The Front Lines
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Josephine Degener.
Head of Marketing · Everphone
More about me 🙃 🛍 I started my professional life as a store manager in one of the last two department store chains in Germany (and I still miss my fantastic team dearly ❤️) 🗣 Speaking German, English and French fluently. 📊 According to the LINC personality profile, I am the "cooperative, open person" 📊 According to Deloitte Business Chemistry, I am a balanced mix of "Pioneer" and "Integrator" 🤫 I have a secret passion for HR and legal topics (I know, right...)
Guest
Josephine Degener
Head of Marketing
Company:
Everphone
Location:
Berlin, Germany
Funding:
$633.3M Raised
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In this episode of The Marketing Front Lines, we speak with Josephine Degener, Head of Marketing at Everphone. Everphone is pioneering the device-as-a-service model in Europe, offering companies a subscription-based approach to managing their device fleets. Coming from a retail background in luxury, mass market, and fast fashion, Josephine brings a unique customer-centric perspective to B2B tech marketing. She shares how Everphone built crucial partnerships with giants like Samsung and Deutsche Telekom, scaled from an unknown startup to serving entire German federal states, and navigated multiple career pivots to lead marketing in a nascent industry category.

Topics Discussed:

Eight takeaways from this conversation.

Actionable for undefined founders

  1. Lead with Partner Motivations, Not Your USP
    When building enterprise partnerships, Josephine learned to analyze what motivates individual salespeople and partner organizations rather than immediately pitching Everphone's value proposition. She invested time understanding Samsung's goals and how Everphone could feed into their strategy, building trust before launching joint marketing campaigns. This humble, partner-first approach transformed Everphone from a "pirate boat next to cruise ships" into a trusted four-year partner.
  2. Use Data Ownership as a Sustainability Differentiator
    Rather than making unsubstantiated sustainability claims, Everphone leverages their ownership of both devices and data to provide concrete metrics—99% refurbishment rates backed by actual tracking. They actively contribute anonymized data to academic research partners like the Fraunhofer Institute and support master's students, positioning themselves as thought leaders in circular economy models while building credibility through empirical evidence.
  3. Structure Relationship Building Before Marketing Activation
    In new product categories, education precedes promotion. Josephine spent significant time with Samsung's sales teams explaining what device-as-a-service even was before launching any joint campaigns. Only after building trust and demonstrating value to the partner's salespeople did they move to VIP go-to-market activities and ad campaigns. This sequencing is critical when pioneering new B2B categories.
  4. Protect Team Focus with Rigid OKR Discipline
    Managing a single-digit marketing team, Josephine uses quarterly OKRs and monthly reviews as a "focus protection" mechanism against the flood of ad-hoc requests common in startups. This framework ensures the team works on initiatives that "move the needle" for company strategy rather than getting pulled into reactive tactical work that doesn't align with core objectives.
  5. Merge Brand and Demand Creation for Complex B2B Sales
    Josephine identified that procurement professionals now seek deeper alignment beyond feature comparison—they want to understand partner values, vision, and whether vendors truly comprehend their daily challenges. This insight led her to stop treating branding and demand generation as separate functions, instead creating integrated campaigns that simultaneously build brand authority and generate pipeline.
  6. Host Events as Networking Platforms, Not Product Pitches
    Everphone's recent prospect/client event succeeded by creating a "safe space" for networking among attendees rather than pushing product. By facilitating peer connections and industry conversations around trends and challenges, they generated positive funnel impact while positioning themselves as community builders rather than vendors—a subtle but powerful differentiation in relationship-driven B2B sales.
  7. Frame AI as a Strategic Junior Team Member
    Rather than using AI as "another Google" for quick answers, Josephine's team is exploring how to integrate AI more strategically—treating it like a junior team member who can handle operational tasks and free up capacity for creative, bold campaign work. This reframing helps teams think beyond productivity hacks toward fundamental workflow redesign.
  8. Stay Authentic by Acknowledging Limitations
    In a market where customers are experts who know exactly what features they need, Josephine advocates for transparent communication about what your company can and cannot deliver. Rather than claiming to do everything, highlighting specific strengths and acknowledging boundaries builds deeper trust and stronger positioning than overpromising.

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