Retention-First: Building Sustainable Growth with Daniel Monte | Hosted by Tom Marcus and Roslyn Fawns

In this episode of Build in Public Radio, Tom and Roslyn sit down with Daniel Monty, a seasoned retention marketing expert and Director of Client Strategy at Sendlane. Daniel shares his journey from the gritty world of affiliate marketing to building out retention departments for agencies and household brands like True Religion and Scentbird.

They dive deep into what it really takes to create a high-performing retention strategy today — from building a rock-solid foundation with email/SMS automations to leveraging data as a feedback loop for acquisition. Daniel breaks down why retention isn't just a support function but a central growth engine, and how misaligned incentives and knee-jerk reactivity are often what hold brands back.

The conversation also explores the growing role of AI in retention, the emotional psychology of working with clients, and how being politically savvy (and sometimes a bit of a therapist) can make or break success in marketing today.

If you’re a marketer, agency owner, or brand operator looking to scale with depth — not just hype — this episode is a masterclass on what sustainable, customer-first growth actually looks like.