--- title: "The Outsider Advantage: A Non-Traditional Marketer Inside a Highly Technical Niche" id: "18102" type: "podcast" slug: "the-outsider-advantage-a-non-traditional-marketer-inside-a-highly-technical-niche" published_at: "2026-05-26T03:05:00+00:00" modified_at: "2026-05-28T12:14:39+00:00" url: "https://kulapartners.com/thekularing/the-outsider-advantage-a-non-traditional-marketer-inside-a-highly-technical-niche/" markdown_url: "https://kulapartners.com/thekularing/the-outsider-advantage-a-non-traditional-marketer-inside-a-highly-technical-niche.md" excerpt: "Helene Tessier didn't plan a career in marketing. She started at the French consulate in China and taught English abroad. When COVID brought her home, she stumbled into TPAC as an interpreter. Soon after, leadership asked her to run marketing...." taxonomy_podcast_category: - "B2B Selling" - "Content Marketing" - "Marketing Strategy" --- #### Episode 392 **May 26, 2026** Helene Tessier didn’t plan a career in marketing. She started at the French consulate in China and taught English abroad. When COVID brought her home, she stumbled into TPAC as an interpreter. Soon after, leadership asked her to run marketing. In this conversation with Jeff and Carman, she explains why TPAC’s PhD-heavy, flat organizational culture wanted someone willing to learn. She also shares how she rebuilt the company’s go-to-market strategy. Her approach centered on trade shows, application-driven web content, and a bold brand presence at the World Conference on NDT (non-destructive testing) that the industry still talks about. Helene also digs into why technical, engineering-led firms struggle with brand rollout. She explains how regulatory and certification changes act as buying triggers in NDT, and what a five-person buying committee means for content strategy. To close, she offers a refreshingly grounded take on AI for marketers entering the field today. ##### *The Outsider Advantage: A Non-Traditional Marketer Inside a Highly Technical Niche* Transcript: **Jeff White:** Welcome to The Kula Ring, a podcast for manufacturing marketers brought to you by Kula Partners. My name is Jeff White, and joining me today is Carman Pirie. Carman, how are you doing, sir? **Carman Pirie:** Jeff, I’m doing well. I have no idea where today’s show is going, though, per normal. It’s always an adventure. **Jeff White:** Absolutely. I do think that a lot of the folks we speak to have very well-defined ideal customer profiles, and within those ICPs, they have pretty easy-to-understand personas. **Carman Pirie:** There can be very specific use cases for a lot of products that are manufactured. And that’s why it’s interesting to encounter a firm and a marketer who’s dealing with the challenge that, basically, a lot of people can use what they do, and do use what they do. So, how do you target? How do you think about marketing in that world? How do you think about educating prospects in that space? It’s an interesting challenge. **Jeff White:** Yeah, I agree. So let’s get into it. Joining us today is Helene Tessier. Helene is the Marketing Manager at TPAC. Welcome to The Kula Ring, Helene. **Helene Tessier:** Thank you very much. Very happy to join you today. **Carman Pirie:** Helene, it’s wonderful to have you on the show, and it’s nice to have a French name on the show as well, because Jeff gets to exercise his “Parlez-vous en français…” **Helene Tessier:** …juste un peu?” Oui, bonjour. **Carman Pirie:**Oh yeah. A little air once in a while. **Jeff White:** Once in a while. **Carman Pirie:** Helene, it is wonderful to have you on the show. Thank you for joining us. I wonder if you could introduce us to the company first, and tell us what you’re all up to there. **Helene Tessier:** Yes. At TPAC, we work in the NDT (non-destructive testing) sector. Basically, our role is to test the integrity of components used across many industries to ensure they’re secure and safe, and that there’s no risk of catastrophic failure within an infrastructure. The NDT industry isn’t very well known, but the mission is really key. It’s quite niche, and within this industry, there are many technologies you could use, such as eddy-current testing, radiographic testing, magnetic particle testing, and so on. We focus on one technology: ultrasonic testing. With this technology, we can see the entire piece, including potential defects, not just on the surface or near the surface. **Carman Pirie:** Really cool. And you took an interesting path to being a marketer of non-destructive testing solutions. How did you end up there? **Helene Tessier:** Yes, indeed. It was a fluke, let’s say. I started my career in China, moving from working at the French consulate to becoming an English teacher. When COVID happened, I had to go back home, like many people at that time. And it was very complicated for me to realize I couldn’t be in education in France; it was a different audience, let’s say. So I thought I could try to use my skills as an interpreter within companies, and that’s how I found TPAC, just for a short-term mission. They liked the international profile. TPAC is a very international company. They gave me a few other missions, and then they said, “Okay, we really need someone for marketing, so please join us.” It was great. **Jeff White:** And the company’s based in the US, but you’re in France? **Helene Tessier:** Actually, most of the team is in France, but we do have a big office in Westchester, Ohio. **Jeff White:** Ah, that’s what I saw on the LinkedIn profile. **Carman Pirie:**Yeah, they’ve spoofed their location on the internet. **Jeff White:** Just to throw me off the case. **Carman Pirie:** Exactly. I think the challenge we talked about at the opening of the show—this notion that there are a lot of different organizations that can leverage your non-destructive testing capabilities. There are many use cases, so it’s hard to wrap your arms around a customer profile or persona. So if you can’t do that, if you can’t identify who you’re targeting particularly well, where do you start? **Helene Tessier:** That’s a great question. Just for a bit of context: I’m three and a half years in, and when I arrived, the marketing role was vacant. So it was a great opportunity in the sense that, okay, we don’t have a customer persona defined that opens up lots of testing possibilities. First, our team is high-tech and technology-focused, and most of the time, we’re addressing a high-tech audience as well. So we thought the natural thing would be to market our technology, talk about the specific algorithms we can use for plane-wave imaging and this type of beamforming, and so on. We had all the data sheets and the specs, and showed the data throughput. That was the first thing, because it just centred on the product. As we progressed, we realized that’s not really what an NDT buyer is going to type in when they’re looking for a solution. They’re going to look for HTHA detection for their test piece, or corrosion under insulation, et cetera. So that was the first thing we did. And of course, we know that if we talk to everyone, we’re not going to be able to really target anyone. But the NDT world is very alive in the trade fair business; we meet very regularly. So one of our first missions was also to build brand recognition for TPAC through the trade fairs. We invested a lot when I just started. For NDT, every country has its own association, such as ASNT in the US, BINDT in the UK, and so on. When I just joined, it was kind of the championship, the World Cup of NDT, which is the World Conference. It was in Seoul, and it’s supposed to happen every four years, but after COVID, it was like a huge reunion after eight years. Oh my God, we invested so much in being seen there. We had four balloons, every two meters in diameter, that lifted like a veil to 10 meters, and we had a laser show on them. It’s very weird for NDT to do all that, but our tagline is also “unique in NDT,” and we really wanted to show we existed. For sure, all the companies there remember us since then. **Jeff White:** Other than the big NDT-type shows, how do you choose other venues to go to, if there are so many different folks that can buy ultrasonic testing? **Helene Tessier:** Yeah. For example, we were just at the Düsseldorf Tube. They do a huge exhibition. There, for sure, we’ll have a much smaller booth, but we do know that some clients will be there. So we choose the big trade shows in the industries we serve, and we make sure we’re there. There’s one for aerospace, and so on. We can’t invest as much in all of them. **Carman Pirie:** It’s interesting to me that, sure, the customer personas aren’t easily defined, but because of that, the NDT niche itself is perhaps a little bit better organized. You mentioned it’s a very trade-show-heavy sector, and I’m sure many of those varied buyers attend NDT shows to find solutions for their NDT requirements. So it’s interesting to think about that versus Jeff’s question about actually attending vertical-specific trade shows. So, TPAC, what does TPAC stand for again? Could you remind me? **Helene Tessier:**So it’s The Phased Array Company. Phased array is one UT technology. Before, it was conventional UT. Basically, your scan showed less coverage at one time. Then PAUT became the most-used technology. But now it’s not the most advanced one. That’s why we switched to TPAC: now we have lots of others with faster scan coverage and better-resolution imaging, et cetera. **Carman Pirie:**Okay, that kind of answers it. I was wondering if that was part of the launch as well, the laser show and the big reveal were all about the name change. **Helene Tessier:** Yeah. No, the name was already there, and the logo was already just TPAC, although the full name was the longer version. But now, yeah, we just— **Carman Pirie:**Understood. **Jeff White:** You mentioned that you’re really trying to make a big splash at that trade show in terms of brand awareness. It can be difficult to turn an acronym into a more recognizable brand. Have you found any challenges with that? **Helene Tessier:** Yes, I do think there was maybe some confusion around it. Our team in the US is a little more attached to the Phasor Inc. brand, so sometimes we still have both branding lying around. But most people will know TPAC is the Phasor Inc. company. There was not one perfect moment when the whole company aligned. Actually, that’s kind of part of TPAC’s DNA as well; we’re a flat organization. There is no manager, no big decision committee or big decision process. It’s usually just conversations, and then we try to inform everyone involved. So it creates complexity and challenge for sure. That might explain why it wasn’t, like, from one day to the next, the whole company had to change. We’re moving from Phasor Inc. to TPAC, and we’ll communicate about it. Actually, it really didn’t happen like that. **Jeff White:**Speak to some of the challenges of highly technical, probably engineering-led firms that maybe aren’t thinking of those things, or the nuances of brand rollout. **Carman Pirie:**Yeah, and made more complex by the flat organization and decision-making structure. That’s interesting. 100%. Helene, when you think about your educational background and coming into the world of marketing, what superpower do you bring with you? What do you know about marketing that somebody who has that educational background might not? Because I’m guessing it fuels a unique approach to the work, or a different way of thinking about it. **Helene Tessier:** I think what was really appreciated by my team is that I’m a person who can make things happen without having to understand everything. It might not sound great, but from my experience of living in China, you can’t get it all, but you can still understand what’s needed from you right now and run with it. That was really what our company needed, because they had experience hiring for traditional marketing roles that were trying to implement more classic approaches, and it wasn’t what they were looking for. So they appreciated the blank-canvas part of me and the fact that I wasn’t afraid to move things along, learning as I went with my teammates, the application specialists, and some other folks who are PhDs in ultrasonic imaging. Not being afraid to move along and learn as I go has been a real asset that I think has kept me here. **Jeff White:** I love that. That’s good advice. **Carman Pirie:** Yeah, I love it being able to deal with the ambiguity of it. I think it’s mission impossible for many marketers to ever understand the products they’re marketing, highly technical, engineered products, at the level of the product development or engineering team. They’re just not. But to your point, you don’t necessarily have to in order to still market it appropriately. I’ve sometimes tried to lean on the idea that not knowing as much about it may make you similarly knowledgeable to the people you’re selling to, which doesn’t hurt. I think it helps meet them where they’re at a little bit more. **Jeff White:** Yeah, potentially better represent the buyer internally. That’s really interesting. **Carman Pirie:**Helene, I wonder what’s on the horizon for marketing. You mentioned that it’s very trade-show-heavy, and there’s lots of that work. As you look at what’s on the horizon and what it’s going to take to take TPAC to the next level, how would you articulate that? **Helene Tessier:**Yeah, that’s a conversation we’re having with our team, because now we’re three full-time marketing managers at TPAC. We call ourselves managers, but actually, we’re just managing our team. We’ve been top-of-the-funnel so far, and I guess our real focus now is to drive a lot more lead generation and bring this business in. We’ve launched a whole new website. One thing we focused on was reaching our buyers a bit more through this new website: we added application pages that weren’t on the previous one. So, through that, we’re bringing in traffic, and our whole business development team says we’re getting 10 times more contact forms since the new website. So this has been great. Now we really want to get more in the thick of it, maybe looking at paid search ads for specific applications. One thing we realized is that, because our sales cycles are so long, we’re not going to have a single buyer or decision-maker. When it comes to buying, it’s going to be a whole group of people. By the time we reach a decision, we’ve probably spoken with the Level 3 inspector, the inspection engineer, the quality product manager, procurement, and the plant assets manager. They all have a job to be done that’s the same but slightly different, and a different purchase trigger. So we’re definitely going to deepen the research on that and find a better approach to get more specific. Our challenge is: what level of personalization can we achieve given the size of the marketing team we have at this time? We’re leveraging AI tools, and if we get our experts on board to make sure everything is right, because of course, we can’t rely on AI only, that’s our next step. **Carman Pirie:**So you’re really seeing it as: you’ve laid the groundwork with the awareness build, you’re happy with how that’s gone, and it’s about turning the attention to optimizing on the lead gen side. That makes sense to me. **Jeff White:** It does sound like you’re getting to a place where maybe you don’t have the detail and level of persona you might want, given the breadth of industries that can buy it. But it sounds like you’re starting to understand that these are the titles we’re going to be targeting with different types of information, because, as you say, they probably all have very different interests in the decision-making and different roles in that, I would suppose. **Helene Tessier:** Yeah. It’s also a timing opportunity. In NDT, it’s always about compliance with norms. When a norm changes in the aerospace industry or something like that for some companies, if you know them well, if you already have that relationship, you know it means they’re going to have to change their NDT equipment. That’s definitely our business development work: to nurture that relationship and know what’s going on, because that’s usually very confidential who is using what. But yeah, we’re also trying to be more aware of any certifications that might change and trigger equipment obsolescence in one company or another. **Jeff White:**That’s a really interesting trigger that not a lot of other industries have, in terms of being able to react to that kind of thing. One assumes these are primarily regulatory. Is TPAC involved in any of that, to contribute to the regulations or to understand and learn more about them globally? I don’t know if that’s necessarily even available. **Helene Tessier:**No, I don’t think we’re part of that conversation. But being part of those NDT associations I mentioned at the beginning, you are informed and early, let’s say. **Carman Pirie:** Yeah. We’ve talked about using regulatory triggers to initiate go-to-market motions before. One of the challenges with that, of course, is that if the regulations aren’t particularly well enforced, then it doesn’t much matter. But in this instance, most of these testing regulations are actually quite reasonably well enforced, Jeff, so it’s interesting to think about. Staying involved with the association so you get early knowledge of these triggers and can plan accordingly makes sense. Helene, I want to benefit from your advice as someone who has taught students. **Helene Tessier:** Yes. **Carman Pirie:** I want to get your advice for folks just entering marketing, and see what you have to teach them. What would you tell someone who’s curious about getting into marketing but whose career path to date hasn’t gotten them there? **Helene Tessier:**It’s funny, because I just did an interview for a student who was doing marketing. She was already on that path, but it was all those questions. What I would say to someone who’s considering it: think about how far you can take it if you’re motivated, if you love your team and what you’re doing. You have such potential with your personality and your work to make it grow. It’s a job that’s never done, that’s the issue. You cannot close your computer and think that nothing is left to do when you’re done with your day. But it’s going to allow you to develop a wide range of skills, creativity, strategic thinking, and analysis. It’s a really well-rounded job. There is so much to do, and I kind of love it. I didn’t choose it, I didn’t study it. I’m not going to say it chose me, like the wand with Harry Potter, but I was definitely lucky. I think it’s a great path to pursue. **Carman Pirie:** I think it’s an interesting point you raise that perhaps more than some other professions, it offers a bit of an opportunity for you to leave your mark as an individual. Yeah, I don’t know. Maybe there’s an accountant listening who’s going to say, “No, I can leave my mark too,” but I’m going to fight against the accountants and say, “No, marketing’s better.” But yeah, I think it’s encouraging. It’s interesting that we’re talking about that question immediately after your conversation about AI and leveraging AI tools, because I’ve heard a bit of commentary lately about aspiring marketing students considering other professions because of their fear of AI. So I love that we’re bookending that and saying, no, you actually have a great opportunity to contribute and the person telling you that is also using AI heavily in her role. So that’s positive. I didn’t have a question there, Jeff. It was just more like saying it was good. **Jeff White:** Yeah, I was listening to it thinking, “Is there a question anywhere here? Can I answer something?” You’re quite right. There remains a tremendous opportunity in marketing, and those who are open to using these tools, which is what they are, they’re not replacements for us, they’re tools for people who understand both the marketing and the people we’re selling to, to do better work and have more impact. So that’s great advice. Thank you so much for joining us today, Hélène. We’ve loved having you on the show. **Helene Tessier:** Thank you very much. I was really happy about this opportunity once again. It’s been great. **Carman Pirie:** Thank you. [Read Full Transcript](#podcast-transcript) [« Episode 391: Beyond the Brochure: How to Structure a Sales Narrative Around Total Cost of Ownership](https://kulapartners.com/thekularing/beyond-the-brochure-how-to-structure-a-sales-narrative-around-total-cost-of-ownership/) [Episode 394: Making LinkedIn Work for Niche Manufacturing: A Solo Marketer’s Playbook »](https://kulapartners.com/thekularing/making-linkedin-work-for-niche-manufacturing-a-solo-marketers-playbook/) #### Featuring ### Hélène Tessier Marketing Manager at TPAC- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/helene-tessier-tpacaos/) Hélène is a Marketing Manager at TPAC – The Phased Array Company, a company specializing in advanced ultrasonic testing solutions. Her path into the world of B2B marketing and non-destructive testing was not quite conventional. Before joining the Non-Destructive Testing industry over 3.5 years ago, she worked in several roles China from the French Consulate visa services to teaching English in Beijing. What started as an unexpected career turn into B2B marketing became a passion developing content that connects system capabilities, inspection challenges, and operational realities across industry. Her work spans digital marketing, content strategy, brand communications, customer engagement, and of course the beloved world of international industry trade fairs. ### Subscribe ### Get Episodes by Email The Kula Ring is a podcast for manufacturing marketers looking to enhance their impact and grow their organizations. Hosted by Jeff White and Carman Pirie, it features discussions with industry leaders who share their experience, insights and strategies on topics like account-based marketing (ABM), sales and marketing alignment, and digital transformation. The Kula Ring offers practical advice and tips from the trenches for success in today’s B2B industrial landscape. ### About Kula Kula Partners is an agency that specializes in maximizing revenue potential for B2B manufacturers. Our clients sell within complex, technical environments and we help them take a more targeted, account-focused approach to drive revenue growth within niche markets.