestamps: [13:00]–[19:00]

• Tye draws parallels from his work with consumer brands (eBay, StubHub) to current B2B challenges.
• Shares a detailed case study:
  • eBay Motors needed to be known for auto parts, not just cars.
  • Ran a multi-month, collaborative campaign with Bring A Trailer (an enthusiast blog), rebuilding a 60's Corvette with eBay parts and community involvement.
  • Result: 20 original posts, first post got 279 comments, drove 7 figures GMV, and contributed to 72% category growth (from $2B to $3.8B GMV, 2009-2012).
  • “We weren’t just saying, ‘Here’s $10,000, good luck.’ … The story was essentially let’s take a 60’s Corvette... and enlist the support of the Bring A Trailer community.” ([15:45])

4. B2B’s Opportunity (and Obligation) to Build Trust

Timestamps: [19:00]–[26:00]

• B2B must shift focus from short-term performance to brand and relationship-building.
  • “95% of your buyers who are out of market, you still need to invest in that total addressable market… Brand lowers that risk.” ([21:03])
  • Trusted third-party content, reviews, communities, and creators are key levers.
• B2B buyers increasingly make decisions before interacting with sales, relying on digital research.
  • “People are making decisions before they even speak with you. They’re really relying on the third-party reviews, content, everything that you guys are working on.” ([22:35])
• Applies the Cowboy Code: Take pride, finish what you start, be tough but fair—foundational for relationship marketing.

5. Community, Content, and Creator-Driven Growth

Timestamps: [26:00]–[33:00]

• Success requires building “authentic communities of trust.”
• Must deeply understand buyer personas: pain points, demographics, communities.
• Emerging channels & approaches called out:
  • YouTube: “I said YouTube’s going to be the channel of 2025, and I think it was accurate... The growth rate, the engagement, YouTube TV dominating streaming.” ([30:10])
  • Newsletters: Direct insights, “10x growth is not a joke.”
  • Podcasts: “Being able to have unscripted conversation, intimate, something that’s educating people... A little bit more cowboy code attitude there.” ([31:42])
  • Influencers: Critical for trust & reach.
• RBL is building a proprietary algorithm for matching brands to creators using AI and data-driven analysis.

6. Practical Guidance: Executing the Cowboy Code in Partnerships

Timestamps: [33:30]–[41:00]

• Core job: Get creators, partners, and affiliates “excited, give them the tools, make sure you take care of them… They’re the currency of the ecosystem.” ([34:48])
• Operational tips:
  • Tracking: Reliable APIs, CRM integration, fraud detection, UTM parameters.
  • Communication: “Talk less, say more. Limit surprises, coach the team around that.” ([37:04])
  • Compensation: “Keep your promises... think long term.”
  • Fraud protection: Vigilance inspired by eBay experience—“gotta be tough, but fair with them. Cowboy code.”
• Human relationships remain at the core: “How do we show them we know them? How do we show them we genuinely care?” ([39:22])

7. Call to Action & Closing Reflections

Timestamps: [41:30]–[45:00]

• Tribute to his father, the inspiration behind the Cowboy Code (“Lost him in 2020, but we’re keeping the dream alive”).
• Actionable challenge to the audience:
  • “Define what the Cowboy Code means to you... Pick a principle you like, think of your own, use it to your advantage, bring it back to your team.” ([42:31])
  • “We’re all doing the thing that’s going to bridge the gap... it’s third party trusted partners. Each and every one of us can do that if we do it the right way.” ([44:22])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On authenticity and trust:
  “Trust and authenticity... this continues to come up as the need that we need to tap into. And fortunately, we’re in a space that can answer the call.” ([07:48])

• On brand investment:
  “Without the brand recognition, without that brand understanding, that relationship with the brand community... you’re not going to win the business.” ([21:41])

• On community-driven marketing:
  “We need to tap into these authentic voices... Doing that with the audience and creators is an important piece to get buyers excited.” ([32:24])

• On partner relationships:
  “Our job in a lot of ways is to get them excited, give them the tools, make sure you take care of them… They’re the currency of the ecosystem.” ([34:48])

• Final challenge:
  “Define what the Cowboy Code means to you. Pick a principle you like, think of your own, use it to your advantage, bring it back to your team... and let's start building.” ([42:31])

Important Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic/Section | |-----------|---------------------------------------------| | 00:06 | Tye’s introduction & Cowboy Code origins | | 05:00 | Discussion of the trust deficit in B2B | | 10:17 | B2B buyer skepticism stats | | 15:45 | eBay Motors/Bring A Trailer case study | | 19:00 | Importance of brand investment | | 21:41 | Risk reduction through brand/community | | 22:35 | Buyers deciding before contact | | 30:10 | YouTube’s rise as a key B2B channel | | 31:42 | Value in podcasts and unscripted content | | 34:48 | Partner and creator relationships | | 37:04 | “Talk less, say more”—communication tip | | 39:22 | The human element in partnerships | | 42:31 | Audience call to action; defining your code | | 44:22 | Building bridges through partnerships |

Summary in Tye’s Voice

This episode was an authentic, passionate call for B2B marketers to go beyond the hype and lean into values that have stood the test of time—courage, honesty, fairness, and keeping your word. With stories from both tech and ranch life, Tye challenged the industry to tackle today’s trust gap by “writing for the brand” and nurturing real relationships with partners, creators, and communities. “The time is now for B2B,” he emphasized, and the Cowboy Code just might be the guide marketers need to build trust, community, and durable growth in a skeptical, fast-evolving world.