The Life-Long Customer: Recent Episodes
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We're interviewing successful Sales & Marketing leaders, discussing ways in which they are building lifelong relationships with their customers.
Join us on the LifeLong Customer Podcast as host Brad Hammond welcomes David Golden, Head of Marketing at Ambient, a dynamic holdings company specializing in HVAC design across various subsidiaries.
In this episode, David shares his journey from the hospitality industry to leading marketing efforts in a highly specialized engineering field. He discusses the challenges and strategies of integrating multiple company brands under one umbrella, emphasizing indoor air quality and the importance of maintaining strong customer relationships.
Tune in to discover how Ambient navigates marketing complexities and leverages digital transformation to stay ahead in the competitive HVAC industry.
In this episode of the LifeLong Customer Podcast, host Brad Hammond sits down with Adam Philipp, Founder and Patent Attorney at ÆON Law.
With nearly two decades at the helm of a pure intellectual property boutique, Adam shares his rich journey from a computer science enthusiast to a revered patent attorney.
This episode dives deep into the nuances of patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. Adam discusses the unique challenges of scaling a service business and the strategic shift towards fixed-price packages that enhanced client relationships.
Whether you're a budding entrepreneur or a seasoned inventor, this episode is packed with invaluable insights on navigating the complex terrain of intellectual property.
Dive into the world of B2B marketing with Boris Rabinovici, CEO of RAB2B, in this captivating episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast.
Host Brad Hammond explores Boris's journey from growing up in the family business to leading a company that specializes in Industrial Tech and Healthcare marketing. Discover the importance of putting the audience at the center, the impact of AI on agility and efficiency, and the significance of first-party data in strategic planning. Boris shares valuable insights on the buyer's journey, the role of technology as an enabler, and the crucial balance between quick wins and long-term transformative effects.
In this episode of the LifeLong Customer podcast, Brad Hammond sits down with Adrienne Wilkerson, CEO at Beacon Media + Marketing, to discuss the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing and the impact of AI. Adrienne shares insights from her journey, starting as a graphic designer and transitioning into the world of digital marketing. She delves into the importance of authenticity in marketing, highlighting the role of AI as a co-pilot in data analysis and trend spotting. Join us as we explore the challenges and opportunities of the AI revolution and its implications for businesses and marketers.
Join us for an conversation with Kathleen Pomento, Chief Marketing Officer of ProcureAbility, as she shares her journey from unconventional beginnings to becoming a marketing leader. Kathleen's story is one of resilience, mentorship, and advocating for others. Discover how ProcureAbility is transforming procurement functions globally and why Kathleen believes in the power of mentorship and following your passion.
Join Brad Hammond on the Lifelong Customer Podcast as he sits down with Chris Scharman, CEO of AvTech Capital, to explore Chris's unique path from setting up schools abroad to leading a finance company.
Chris shares his philosophy on building a strong company culture, the importance of intentionality in leadership, and the power of embracing mistakes for growth. Discover how AvTech Capital has achieved remarkable growth by prioritizing relationships and creating an environment where employees thrive.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast, host Brad Hammond welcomes Larry Schwartz, Head of Marketing at EZOPS Inc.
Larry delves into his accidental journey into marketing, the evolution of his career, and the birth of EZOPS, a fintech company revolutionizing workflow automation in financial services. Discover the power of AI and machine learning in enhancing productivity and reducing errors, the importance of continuous learning in marketing, and Larry's unique perspective on the future of marketing with his added "four Ps" - Plan, Produce, Pivot, and Performance.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast, host Brad Hammond is joined by Jeff Rosenblum, Co-CEO of Questus, a next-generation advertising agency.
Jeff shares his insights on empowering audiences, building world-class brands, and the importance of culture in a company's success. Discover how Questus is bridging the gap between data and creativity to create marketing initiatives that resonate with consumers and build brand champions. Jeff also discusses the evolving landscape of advertising and the critical role of content distribution in today's digital age.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast, host Brad Hammond is joined by Kristina McCoobery, CEO of INVNT and COO of INVNT GROUP, a global live brand storytelling agency.
Kristina shares her journey from starting the company during the 2008 economic meltdown to growing it into a thriving global agency. She discusses the importance of authenticity in storytelling, the evolution of live events, and how technology like AI and Web3 is shaping the future of marketing.
Gain insights into creating memorable brand experiences and the power of listening and patience in leadership.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast, host Brad Hammond welcomes Matthew Davis, CMO at TradePending.
Matthew shares his journey from selling baskets as a child to leading marketing efforts in the automotive software industry. Discover how TradePending is simplifying the car buying process by bridging the information gap between dealers and consumers. Learn about the power of video content in B2B marketing, the challenges of creating demand, and the importance of patience in professional growth.
This episode is packed with insights for marketers and entrepreneurs alike, offering valuable lessons on innovation, content creation, and career development.
Join host Brad Hammond in this episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast as he chats with Sam Shepler, Founder & CEO of Testimonial Hero.
Sam shares his journey from snowboarding film enthusiast to pioneering a niche in video production focused on high-quality B2B customer testimonial videos. Discover how Testimonial Hero is revolutionizing the way companies use video testimonials to accelerate sales and build brand trust. Learn about the challenges of creating compelling video content, the importance of productizing services for scalability, and how Sam's company innovated during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue delivering exceptional value to clients like HubSpot, Intercom, and DocuSign.
This episode is a must-listen for marketers, entrepreneurs, and anyone looking to leverage the power of video testimonials in their business strategy.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast, host Brad Hammond sits down with Kevin Bibelhausen, Partner at Fruition Capital.
Kevin shares his transformative journey from a decade-long career in healthcare technology to embracing entrepreneurship and acquiring small businesses. Discover how Kevin's passion for revitalizing established businesses led him to raise $800,000 in capital and make strategic investments through Fruition Capital. Learn about the intricacies of self-funded search, the importance of operational efficiency, and Kevin's vision for creating a portfolio of sustainable, luxury consumer goods companies.
Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or an investor looking for new opportunities, Kevin's insights and experiences offer valuable lessons on growth, resilience, and the power of putting yourself out there.
Join Brad Hammond in this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast as he sits down with Kelly Owen Grover, Chief Marketing Officer at Lynkwell, a leader in electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions.
Kelly shares her journey from biopharma to marketing and discusses the pivotal role of EV charging in today's energy revolution. Discover how Lynkwell's innovative products and services are not just about hardware but also about creating seamless experiences for both businesses and consumers. Kelly also delves into the importance of data governance in marketing, providing actionable insights for marketers looking to harness the power of data for strategic decision-making.
Tune in for an enlightening conversation on the intersection of marketing, technology, and sustainability.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, host Brad Hammond welcomes John Rarrick, Head of Marketing at Movius Corp, a trailblazer in mobility solutions.
John shares his remarkable journey from hospitality to marketing, and how he has navigated the dynamic landscape of B2B marketing. Dive into the heart of Movius Corp's innovative product, MultiLine, which is transforming business communication by offering a second, secure business phone number on any smartphone without a SIM. John delves into the strategic shift towards email marketing, the importance of data-driven decision-making, and the value of mentors in shaping a successful marketing career.
Listen in for an inspiring conversation on staying nimble in the face of rapid technological changes and making impactful marketing decisions.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, host Brad Hammond welcomes Mitch Speers, Chief Revenue Officer and Co-Founder of BuyerForesight, to delve into the world of audience-based marketing.
Mitch shares his journey in the marketing and sales field, the inception of BuyerForesight, and how the company has grown to operate in six countries without outside investment. The discussion focuses on the importance of capturing the attention of senior-level executives amidst the flood of marketing messages and the challenges posed by the proliferation of generative AI in content creation. Mitch introduces the concept of audience-based marketing, emphasizing the need to build communities of prospects and customers by providing value beyond sales pitches. He illustrates this approach with the example of the BuyerForesight Oracle program and offers advice for marketers and CEOs looking to adopt this strategy.
The episode concludes with Mitch's reflections on his career and the significance of engaging with prospects and customers to build positive relationships.
In this episode of the "LifeLong Customer" podcast, your host Brad Hammond sits down with Evan Day, Head of Marketing at CAN Capital, to delve into the world of marketing automation and relationship building.
Evan, with his extensive experience in marketing, shares valuable insights into how CAN Capital, a small business lender, uses automation to enhance customer experiences. He emphasizes the importance of data-driven decision-making and building strong relationships with customers. Evan's advice to trust yourself, be creative, and focus on steady progress serves as a guiding light for marketers at all stages of their careers.
Tune in to gain practical tips for improving your marketing strategies and connecting with your audience on a deeper level.
Join us on this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast as we dive into the ever-evolving world of digital marketing and the transformative power of AI. Our guest, CJ Bachmann, the CEO of 1SEO Digital Agency, shares her journey from sales and marketing in the construction industry to leading a cutting-edge digital marketing agency.
Discover how CJ's insights into AI and emerging technologies are reshaping the way businesses connect with their audiences online. From the impact of AI on SEO to the rise of AI-driven chatbots, this conversation is a must-listen for anyone looking to stay ahead in the world of digital marketing.
Learn how CJ's perspective on leadership, human capital, and decision-making can empower your business to thrive in the digital age. Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and actionable advice from a seasoned industry leader.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast, our host Brad Hammond sits down with Ken Robbins, the CEO and Founder of Response Mine Interactive.
Ken shares his journey from being recruited by a TV ad agency in the 90s to becoming the head of a digital direct response ad agency specializing in mid-market growth clients. He reveals how he landed big-name clients like Home Depot and what sets direct response marketing apart.
Ken also delves into the power of networking and relationship-building in growing a business. He emphasizes the importance of clarifying your value proposition, attending workshops and trade shows, and leveraging content marketing to attract and retain clients.
Tune in to learn valuable insights on networking and securing major clients from an industry expert.
In this episode of the "Lifelong Customer" podcast, our host Brad Hammond sits down with Perryn Olson, the Chief Marketing Officer at REX.one, a parent brand for multiple companies. Perryn discusses his unique approach to marketing, where he manages a hybrid marketing department that combines the best of both in-house and agency strategies. He delves into the challenges and advantages of marketing for multiple brands under one umbrella and how they've created a centralized system to optimize marketing efforts.
Perryn shares valuable insights on the importance of understanding your customers, not just through surveys and spreadsheets but by genuinely connecting with them. He emphasizes the growing need for personalization in marketing and how knowing your customers inside out can lead to more effective campaigns.
Moreover, Perryn shares his unconventional career journey, from a graphic designer to a marketing strategist, and how he found his passion for marketing in the construction industry. He reflects on the changing landscape of marketing and its increasing importance in driving business strategy.
Tune in to gain practical marketing wisdom from Perryn Olson and discover how to build a successful marketing strategy for a portfolio of brands.
In this episode of the LifeLong Customer podcast, host Brad Hammond sits down with Andy Schectman, President and CEO at Miles Franklin Ltd. Precious Metals.
Andy shares his remarkable journey of taking a small precious metals company from a one-room office to crossing $9 billion in sales without a single customer complaint over 34 years. He delves into the importance of relationships, integrity, and over-delivering in business, emphasizing the value of personal communication in the digital age.
Learn how Andy and his company have leveraged influencer partnerships and online platforms like YouTube to reach a broader audience while maintaining the highest standards of service. Discover the key principles that have contributed to the enduring success of Miles Franklin Ltd. Precious Metals.
Join us on this episode of the LifeLong Customer Podcast as we dive into the exciting world of AI, marketing, and automation. Our guest, Kendall E. Matthews, Head of Marketing at ElectroNeek, brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective on how artificial intelligence is changing the marketing landscape.
Kendall shares his journey from mechanical engineering to marketing, highlighting the importance of being a lifelong learner and a better communicator. Discover how AI is more than just a buzzword for Kendall; it's a discipline that can empower marketers to become better leaders and storytellers.
Learn about the AI tools Kendall loves, like Google BERT and Perplexity AI, and how they can revolutionize your marketing efforts. He emphasizes the significance of showing your work, constantly learning, and leading leaders rather than task doers.
Don't miss this episode if you want to sprint through life with a sense of urgency and maximize your impact in the world of marketing and automation.
In this episode of the "LifeLong Customer" podcast, host Brad Hammond sits down with David Searns, Co-CEO at Haley Marketing Group, a leading marketing firm serving the staffing industry for nearly three decades. David shares his incredible journey from transforming his parents' old-school sales business into a cutting-edge marketing agency, specializing in staffing and recruiting.
They delve into the strategies that have helped Haley Marketing Group thrive through challenging times, including the dot-com bubble and the 2008 recession. David emphasizes the importance of understanding your customers' needs, even in a downturn, and how adapting your messaging can make all the difference. He also highlights the power of trust-building through generosity, providing valuable insights, and leveraging industry associations.
Tune in to gain valuable insights into marketing, sales, and persistence from a seasoned industry expert who has weathered storms and emerged stronger.
In this episode of the LifeLong Customer podcast, host Brad Hammond sits down with Adrian Fulle, the Global Chief Marketing Officer at ByoPlanet.
Adrian shares his incredible journey from the entertainment industry to marketing and provides valuable insights on how to approach marketing strategy, especially in times of change and with the integration of AI and new technologies. Discover the importance of fostering a culture of innovation, embracing AI as a productivity booster, and why servant leadership can be a game-changer in marketing.
Don't miss this enlightening conversation on the evolving landscape of marketing and leadership.
Join us on this episode of the LifeLong Customer Podcast as we dive into the world of functional fitness and the innovative approach of Pvolve. Our guest, Karina Kogan, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer at Pvolve, shares her journey through the world of digital transformation, from the dot-com bubble to her current role.
Discover how Pvolve, a science-led functional fitness company, has disrupted the traditional fitness industry by combining functional movement with resistance-based equipment. Karina explains why functional fitness is not just a workout but a lifelong investment in your health, suitable for all stages of life and even those with body sensitivities or injuries.
Learn about the unique omni-channel model of Pvolve, bridging the gap between at-home workouts and boutique studio experiences.
Plus, find out how Jennifer Aniston's partnership has transformed Pvolve's awareness.
If you're a marketer or fitness enthusiast looking for insights into building a brand, scaling a company, and the convergence of performance and brand marketing, this episode is a must-listen.
Don't miss out on this fascinating conversation that goes beyond fitness and into the world of marketing strategy and personal growth.
In this episode of the LifeLong Customer podcast, join your host Brad Hammond as he sits down with Doug Reifschneider, Fractional Chief Marketing Officer at Chief Outsiders.
Doug shares insights into the ever-evolving world of marketing and the disruptive force of AI. He discusses the role of AI in marketing, dispels common fears, and emphasizes the importance of embracing this technology as a marketer. Doug also provides valuable career advice for marketing leaders, emphasizing the need to specialize and stay current with industry trends.
Don't miss this episode filled with wisdom for both aspiring and experienced marketers.
In this episode of the LifeLong Customer podcast, host Brad Hammond sits down with Martino Stanzani, CEO at Key Marketing Strategies. Martino shares his journey from being an artist to becoming a marketing expert, and how he founded Key Marketing Strategies, a company that specializes in digital marketing for startups and small businesses. Martino discusses the challenges of marketing on a budget and emphasizes the importance of prioritizing customer satisfaction. He also delves into the role of AI in marketing and provides valuable insights for marketing leaders and business owners looking to maximize their marketing efforts.
Tune in to this insightful conversation to discover practical tips and strategies for marketing effectively when resources are limited.
In this episode of the LifeLong Customer Podcast, our host Brad Hammond engages in an enlightening conversation with Abdul Rastagar, Head of Marketing at Lexitas Pharma Services, Inc. Abdul shares his journey from a background in organic chemistry to becoming a marketer, highlighting the challenges and transitions he faced along the way.
The discussion delves into the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in modern marketing. Abdul offers a unique perspective on AI's potential to transform marketing processes, emphasizing the importance of approaching it strategically and not just as a technological solution. He illustrates the power of generative AI in providing more effective mechanisms for accessing existing information, while also foreseeing its future potential in creating new insights and customer experiences.
The conversation then shifts to the intriguing topic of building a brand from scratch. Abdul talks about his experience in rebranding Lexitas Pharma Services and the essential elements of brand development. He emphasizes that a brand is not just about logos and colors; it's synonymous with trust. Abdul shares how Lexitas Pharma Services conducted in-depth research and client engagement to understand their brand's identity and effectively position it in a niche market.
Throughout the episode, Abdul offers valuable insights into the evolving landscape of marketing and brand development, making it a must-listen for marketers, business leaders, and anyone interested in the intersection of AI and branding.
Tune in to this episode to discover the power of AI in marketing and the art of crafting a brand that truly resonates with your audience.
Welcome to the LifeLong Customer Podcast! In this episode, we sit down with Chris Beall, CEO of ConnectAndSell, to unravel the mysteries of effective cold calling.
Cold calling is often considered a daunting task, but Chris brings clarity to the process. He emphasizes the importance of building trust within the first seven seconds of a call and shares a five-sentence script that can work wonders in generating curiosity and securing meetings.
Discover why it's crucial not to rush the process and why patience is key in the world of sales. Chris also emphasizes the value of connecting with fellow CEOs and business leaders to gain insights into their challenges and solutions.
Tune in for a masterclass in cold calling and sales strategy, and learn why going against the grain might just be your path to success.
Join us in this captivating episode of the LifeLong Customer Podcast as we dive into the world of business improvisation with our special guest, Bob Kulhan, President & CEO at Business Improvisations. Host Brad Hammond takes us on a journey through Bob's remarkable career, from his roots as a professional improv comedian to his groundbreaking venture into the world of business.
Bob shares his unique perspective on how the principles of improvisation can be extracted from comedy and applied to business. With over 25 years of experience, Bob has not only reshaped the way businesses think but has also made improvisation an integral part of business education.
Discover the key competencies of reacting, adapting, and communicating, and learn how they can revolutionize decision-making, problem-solving, and teamwork in any organization. Bob's insights and anecdotes will inspire you to embrace serendipity, persevere through challenges, and stay open to innovation in your entrepreneurial journey.
Tune in for an engaging conversation that might just change the way you approach business and leadership. Don't miss this opportunity to unlock the power of business improv!
Join us on this dynamic episode of the LifeLong Customer Podcast as we chat with Kraig Kleeman, Founder & Executive Producer at Rock The C-Suite, and the driving force behind The New Workforce. Kraig, known as the "Chief Rock 'n' Roll Officer" by his employees, shares his journey of business growth and transformation.
In this conversation, Kraig sheds light on how he rapidly scaled The New Workforce, providing outsourced talent solutions in Southeast Asia. Discover his secrets to building strong connections, leveraging referrals, and strategically targeting private equity companies to drive growth.
Kraig's unique personal brand, featuring his rock 'n' roll persona, has been instrumental in building meaningful business relationships. He emphasizes the importance of understanding generational distinctions, which can significantly impact business success and communication strategies.
Don't miss this episode as we explore how passion, authenticity, and an understanding of generational dynamics can propel your business to new heights. Tune in for a rockin' discussion filled with valuable insights and actionable advice.
In this episode of the LifeLong Customer podcast, our host Brad Hammond engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Kristian Marquez, the President & CEO at FinStrat Management, Inc. Kristian shares his remarkable journey from a career in the military to becoming a successful CEO and founder in the world of FinTech.
With a strong background in finance and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder, Kristian started his career in accounting and finance. He then ventured into healthcare IT, seizing a market opportunity and helping grow a business from zero to $80 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). Afterward, he co-founded a telemedicine startup, raising $2.5 million in pre-revenue funding, and learned valuable lessons from its challenges.
Eventually, Kristian founded FinStrat Management, a distributed team of accounting and finance professionals that primarily serves early-stage venture-backed companies in the B2B SaaS space. He discusses the importance of adding value to customers, understanding market dynamics, and maintaining healthy margins in business.
The conversation delves into marketing and positioning strategies, emphasizing the value of solving real problems for customers. Kristian also shares insights on founder-led sales and the stages of hiring sales professionals.
As the episode concludes, Kristian offers a powerful message of optimism, encouraging listeners to maintain a positive outlook, create a better future, and keep pushing forward.
Tune in to gain valuable insights from Kristian Marquez's journey, and learn how to navigate the world of FinTech and entrepreneurship while focusing on delivering real value to customers.
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In this captivating episode of the LifeLong Customer podcast, our host Brad Hammond sits down with Simon Wilby, the visionary CEO of The Smart Inventor. Simon takes us on a journey through his lifelong passion for invention and innovation, culminating in his groundbreaking project, 1Voice.AI.
1Voice.AI is set to transform the way we communicate globally by obliterating language barriers. Simon explains how this telecommunication system offers real-time language translation, allowing you to speak in your preferred language while your conversation partner hears it in theirs. It's like having a universal translator at your fingertips, accessible through a simple browser.
Simon shares his insights on entrepreneurship and startup strategy, emphasizing the importance of finding a marketing company that truly believes in your vision. He emphasizes the value of perseverance and not giving up on your dreams, no matter the obstacles you encounter.
Discover the fascinating world of innovation, communication, and the power of unwavering determination in this episode with Simon Wilby. Don't miss out on the next big thing in global communication. Tune in now!
In this episode, we delve into the remarkable journey of Janneh Wright, Founder & CEO of PRIMUS Business Management. With over two decades of experience, Janneh takes us on a captivating ride from his early startup days to PRIMUS' current standing as a thriving enterprise.
Discover the strategies and pivotal moments that have propelled PRIMUS to success, providing indispensable support to small businesses and nonprofits. Janneh's commitment to community-centric organizations shines through as he discusses how PRIMUS helps these entities streamline their operations, allowing them to focus on their core missions.
Join us as Janneh shares the entrepreneurial wisdom he's gained over the years, including his insights into the critical role of systems, delegation, and personal growth. Whether you're a seasoned business leader or aspiring entrepreneur, this episode offers valuable takeaways and inspiration for your own journey. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from a true business visionary.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, host Brad Hammond sits down with Mikhail Myzgin, VP of Marketing at Slice, Inc. They delve into Slice's innovative LinkedIn strategy that has generated remarkable results. Mikhail shares how they use thought-provoking content to engage their target audience of safety managers in the industrial sector. Learn how Slice combines captivating discussions with transparent product promotion to create brand affinity and drive lead generation. Discover the key lessons learned from their successful LinkedIn campaign and how they transformed their approach to content and marketing.
Tune in to gain insights into building brand trust, developing a loyal audience, and optimizing your LinkedIn strategy for real impact. Don't miss this episode if you're looking to elevate your marketing game and foster meaningful connections with your audience on LinkedIn.
Join us in this enlightening episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast as we sit down with John Renken, CEO of Sales Platoon.
John's journey from military service to becoming a CEO is nothing short of inspiring. He shares his insights into the world of sales, especially focusing on transitioning military personnel into lucrative sales careers.
Discover how Sales Platoon equips veterans with the skills they need to excel in sales and connects them with companies offering great opportunities. John also delves into his unique approach to growing the company, combining old-school dialing techniques with modern LinkedIn strategies.
Learn from John's experiences as he discusses the challenges of managing multiple companies, the importance of delegation and automation, and the valuable lesson he's learned about pursuing opportunities over security. Whether you're a business leader or someone navigating career transitions, this episode offers wisdom and inspiration to help you succeed. Tune in now!
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, we're joined by Mike Powers, President and CEO of Garden Savings Federal Credit Union.
Mike shares his incredible journey from starting as a teller to becoming a CEO in the financial industry. Discover how Garden Savings FCU is adapting to the evolving financial landscape, where the focus has shifted from lending to deposit strategies. Learn about the challenges and opportunities in this changing environment and gain insights into marketing strategies, digital transformation, and the importance of adaptability in leadership. Mike's valuable lessons and experiences offer a unique perspective on the ever-changing world of finance.
Join us for this insightful conversation with a seasoned industry professional, and uncover valuable strategies to navigate the shifting tides of financial services successfully.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast, we dive deep into the world of decision-making and leadership with Doug Lennick, CEO & Co-Founder of think2perform.
Doug shares his journey from growing up in North Dakota to becoming a successful entrepreneur and business leader. He sheds light on the founding principles of think2perform, a company dedicated to enhancing the world through improving the decision-making and performance of individuals and organizations.
Doug reveals the essential factors for entrepreneurial success, emphasizing the importance of a strong value proposition, effective decision-making, and aligning actions with one's ideal self. He introduces a powerful decision-making prism that every entrepreneur should consider, helping prioritize ideas based on their impact, cost, and degree of difficulty.
Moreover, Doug explains the role of books in think2perform's mission to make a positive difference every day. He highlights how their books serve as tools for personal and professional growth, empowering readers to align with their values and enhance their decision-making skills.
As the episode unfolds, Doug provides valuable insights into embracing emotions as information and the significance of empathy and compassion. His wisdom and profound simplicity resonate throughout the conversation, leaving listeners inspired to take control of their decision-making and strive for their ideal selves.
Tune in to this episode for a masterclass in decision-making and leadership from Doug Lennick, a true expert in the field.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast, join your host Brad Hammond in an insightful conversation with Scott McAuley, the CEO of Texas Management Group. Scott shares his journey from being a tech enthusiast to running a successful managed services company in the ever-evolving technology industry.
Scott delves into the importance of building strong relationships, both with clients and partners, highlighting that trust is the key to long-term success. He discusses the challenges of running a tech company, including the ever-changing landscape, remote work, and dealing with difficult clients.
Discover how Scott and his team have strategically grown their business by aligning with the right vendors and embracing new technologies, such as managed Wi-Fi and ISP services. Learn about the significance of branding and how a professional image can make all the difference in winning and retaining clients.
Join us for a conversation filled with valuable insights, lessons learned, and advice for fellow business owners and tech enthusiasts. Whether you're an entrepreneur, IT professional, or simply curious about the tech world, this episode offers valuable takeaways that can help you navigate the ever-evolving technology landscape.
Join us for this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, as we sit down with Dan Gaertner, the CEO of DocuPhase, a leading player in financial automation. In this conversation, we explore the journey of Dan and DocuPhase, as they've been at the forefront of transforming financial departments across mid- to large-sized organizations.
Dan takes us through his background, starting from a computer science degree to his experience in consumer-facing businesses. We delve into how he transitioned to focus on SaaS for financial payments, serving a wide array of organizations, including associations and nonprofits.
Interestingly, Dan assumed the role of CEO just as the COVID-19 pandemic began, leading to a rapid shift in the way businesses operated. He shares the challenges and opportunities this presented and how DocuPhase adapted to these changing circumstances, capitalizing on the need for automation in a remote work environment.
Throughout the episode, Dan emphasizes the importance of diversifying marketing strategies, particularly in a world where in-person events like trade shows became obsolete. He discusses the role of content and thought leadership in standing out in a crowded market, using platforms like LinkedIn to disseminate valuable industry insights and trends.
Dan's journey as CEO highlights the significance of investing in talent and technology, rather than solely focusing on cost-cutting. He stresses the value of experience in certain roles and how this investment can drive long-term growth.
Additionally, Dan touches on the challenges and learnings of scaling a business rapidly and the critical role of transparent communication in maintaining a healthy organizational culture.
Join us for an engaging conversation filled with lessons learned, practical strategies for growth, and the significance of culture in achieving sustainable success. Whether you're an aspiring CEO or a business leader seeking inspiration, this episode offers valuable insights into navigating the world of financial automation and leadership.
Join us in this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast as we sit down with Michael Pink, the CEO of SmartPM Technologies, Inc. Michael shares his two-decade journey in the construction industry, where he worked as a consultant specializing in project data analysis. His unique perspective on the construction industry's challenges, such as project overruns and delays, led him to innovate ways to leverage data for better outcomes.
Discover how SmartPM Technologies uses data analytics to transform the construction industry, providing valuable insights for construction companies, project owners, and other stakeholders. Michael discusses the evolution of their customer base, initially focusing on project owners but eventually expanding to serve contractors, insurance companies, banks, and consulting firms.
Michael also shares valuable insights into their customer acquisition journey, highlighting the importance of trust and thought leadership. SmartPM Technologies pivoted to educate the industry through informative content, which helped build trust and credibility.
Learn how data analytics and consistent data organization have empowered SmartPM Technologies to forecast and track their business performance effectively, ensuring they stay on the path to success.
Tune in for this episode packed with valuable lessons and strategies for data-driven innovation and building trust in the world of construction technology.
Join us for an insightful episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast, where host Brad Hammond sits down with Andrea Butcher, the CEO of HRD, a dynamic leadership development company.
Andrea shares her remarkable journey from a career in Human Resources to leading HRD and guiding leaders to be the best versions of themselves. She emphasizes that leadership development is self-development, a transformative journey of exploring one's strengths and talents to energize, connect with, and motivate teams effectively.
Learn how HRD works with mid- to large organizations, focusing on psychological safety, accountability, and growth experiences to upskill leaders and support business pivots post-pandemic. Andrea also highlights the power of focus in business growth, sharing how HRD honed in on leadership development to achieve record-breaking success.
In this engaging discussion, Andrea and Brad delve into the balance between maintaining successful strategies and nurturing innovation, all while emphasizing the importance of humility and openness in leadership.
Discover why leadership development transcends mere training and why fostering a growth environment can unleash the full potential of individuals and organizations. Whether you're an aspiring leader or a seasoned executive, this episode offers valuable insights into the world of leadership development.
Tune in to explore the transformative power of leadership growth with Andrea Butcher on the Lifelong Customer Podcast.
Join us in this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast as we sit down with Sasha Peterson, CEO at Science Interactive Group. Sasha shares his remarkable journey in the field of education technology and discusses how Science Interactive Group is revolutionizing online science education.
From understanding the art and science of sales to the critical importance of marketing discipline, Sasha provides valuable insights for entrepreneurs and business leaders. Discover how a balance between sales, product, service, and training is the key to success and why sharing real-life stories of transformation can elevate your business in any industry.
Tune in for an inspiring conversation that delves into the heart of education and the profound impact it can have on individuals' lives.
Join us on this insightful episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast as we sit down with Theresa Caragol, the CEO of AchieveUnite, a company dedicated to partnering success. Theresa's journey from a tech executive to the founder of AchieveUnite is a remarkable tale of entrepreneurship and resilience.
Discover how AchieveUnite helps businesses across industries excel in partnering, alliances, distribution channels, and go-to-market strategies. Theresa shares her experiences and lessons learned in building a thriving business, offering valuable advice for both budding and seasoned entrepreneurs.
Learn about the pivotal role of metrics, the power of leading indicators, and the importance of cultivating a strong online presence in today's business landscape. Theresa's story is an inspiring example of how embracing change and seizing opportunities can lead to incredible success.
Tune in to gain insights into entrepreneurship, partnership strategies, and the journey of a visionary CEO who turned challenges into triumphs.
Listen to the full episode for a dose of entrepreneurial wisdom and inspiration!
Join us in this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast as we sit down with Hart Brown, CEO of Future Point of View. Hart takes us on a journey through his career, from his early days working with statistics and algorithms to his current role in helping companies navigate the future.
Discover how Hart's firm assists clients in forecasting their future position in the market, and how they strategically plan their investments to reach those goals. Dive into the world of AI and understand its impact on businesses in the next decade.
Hart shares his thoughts on the crucial role of AI in innovation and the strategies that entrepreneurs, CEOs, and leaders should consider in this rapidly evolving landscape. He also delves into the challenges and risks associated with AI, emphasizing the importance of data accuracy and governance.
In this episode, you'll gain valuable insights into the disruptive phase of innovation, the importance of content creation and brand building, and the significance of avoiding "learning by surprise" in your business strategy. Join us as we explore the future of AI and business with Hart Brown, a visionary leader in the field.
Tune in now to stay ahead of the curve in the ever-changing world of technology and business.
Join us on this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast as we sit down with Avis Bulbulyan, the CEO of SIVA Enterprises. Avis founded his company in 2013, specializing in providing consulting services to the cannabis industry, from state licensing to full-scale operations.
In this conversation, we dive into Avis's remarkable journey in the cannabis industry. From experiencing the medical benefits of cannabis firsthand to becoming a leader in the field, Avis shares his insights into the industry's rapid evolution and the challenges he's faced along the way.
We explore topics such as:
- The Roots of the Cannabis Industry: Avis explains how a personal medical experience led him to explore the world of cannabis and why he decided to dive into cultivation, manufacturing, and retail operations.
- Building Expertise: Learn how Avis transitioned from cannabis operations to state licensing and the importance of understanding the intricacies of industry regulations.
- Adaptation and Pivots: The cannabis industry is ever-changing, and Avis shares how he and his company have adapted and pivoted to stay relevant and meet the evolving needs of their clients.
- Content and Thought Leadership: Discover Avis's strategies for establishing himself as a thought leader in the industry through content creation, speaking engagements, and authentic engagement with others in the field.
- Work-Life Balance: Avis emphasizes the need to find a balance between work and personal life, especially as a CEO and founder, and how this balance can lead to greater peace of mind and success.
Avis' journey in the cannabis industry is both inspirational and filled with valuable insights for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and anyone interested in the dynamic world of cannabis. Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of this unique industry and the strategies that have propelled Avis and SIVA Enterprises to success.
In this episode of Lifelong Customer, join host Brad Hammond as he sits down with Gino Ferrand, CEO of TECLA. Gino shares his fascinating journey from Lima, Peru, to becoming an entrepreneur in the United States. He delves into the core of TECLA's mission, which involves helping companies tap into talent in Latin America through remote work.
Gino provides valuable insights into the challenges and triumphs of growing a business, emphasizing the importance of patience and persistence. He discusses the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing and talent acquisition, offering practical advice for entrepreneurs and CEOs.
Discover how TECLA carved a niche in the remote talent acquisition industry by focusing exclusively on Latin America. Gino also touches on the significance of building the right team, sharing hiring tips and the critical traits to look for in potential team members.
Whether you're interested in remote work, digital marketing, or entrepreneurial success, this episode offers a wealth of knowledge and inspiration. Tune in to gain valuable insights from a CEO who's been in the trenches and emerged successful.
Join us on the Lifelong Customer Podcast for an insightful conversation with Arun K. Singh, CEO of Ilantus Services and Network Intelligence. Arun's journey from a cryptographer to leading two major cybersecurity companies is nothing short of remarkable.
Discover how Arun got his start in the industry and the pivotal moments that shaped his career. From academia to the corporate world, Arun's expertise and leadership have made a significant impact on the cybersecurity landscape.
Listen in as Arun shares his strategies for building and growing cybersecurity companies, including the importance of talent acquisition, adapting to market changes, and fostering emotional maturity within teams.
As a CEO, Arun discusses the challenges he faces and the critical role of cash flow management for small businesses. He also offers valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and CEOs, emphasizing the need to consider counter-offensive strategies in the ongoing cyber warfare.
Don't miss this episode filled with wisdom and insights from a cybersecurity industry veteran. Tune in now!
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, our host Brad Hammond sits down with Corey White, Founder and CEO of Cyvatar, a cybersecurity company on a mission to protect small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) from the ever-evolving cyber threats. Corey, a seasoned cybersecurity veteran with 28 years of experience, shares his journey from the early days of internet connectivity to becoming a leading figure in the cybersecurity industry.
Corey's passion for solving real-world problems led him to the realization that while large enterprises often have robust cybersecurity measures in place, SMBs are frequently left vulnerable to cyberattacks. With hackers increasingly targeting these smaller businesses, Corey and his team at Cyvatar are on a mission to level the playing field.
Join us as Corey discusses the pivotal moments in Cyvatar's journey, the importance of pivoting in response to changing economic landscapes, and the value of building a profitable business in today's business climate. Corey also sheds light on the power of a strong online presence and branding, sharing insights on how Cyvatar has effectively leveraged these tools to reach a wider audience.
Discover how Cyvatar is making a difference by not just identifying cybersecurity issues but also actively fixing and maintaining secure states for its clients. Corey's message to aspiring entrepreneurs is simple but powerful: "Never give up." If you're on the right path, keep pushing forward, and you'll find success.
Tune in to this episode for a deep dive into the world of cybersecurity and entrepreneurship, and learn from Corey's experience and wisdom in navigating the ever-changing landscape of technology and business.
In this riveting episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, join your host Brad Hammond as he engages in an enlightening conversation with Robert Johnston, the visionary CEO of Adlumin. A former Marine with an extensive background in cybersecurity, Robert delves into the genesis of Adlumin and its remarkable journey from military operations to the world of private sector entrepreneurship.
Tune in to explore the critical importance of cybersecurity in today's sprawling digital landscape and how Adlumin is revolutionizing security operations through its unique command center approach. Robert shares how the company found its niche in the market and discovered the power of a channel-based go-to-market strategy. Learn how Adlumin has scaled from small beginnings to becoming a substantial player in the industry, all while maintaining a steadfast focus on generating value for customers.
Discover the pivotal role that trust plays in the cybersecurity space, and gain insights into the challenges and triumphs of growing a startup into a mature enterprise. From the struggles of finding product-market fit to the art of transitioning from founder-led efforts to professional management, this episode offers a treasure trove of advice for anyone looking to navigate the complex waters of cybersecurity entrepreneurship.
Join us for an episode packed with wisdom, insights, and invaluable lessons from the captain of cybersecurity himself, Robert Johnston.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, host Brad Hammond engages in a candid conversation with Brad Heidemann, the visionary CEO of Tahzoo. With over 13 years of experience leading his company, Heidemann brings forth a treasure trove of wisdom for aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders.
Tahzoo, founded with the aim of delivering a personalized experience akin to Nordstrom's service in a digital context, has thrived under Heidemann's leadership. From the inception of the company to its sustained growth, Heidemann delves into his journey and imparts invaluable lessons.
Discover how Tahzoo pivoted seamlessly through challenges, from changes in leadership to navigating unexpected shifts in the business landscape. Heidemann's advice on building a strong company culture, the importance of hiring smart and happy individuals, and his insights on strategic LinkedIn content marketing are pure gold for anyone striving to lead their business to greatness.
Tune in to explore the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, the power of rapid adaptation, and the joy of solving complex business problems. Whether you're a seasoned CEO or just starting on your entrepreneurial voyage, this episode promises to leave you inspired and equipped with the tools to steer your business towards success.
Join us on this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast as we delve into the world of critical infrastructure and innovation with Vicki Knott, the visionary CEO and Co-Founder of Crux OCM. Vicki's journey from a remote upbringing in Canada to becoming a driving force in the oil and gas industry is an inspiring tale of determination and expertise.
Discover how Crux OCM is revolutionizing the operation of vital industries through their unique software layer that enhances control room systems, making them safer, more efficient, and environmentally friendly. Vicki shares insights into the challenges of scaling a startup in a heavily regulated field, and how the power of automation is reshaping the landscape of heavy industry.
From reducing emissions to ensuring the reliability of critical operations, Vicki Knott's expertise shines as she discusses the impact of her company's work on our everyday lives. Tune in to explore the intersection of entrepreneurship, technology, and sustainability in this engaging episode of Lifelong Customer.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, your host Brad Hammond engages in a captivating conversation with Pinaki Kathiari, the CEO of Local Wisdom. Pinaki takes us on a journey through his entrepreneurial endeavors, shedding light on his diverse experiences as a CEO, co-founder, speaker, and even a DJ.
Discover how Pinaki's unique blend of technology, design, and storytelling led to the creation of Local Wisdom, a Digital Communications Agency that empowers business communicators to become strategic leaders. Learn about the birth of Resource Hero, a workload management app that celebrates its 10th year in the AppExchange with an impressive five-star rating.
Join us as Pinaki shares his insightful perspective on growth, from his innovative approach to merging design and technology, to the power of creating a consumer-grade experience for both clients and employees. Uncover the driving force behind Local Wisdom's successful subscription service, which zigged when everyone else zagged, addressing the unmet needs of clients seeking everyday communication management.
Pinaki's wisdom extends to content creation and online presence, revealing how his passion for education and entertainment has fueled Local Wisdom's marketing efforts. From educational content with an entertaining twist to the art of pacing oneself in the fast-paced entrepreneurial world, Pinaki imparts valuable advice and reflections that will resonate with both budding and experienced entrepreneurs.
Tune in for an episode filled with valuable insights, personal anecdotes, and a refreshing perspective on the multifaceted world of entrepreneurship. Whether you're a CEO, a business enthusiast, or simply curious about the journey of a dynamic entrepreneur, this episode offers a wealth of wisdom and inspiration.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, host Brad Hammond shares a conversation with Adriane Schwager, the CEO and Co-Founder of GrowthAssistant.
- Join them as they dive into Adriane's journey from trading to founding a company that revolutionizes marketing teams with offshore talent.
- Discover how GrowthAssistant is transforming digital marketing, leveraging offshore marketers for design, affiliate, influencer work, and more.
- Adriane shares the challenges and triumphs of growing her business, offering valuable insights on hiring, content strategies, and embracing authenticity.
Tune in to explore the power of effective delegation and the pivotal role of values in building a thriving company. Whether you're a CEO, a marketing enthusiast, or simply curious about the dynamics of business growth, this episode offers a wealth of wisdom and inspiration.
Join us for a conversation with Diz Petit, Founder & CEO of LiquiDonate, on this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast. Discover how Diz's innovative thinking led to the creation of LiquiDonate, a platform that matches excess inventory with nonprofits, reducing waste and making a positive impact.
Diz shares her journey from being the 15th employee at Postmates, where she spearheaded impactful projects like "FoodFight!" and "Bento," to founding LiquiDonate. Learn how the company's unique approach to instant matching of returned products with nearby nonprofits is transforming the way excess inventory is handled in the retail industry.
Dive into the early challenges faced by LiquiDonate and how they evolved their strategies to build strong partnerships with retailers and scale their operations. Diz's insights on customer feedback and the significance of keeping the big picture in mind provide invaluable lessons for fellow founders.
Tune in to gain insights into the world of sustainability, tech innovation, and the exciting journey of a startup founder. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or interested in the positive impact of technology, this episode offers a fresh perspective on making a difference through business.
Don't miss this thought-provoking episode full of entrepreneurial wisdom and inspiration.
Join us in this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast as we sit down with Kerri Garbis, the Founder and CEO of Ovation Communication.
In a candid conversation with your host Brad Hammond, Kerri takes us through her journey from being a professional actor to establishing Ovation Communication, a specialized communication skills training firm. Discover how her background in acting shaped her unique perspective on effective communication and its pivotal role in the business world.
Kerri delves into the challenges she faced while building her company and the lessons she learned from hiring and partnerships. She emphasizes the significance of authenticity and trust in both personal and professional relationships. With over 13 years of experience in the industry, Kerri shares her strategies for successful content creation and building a strong presence on platforms like LinkedIn.
Tune in to explore Kerri's insights on adapting to changing circumstances, the power of pivoting strategies, and the importance of constantly evolving to meet clients' needs. Whether you're a business professional, a speaker, or someone looking to enhance their communication skills, this episode offers valuable takeaways that can help you navigate the ever-changing landscape of effective communication.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, our host Brad Hammond sits down with the brilliant mind behind Crewfare, Jason van Esso. Join us as we delve into the journey of an entrepreneur who saw a gap in the market and turned it into a thriving business venture.
From his early days as an engineer to his extensive experience in travel, hospitality, and entertainment, Jason's entrepreneurial spirit led him to create Crewfare. Discover how this innovative company is revolutionizing the event group travel industry with its integrated, user-friendly, and socially-focused solutions.
Tune in to learn:
- How Crewfare bridges the gap between event travel and technology
- The challenges and successes of building a business from the ground up
- Strategies for creating genuine connections and community within the travel space
- Jason's insights on the importance of loving what you do beyond financial gains
Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or someone passionate about enhancing travel experiences, this episode offers a treasure trove of wisdom and inspiration. Join us as we explore the world of event hospitality with Jason van Esso.
Join us for another episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast as we sit down with Yael Tamar, the CEO and Co-Founder of SolidBlock. Yael's journey from Wall Street to creating a groundbreaking company is a testament to her passion for democratizing investment opportunities.
In this conversation, Yael shares her experiences navigating the complex world of capital markets and how SolidBlock is reshaping the landscape. With a focus on private businesses seeking liquidity, Yael and her team are enabling investors to partake in opportunities that were once exclusive to larger firms.
Discover the challenges Yael faced as a woman founder in the startup ecosystem and her bold approach to content creation, which not only educates but also contributes to industry growth. If you're an entrepreneur seeking wisdom on fundraising, strategy, and innovation, this episode is a must-listen.
Tune in as we dive deep into the heart of investment transformation with Yael Tamar on the Lifelong Customer podcast.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, our host Brad Hammond engages in a riveting conversation with Jennifer Libby, the CEO and Founder of Promly. With a background in therapy and a heart for young minds, Jennifer recognized the alarming surge in mental health crises among Gen Z. This insight led to the creation of Promly, a revolutionary social ecosystem that brings together young people based on their life goals while providing accessible mental health resources.
Join us as Jennifer shares her journey from therapist to startup founder, revealing the pivotal moments that spurred her to address the pressing issues faced by today's youth. Discover how Promly has uniquely positioned itself with a hybrid structure that combines public benefit corporation and nonprofit elements, enabling them to tackle mental health challenges in an innovative and ethical way.
Jennifer takes us behind the scenes, highlighting the platform's distinctive approach to content, user engagement, and strategic partnerships. Dive into her perspective on mission-driven organizations and the importance of aligning team members with a shared purpose.
If you're interested in the future of social media, mental health, and how an extraordinary leader like Jennifer Libby is making a profound impact on the lives of young individuals, this episode is a must-listen. Join us as we explore the intersection of technology, empathy, and genuine transformation for the betterment of our future generations.
Join us in this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast as we sit down with Brian Doyle, President & CEO at Holden Advisors.
Discover the journey of a former Air Force pilot turned pricing and sales strategy expert. Brian shares invaluable insights into the world of revenue optimization, shedding light on how Holden Advisors assists their clients in reaping the profits they truly deserve.
Learn about the power of value-based pricing, skillful negotiation tactics, and how to instill confidence in sales teams even when facing tough procurement challenges. With a touch of humility, a hunger for innovation, and a knack for smart decision-making, Brian's leadership wisdom shines through, offering advice that's applicable across industries.
Tune in to uncover strategies for growth, leadership lessons, and the art of being a respectful peer in any setting.
Welcome back to another episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast! In this episode, our host Brad Hammond sits down with Derek Osgood, the Founder & CEO of Ignition. Get ready for a deep dive into the world of product launches, customer alignment, and the challenges faced by companies of all sizes.
Derek brings a wealth of experience from his background in Silicon Valley, having worked on everything from big AAA game launches to scaling product marketing for major financial institutions. Tune in to discover how Derek's journey led him to create Ignition, a platform designed to transform the launch process, bridge the gap between product and marketing teams, and foster communication and repeatability.
Join us as we discuss:
- The surprising factors that contribute to launch success, backed by insightful McKinsey research.
- The common challenges that lead to launch failures and how Ignition is addressing them head-on.
- The power of effective communication and the role it plays in achieving seamless launches.
- The journey of early customer acquisition, including lessons learned and the pivotal role of onboarding.
- Derek's strategic approach to content and marketing, and how he's tackling these tasks in the early stages of Ignition's growth.
- Valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, product marketers, and CEOs, including the importance of taking risks and empowering your teams.
Whether you're a startup founder, a product marketer, or simply curious about the intricacies of successful product launches, this episode is a goldmine of insights. Join us on this enlightening journey with Derek Osgood to uncover the secrets behind mastering the art of launching products effectively.
Tune in now to gain a fresh perspective on launch strategies and customer-centric growth!
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, host Brad Hammond sits down with Joshua Sear, Founder and CEO of Empower, a groundbreaking platform revolutionizing the ride-hail industry. Joshua's journey from lawyer to tech CEO highlights the power of challenging conventional business models and pursuing innovative ideas.
Discover how Empower is turning the ride-hail model on its head:
- Putting Drivers First: Learn how Empower empowers drivers to build their own businesses, set their own rates, and earn 100% of the fare.
- Reshaping Customer Dynamics: Explore the transformation of drivers from mere service providers to empowered customers.
- Navigating Challenges: Hear how Empower navigated the unique challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and leveraged the downtime to enhance their product.
- The Importance of People: Joshua shares insights about the emotional side of business, reminding us that understanding and addressing people's feelings is essential in leadership roles.
Tune in for a deep dive into the entrepreneurial journey of disrupting a giant industry and empowering individuals to take control of their livelihoods. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or simply intrigued by the dynamics of the gig economy, this episode offers valuable insights from a CEO who's changing the game.
Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review if you enjoyed this episode!
Join us for an enlightening episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast as we sit down with Tim Wackel, a sales expert with decades of experience and the founder of the Wackel Group. Tim's journey from an aspiring electrical engineer to a seasoned sales leader is a testament to the power of consistent effort and skill-building.
In this episode, host Brad Hammond delves into Tim's sales philosophy, uncovering valuable insights for CEOs, entrepreneurs, and sales professionals. Tim emphasizes the importance of going beyond the basics of sales, highlighting the significance of creating genuine connections, storytelling, and effective follow-up strategies.
Discover how Tim's approach differs from the commonplace technology-driven methods often used in sales today. Instead, learn about the magic of personal touches, handwritten notes, and sincere engagement in nurturing relationships. Tim also discusses the role of content in sales, whether it's through thought-provoking articles or engaging videos.
Tim's advice on finding and nurturing motivated prospects, creating authentic sales stories, and the art of follow-up will leave you equipped with practical strategies to enhance your sales approach. Tune in to this episode to gain a fresh perspective on successful sales techniques and unlock the potential to elevate your revenue generation game.
Listen now and embark on a journey to master the art of sales with Tim Wackel's insightful guidance. Don't miss out on this opportunity to level up your sales strategies!
Welcome to another episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, hosted by Brad Hammond. In this episode, we are thrilled to have Rich Kahn, the CEO of Anura, as our guest. Join us as we delve into Rich's remarkable journey in the digital marketing space, starting from his early days to founding Anura, a cutting-edge fraud detection solution.
Rich's journey began in 1993, navigating the evolving landscape of digital marketing and fraud prevention. He shares his story of identifying a critical gap in the market and developing his own fraud detection system when no viable solutions existed. This journey led to the birth of Anura, a company dedicated to tackling digital fraud head-on.
Discover how Anura's unique approach to fraud detection sets it apart from the competition. Rich provides insights into the triad of qualities that define Anura's success: accuracy, thoroughness, and analytics. He discusses the challenges of pricing a groundbreaking technology and how he found the balance between affordability and value.
The conversation takes a deep dive into content marketing as a powerful tool for educating potential customers. Rich explains how Anura's content strategy, including informative blogs and engaging LinkedIn posts, has not only brought awareness to the company but also established Rich as a thought leader in the industry.
Rich also opens up about the lessons he's learned on his entrepreneurial journey. From building a stellar team to the delicate balance of being a friend and a business partner, his insights are invaluable for aspiring and established entrepreneurs alike.
Join us for a captivating conversation that sheds light on the world of fraud prevention, the power of content marketing, and the lessons learned from a successful CEO's journey. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting in the business world, this episode is packed with wisdom and inspiration. Tune in now!
Join us on the latest episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast for a captivating conversation with Adam Barbera, the CEO of Dost. In this episode, your host Brad Hammond delves into Adam's journey, from being a part of the next-gen technology team at a multinational company to founding Dost, an innovative AI-powered accounts payable solution.
Adam unveils how Dost is transforming the way businesses handle accounts payable tasks through cutting-edge AI technology. Discover how Dost's AI-driven copilot is streamlining processes, reducing errors, and enhancing efficiency in the world of finance.
Learn about the challenges Adam and his team faced and how they pivoted their strategy, turning setbacks into stepping stones towards success. From early tactics to adopting a product-led growth approach, Adam shares valuable insights into building and growing a tech startup.
Tune in to gain deep insights into the world of AI, entrepreneurship, and disruptive innovation. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a tech enthusiast, or a finance professional, this episode promises inspiration and lessons to drive your journey forward.
Join us in this enlightening episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast as host Brad Hammond engages in a captivating conversation with Julio Gonzalez, the CEO of Engineered Tax Services. With a career spanning over three decades, Julio shares his remarkable journey as a first-generation immigrant and how he transformed his passion for accounting into a thriving company that helps businesses navigate the complex world of tax credits, incentives, and grants.
Discover how Julio's vision led to the creation of Engineered Tax Services, filling the gap between large corporations and small businesses by providing access to valuable tax programs. Julio's insights into entrepreneurship, cultivating employee-focused culture, and leveraging social media to spread awareness make this episode a treasure trove for aspiring business leaders.
Tune in to learn about the pivotal moments, challenges faced, and lessons learned along the way. From the impact of 9/11 to the recent challenges posed by the pandemic, Julio reveals how strategic pivots and unwavering dedication helped his company not only survive but thrive. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting your journey, Julio's words of wisdom will inspire you to embrace kindness, positivity, and a relentless pursuit of excellence in both business and life.
Don't miss this opportunity to gain insights from one of the most influential figures in the field of tax and accounting. Listen now and embark on a journey of growth, innovation, and creating a lasting impact! 🎙️🚀 #TaxStrategies #EntrepreneurialJourney #BusinessGrowth
Join us in this captivating episode of the LifeLong Customer podcast as we dive into the world of sales strategy with the remarkable Jerry Acuff, CEO of Delta Point. 🎙️
From accidentally finding himself running a pharmaceutical company to crafting a successful business in sales strategy, Jerry's journey is nothing short of inspiring. Tune in to discover his unique perspective on transforming salespeople into strategic thinkers. 🚀
In this conversation, Jerry sheds light on the power of building genuine relationships and thinking like a customer. Uncover the secrets behind effective sales strategies, from asking the right questions to creating impactful content. 💡✨
As a seasoned author of multiple bestsellers, Jerry also delves into the world of content creation and the importance of constantly learning. Whether you're a sales professional or an aspiring entrepreneur, Jerry's insights will reshape your approach to sales and success. 📈🌟
Listen now to gain valuable insights that will transform your sales strategy and leave a lasting impact on your business journey. 🔊🔥 #LifeLongCustomerPodcast #SalesStrategy #BusinessInsights #SuccessMindset
In this episode of the LifeLong Customer podcast, Saul Garlick, the visionary CEO of Fabric, takes center stage.
Host Brad Hammond delves deep into Saul's entrepreneurial journey, from his humble beginnings of selling chapstick to his innovative ventures creating impactful solutions. Saul narrates the evolution of Fabric, a pioneering platform that harnesses mixed reality to foster real-life connections and tackle modern society's digital disconnection.
Dive into Saul's insights on problem-focused entrepreneurship, the power of building clear systems, and the pivotal role of content marketing in Fabric's journey.
Join us in unraveling the transformative potential of mixed reality technology to reshape human interaction and engagement.
Tune in for a visionary episode that explores the synergy between technology and genuine human connection.
In this episode, host Brad Hammond converses with Jay Ruparel, CEO of VOICEplug, about the transformative impact of AI-driven voice technology on customer interactions.
Jay's journey unfolds, highlighting the emergence of voice as the new frontier in human-computer engagement. Discover how VOICEplug enables businesses, especially in hospitality, to offer personalized experiences through AI-powered conversations.
Gain insights into strategies for growth, technology integration, and the pivotal role of focusing on both customers and team members.
Join us for a captivating exploration of the dynamic intersection between technology and customer-centric innovation.
In this episode of the LifeLong Customer Podcast, we are thrilled to host Troy LeMaile-Stovall, the visionary CEO at TEDCO.
Tune in to gain a treasure trove of wisdom as Troy shares his incredible journey from engineering and computer science to becoming a driving force in Maryland's technology and life sciences landscape.
With decades of experience under his belt, Troy delves into the essential lessons he's learned, the power of embracing non-linearity, and the value of building a resilient, coachable team. Discover how TEDCO's commitment to investing in diverse entrepreneurs, supported by their core values, is shaping Maryland's innovation ecosystem.
If you're an aspiring entrepreneur or a seasoned business leader, this episode is your guide to navigating the entrepreneurial world with purpose and determination.
Join us for an enlightening episode of the LifeLong Customer Podcast featuring Jack Zenger, the visionary CEO of Zenger Folkman.
With decades of experience in academia, corporate leadership, and entrepreneurship, Jack shares his journey in building a successful leadership development company.
Discover the power of data-backed insights, the art of effective feedback, and the critical role of leadership development in fostering a thriving organizational culture.
Tune in to glean wisdom from a true leadership guru!
Unleash Your Leadership Potential! In our latest episode of the LifeLong Customer Podcast, we're thrilled to have Tino Mantella, President & CEO at Turknett Leadership Group, sharing insights on effective leadership strategies, growth, and building a winning team.
Join host Brad Hammond as he explores Tino's diverse career journey – from running park districts to leading a boutique leadership development company. Discover how the philosophy of "unleashing potential" shapes Turknett Leadership Group's mission, empowering individuals, teams, and companies to thrive.
Gain practical tips on motivating teams, adapting to changing leadership dynamics, and harnessing the power of a strong digital presence to foster growth. Whether you're a seasoned leader or an aspiring entrepreneur, this episode is packed with actionable advice to elevate your leadership game.
Tune in now and unlock a wealth of insights to take your leadership journey to new heights!
Join Brad Hammond on this episode of the LifeLong Customer podcast as he sits down with Juan Luis Betancourt, the CEO of Humantelligence. Discover the journey that led Juan to create Humantelligence, a software platform for smarter collaboration, and how it helps distributed workforces at large organizations thrive.
In this episode, Juan shares his experiences working with global companies like Procter and Gamble, Reebok, Puma, and more. Learn about Humantelligence's transformation from a recruitment solution to its current focus on smarter collaboration. Discover the power of psychometric data and how it enhances team performance and communication.
Tune in to explore the challenges faced by startup CEOs and the valuable lessons Juan learned while growing Humantelligence. From navigating the hidden job market to building credibility and leveraging relationships, Juan offers practical insights for entrepreneurs.
If you're an HR leader seeking innovative solutions for human capital management and improved team collaboration, this episode is a must-listen. Uncover the secrets to making work more human through technology and enhancing your team's productivity, engagement, and happiness.
Listen now to gain valuable wisdom from Juan Luis Betancourt's entrepreneurial journey and discover the possibilities of smarter collaboration for your organization!
Join us for an engaging episode of LifeLong Customer as Brad Hammond sits down with Joe Meyer, the Founder and CEO of ExecThread. ExecThread is a groundbreaking platform connecting executives to exclusive career opportunities that are not publicly listed, offering a gateway to the hidden job market.
Discover Joe's journey as he uncovers the need for ExecThread, driven by his desire to explore job opportunities beyond what traditional channels offer. Learn how he navigated the startup path, avoiding common pitfalls and securing product-market fit to propel the platform to success.
Dive into the strategic approaches and lessons learned from Joe's entrepreneurial experience, exploring the balance between growth, revenue, and resilience. Gain valuable insights on how to navigate the dynamic tech landscape and ensure long-term survival and prosperity.
Tune in to discover Joe's unique strategy on LinkedIn, featuring diverse executive members sharing their stories and lessons learned. Find out how these engaging and advisory-style content pieces resonate with the audience and foster strong connections.
Whether you're an executive, entrepreneur, or career enthusiast, this episode is packed with valuable advice and wisdom to thrive in an ever-changing market. Don't miss out on this opportunity to unveil the secrets of the hidden job market with Joe Meyer!
In this episode of LifeLong Customer, host Brad Hammond sits down with Avi Singer, the CEO of showd.me, to explore his journey from the world of human resources to pioneering a compliance training platform. Avi shares his experience of experimenting with informal social learning within organizations and how it led to the inception of showd.me in 2013.
Initially focusing on peer-to-peer and social learning, Avi later made a pivotal decision in 2016 to pivot towards compliance training, targeting healthcare organizations, home care, skilled nursing, and assisted living facilities.
Avi reveals the strategy behind showd.me's growth, emphasizing the importance of building confidence and strong customer relationships. He stresses the significance of "nailing it before scaling it" and shares the key factors that contributed to the company's success. The episode delves into the role of mentors and advisors in a CEO's journey and the valuable lessons Avi learned along the way.
Brad and Avi also explore the power of LinkedIn as a platform for showcasing industry knowledge and building a strong brand. Avi shares insights on leveraging LinkedIn content to establish credibility and engage potential customers in the compliance and HR space.
If you're looking for inspiration and guidance on navigating the world of compliance training and building lifelong customer relationships, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in to discover Avi's entrepreneurial journey, growth strategies, and valuable advice for anyone in the HR and compliance industry.
Join us on the Lifelong Customer Podcast for an insightful conversation with Ben Zweig, the visionary CEO of Revelio Labs.
In this episode, Brad Hammond, our host, delves into Ben's remarkable journey from an academic economist specializing in labor economics to becoming the driving force behind Revelio Labs, a groundbreaking company with a bold mission to construct a universal HR database.
Discover how Revelio Labs is harnessing public web data to empower businesses, investment management firms, consulting groups, and HR departments with valuable insights into workforce dynamics, labor markets, and occupational trends.
Learn about the growth strategy that fueled their success, the vital role of data engineering, and their unique approach to content marketing that caught the attention of top media publications.
Tune in to explore the untapped potential of human capital as a science, and how Revelio Labs aims to revolutionize HR and workforce analytics, making it as rigorous and impactful as any other field.
If you're curious about the future of work and how data-driven insights can transform businesses, this episode is a must-listen!
In this episode of the LifeLong Customer podcast, our host Brad Hammond sits down with Pedro Góes, the CEO of InEvent. As a person-to-person, virtual, and hybrid event software company, InEvent revolutionizes the way we connect, engage, and collaborate in the ever-changing landscape of events.
Pedro takes us on an inspiring journey, starting from humble beginnings and building InEvent out of sheer determination. He shares how they discovered their true purpose while exploring diverse markets, from hosting events on the International Space Station to empowering private companies with exceptional experiences.
Join us as Pedro unveils the secrets of thriving through Y Combinator and harnessing pivotal moments of opportunity. Gain valuable insights into the significance of flexibility and problem identification in building a successful business.
The discussion delves into the power of branding and the role of social media in establishing trust and awareness among targeted segments. Pedro's wisdom shines through as he emphasizes the importance of patience and cherishing simple joys in achieving true happiness.
As the event industry evolves post-pandemic, Pedro's message to fellow event professionals is to embrace their unwavering resilience and ability to deliver extraordinary experiences. Whether it's on Earth or beyond, this episode is filled with innovation, determination, and a glimpse of the future of events.
Tune in now to learn from the exceptional journey of InEvent's CEO and discover the boundless possibilities of the event world!
In this exciting episode of Lifelong Customer, join our host Brad Hammond as he sits down with Chris Milan, the CEO of Third Wave Business Systems, a leading consulting firm specializing in SAP Business One, the mid-market financial accounting system.
Chris shares his inspiring journey from an accounting background to becoming a trusted ERP consultant, focusing on industries like consumer packaged goods, wholesale distribution, retail, and discrete manufacturing. Learn how Third Wave Business Systems has developed innovative tools, including web portals like Rosado and bizWeaver, to enhance the SAP Business One experience for customers.
Tune in to discover Chris's valuable insights on scaling a business, building a marketing strategy, and the importance of taking calculated risks. 🚀💼
If you're an entrepreneur looking for guidance on optimizing your business operations and financial management, this episode is a must-listen! 🎧✨
Listen now on your favorite podcast platform. 👉 [Link to the episode]
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast, host Brad Hammond sits down with Diego Sampaio, CEO of Globalfy, to delve into the journey of building a global business that assists founders outside the U.S. in incorporating and managing their businesses in the country. Diego shares his story of being an intrapreneur since a young age and his decision to establish a company in the US to sell services to other countries. However, this initial venture faced challenges, leading to the birth of Globalfy.
From their early days, Globalfy focused on providing valuable content and guidance to foreign entrepreneurs looking to set up businesses in the US. Diego reveals how this content-driven approach, including blog articles and videos, helped them attract and retain customers. They also emphasize the importance of understanding their ideal customer profile and delivering continuous value to encourage referrals and affiliate partnerships.
The discussion further explores the pivotal decision to pivot from a service provider to a technology platform, enabling Globalfy's accelerated growth. Diego shares lessons learned, including the significance of developing oneself as a CEO to lead the team effectively.
Tune in to gain valuable insights into building a global business, leveraging content marketing, and embracing strategic pivots to succeed in today's interconnected world.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, host Brad Hammond sits down with Martin Rowinski, CEO at boardsi, to discuss the power of building executive brands and the intricacies of navigating board positions.
Martin shares his personal journey, from growing up in a communist country to becoming an entrepreneur in California. He dives into the concept behind boardsi, a platform that connects C-suite executives with companies seeking board members, and explains the challenges in finding board positions through traditional recruitment channels.
Discover the importance of executive branding, as Martin emphasizes the impact of articles, podcasts, and other forms of thought leadership in establishing authority and attracting opportunities. He shares insights on measuring the success of branding efforts and the long-term benefits of authoring a book.
Tune in to gain valuable advice for entrepreneurs and CEOs on growing their companies and personal brands while making a lasting impact in their industries.
Join us on this captivating episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast as we dive into the fascinating world of B2B secret shopping with Leahanne Hobson, CEO at Alinea Partners. Discover how Leahanne and her team have revolutionized sales enablement, channel development, and strategic marketing for high-tech and telecommunications companies worldwide.
Leahanne takes us on a journey through the intriguing process of B2B secret shopping, where she reveals the meticulous methodology and extensive research involved. From analyzing ideal personas to examining technology landscapes and customer needs, Alinea Partners uncovers critical insights throughout the buying journey.
Learn how Leahanne's team navigates different sales engagement points, including search, social media, websites, pricing structures, and sales interactions. With over 190+ points of evaluation, they meticulously assess each company's customer experience, onboarding process, and post-purchase support. The resulting comprehensive report provides benchmarking, identifies areas of improvement, and offers actionable recommendations.
As we delve deeper into the conversation, Leahanne shares valuable lessons on building and scaling a company. Discover her unique approach to cultivating a flexible workforce of project-based entrepreneurs and the importance of nurturing and keeping high-quality talent engaged.
Additionally, Leahanne opens up about her journey as an influencer on LinkedIn and the pivotal role it plays in generating new business for Alinea Partners. She provides insights into creating engaging content, fostering meaningful connections, and leveraging the power of the platform to build relationships with clients.
Tune in to this episode and gain invaluable insights into the world of B2B secret shopping, entrepreneurial leadership, and leveraging LinkedIn for business growth.
Join us on this insightful episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast as we dive into the world of cultural transformation with our special guest, Dr. James Pogue, CEO and President of JP Enterprises. Dr. Pogue shares his expertise in helping organizations identify and overcome the obstacles that hinder the development of a great culture.
In this episode, we explore Dr. Pogue's journey and how he transitioned from academia to becoming an external consultant, working with diverse organizations across industries. Discover how he applies his extensive research on higher education and institutions to assist companies in shaping their culture, strategy, and leadership.
Dr. Pogue provides valuable advice for leaders and entrepreneurs, emphasizing the importance of resilience, connection, and self-care. He highlights the need for leaders to surround themselves with critical thinkers who challenge assumptions and foster intellectual nimbleness. Furthermore, he emphasizes the significance of asking big questions and engaging in robust conversations to propel personal and organizational growth.
As we delve into Dr. Pogue's experiences, we uncover the challenges he faced and how he successfully navigated through strategic pivots. From the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on his public speaking engagements to the transformation of his organization into a consultative model, Dr. Pogue shares valuable insights on adaptation, humility, and building strong teams.
We conclude this episode with Dr. Pogue's powerful message of gratitude. He encourages listeners to embrace gratitude not only for the positive aspects of life but also for the adversities that shape us. By cultivating gratitude, we can foster empathy, understanding, and unity, even in today's divisive world.
Tune in to this episode to gain valuable insights into cultural transformation and leadership from Dr. James Pogue's wealth of knowledge and experiences.
Join us on the latest episode of Lifelong Customer Podcast as we sit down with Annie Dean, CEO and Co-Founder of RecastSuccess. Discover how RecastSuccess is bridging the talent gap, upskilling customer success teams, and providing fractional leadership for early-stage startups.
Learn from Annie's insights on leveraging social media, creating impactful content, and navigating the challenges of staying focused in a sea of opportunities.
- Annie shares her journey of transitioning into the tech industry and her mission to make the customer success industry successful.
- Annie dives into the strategies they've utilized to grow their company, emphasizing the power of personal branding, content marketing, and building a strong community.
- As a CEO, Annie reflects on her experiences and imparts valuable advice for entrepreneurs, including the importance of forming a supportive community and starting earlier with confidence.
Don't miss this enlightening conversation packed with actionable tips for building a successful company and prioritizing customer success from day one.
Tune in now on your favorite podcast platform to gain valuable insights from a visionary leader in the tech industry!
Welcome to another captivating episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, where we dive deep into the world of customer-centric strategies and business growth. In this episode, our host Brad Hammond sits down with Caleb Avery, Founder and CEO of Tilled, a groundbreaking company that is transforming the payments landscape.
Caleb takes us on his entrepreneurial journey, starting from his early days in the payment space to founding Tilled. Discover how Tilled is empowering vertical software companies to monetize payments flowing through their platforms with their innovative "payback as a service" solution. Say goodbye to missed revenue opportunities and hello to a turnkey white-labeled payments infrastructure that enables businesses to embed payments and generate recurring revenue.
Join us as Caleb shares valuable insights on building a successful content marketing strategy, harnessing the power of LinkedIn, and embracing organic growth. Learn how Tilled pivoted from outbound to inbound strategies and achieved remarkable results through their thought leadership content.
If you're an entrepreneur in the payments industry or a business owner looking to maximize revenue potential, this episode is a must-listen. Get inspired and gain practical advice from Caleb's experience and expertise.
Tune in now on your favorite podcast platform and get ready to revolutionize the way you think about payments.
Join us in this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast as Brad Hammond, host of the show, interviews Mike Donoghue, CEO at Subtext.
- Discover the fascinating journey of Subtext, a subscription-based text messaging platform, as Mike shares the inspiration behind its creation.
- Explore how Subtext aims to empower media companies, artists, athletes, and creators to establish genuine connections with their fans, moving away from the idea of renting relationships.
- Mike reveals the strategies Subtext employed to find product-market fit and scale their business, emphasizing the importance of early testing and iterative approaches.
- Gain valuable insights into pricing, marketing, and content creation, with a focus on telling compelling client stories.
- Uncover the lessons Mike learned as a CEO, including the significance of building a diverse team and the art of listening to the market.
Don't miss out on this episode packed with wisdom and advice for entrepreneurs and industry professionals alike!
Join us in this exciting episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast as Brad Hammond sits down with Scott Sampson, CEO of Fiber Fast Homes. Discover how Scott and his team are transforming the internet landscape by providing nationwide fiber-to-the-home internet services.
Scott shares his entrepreneurial journey, from starting out in sales to becoming a leader in the ISP industry. Learn about Fiber Fast Homes' unique approach, where they bring fiber optic connectivity directly into homes, delivering lightning-fast speeds of up to a gigabit per second.
In addition to their exceptional internet services, Scott emphasizes the importance of customer service and how Fiber Fast Homes goes above and beyond to support their customers. From assisting with network setups to recommending streaming services, their concierge team ensures an exceptional customer experience.
Scott also offers valuable advice to entrepreneurs, highlighting the significance of surrounding oneself with a strong team and embracing failure as an opportunity for growth. Furthermore, he shares insights on the role of podcasting and content creation in building brand visibility and engaging with potential clients.
If you're curious about the future of internet connectivity and want to learn from a trailblazer in the field, don't miss this episode of Lifelong Customer!
Join us for an engaging conversation with Chad Lauterbach, the founder and CEO of Be Structured Technology Group, as we dive into the world of tech entrepreneurship and company growth. Host Brad Hammond delves into Chad's fascinating journey, starting from his early exposure to cutting-edge technology as a child to his passion for IT and the entrepreneurial spirit that led him to establish Be Structured.
Chad shares valuable advice for fellow entrepreneurs, emphasizing the importance of embracing sales and learning from mistakes along the way. He highlights the significance of finding the right team members with diverse strengths and how collaboration can drive success.
Discover the lessons Chad has learned throughout his career, including the importance of managing client expectations and finding the optimal balance in architecting IT solutions. He also touches on the role of marketing and shares insights on how search engine optimization (SEO) became a game-changer for Be Structured, enabling them to reach their target audience effectively.
If you're curious about the challenges and strategies behind building a thriving tech business, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in to gain valuable insights and inspiration from Chad Lauterbach's experience and expertise in the industry.
Join us for an enlightening conversation on the LifeLong Customer podcast as Brad Hammond, our host, sits down with David Moss, CEO at Care Daily. Discover how Care Daily is leveraging AI technology to address the growing challenges in senior care.
In this episode, David shares his journey from founding a successful startup to pivoting into the healthcare and senior care industry. Learn how Care Daily's AI caregivers are revolutionizing the way we care for aging populations, helping family caregivers provide better support and improving the overall well-being of seniors.
Discover the unique ways in which Care Daily's AI caregivers predict and prevent potential issues, reducing costs and enhancing healthcare outcomes. Explore the transformative power of technology in protecting the physical and mental health of both seniors and their caregivers.
David also provides insights into the challenges of pivoting into a new market and securing funding through non-diluted grants. Hear firsthand how research-led strategies and strategic partnerships have propelled Care Daily's growth and attracted prominent customers in the industry
Tune in to this episode to gain valuable perspectives on the intersection of technology and senior care, and the profound impact AI can have on improving the lives of seniors and their caregivers.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, our host Brad Hammond sits down with Anton Anderson, CEO at Elite Resource Team, to discuss the journey of building a successful company and the strategies employed to acquire and retain customers. Anton shares his entrepreneurial beginnings, starting from selling berries as a youngster to eventually venturing into the financial services industry. He emphasizes the importance of collaborative partnerships with CPAs, attorneys, and other professionals in the field and how these relationships have fueled the growth of his company.
Anton takes us through the evolution of their growth tactics, highlighting the shift from relying heavily on paid marketing to focusing on branding, organic growth, and client retention. He explains how reducing dependency on paid traffic grants greater control over growth variables and cultivates a sustainable and profitable long-term approach. Anton sheds light on tracking essential key performance indicators (KPIs) while embracing the significance of retention metrics in assessing community growth.
As the conversation draws to a close, Anton reflects on his CEO journey and shares valuable advice for fellow industry professionals. He emphasizes the need to prioritize team quality, aligning individuals with their strengths, and making tough decisions when necessary. Anton also encourages the industry to let go of outdated thinking and embrace collaborative, relationship-driven approaches that deliver holistic planning solutions to clients.
Tune in to this enlightening episode to gain insights into building collaborative partnerships, nurturing long-term growth, and rethinking traditional industry practices.
Join us in this insightful episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast as we dive into the world of business strategy and leadership with Wesley Crook, CEO at FP Complete. With over 40 years of experience and a proven track record in turning companies around, Wesley shares his valuable insights on growing, operating, and selling businesses.
Discover how Wesley's journey began and how he developed a knack for building and architecting highly secure and efficient software. From his early days in network installations to his current role as CEO, he discusses the challenges he faced, including the impact of COVID-19 on his company and the strategic decisions he made to pivot their business model.
Learn about the importance of understanding your customers, having multiple plans in place, and maintaining good cash flow. Wesley emphasizes the significance of building relationships and trust in the business world, highlighting how face-to-face interactions and conferences have played a crucial role in their success.
As the conversation unfolds, Wesley shares his valuable advice for entrepreneurs, including the need for honest feedback and the power of patience in executing long-term strategies. He also discusses the role of content marketing and the importance of finding the right balance between brand awareness and relationship building.
Tune in to gain valuable insights from Wesley Crook's wealth of experience and learn how to navigate challenges, make strategic decisions, and position your company for growth and success.
Join us on the Lifelong Customer Podcast as we dive into the world of automotive labels with Jose Flores, the forward-thinking CEO of Ancor Automotive. With over 40 years of experience, Ancor Automotive is the leading Tier-1 automotive supplier, specializing in software and label management solutions for cars.
In this episode, Jose shares fascinating insights into the complexities of automotive labels, highlighting the importance of data management and accurate composition. Discover how Ancor Automotive ensures the right data is incorporated into each label, providing crucial information for vehicle identification, safety regulations, and more.
Jose's leadership style and innovative strategies have played a pivotal role in Ancor Automotive's growth. He emphasizes the value of disruptive thinking, servant leadership, and keeping people inspired. Learn from Jose's experiences and gain valuable lessons on embracing failure, going the extra mile, and creating a strong company culture.
Tune in now to explore the intersection of technology, automotive labels, and leadership with a visionary CEO at the helm!
Join us on the latest episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast as we sit down with Mark Goldwasser, CEO of Ceros Financial Services, Inc.
With over four decades of experience in commodities and securities, Mark shares his remarkable journey from Zimbabwe to the helm of a thriving financial services company. We delve into the dynamic world of capital markets, exploring how Ceros is making an impact in med tech and biotech. Discover the valuable lessons Mark has learned from navigating multiple financial crises and how he advises entrepreneurs in starting and growing successful businesses.
Don't miss this episode filled with wisdom and insights from a seasoned industry expert. Tune in now on your favorite podcast platform.
Join us on the Lifelong Customer Podcast as we sit down with Miriam Chickering, CEO of NextGenU.org at the Frank Foundation.
Miriam shares her inspiring journey from volunteering in a local nursing program to building a nonprofit that provides nursing education in 140 countries. Discover how NextGenU.org is addressing the global healthcare worker shortage by enabling learning institutions to deliver high-quality education at scale. Learn about their innovative solutions, the power of building a global team, and the challenges they faced during the pandemic.
Miriam's insights and advice will inspire you to make a meaningful impact in the world of healthcare education.
In this episode of the LifeLong Customer podcast, we sit down with Alexander Gershenson, CEO at SupplyShift, to explore the world of sustainable supply chains. Join us as we delve into the challenges and opportunities of driving responsible sourcing, reducing carbon emissions, and promoting sustainability throughout supply chains.
Alex shares his unconventional journey from academia to tech CEO, highlighting the pivotal moment that led to the founding of SupplyShift. Discover how their software platform empowers companies to collect data from suppliers, track their sustainability efforts, and collaborate on driving continuous improvement.
From the importance of being an expert partner to the role of thought leadership and industry events, we uncover effective strategies for customer acquisition and growth in a nascent industry. Alex also emphasizes the value of strong finance leadership and the benefits of bringing experienced professionals on board to support scaling efforts.
Tune in to gain insights into the evolving landscape of responsible sourcing, and learn how collaboration and communication can foster lasting relationships and create positive environmental impacts.
Get inspired to make a difference in your industry and embrace the transformative power of sustainable supply chains.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, join us as we dive into a captivating conversation with Hasnaeen Rizvi Rahman, CEO at Astha.IT.
Discover the remarkable journey of how Hasnaeen went from being a self-taught coder to founding one of the top tech companies in Bangladesh. Hear about the lessons learned along the way, including the power of sales and marketing, the importance of networking, and setting ambitious goals.
Hasnaeen also shares insights on the impact of building a strong personal brand through speaking engagements and content creation.
Don't miss this enlightening discussion on embracing technology and digital transformation in today's rapidly evolving landscape. Tune in now!
In this episode of the LifeLong Customer podcast, we sit down with David Rush, CEO at SmallWorld.
David shares his journey of building a company that helps businesses maximize the power of warm introductions and referrals. Discover how SmallWorld's innovative platform enables companies to track, measure, and optimize the impact of these valuable connections on deal velocity and conversion rates.
Join us as we delve into the importance of relationships in sales and marketing, the challenges of entrepreneurship, and the role of LinkedIn in building brand awareness.
Tune in for valuable insights and practical advice on leveraging trust and timing to drive business growth.
In this episode of the LifeLong Customer podcast, we sit down with Bridgette Ferraro, CEO at iCopy. Join us as Bridgette shares her journey in the niche industry of records retrieval and how iCopy has become a leader in the field. Discover the unique intersection of medical, legal, and technology that defines records retrieval and the pivotal role it plays in litigation and pre-litigation processes.
As a growth strategist, Bridgette dives into her strategies for scaling and overcoming challenges in a high-growth company. She emphasizes the importance of embracing risk, breaking old habits, and staying connected to the "why" of your business.
We also explore Bridgette's passion for LinkedIn and how it has revolutionized professional networking and development. Learn how LinkedIn groups and content sharing have become valuable resources for Bridgette in her personal and professional growth.
Discover the lessons learned and insights gained from navigating the curveballs thrown by the pandemic and transitioning iCopy to a predominantly remote work model. Bridgette shares her advice for CEOs and offers valuable tips for achieving work-life balance by delegating and outsourcing tasks.
Tune in to this episode for inspiring stories, practical advice, and a fresh perspective on growth, adaptation, and success in the business world.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, we dive into the world of health communications and personal emergency response systems with our special guest, Chia-Lin Simmons, CEO at LogicMark. Join us as Chia-Lin shares her journey from the tech industry to leading a company dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of seniors.
Discover how LogicMark's products are revolutionizing the way we approach emergency response systems for aging adults. Learn about their wearable devices and advanced technology that provide immediate access to help in case of falls or accidents. Chia-Lin discusses the importance of preventive technology and how it can improve health outcomes for seniors.
As we explore the strategies and tactics behind LogicMark's growth, Chia-Lin emphasizes the significance of putting customers at the center of every decision. Hear her insights on target markets, customer journeys, and the role of technology in addressing evolving needs.
Chia-Lin also shares her thoughts on executive presence in the digital age, including her experiences on LinkedIn, podcasts, and other platforms. She offers valuable advice for CEOs and leaders on embracing visibility and building genuine connections with customers.
Don't miss this enlightening conversation on the future of health communications and the impact of personal emergency response systems on the lives of seniors. Tune in now and gain valuable insights into the evolving landscape of healthcare technology.
Join us for an enlightening episode of the LifeLong Customer podcast as we sit down with Susheel Ladwa, CEO at OnyxHealth. In this episode, Brad Hammond engages in a thought-provoking discussion with Susheel about the pivotal role of interoperability in revolutionizing the healthcare industry.
Susheel shares his journey and background in healthcare, highlighting the need for seamless data exchange among different stakeholders in the industry. Discover how OnyxHealth is leveraging the power of the FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) standard to create boundary-less data sharing and drive innovative healthcare models.
Learn valuable insights from Susheel's entrepreneurial experience and his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs in growing their companies. He emphasizes the importance of solving real problems, forming strategic partnerships, and building a passionate team.
Susheel also delves into the significance of marketing and content creation in the digital age. Gain valuable perspectives on using LinkedIn, content marketing, and thought leadership to establish your brand as a trusted source of knowledge.
Don't miss this episode filled with valuable insights and forward-thinking ideas on transforming healthcare through interoperability. Tune in now to gain a competitive edge in the ever-evolving healthcare landscape!
Join us on the Lifelong Customer Podcast as we sit down with Brian Burk, the CEO of AIROS.io, to discuss his journey in transforming the organization and driving growth in the healthcare technology industry.
In this episode, Brian shares his personal story and the importance of aligning personal values with professional goals. He dives into the strategic approach taken to take AIROS to the next level, including playing to win and implementing operational science to optimize internal processes.
Discover how Brian and his team fostered a culture of leadership and collaboration, overcoming obstacles and embracing conflict resolution. Gain insights into their focus on organic growth, expanding their client base, and exploring opportunities for inorganic growth through partnerships and acquisitions. Brian also offers valuable advice for leaders and healthcare organizations, emphasizing the need to embrace change, prioritize cybersecurity, and stay ahead of industry trends.
Don't miss this inspiring conversation with Brian Burk as he shares his wisdom and experiences in leading transformation and achieving success in the healthcare technology landscape.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast, we sit down with Doug Howarth, CEO of Hypernomics, Inc., to explore the fascinating world of hidden dimensions in business. Doug shares his journey from working at Lockheed to discovering a unique perspective on markets and consumer behavior. Through real-life examples, such as the impact of dimensions on purchasing decisions, he reveals how companies can leverage these hidden dimensions to gain a competitive edge.
Discover how Hypernomics, Inc. helps businesses visualize markets in multiple dimensions, enabling them to make informed decisions about product pricing, demand, and market positioning. From electric car manufacturers to restaurants, Doug demonstrates how understanding and analyzing these dimensions can lead to significant revenue growth and prevent costly mistakes.
If you're an entrepreneur or a business leader looking to navigate the complexities of pricing, demand, and market dynamics, this episode is a must-listen. Join us as we dive into the world of hyper genomics and unlock the potential of hidden dimensions in your industry.
Join us in this eye-opening episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast as Brad Hammond sits down with Dave Dobbin, the CEO of Zentro Internet.
Discover how Zentro is redefining internet service provision in dense urban areas like Chicago, Milwaukee, and Atlanta. Dave reveals their innovative use of millimeter wave wireless technology to create a reliable and high-bandwidth mesh network on the rooftops of buildings, eliminating the need for costly infrastructure upgrades.
Hear how Zentro's unique approach to customer service and localized operations is transforming the resident experience and setting them apart from traditional ISPs. Whether you're interested in the future of connectivity or curious about the challenges and successes of a rapidly growing tech company, this episode is not to be missed.
Tune in now to gain insights and inspiration from Dave's entrepreneurial journey and his vision for the future of internet connectivity.
In this episode of the LifeLong Customer podcast, host Brad Hammond engages in an insightful conversation with Philipp Wolf, the Founder of Custify.
Join them as they dive into the world of customer success and discuss the importance of reducing churn, scaling operations, and enhancing customer relationships in the SaaS industry. Philipp shares his journey from IT security to founding Custify, highlighting the need for a customer-centric approach in bridging the gap between customer acquisition and retention.
Discover valuable strategies for growing your company, leveraging SEO and content marketing, and the power of networking and customer feedback. Gain valuable insights from Philipp's experience and learn how building a strong customer success foundation can drive business growth and long-term success.
Join us for an engaging conversation with Christopher Marston, the visionary CEO of Exemplar Companies, a Delaware public benefit corporation revolutionizing the world of professional services. Brad Hammond, your host, dives deep into Christopher's journey as an entrepreneur and his mission to provide comprehensive solutions for revolutionaries, game-changers, and impact-driven businesses.
Christopher shares his personal story of dissatisfaction with the traditional professional services industry and how it led him to create a one-stop-shop for legal, tax, accounting, and advisory services. Discover the power of combining diverse expertise under one roof to support the success of mission-driven organizations.
Throughout the episode, Christopher imparts valuable insights and strategies for entrepreneurial success. Learn about the importance of perseverance, trusting your gut, and iterating on your business model. Gain a deeper understanding of the challenges in building a solid team and creating a unique culture that aligns with your values.
As the discussion unfolds, Christopher shares his thoughts on the role of social media, particularly LinkedIn, in driving growth and attracting clients. He provides candid insights into the effectiveness of various marketing channels and emphasizes the significance of publishing knowledge and building a strong online presence.
Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or a business leader looking to make a positive impact, this episode offers a wealth of knowledge and inspiration. Tune in to gain valuable lessons from Christopher's entrepreneurial journey and discover how you can create a revolutionary business of your own.
In this episode of The Lifelong Customer podcast, host Brad Hammond sits down with Dillon Tucker, Head of Sales Development and Operations at Common Room. Get ready to dive into the world of sales as Dillon shares his unique approach to building lifelong customer relationships.
From his background in farm life to his journey in SaaS software sales, Dillon brings a fresh perspective to the table. He emphasizes the importance of personalization in sales and highlights the role of AI in enabling personalization at scale. Discover how AI tools like Opnbx.ai can help sales teams create personalized messages based on LinkedIn profiles, increasing efficiency and breaking through the noise in a crowded market.
LinkedIn plays a crucial role in Dillon's brand-building strategy, and he shares valuable tips on optimizing profiles, engaging with the community, and leveraging comments to foster relationships. Additionally, he discusses the setup and success of SDR teams, emphasizing the importance of positivity, follow-up, and realistic goals.
Join us for an insightful conversation that will transform your approach to sales and empower you to thrive in today's competitive landscape.
In this episode of The Lifelong Customer podcast, join host Brad Hammond as he interviews Noah Parks, a seasoned digital marketing expert from The Bateman Collective.
Noah shares valuable insights into the challenges faced in the real estate market and how they have been overcome. With a focus on lead generation for real estate investors, Noah discusses the impact of interest rates, market shifts, and the art of wholesaling properties. He also reveals the strategies his agency employs to target and acquire new customers, including running PPC and Facebook ads, leveraging mastermind groups, and providing valuable content through YouTube and podcasts. Noah emphasizes the importance of building relationships with clients, practicing consistent follow-up, and demonstrating vulnerability as key elements in successful sales.
Tune in to gain valuable knowledge on navigating the ever-changing landscape of lead generation and sales in the real estate industry.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast, host Brad Hammond sits down with Kathy Henrich, CEO of the MKE Tech Hub Coalition.
Join them as they delve into the mission of the coalition, which focuses on inclusively growing the tech ecosystem in Milwaukee to drive long-term economic prosperity and create life-changing opportunities for individuals. Kathy shares her unique journey, from her extensive career at IBM to her decision to pursue a master's degree in workforce and talent development. Discover how Kathy's passion for upskilling and leveraging the knowledge of employees led her to establish the MKE Tech Hub Coalition as a nonprofit organization.
Throughout the conversation, Kathy provides invaluable advice for entrepreneurs and organizational leaders, emphasizing the importance of falling in love with the problem you aim to solve and staying focused on that goal. She also highlights the role of content and personal branding in establishing credibility and thought leadership, particularly on platforms like LinkedIn. Moreover, Kathy shares insights into the value of building relationships with board members and leveraging their diverse skill sets and connections to advance your mission.
Join Brad and Kathy as they explore the intersection of entrepreneurship, tech talent development, and creating a diverse and thriving tech industry. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or simply passionate about driving long-term success through inclusive practices, this episode offers practical advice and thought-provoking perspectives that can transform your approach.
Tune in to gain inspiration and insights from Kathy Henrich's remarkable journey in building lifelong relationships and fostering an inclusive tech ecosystem.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast, host Brad Hammond sits down with Juha Lahtela, the CEO of Logmore, to discuss the innovative use of dynamic QR codes in revolutionizing the logistics industry.
Juha shares his journey in the tech business and how Logmore's unique product caught his attention. They delve into the advantages of using dynamic QR codes for condition monitoring, such as temperature and moisture tracking, and the seamless data collection and upload process. Juha also offers valuable insights on building and growing a company, the importance of effective communication, and the need for openness to new technologies in the logistics industry.
Join Brad and Juha for an insightful conversation packed with wisdom and practical advice for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and anyone interested in the future of logistics.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer Podcast, host Brad Hammond sits down with Anthony Clervi, CEO of Una, to delve into the world of group purchasing and procurement. Anthony shares his journey as a Midwestern entrepreneur, growing his company over the past 10 years and providing valuable insights along the way.
They discuss the typical challenges companies face when it comes to managing costs and expenses, and how Una helps organizations save money in their indirect spending through strategic procurement practices. Anthony emphasizes the importance of alignment between members and supplier partners, creating a win-win situation for all parties involved.
The conversation turns to the art of growing a company, with Anthony offering advice on building a successful team, defining roles, and the power of focus. He shares the statistics on small businesses and revenue milestones, highlighting the need for self-awareness as a leader and understanding the complementary skills required to accelerate growth.
As an active LinkedIn user, Anthony shares his approach to content creation and its role in establishing Una as a forward-thinking and educational resource in the industry. He stresses the value of LinkedIn as a platform and the opportunities it offers for professional growth and brand building.
Brad and Anthony delve into the challenges faced by CEOs, including the legal and people-related aspects of running a business, and how self-care and a focus on well-being play a vital role in overcoming these challenges.
Reflecting on his journey, Anthony offers advice to his younger self, emphasizing the importance of patience, maintaining a positive mindset, and embracing opportunities as they come.
The episode concludes with Anthony discussing a pivotal moment in Una's history when they had to pivot their business strategy. He shares insights into the decision-making process and the lessons learned from taking bold steps to refocus and find success in a different direction.
Tune in to this enlightening conversation with Anthony Clervi as he shares his experiences and valuable advice on building a successful company, navigating challenges, and embracing growth opportunities.
In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, uncertainty is a constant. Whether it's shifts in consumer behavior, changes in economic conditions, or unforeseen disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses must be prepared to adapt their sales approaches to navigate these challenges and continue to drive growth.
Our guest for today, Jeffrey Dobin, Head of Sales at Duality Technologies shares this crucial insight: "People want instant results, right? But progress and success take a lot of effort and consistency over time to get those things. And we need to be methodical with our prospecting and outreach."
Check out our latest podcast now for more actionable sales strategies you wouldn't want to miss
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, host Brad Hammond interviews Matt Klepac, CEO of Vertify, a no-code platform for revenue operations.
Matt shares his experience in growing the company and building the right team, stressing the importance of relationships and advisors. He also talks about the challenges of transitioning from a service-based to a product-based model and the importance of being vulnerable as a CEO. Additionally, Matt discusses the role of LinkedIn content creation in growing the company and the value of listening to customers and the market to pivot business strategies. Overall, he advises listeners to focus on relationships and the people aspect of growing a business.
Leo Giel, CEO of Tappa, joins Brad Hammond on the Lifelong Customer Podcast to discuss how his company's human-first technology approach has helped bridge the gap between consumers and businesses.
Tappa provides mobile app publishers with their keyboard technology, which allows brands to engage with their customers without interrupting their user experience. This technology also enables brands to have their own brand on a keyboard and connect with their consumers daily, thus increasing user engagement and lifetime value.
In this podcast, Leo shares his entrepreneurial journey and how his experience in mobile content distribution and advertising led him to the idea behind Tappa. He also touches on how Tappa's technology revolutionizes the advertising industry by allowing app publishers to monetize their users with a more seamless engagement mechanism than traditional advertising.
In this episode of the Lifelong Customer podcast, host Brad Hammond interviews Alok Pandey, the CEO of Clubspeed, a venue management software business for family entertainment centers.
Alok shares his background in the technology industry and the strategies and tactics he has used to grow the company. He emphasizes the importance of having the right people in the right roles and ensuring alignment across the organization. Alok also talks about the importance of continuous learning and adapting to new challenges as they arise in business.
Listen to the full episode for insights on building a strong foundation for business growth.
In this episode of Lifelong Customer, host Brad Hammond speaks with George Santos, Director of Talent Delivery and Marketing at 180 Engineering.
George shares his experience of growing the staffing and recruitment firm with simple strategies. He discusses how they found their niche in regulated industries and product development, shifted their marketing towards it, and revamped their website to improve their SEO. George also shares how content marketing played a significant role in attracting clients and candidates, and how they achieved significant growth on LinkedIn. George's advice for entrepreneurs and marketers is to not be afraid to talk about what's not working, and to address the human first in recruitment. Finally, he advises against perfectionism and encourages people to take small steps and learn from mistakes.
Join us in the Lifelong Customer podcast as we talk with Oliver Belin, CEO and Founder at Calculum Inc, about payment terms, data leveraging, and building a successful business.
Discover how payment terms can impact your cash flow and how you can optimize them. Learn how to leverage data to open up opportunities and benefit your organization. Plus, get tips on hiring the best team members to help you achieve your business goals. Tune in now to the Lifelong Customer podcast with Brad Hammond.
On this episode of The Life-Long Customer, we're joined by Gary Brown, the CEO and owner of Talent Dynamics, who shares his experience and insights on the ups and downs of growing a business.
He warns us about the trap of thinking everything is going well when we're getting new clients and explains how it's crucial to make smart decisions and reinvest in the business even in the slow periods.
Gary also talks about the challenges of buying an existing company and how to be opportunistic in dealing with unexpected changes.
Don't miss this informative and insightful conversation with Gary Brown, only on our podcast!
In today's global marketplace, businesses are challenged to navigate a complex web of cultural, economic, and political factors that vary widely from one region or market to another. One of the key areas in which these differences manifest is in the realm of sales, where businesses must adapt their strategies and tactics to the unique characteristics of each market they operate in.
In today's episode, Jamil Aghasi, Whelp's Head of Sales, explores different and effective sales strategies and key factors that businesses should consider when applying these strategies. By understanding these factors and tailoring their sales approaches accordingly, businesses can maximize their chances of success and establish a strong foothold in new and diverse markets.
The healthcare industry is a critical sector that plays a vital role in ensuring the well-being of people around the world. In recent years, the industry has undergone significant changes, driven by a variety of factors such as advances in technology, shifting demographics, and changing regulations.
For Joe Rubinsztain, ChronWell's CEO and Co-founder, while these changes have created new opportunities for healthcare organizations, they have also brought new challenges that must be navigated to ensure success.
In today's podcast episode, learn more about the opportunities and challenges of leveraging new technology in the healthcare industry.
In this podcast episode the LifeLong Customer Podcast, host Brad Hammond interviews Michael Sanders, the founder and CEO of Interactive Government Holdings, a professional services government contracting firm based in Washington, DC.
Michael Sanders explains the importance of being a prime contractor in government contracting, contrary to the common advice of starting as a subcontractor. He highlights the advantages of being a prime contractor, such as gaining valuable experience, executing contracts, and having the power to grow the work. On the other hand, as a subcontractor, you only provide resumes and do not have much control over the work.
Michael Sanders emphasizes that being a prime contractor provides opportunities to meet other customers and walk the halls, which can help grow your business.
Listeners can gain valuable insights into the government contracting industry and understand the benefits of being a prime contractor.
Even before the pandemic, the financial industry was constantly transforming. If you do not adapt quickly or fail to make the right move, your organization could suffer losses and risk falling behind the competition.
William Exeter, Exeter 1031 Exchange Services' CEO, shares his strategies and best practices to stay competitive and ahead in the changing world of the financial industry.
Are you running a startup or considering launching one? Do you wonder how to identify the key differentiators and what pivots may be necessary to succeed? Tune in to the latest episode of the LifeLong Customer Podcast featuring Adi Segal, the CEO of Happy.
Adi shares his journey of building a business that provides non-clinical emotional support through audio-only and anonymous channels, available 24/7. He talks about the challenges he faced when starting and how he pivoted his initial ideas to create a successful product that differentiated itself from therapy.
Quote of the Day: "Be personalized, be relevant, and be real."
Steven Piscione, Head of Sales at Seated, has interesting stories and valuable insights on running a sales team and generating leads in the restaurant industry. Tune in now to learn more about his tips and strategies for improving and strengthening your pipeline and supporting business goals.
Cost efficiency is crucial for businesses in a competitive market to remain viable, grow, and succeed. It allows companies to operate more effectively, increase profits, improve customer satisfaction, and better allocate resources.
In today's podcast episode, Hanoi Morillo, Fivvy's CEO and Co-Founder, shares her learnings on cost-efficiently growing her organization while simultaneously adding value for their customers.
HOT TAKE: What makes an effective sales team is more than just securing leads.
Gretchen Schwartz, JOON's Head of Sales, believes that aside from capitalizing on trends, fostering a positive and collaborative culture plays an essential role in building a strong sales team.
Listen to our latest podcast episode now for insights on sales strategies and more.
Nowadays, it's no longer enough for businesses to simply be present in every communication channel. The kind of messaging and content you deliver has the power to build your brand.
In today's podcast episode, we're joined by Doug Ennis from Waratek. As Waratek's CEO, Doug has explored and implemented different marketing and sales strategies to generate leads. He's here today to share his learnings and insights in building strong and effective communication and content strategies in the security automation space.
As a business owner, it's very exciting to see rapid business growth as everyone's effort and hard work are finally paying off. However, success often also comes with a new set of challenges.
In today's podcast, David Supple, President and CEO at New England Design & Construction, shares his insights and strategies for managing rapid business growth.
Supply chain leaders must recognize the need to balance resilience and efficiency to protect and meet business goals despite the negative impact of the pandemic and other disruptions.
In today's podcast, John Nichols, Isometric Technologies' Executive Vice President, shares his expertise in implementing innovative sales tactics. With the changes and challenges in the supply chain space, John also shares his insights and learnings on strategic approaches and solutions that can help promote successful sales and drive business growth.
Catering to AND targeting a smaller and more defined market can be quite challenging. Aside from securing customers, business stakeholders must also address industry concerns and adapt to changes. But don't fret!
In today's podcast episode, James Loughlin, Midwest Tankermen's CEO, shares his learnings on leveraging partnerships and other opportunities for strategic business growth in a niche market.
Whether you're a new or an old company, as a stakeholder, it's essential to keep in mind effective strategies for scaling up your business.
Rich Sippos, Extenteam's Head Of Sales, shares his insights and learnings on how your organization can respond and adapt to changes in the industry and economy for smoother scaling up opportunities.
It's one thing to advocate for security and safety and another to build your brand and reputation as a cybersecurity firm. If you're struggling with juggling these, don't fret!
Alex Quilici, YouMail 's CEO, joins us in today's podcast episode, where he shares crucial tips and strategies for strengthening brand presence, reach, conversion, and more.
As a marketer, do you listen to understand or do you listen to respond?
For Kevin Bopp, Park Rite's Chief Executive Officer, listening to understand can lead your business to the right answer to successfully converse and tap motivated buyers or customers.
Listen to our podcast today to learn more insights into the parking industry and how you can strategically position yourself to grow and remain profitable.
A lot has happened in the past years that have contributed to the rapid changes the business world needs to deal with. With these changes, it's critical for businesses to adapt while also taking measures to prepare for what's to come.
In today's podcast episode, Travis Lefever, Mission Mobile Medical's CEO, shares with us how his team's creative thinking and their heart for service helped their organization identify and pursue new business opportunities.
"You have to do things. It's not going to be perfect, but you have to keep improving it."
Today's podcast episode discusses how looking at an entrepreneur's perspective can help improve your leadership and management style.
Faris Alami, International Strategic Management's Founder and CEO, stresses the importance of not being afraid to take the leap and in being strategic in taking advantage of available opportunities.
Listen now to learn more.
With technology, there are now various ways of reaching your target audience. But how can you ensure that you're getting AND retaining their attention?
Daniel Silvestre, BBA Logistics' President of Sales, the key to boosting your reach and improved conversion is tailor-fitting your messaging to customers.
Listen to our podcast today for tips and tactics on gaining leads, initiating conversions, and more!
There are still organizations that have yet to leverage the power of LinkedIn in growing their brand and overall business.
Here's a learning opportunity you shouldn't miss! In today's podcast, Judy Schramm, ProResource, Inc.'s CEO, shares her insights and tips for creating a strong brand awareness campaign through LinkedIn and more!
Say yes! Say yes! Getting your prospect to say yes is both a process and an art form itself.
In today's podcast episode, Elena Simic, Founder of The Sales Coach, gives us crucial tips for creating and implementing effective sales strategies.
Tune in to our latest podcast episode now!
Implementing good top-of-funnel marketing strategies can aid your business in getting new leads and boosting your brand's reach and reputation.
Listen to our latest podcast episode and listen to Patrick Joyce, Immersa's Head of Inside Sales, as he gives his insights on maximizing conversion tactics and more.
Overcoming the challenges that come with bagging sales and prospects can be daunting. But for Bobby Morelli, Glewee's Head of Sales, there's merit to utilizing new technology AND "old school" tactics!
Listen to our latest podcast today for more tips, compelling sales strategies, and more.
Trends come and go, but it doesn't mean it's not worth looking into, especially when establishing your brand.
For Chad Wilbourn, Metabolic's Head of Sales, leveraging trends can pave the way toward business growth. Listen to our podcast now to learn insights on trend analysis, growing your brand, and more.
Marketers and business stakeholders alike know the struggles of trying to infiltrate a saturated ad space. It gets so crowded that some no longer see the value of paid ads. However, completely abandoning this strategy might not be the right move.
In today's podcast episode, Michael Wallace, Firefly Team Events' VP of Sales, shares his insights on how you can reach new heights by utilizing creative and effective ads to maximize your reach to your target audience and grow your business.
Having a strong sales team is crucial to ensure business growth. But what makes a successful sales team?
Jamie Garrett, Head Of Sales at PETA Training and Consultancy, answers this question and more in our latest podcast episode! Listen as he shares his expertise in building a high-performance sales team.
**QUESTION OF DAY: How do you tailor your sales pitch and messaging to different types of potential buyers?
For Benjamin Lissak, Zigazoo's Head of Sales, developing strategic partnerships and creating meaningful communities go hand-in-hand in helping attract customers and ensure a successful marketing strategy.
For more insights on how to effectively reach your target audience and more, listen to our latest podcast episode now.**
Preparing your business for successful growth is a daunting task. But it is attainable with the right game plan!
Ross Teague, CEO of Nebula Global Services, joins us today, and he's here to share how you and your team can develop strategies for a smooth transition from being a startup into a scale-up organization.
Learn the key to growing your business and more by listening to our latest podcast episode now.
Solidifying your brand presence in a new market can be daunting. But what else can you do if it seems every strategy has already been done?
For Carolyn Zaleski, Head of Sales at Digital Trusted Identity Services, information is POWER. Focus on creating intent and providing value to your customers.
Listen for more marketing and sales insights you wouldn't want to miss.
Every year, brands face many obstacles, even new ones that seem baffling.
Join us today as Aaron Keller, Capsule's Chief Executive Officer, shares how the right mix and match of new and tested strategies can boost your brand even in challenging times.
Follow this link to listen to our latest podcast episode now.
Undoubtedly, technology has made it easier for brands to expand their reach. However, marketers and salespeople now need an extra boost in converting their prospects to actual customers.
In today's podcast episode, we're happy to be joined by Ryan Young, IamIP's Head of Sales! Listen now as he shares his learnings and insights on utilizing strong content marketing strategies to drive sales.
What's in store for businesses this 2023? How do businesses ensure growth and success?
Here's one of Ben Cruse, Head of Sales at Crossing Minds, forecasts: "It's not the nice to have solutions; it's the need to have solutions that are gonna rise to the top."
Listen to our latest podcast episode now.
Our guest for today's podcast episode is Michael Crean, CEO and Founder at Solutions Granted. Join us as he shares his insights on building and maintaining a strong customer relationship to foster business growth.
Take advantage of this learning opportunity.
It has been a challenging few years for all types of businesses, but this also gave stakeholders opportunities to try new things to drive growth and success.
In today's podcast episode, we're joined by Sean Adams, Head of Sales & Partnerships at iorad. Listen now to learn more about developing proactive strategies for sales success.
What's the secret to growing your brand in a dynamic market? Jeff Martin, CEO of University Recruiters, has this advice: Don't be afraid to do the "silly" thing now! You can reap the rewards later.
Listen to our podcast now to learn more about how to utilize trends when building your brand and executing successful sales strategies.
How vital is the role of honing partnerships in achieving business goals?
Tim Beck, SAASTEPS' CEO, answers this question and more in our latest podcast episode! Take advantage of this learning opportunity for tips and insights on jumping on the right opportunities to accelerate business growth.
Do you also sometimes need help determining which strategy works best for your marketing project?
Don't worry because you're not alone! As Brad Kugler, DirectMail2.0's CEO/Co-Founder said, "Marketing is a mystical thing that doesn't always work the same way every time, even though repeated exactly the same way."
Listen to our latest podcast today for more learnings and insights on navigating disruptions and executing winning marketing strategies.
"Put yourself in the right place at the right time to have the right conversation."
In today's podcast episode, Zach Schwager, Dashworks' Head of Sales is here to share his learnings on the best practices to boost your sales strategy through data.
Do you need help to connect with your customers and make that sale?
For Bill Cushard, Dragonboat's Head of Sales, the secret is, "The more helpful we can be when selling, the better." Adding value to your customers' needs will get you the edge for growth.
In today's episode, we're glad to catch up with Rebecca Weizenecker, Head of Sales at Verb. She's here to share her insights and tips on leading your sales team through challenges and opportunities.
Listen to our latest podcast episode now.
The past few years have certainly brought challenges and changes to many organizations. So, what are the best strategies to drive positive impact and business success in the medical industry?
Listen to our latest podcast episode now as Joseph Horton, ManaMed Inc.'s Vice President of Sales, answers this question and more.
Alexander Graham Bell once said, "When one door closes, another opens." And when it comes to profitability, business stakeholders need to step up and find opportunities to drive success.
In today's podcast episode, Jay Sellers, Head Of Sales at CityCheers Media, shares his insights and learnings on exploring innovative ideas to drive business growth.
In a cutthroat industry, how do you ensure improvement in sales performance?
For Ben Tschirgi, Cowan Logistics's VP of Sales, driving business growth is not just about the numbers. You have to be a proactive problem solver who aims to add value to the customers.
Listen to our latest podcast today for more hot tips and to learn more about utilizing innovative strategies and technologies to drive business success.
Coming up with effective outbound sales techniques and strategies for a niche market can be quite tricky.
But we're in luck because we're joined by Dan Roberts, Veckta's Head of Sales for today's episode! Listen as he shares his tips on prospecting, gathering insights, dealing with industry challenges, and more.
Are you getting fewer turnouts from your cold calls and email newsletters?
In today's podcast episode, Phil Curtolo, VP of Sales at Software Consulting Services gives his hot take on personalizing your communication strategy for better turnaround with your customers.
HOT TAKE: Initiatives that are working today may become obsolete tomorrow.
For Sims Tillirson, PERKS’ Vice President of Business Development, it's crucial for organizations to be more strategic with their marketing and sales initiatives.
Click to listen to our podcast today for more learning opportunities
Are you trying to find ways to improve your sales strategies in this post-pandemic environment?
Check out our latest podcast episode today, where we sit down with Allan Anastacio, TruckTractorTrailer.com's Head of Sales & Sales Operations. Allan shares with us his experience and insights on the adjustments they made to bolster their sales initiatives further.
**We're doing anything and everything and trying it all. I would say, for us, it's some of those really targeted niche industry players that have really helped us move the needle. We'll put the right piece of content to a group of accounts that we've seen intent in this various subject with a very reputable third-party firm partner with us and our content and our subject matter experts that we're able to get back a nice handful of leaves that work for us. On the other side, the Wall Street Journals or others of the world, it's just fantastic to have those names associated with our thought leadership content and getting that out there. But I wouldn't necessarily say that I can directly pinpoint that that's an ROI and we were able to get X, Y or Z leads from it. But it's just something that we've seen help play into the mix.
//To listen to more The Life-Long Customer podcast episodes, follow us on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/thelifelongcustomerpodcast/ Follow the host Brad Hammond https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-hammond #thelifelongcustomerpodcast #customerjourney #marketingleadership #b2bmarketing
Initially, we didn't have so much of a concept out there. But I think what's shaping us for us, and what's working extremely well is the notion of campaigns. You'll find a topic that you want to establish for a certain amount of time. They can be short ones, one or two weeks, where you talk about specific topics. Or if we're launching a new product, you have longer campaigns with like all sorts of different content pillars, but also channels in a mix to make sure that you address your buyer personas extremely well.
I believe in empathetic marketing. You have to target your customer. Don't think for yourself, but think about what clients want to hear, how you can actually make them successful, and then create all the different content forms around that.
//To listen to more The Life-Long Customer podcast episodes, follow us on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/thelifelongcustomerpodcast/ Follow the host Brad Hammond https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-hammond #thelifelongcustomerpodcast #customerjourney #marketingleadership #b2bmarketing
I was always a little bit ahead of my time when it comes to one-to-one marketing. I love telling this story. There is a book written by Don Peppers and Martha Rogers in 1993, so we're talking three decades ago, called The One to One Future. And they described exactly what we talked about today in the book and exactly what we're able to do with one-to-one marketing.
The problem was it was the future. It wasn't possible. But I was so excited by it back then that I actually worked for a big ad agency, and I convinced our management to develop what we called One-to-One Marketing Division so that we could do it, although the technology couldn't really do it back then.
What's really helped me and Jamie to write this book, Jamie being my co-author, was in the last 10 years, the technology has finally caught up. It's actually now possible to do one-to-one marketing because almost all media–even television–is now addressable, meaning I know you're watching this show versus somebody else. And you couldn't do that in the old mass marketing ways.
Basically started thinking how can we allow customers to self-serve? How can we think product first in everything we do, which is really the mindset of product-led. And that was a super exciting journey.
Because basically, onboarding is really essential piece. Onboarding is typically where- as when a free trial, for instance, the onboarding can really be your salesperson, right?
It's where it shows the value to the customer as fast as possible, or past purchase. It's the onboarding that makes sure that that you're retaining that customer. Onboarding is really a continuous journey, to continue to onboard the customer and make sure they're happy with the product. So that's why I found Userflow super interesting and wanted to make it easier for other companies, SaaS companies to become product-led.
What if all this time, we marketing people have been doing it the wrong way?
Listen to our latest podcast with Sarah Scudder, Chief Marketing Officer at SourceDay and get insights on demand generation using LinkedIn. Learn what makes it an effective approach in getting quality customers.
Silos exist in organizations and those silos pose challenges that need to be overcome especially when it comes to sales and marketing. With digital coming into play, marketers should start thinking with a single channel approach and leverage unified data and strategy to create a bigger impact.
Stephanie Swinyer from Integrate shares how they’ve successfully broken down silos and how to focus on what the customers really want.
“The adjustment was radical and swift. You needed to really pivot quickly.
I remember the board meeting I was giving, it was adapt or die quickly because you need to get fully virtual as fast as possible in engaging ways. That was not an easy shift, but it's pretty clear how you needed to shift. As we come out of the pandemic, I find it kind of the inverse. We had a time where vaccines are happening. We opened up, and it seemed like things were "back to normal." And then all of a sudden you get these variants coming, and now things are back to a lot of uncertainty and anxiety. And so we've had some regional events that we were doing get canceled.
Try to take it day by day, not take it personally and dampen your expectations and make rational decisions as you go through.” - Dimitri Vlachos, Chief Marketing Officer, Devo Technology
For marketers who want to expand to Southeast Asia and tap into the endless opportunities it presents, trust is key.
According to Lars Voedisch, Principal Consultant and Managing Director at PRecious Communications, jumping directly into business in the region may not always do the trick. Prioritize building relationships and coming up with a mid-term plan, he advised.
Learn more about communications and marketing in this fast-growing region. Listen to our podcast now!
“Just directly jumping in with “let's do business” might backfire badly. You need to build relationships and trust. You need to have a midterm plan, not a short term in here and just sell Fire and Forget, that might be really, destructive in your long-term opportunities here.” - Lars Voedisch, Principal Consultant, PRecious Communications
"Customer-led growth is not a term that I coined. It's the idea. As a business, we've got metrics that we're trying to measure and goals we're trying to hit, but they're always around our goals as a business. It's like trying to sell a product or get a subscription that those milestones that we measure do not speak to customer value. We focus on jobs that need to be done: framework, understanding our customer needs, and having empathy for what problems they're trying to solve—then understanding the customer journey, what they're doing, thinking, and feeling, and how they're measuring.
That will come if we provide value to our customers and prospects at each of those stages. It's about putting our metrics secondary. Of course, we're still measuring that. We still need to drive revenue and MQL and all of that, but it's secondary to how our customers measure success at those stages."
- Jennifer Vogel, VP of Marketing, Voxpopme
"The concept of the dark funnel (or dark social ) has been around for a decade. We're all doing these things and doing these ourselves and not understand that that's what it's called. Dark social is just about places where people are interacting and engaging, and your attribution software cannot directly correlate those results.
It's a combination of things. It's content promotion places, like podcasting. There's not always a direct correlation to your attribution software, but it's one of the top places people consume information today.
These other social channels can also be considered dark social. Think about LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter. Those are influencing people to take action too. I do it all the time. I go to Google right away after I see something on social or listen to a podcast and maybe convert there. They do not see that, and they're just seeing that it's Google or direct.
There's some misalignment with the attribution software, how and where people buy or consume information. People are doing these things, but they don't think about monitoring it or figuring it out.
I have to give a shout-out to Chris Walker of Refine Labs. If you're any marketer listening, you've probably come across his content. He's put it on the map for modern marketers or people growing up in this kind of social media space and how marketing is changing. That's what it's all about, and that's where B2B buyers are now.
We all have different ways of communicating, interacting, and learning about products and services. That's the significant change, and it's a challenge that companies are facing too because marketers want to do these things, and sometimes leadership or the Board is just not understanding it either."
- Todd Kunsman, Director of Marketing, EveryoneSocial
“One of the most critical pieces is to audit your existing team for their capabilities, and frankly, for their weaknesses and any gaps you may have within your team in terms of experience and expertise. The first thing to do is to understand what you're working with.
The other thing you need to do is audit the tools you have available to you in the marketing team, your marketing stack, and how that integrates with sales. My view is success comes on the heels of a great partnership between sales and marketing. It would help if you made sure that not only are you having the conversations and you're consistent on what you're saying about the company and when you say it, but also that your systems support that integration.
The third thing I'm thinking about is how you're reporting on marketing.
The last essential thing is understanding the role of marketing in your company. You need to understand the dynamics that come with that to effectively make shifts and changes in the company's direction, the direction of marketing, and how that plays together.” - Melissa Blanken, Chief Marketing Officer, GridPoint
“My passion and what I focus on is what I call Evidence-Based Marketing. We need to be focused on metrics that confirm our marketing campaigns, activities, designs, color choices, font choices, brand personas, and these fluffier squishier marketing concepts. We want to make sure that they have an effect and that effect can be measured.
When I was a lot younger in my career, and I was promoting, "Look at all of the leads we've gotten. We've got all these top-of-funnel leads, and look how good we're doing." I was patting myself on the back. The Chief Financial Officer turns to me and says, "Billy, nobody gets paid in leads. You get paid in dollars. Do you like dollars, or do you like leads?" That stuck with me.
It was a critical learning moment for me: that idea of nobody getting paid in leads. You could transpose that to say; nobody gets paid in the number of logos or brochures you produce, and people get paid in dollars.
Everything marketing does, from brand awareness to identity, marketing campaigns to demand, and lead generation, is still crucial. Still, they have to be measured to be effective so that they can translate into dollars or whatever is the thing that is most important for you and your organization.
***Every campaign that we do, every marketing activity, every spend that we make needs to demonstrate how we are moving the needle. What's the evidence that this is effective?”
- *Billy Cripe, VP of Marketing, CIBO
"We're seeing a lot of organizations think differently about the data they're collecting as they are looking to hybrid. It's an excellent way for organizations to reach broader audiences, collect more data on their audiences, and create more content to accelerate wherever they are in the customer journey.
We can create or capture those behavioral metrics and the trends that we're seeing across the client base. We can recommend and provide some tangible metrics regarding how they compare to some of the other events that we're seeing. That's powerful. It helps us advise our client base about what they should be expecting, especially as we go into hybrid.
***There's always a qualitative component to it where there may be a couple of caveats and what might look different. It helps gauge what good looks like for engagement, what you expect, and how you use that to optimize and raise the bar on your events.”
-*Ashleigh Cook, SVP of Marketing, RainFocus
**“One plus one equals three is the secret sauce of partnerships and partner marketing. Anytime you put together two great minds, you bring the best of the best together - that can be a super powerful force. ”
- Nicole Rogers, Matterport**
“It's not an easy task. When it comes to software development, it starts with the product and your engineering team. Those are the folks that are building the essential features. That's your first stakeholder.
Your second stakeholder will most likely be your sales and or customer success team because those are often in the front line talking to the customers who are eventually going to be using that product.
Then there's the marketing team.
***Product marketing lives in the middle of all of the various stakeholders. To set up a successful product marketing strategy, a team and a plan, you need to speak to those stakeholders. You need to identify those common objectives that all three departments sometimes want to achieve together and figure out when it comes to their key metrics of success. What can you do from a product marketing standpoint that kind of funnels up to that larger objective? That's on a larger scale of how you want to think about product marketing.”
-*Aika Zikibayeva, Partner Marketing Manager, Cockroach Labs
"It's essential to understand who your audience is and what they know.
Our CEO told me 'People tell me that our content is excellent. I'm sure it is because they're telling me that, but I don't get it.' I said, ‘But you know all of it already; you're not the target audience.' He said, 'Good point.'
***In our industry, there’s no place to get this kind of information so we think it’s incredibly valuable to educate people."
-*Clarissa Horowitz, VP of Marketing, Treasury Prime
What makes a good copywriting and how does it help strengthen your brand?
Our guest, Liz Strikwerda, Content Marketing Strategist at Swipeclock, answers this question and more in our podcast episode today!
*“Good digital copywriting gets right to the point. This is for your reader; and for Google and other search engines. If you're writing a blog post, for example, you want to jump right in and say what it's about. Everyone is busy and people have short attention spans. Make sure you use a lot of headings and lists to make your content scannable. In addition–even if your target customer has a high level of education–you want to write to an eighth-grade reading level. It doesn't matter what their background is, your audience wants things to be digestible.
It's also essential to understand your industry and target customers. There is no substitute for in-depth research. You can’t explain how your product or service can solve their problems unless you know what their problems are, so spend as much time learning as writing. It’s time well spent.*
- Liz Strikwerda, Content Marketing Strategist, Swipeclock
What are the key factors to consider when building your marketing team? Is it purely expertise and experience? Does a newcomer in the industry have a chance?
Our guest for today, Tyler Shields, Chief Marketing Officer at JupiterOne answers this question and more."I think the net-net is giving people accountability and responsibility. As long as you can guide them in the correct direction to achieve what needs to be achieved, you provide them with that accountability. If they're the right type of person, they take it, and they own it. They want to succeed.
I don't want to dictate to my employees, 'Do this every day here.' I don't want to tell you every morning, 'Here are the four things I want to get done every day.' That's not how I operate.
I found that people respect that. And I think driving respect within your organization is key." - Tyler Shields, Chief Marketing Officer, JupiterOne
One of the challenges of being a newcomer is changing the minds of brands or customers from what they're accustomed to.
In today's podcast, Candace Sheitelman, Chief Marketing Officer at Edify shares with us some useful tips on brand building, especially as a newcomer. Tune in to learn more!
"It's always tough to be the new kid in any space, but I think it even has a layer of additional complexity when you're the new kid in a space that's been around for a long time. The natural state of being in the customer experience space is resistance.
'These are the companies we've always used to do this.'
'These are the brands that people trust in this business.'
Being the newcomer, you have a little bit of a hill to climb. It's getting brands out of the mindset of 'the way we've always done it is how we have to keep doing it.' That's the challenge of being a newcomer in an existing space."
- Candace Sheitelman, Chief Marketing Officer, Edify
***"Intent data has transformed B2B marketing. We're still kind of early stages but truly transformational in how we think about the things we do.
We've all had first-party intent data.
People come to our website.
They fill out forms.
They read guides.
They watch videos.
They click on emails.
All intent and purpose that was intent data, right? It was first-party intent data, and it was only the data that we had exposure to, which is, frankly, a fraction of your target market's activities.
We spend a lot of time and effort and spend money on Google getting people on our websites to have more intent data.
Over the last five or six years, companies have come to fruition providing third-party intent data. They compile the data and make it available so that you can understand all those activities that aren't occurring on your website, but that is important to you within your target market."***
- Casey Carey, Chief Marketing Officer, Kazoo
The difficulties of organizing on-site physical events, especially during the pandemic, have led to more organizations doing virtual events. Even though this might seem to have addressed the concern of accessibility in the time of social distancing, organizing virtual events still has its challenges.
In our episode today, we sit down with Dana Freker Doody, VP, Marketing and Communications at JUNO. She shares with us her learnings and insights on creating and organizing engaging virtual events."Creating the sessions that enable more people to talk and share is great. Again, there's technology limitations in certain platforms that allow for that or disallow for that. The connection piece is really the big one.
We've used social media to begin and advance relationships for years. So using the virtual event, thinking about it in that term of what relationships can you be beginning? And what relationships can you be advancing with this virtual event? And what kind of content will actually help you achieve that? Think about the best conversations that you've had at a physical event, or even at a party with your friends or after your church service, right? They're not groups of twenty people that gather to talk. The best conversations are when there's three, four, five, maybe pushing into six and seven. So keeping those round tables small. The other thing that we find helpful is to give specific talking points.
Have that available and have a moderator, or at least someone who's seeded with what the next question should be so that they can get the conversation going.”
- Dana Freker Doody, VP, Marketing and Communications, JUNO
"Kevel has evolved as we've rebranded. As we picked up funding, our go-to-market strategy has drastically changed. For the longest time, it was heavily dependent on inbound leads, and we've since started to focus a little more on building an outbound team for cold emails, building out our account-based marketing strategy.
If we hadn't have done these, we wouldn't have seen the recent growth we've had this year. It's crucial to adjust based on the stage of your company and market dynamics to what that go-to marketing strategy is. That should change.
As an example, as a marketing team, we have different quarterly goals: This quarter, I want to focus on site traffic. This quarter, I want to focus more on social proof, et cetera.
Identifying those micro-goals and adjusting your strategy allows you to capture the fact that stories evolve, companies evolve, and you can't stick to just the same tactic and execution every year.”
- Chris Shuptrine, VP of Marketing, Kevel
"The challenge with developers is everybody wants to market to them, but they have no interest in being marketed to. It does come off as a challenge for folks because a typical marketer wants to tell you why their product is so great and all the great things it's going to do for you.
From a developer's standpoint, they really want to see it. It’s a ”Don't tell me, show me. Let me get my hands on it. Let me try it out and show me how to do it.”
It takes a lot of what we refer to at Liquibase as outside-in thinking, instead of inside-out. We could sit and say, “Here's what we want people to know.” The reality is you have to sit and do the outside-in and say, “What do they want to know? What do you need to show them that they're interested in?”
The effort there really is around educating. It's around helping them achieve the goals that they have, helping them, you know, making it, so that it's easier for them that things are streamlined, that they can find the documentation that they have, and have a community that they can lean on. As we go through and look at our product definition, look at all of the things that we're doing.
The biggest focus that we have is just making everything easier, making it super simple for people to come in, get going, find the value while they're actually using the product as opposed to trying to go out and really sell it to them." - Matthew Geise, VP of Marketing, Liquibase
✔️Respect definitely goes a long way! ✔️
AgriWebb swears by this when doing their marketing initiatives. According to Elizabeth Moore, AgriWebb’s VP of Global Marketing, listening to and respecting the experts of the farming industry not only strengthens customers’ trust with their company but also helps them better tailor-fit solutions to help their target customers.
"The end product of customer advocacy is you've got someone pleased with your brand and loves using your product or service. They are at the point where they are willing to write reviews on G2, Gartner Peer Insights, TrustRadius, any of those other review sites. They will write a review, rate, take that initiative on their own. That could be good or bad.
At the same time, they'll be willing to raise their hand and become a sales reference for you. They'll be happy to get on a call with a prospect and share their experience about why you should consider using a company's product or service.
There are lots of different ways that customers can advocate for you. That's part of a broader and more mature category in marketing, which is called customer marketing.
Too often, marketing was spending too little time on the post-sale after you acquired that customer. Marketing needs to spend more and more time in the post-sale journey and engage with customers, create relationships with them, and understand what motivates them to continue buying your product or service. That's what customer marketing is all about. It's engaging with your customers, building relationships, and hopefully getting them to the state of advocacy."
- Dan Cote, VP, Chief Marketing Officer, Influitive
“I saw a stat in the latest report the other day that the CMO tenure is the shortest it has ever been.
One of the core reasons is that not enough marketing leaders can draw a straight line from marketing to revenue.
I fundamentally believe that marketing exists to start and continue conversations for their sales team. To me, that's what demand generation is all about.
You find folks that say that demand generation is about lead generation. That is just not true.
***You can do lots of things to generate leads that will never result in revenue for your business. That's a core component.”
-*Kate Adams, SVP of Marketing, Validity
Data-driven marketing can mean a ton of things. It can be the super extreme: AI and advanced analytics that you get into accurate hardcore data. It can also be as simple as metrics reporting.
I don't know how you can be a CMO or Head of Marketing these days without being a data-driven person. In my mind, what I've found is that you have to touch everything across-the-board to be successful. Everything moves so fast that you have to make decisions very quickly. If you don't make the right decisions, it could have a lot of repercussions. Data helps you do that.
Data can be a few different things. It could be conducting market research, insights about the markets, your competition, customer analytics or segmentation, bringing some intelligence about your customers to the business, conducting surveys. It could be product analytics, looking at what works in your product and what doesn't, what makes your customers tick, and how can you amplify that?
**It could be setting benchmarks in the industry. It can be something as simple as business metrics or marketing metrics, like how many leads did we bring in? How many converted?
- Christina Kyriazi, VP of Marketing, Ekos Software, Inc.**
“My definition of customer experience is it's the process of putting the customer at the center of what you're doing very simply. For marketing and marketers, it is ingrained in your marketing strategy and everything you do. It is driving the usage and adoption of your products.
It's in the DNA of how we work day-to-day. It affects brand loyalty. It affects customer retention. It affects bottom-line revenue.
The experiences that we create, both good and bad, are some of the largest determinations of customer retention.
Many marketers know the data is there. It shows which customers see the value of what you're selling and are more likely to buy. It's about acquisition, but it's also about retention.
That's what marketing is ultimately doing: it's creating experiences.”
- Angela Earl, VP Global Marketing, RFPIO Inc.
Are you running a startup company? Do you want to know the secret to building a good reputation?
For Salar Salahshoor, Head of Marketing at Shelf Engine, building strong brand awareness is critical. But brand awareness is not just for brand recall. Find out more by listening to our podcast today!
"Reputation is everything. People connect and talk. If there's a startup like Shelf Engine, the news travels through the industry.
What do I focus on? I want to make sure that anyone considering technical solutions or digital transformation within the grocery space knows about Shelf Engine.
Number one, it's a big brand awareness challenge. How can we get our brand in front of many relevant people and make sure they understand who we are and what we do? Beyond that, we're looking to drive direct response and lead generation and build a pipeline.
What's most important is nurturing that reputation and getting out there."
- Salar Salahshoor, Head of Marketing, Shelf Engine
***“If you try to put 100% of your information into a piece of content, it's going to be too dense. It's going to be too complicated, and someone is only going to read 10% of it or 0% of it.
If you try to put 80% in, well, guess what, it's going to be more digestible now, and someone might read 70% of it or watch 70% of it. You can retarget them with something else down the line and you fill in that extra 30%.
Get them in the door, get them hooked on something, and then you can fill in the gaps later once you've sold them on your story.”
- Erik Schmidt***
Raise your hand if you’re a content creator who wants to produce all types of content. 🙋
In an ideal world, we would like to create viral or trending content, but we're sometimes faced with difficult challenges, like time or manpower constraints.
In today's episode, we're joined by Alissa Rogers, Senior Content Manager at Raken. Listen now to know more about content strategy and scaling your content team.
“What we've learned about scalability is you don't need a huge content team to start. You don't need 6 writers, 12 designers. It's just about creating quality and consistent content. That's the big thing.
Where I've really taken our content strategy is trying to be very thoughtful and smart about how we're creating it.
Instead of trying to do anything and everything, create one high-value piece of content that's relevant. Content, in general, is moving towards a direction where it's about quality and value overselling.”
- Alissa Rogers, Senior Content Manager, Raken
“It starts with identifying a great customer who has a real hero's journey story, and they all do actually. Food entrepreneurs have really great stories. We start by figuring out what their growth trajectory has been since launching their brand and what the process has been for them breaking into retail.
What are their lessons learned?
What are the challenges along the way?
What were the big breaks that got them nationally on retail shelves?
And then what did they do after that?
Our goal is to be inspiring to other entrepreneurs about those journeys, but also to tell tangible takeaways for navigating the retail space.”
- Samantha Johnston, Crisp
When you see viral content, it is tempting to try and replicate the same thing. When it comes to content creation, it is essential to produce content that caters to your target personas.
Want to learn more on how to get started with personalizing your content? Listen to our podcast today and get awesome insights from our guest, Cara Bell, Content Marketing Manager at Sketchup.
“Our product team takes the lead in developing personas. They're out there. They're talking to customers.
How are you using SketchUp?
What are you using it for?
What are some pain points?
We are validating some of these statements and making sure what we write resonates with them.”
- Cara Bell, Content Marketing Manager, SketchUp
Scott Logan, Kronologic's VP of Marketing, shares why good relationship-building and knowing your numbers are essential in better serving your customers and improving your marketing and business overall.
"If you do all of those relationship best practices within the company, if you do all of those customer and prospect networking and relationship steps, and you have a good handle on your numbers, everything should just naturally or for the most part naturally fall into place.
We've talked to the same three customers the last year about everything we've done. That'll alleviate any bottlenecks that you have on the sales side. You end up, without knowing it, removing roadblocks well in advance."
“Data-driven growth and marketing is a mentality that can benefit both growth decisions and daily operations.
It's not only about using data to understand our users, design the marketing campaign, and test creatives. It's also about using data in day-to-day operations for better efficiency and alignment.
For example, we have brainstorms every quarter. After the brainstorms, we use an ROI approach to determine which project we should focus on. Otter right is a very lean team. We need to stay hyper-focused and work on the most efficient things.
In addition to users also interested in the marketing programs, we also use data in our day-to-day operations.”
- Chang Chen, Head of Growth & Marketing, Otter.ai
How B2B Marketers Should Approach Brand Marketing In 2021
"Growth marketing is like asking someone on a date. Brand marketing is the reason they say yes. Brand marketing is everything that a company is doing to represent itself; just as your personal brand is everything you do to represent yourself. It's the feeling people get when they're around you."
- Nat Brown-Lennox, Head of Brand Marketing, Invoice2Go
“You need to get out there and you've got to talk to your customers, hear their stories and understand what their journey is before you start jumping in and creating marketing strategies around it.”
- Kasey Steinbrinck, Senior Content Manager, Pathwire
“We took a system to market with some very highly developed, super sophisticated algorithms. We were so good that we were detecting objects and sometimes we were sending a false alert, that false alert was not acceptable to our agency partners. And they told us that loud and clear that, hey we can't operate with false alerts because we don't know how to react.
Sometimes they trigger law enforcement, sometimes they have to take another action. What they didn't say to us was go fix your algorithm. They said give me alerts that I can trust and then I'll trust you enough to deploy your technology. We took that information, it's a pretty simple mandate from the customer.
We went back, came up with a very novel approach to ensure our accuracy to nearly 100%. Once the fear of the false alert was addressed by the customer. They began to riff on all of the other things they can do to add other layers of protection to the drivers and their community.”
- Andrew Markese
“Marketers today need to dive in there, get creative, and get involved enmeshed to reveal brand insights.
I have worked with plenty of phenomenal agencies. They can be very expensive. Kick-starting a brand can be done in-house.
Look to building a brand in an objective sense. Go by competitive insights, market insights, and customer insights. Speak to internal stakeholders. Understand the company, the product, and the market. The creative ideas and the brand ideas will reveal themselves.
You are not starting from scratch if you take a research-minded approach.”
- Patrick Barrett, Vice President of Marketing, Eton Solutions LP
“How do we elevate the content but meet these two audiences at the same time? I'm always thinking that when I'm working with my writers. When I'm writing, when I'm working with the strategist inside the organization: “What are we going to do?” More importantly, “how are we going to say it? What is the form factor that it's going to be delivered?”
Those are always the same questions every single time no matter what we do in marketing, how we're going to execute those questions we need to answer.”
- Ty Levine, Chief Marketing Officer, HALO Diagnostics
As the saying goes, you should 💯walk the talk!💯
In today’s podcast, we talk with Worksome’s VP of Marketing and Brand, Jen Harvey. Jen shares important aspects in branding. For Harvey, authentic brand building and actually providing value for your customers can help you better market your brand/product.
🎧Listen to our podcast today and learn about marketing, branding, and more!🎧
**“Building a database of the people in your space that are the trade press and the media as well as your local business press is a really worthwhile exercise. It might feel a little tedious, but get that list and be constantly with news going out to them.
If you're able to go to them with trusted information, you're not just trying to sell, it's not a product pitch, you've got real true experts that they can speak to, you're going to become one of their go-to sources. ”
- Pam Boiros, CMO, MeQuilibrium**
“The single biggest one is test, test, test. Everything you do you should treat as a test. Go back to your grade school science classes. What's my hypothesis going into it? What are my things I'm measuring to be able to gauge success or failure? What is my post-op on that? When we're going and doing a view of what worked and what doesn't, what does that look like? Start building a sheet or a document or whatever that has those priorities of things that you want to implement and tests on it, and constantly stay on top of that and shuffle those based off of changing needs.”
#growthmarketing #startupmarketing
According to Emily Figg, B2B marketers absolutely must leverage their sales team to gather the best customer success stories.
“I always start with my sales team because they are the first touch point with our customers.
After every time we close a new piece of business, I'll sit down with the sales rep and I'll say:
"Tell me where it started.”
“Where did they come from?”
“Did we meet them at an event or did they find us from Google?”
“What were they specifically asking for?”
We developed an experience that we call the “responsive weekly.”
It's a two-part thing that happens every week. It's a Tuesday email that introduces a topic that's important to our audience and gives a curated list of resources about that topic.
Then on Thursdays, we have a 30-minute Zoom call about that topic. Usually, I do an interview with an expert and then the community chimes in, in the chat and asks their questions and offers their own experiences and just engages however they want to.
We do that every week, and it's been so much fun.”
- Megan Donahue, Virtuous
***“A piece of quality content should teach someone how to do something from A to Z. One of my biggest pet peeves - and I see this happen all the time, is when people write very general statements that are obviously true but that most people already know”
- Bogdan Zlatkov, Senior Content Marketing Manager, Aurora Solar***
❗There’s more to marketing than good PR.❗
John Jefferies, CMO of CipherTrace, shares his insights.
“I think it's critically important to be authentic. Earlier in one's career, you think you need to look a certain way or speak a certain way to project where you want to be in your career. I think it's much more powerful to be who you are and speak from your true voice.
Maybe not everyone's going to like that. Maybe they won't. But those that do, they like it much more. I think it's important to be very authentic, and also give back. Don't be a taker in a relationship with your customer to make sure there's a solid give and take and that you're adding real value along the way.”
“My advice is to have a really good understanding of what your customers’ needs are and what they want, and then deliver that.
***That’s all that really matters.
It’s less about the marketing message and more ultimately about what their customer experience is going to be using your product.”***
“As we scale, one of the things that I'm looking at is how do we start optimizing? Account-based marketing is something that I've been tapping into from the past few years as this sort of gaining steam. But now, particularly if you're a data savvy marketing organization, the amount of data you have, you can bring to bear to kind of get really good and focused on where you're spending money, who you're targeting with emails, with ads, who you're sticking your business development team on with phone calls, and one-on-one emails, and LinkedIn and all that kind of stuff, you can really start to shape the funnel.”
- Josh Epstein, AtScale
“The worst is maintenance marketing where it just feels like every day is the exact same, and you're sitting in your seat doing the same thing that the person who sat in that seat four years ago was doing.
We're in a place where everything can be reinvented. Everything can be born in a new way. I believe that marketers should look around and think about things that they could do that would make what they're currently doing a little bit different, snazzier. That's one thing I would say pretty consistently I do, and that I ask our team to do.” - Cari Jaquet, Head of Marketing, Big Panda
How did your content strategy change in 2020 and 2021?
“Even though we didn't have all the answers, we tried to be very vulnerable and real and saying, "We don't have all the answers, but let's have this webinar. Let's get together and talk about what those answers might look like. Here's what we think is important. Here's what we think you should be thinking about. And we may not know what will happen six months down the road, but at least we can have this conversation today." So we kicked off a webinar series, really right at the beginning of work-from-home and hosted webinars every two weeks for a couple of months and found that it was hugely successful.”
- Jenna Thomas, Convercent by One Trust
“What I say to women is, speak in the language of business value. That’s what will level the playing field. When you speak ROI, EPS, Free Cash Flow & EBITDA etc.., you are no longer looked at as male or female, but instead viewed as a business person“
- Joanne Moretti, Chief Marketing Officer, DecisionLink
It starts with listening, not selling.
According to Ryan George, Chief Marketing Officer for Docupace, the secret to developing a significant lifelong relationship with your customers is to listen to them. By doing so, you gain their trust that you're not just there to sell something but rather to understand their needs and help achieve their goals.
🎧 Listen to our podcast today for meaningful insights and more!
“A long-term relationship is built on trust. I know that sounds very cliche, but young or old, you've got to have trust within those relationships. I think the next one is learning their business. I worked with a lot of financial advisors, really understanding where their challenges are, where their opportunities are and understand their business so they know that whenever I suggest something that I'm actually trying to help them, not just try to sell them something.
And that's the big thing is that it starts with listening, not selling.
If you're like me, I get all sorts of inbound emails that have every AI-generated lead development product in the planet, but the ones that actually pay attention to are the ones that actually identify something that I may be challenged by. That's really how to build that up.”
-Ryan George, Docupace
“Just spend more time with your existing customers, try to go for beers with them, provide a great experience for them, be available to them. And be an expert that they turn to. Know your space inside out so that you can help them with challenging questions around investment crowdfunding that they might have.
And if you're doing that for them, you're adding value for them, then they're going to be your best source of deal flow and growth.”
-Jonny Price, VP of Fundraising, Wefunder
Before you initiate any marketing strategy, you should do your homework first. Know your customers at a deeper level to better understand them, strategize, and produce content that's relevant to them or their needs.
In today's episode, we're having a learning session with Ardath Albee, a seasoned B2B Marketing Strategist and the CEO of Marketing Interactions.
What is "employee advocacy"?
In today's podcast episode, we're having an insightful conversation with Laura Moss, EveryoneSocial's Senior Content Marketing Manager. Moss stresses that one of the many benefits of employee advocacy is it brings out true community content and transparency rather than your typical branded content.
🎧 Want to learn more about employee advocacy tune in to this episode🎧
Plus, don't miss out on EveryoneSocial's Employee Advocacy Week, a FREE online event happening from September 20 to 24! Hear more from industry experts on employee advocacy and social selling.
“EveryoneSocial, when you come into this space, people are already talking about your company. You can't control what they're saying, but what you can do is make it easy for them to share news about the company. That can be intimidating. I think there's this fear that your employees might post something negative that could hurt the brand. But in reality, it's more important to have your employees, to have your executives, to have every part of your team talking about the company on social media because of the value it brings. There's transparency, and it shows people the faces behind the company. It's not just your social media manager talking about you.”
In this podcast episode, Jennifer Bellin (Marketing Leader of Artemis Health) shares her insights on the importance of engaging and getting to know your customers. Artemis Health has recently expanded its team as a means of improving its approach to marketing or selling to clients. Through this effort, they aim to know their clients on a deeper level, not only to sell them a service but to also serve them better in achieving their goals.
“We are growing our SDR team, which is exciting. We have a couple of people today but we want to grow that team to five and get really intentional on a small, targeted list that each of those five is focused on, and helping them to become true experts on those accounts and the buying committee members on those accounts.”
❗ Don't rest on your laurels. ❗
We sit down with Contract Wrangler's Head of Marketing, Steve Moskovitz, who shared with us great pieces of advice in marketing. One of them is about the willingness to take risks. For Moskovitz, taking risks and failing can allow someone to learn new things, determine what works, and move forward.
🎧 Listen to our podcast today for more exciting learnings and insights! 🎧
"Just do something different. Everybody thinks because it worked for someone else that it should work for them. And I think the one bit of advice I would give everybody is, do not be afraid to fail. If you're going to fail fast, learn from it, move forward.
But too many marketers get stuck in this routine of 'it's what we know and it's comfortable,' and you're going to plateau at some point. And if you want to keep growing and you want to keep challenging yourself, you gotta be able to take those risks. And I always tell my team, if it doesn't work out, sometimes it's a couple thousand dollars , but you know what?
If at the end of the day, it leads to one deal. If we try 10 things, we're able to pay for this and get some ROI at it at one of the 10 pays for the other ones. I'm okay with failing. It's just, you gotta keep trying until you find out what works.”
-Steve Moskovitz, Head of Marketing, Contact Wrangler
"With AI, we are doing machine learning and building these interesting algorithms, but we also want to make sure the human elements are in there. We want to make sure our customers, the digital transformation team, understand the AI that is happening - Explainable AI."
-Henry Guo, Head of Product - Industrial AI, Petuum, Inc.
“I want to make sure that everybody we bring in would be willing to run into the burning building to save everybody else, that we build such a tight organization that everybody likes each other, everybody works off of each other's strengths and weaknesses.
At the end of the day, we count on each other. We have to build the team the right way. Sometimes, you have to hold off on hiring until you find the right makeup of a person that is extremely customer-centered.”
-Stephen Pappas
Travis Tyler, Digital Content Producer at PandaDoc, says do it! In this podcast, Travis shares with us how and why they do what others may call “unorthodox” content as part of their marketing strategy, and many more!
“You really have to focus on the entire life cycle of a customer. It's not enough to just say I brought it, the person came, they meet our targeting criteria, and hand it off to sales. I'm done. Congratulations.
You have to worry about “what is that experience for the customer when they get transitioned to sales, when they become a customer, especially when you think about product-led growth”.
You get more from a customer in the sense of their satisfaction and their happiness. When what they signed up for is delivered to them without having to look around for it. So if a customer's looking for a contract template for an NDA and we give it to them, load that contract template for them when they first join the application.
Or if you're at a different company, just deliver on what they asked for.”
-Andy Ramirez, Head of Marketing, Concord
"If the stories and activities that you do cannot be directly linked to you making more revenue, I would seriously stop what I'm doing right now"
-Steffen Hedebrandt, Co-Founder, Dreamdata
"We're constantly testing different channels, different messaging; but I think, honestly, content is king - it all comes back to that"
- Roxy Gribben, VP of Marketing, AkitaBox
Lux Capital’s Chief Marketing Officer, Scott Rubin emphasizes the importance of understanding first your audience so your brand can resonate well with them:
“As with any good storytelling, it starts with understanding your audience. What are you trying to accomplish? Who is that audience? And then figuring out how you're going to resonate with the audience. That for me is the beginning.
This is why I ask founders, when we talk about a funding announcement, what their objective is. It seems like on the surface, the objective is to get the news out about our funding... but that's just a starting point. The real question is, who do you want to be? What do you want people to say about you when you're not in the room?
That's the essence of a brand and that's what I think the key is to that starting point.”
-Scott Rubin, Chief Marketing Officer, Lux Capital
“I think it's pretty important to build a really close relationship with sales. I've been in places in certain companies where marketing and sales are basically separate entities and if things aren't going well, there's pointing happening to each other.
But I think what I found and something that I'm very proud of that works well at Celigo is that sales and marketing are basically seen as two sides of the same coin. So you have to work extremely closely and you have to understand what is working, what isn't working, get the on the ground feedback, get sales involved in developing some of the marketing programs.
And if things aren't working it's seen as "Hey, let's fix this together" rather than "what are you guys doing where are our leads?" So I think that's pretty critical. And so I think everything that goes with that is pretty important.”
-Rico Andrade, VP of Marketing, Celigo
“We're talking about this being the NOW CX movement, where companies are needing to reformulate the way that they are building their support and presale interaction function.
Because those overlapping circles and a lot of companies are getting closer and closer together, especially an e-commerce retailer, that's all they do. So we're launching a category and some of the big things that we're doing, we had a really successful event called momentous 2021. And we're writing a book. We're writing a book on this whole movement that is the NOW CX movement.”
- Daniel Rodriguez, CMO of Simplr
“The worst thing in the world is if you sell a product to a company and it's the wrong solution, because they are going to be really unhappy, they're going to make you unhappy while you're implementing it.
Don't do it. Make sure that you have qualified that company really well, make sure that they are very happy with your solution. And if they're not, you should try not to sell it to them.
They might thank you, though, years down the line for saying thank you so much for sending me over to that other company. I want to come back to you because I think there's a solution that you have that I really want to implement, or I really admire your integrity for doing that.
It might not be when you're at the company that you're at right now, but you will build a lifelong relationship with that customer because you've said no to them because you've done right.”
“It's really about this experience, that we are making sure that their customers have, and that consistency of experience is really critical when there are so many different options to choose from. When you were talking about loyalty and how you build lifelong loyalty, we really, as an extension of those small business customers see loyalty as our role to help foster that ongoing, not only initial interaction, but ongoing interaction that you have with your customers, and making sure that everybody is treated exceptionally throughout that process.”
-Rebecca Grimes, Chief Revenue Officer, Ruby
“It's all about consistency. It's all about not burning yourself out. It's about pacing yourself to understand, hey, what inputs do I need to put into this to get the outcomes I want? If you know that X amount of calls and emails and deals are going to get you the commission and the sales targets you're looking for, great. If you want more, that means you have to do 10% more, 20% more.
For a sales rep, I'd say it's consistency. or leaderships and for folks that are looking to grow in their career, it's about understanding your need to evolve. You need to be okay with change. Over the last 10 years of my career, I've changed to different industries, different verticals, I've sold different products and offerings, and taken on different roles
Even over the last year, we've changed so much in our own business, and the industry has changed. The one constant is change. And so you need to be adaptable. You need to be flexible. You need to understand how to navigate through that space and see three, six, nine, twelve months ahead of it. Otherwise, your blinders will go on. You'll close up. You won't put in the inputs that are going to generate the outputs, and you won't really have any insight on how to navigate through it.”
-Austen Asadorian, VP of Sales, Sevenrooms
“Put yourselves in their shoes. We all have those friends that just ask, and ask, and ask for something.
You just, you love them, but gosh, you wish they’d just give you something at the same time.
People want a relationship. That's what we're built on, we're built on connections. Make sure that the connection is not always you asking for something.
What do you want their LTV to be? Then build a system as a marketer and as a company for you to be able to actually take action on that.
***Stop asking for stuff all the time. Give them something for once.”
- *Kortney Osborne, VP of Marketing, Get Weave
"The first roundtable I ever did, there were 2 people and one of them was me. The next one, I think were 3 or 4.
Then it started working. Once it started working, then I started getting complaints from colleagues that I wasn't doing it enough."
“I think that part of it is just being a human, it's not just a business relationship, but in some sense, it's also a personal relationship.
And it's understanding the customer in a sense that You understand what motivates them. You understand what success means to them. And once you understand that, then you can start to understand how you help to ensure their success. I think just being a person and developing personal relationships is really important.
And I think going along with that too, is just being a curious person. And I would say, when I am looking to hire people this is probably the number one.”
-Kathy Sucich
“We are creative people who are data-driven and data-led. We are trying to create inspiration and evoke feelings and emotions and drive engagement. But we also have rigorous methodology and processes that are required for us to be able to engage. And so there's always this push and pull between the creative side of us and the emotional side of us and the technical and data-driven side of us.
I always remind folks, you want to build a lifelong customer lean on that emotional side, right? Really, when you think about your customer, lean on that emotional side. Targeting and segmentation, all these things are tactics we use but if you think of your customer as a target or a segment, you're not really thinking about them.
You're thinking about yourself. Route all of your work in that individual, in that persona, in the things that matter to them.”
“Unfortunately, marketing can oftentimes be negatively construed by society as the spin machine but I do think good marketing teams bring a lot of integrity to the function. We are focused on articulating how we can help, what's the value that we can provide, and being real about it. Not trying to fluff up this scenario of how we can help if we can't really help. I do think companies who have positive brand reputations do in large part because they have integrity behind everything they're doing.
Taking it down a level, I also just love getting to know our customers as individuals, learning about their personal stories, what's led them to where they are. I can think back to clients that I had from Accenture, which was at the very early part of my career, to other customers that I had engaged with at previous companies, and am grateful that I’m still in touch with a number of them.”
“I think for folks out there it's a very interesting time to join a startup. The way people used to think about startups and small companies, especially in technology and healthcare, was sort of a risky proposition.
Some of the larger, more corporate career opportunities seemed very appealing because there was stability to them. And I think what you're seeing in the market, with the amount of money that's being invested in these companies, the stability in startups now is really inherently baked in very early on, in a lot of cases with some of these companies, because series A series B funding is getting larger and larger and more lucrative.
If you're passionate about something and you really feel like you would prefer to be doing something else, or as you're making a career choice, wanting to join an organization that aligns with your philosophy on what you want out of your career, I would really think about joining a startup.”
-Bill Evans, Chief Marketing Officer, Komodo Health
“You have to think of the customer journey from the first time they engage with your brand, which may be via paid search, it may be straight to your website and start creating that connection and providing value to them from your first engagement. In terms of educating them and not marketing to them, but actually helping them solve problems and get better at what they're trying to achieve.
So that means serving them content that's highly relevant to them, their business, their needs, who they are. If you start that process long before they become a customer, once they become a customer, it doesn't end there, right?
Once they've trusted you to make an investment in your solution, you want to make sure that they have everything they need to be ridiculously successful with that. There's this continuous education and excellence by helping nurture them along that journey, so that's where you really get that brand love.”
“Every organization is going to be a little different here, but I'm really close friends with the Vice President of Operations and with the Customer Service Director, they're often traveling with me on different trips…
A***recommendation I would have for any organization is to make sure that the head of your departments are talking and that they're coordinating with each other.”
-*Brad Ball, VP of Sales and Marketing, GlobalSim
“Get familiar with account-based marketing. It's still relatively new out there. Just in the market though, there's a lot of appetite for it, you can see it in the MarTech vendors out there and how they're moving towards that. Part of our colleagues and our funding company - they are all looking at models like that as well.
So, to me, that's the next frontier in a lot of ways. And that's, I think, a new discipline to get good at, how do you build the right tactics and campaigns to help move a group of people versus just an individual.”
-Brian Gates, SVP of Marketing, Rainfocus
“Really listen and ask clarifying questions to really get to the need that the customer has.
Oftentimes they'll tell you that "Oh, you know, we really need help with our website that is terrible" and then you start kind of peeling back the onion and you ask them what's terrible about it? "Well, you know, people only stay three seconds, and then they bounce or they go somewhere else". Well, is that the problem with the website or is it the positioning of the brand, or is it some other underlying issue that your value propositions aren't clear so it's difficult to find them on the website? Maybe your value proposition needs an overhaul and maybe that's where the real problem is. So you can't take anything for face value, but you got to kind of understand and probe, and this is true for everyone that's in sales or marketing.
You’ve got to understand your customer's needs because if you understand the needs and you have the solution and the cost or the price is right, then you have the business that that's the way it is in B2B. You know you don't have to convince people. You just have to show them, right?”
-Per Ohstrom, CMO, Chief Outsiders
“People are busy. They don't really care about me or my company. So finding ways, smart ways to insert us into their world, using a combination of thoughtful marketing and human touches, even when they don't really need you right now is so important to building a longstanding relationship. And what this hopefully results in is when they do need somebody, they turn to you when they're ready to buy.
Don't send everybody the same content, meet people where they are on their journey. And I'm going to hit this again, the ability to do this well requires you to have an exceptional foundation of data and a deep, deep understanding of your target audience.
Your prospects and customers are so much smarter than you think, and it will really serve you to do extensive market research on your targets, and understand the assumption that your customers are doing their research too. Don't be lazy, do the work and you'll reap the reward.”
-Kristen Muckleroy, VP of Marketing, ServisBOT
“Perseverance and grit mindset is something that I'm happy that is being talked about a little bit more. It can even go into almost mental health, too. You know this last year, for example, a lot of marketers and salespeople run really fast. Like we're always sprinting, right? And so you can get caught up in that a lot and it can take a toll. But recognizing that it's actually not a sprint. You shouldn't be sprinting all the time. It is a marathon and you have to celebrate what I would consider like mile markers, like in a marathon. Because you can just keep going and going and that's when burnout happens. And I think that's when it's hard to have that brain space to be creative too.
Take a step back and look out to see your peers, or if you're in B2C, look at B2B, what are they doing? There's a lot of creative people and companies and campaigns and outreach that you can really learn from if you take the time to learn, but you gotta be in the right mindset,and being super open to get there.
But if you're in this constant state of running a mile a minute, you got to figure out ways to reset.”
One of the things that really came out of the pandemic is that consumers are looking for brands that they can trust. That is from a sales perspective too, and not just branding. So if you're in that business development role, how are you really establishing a relationship, so that your clients trust you? Your clients need to trust what you say, the guidance that you provide them, and they need to trust the tools and technology that you implement for them and their business.
But then at a broader scale, from a branding perspective, the data further validates this concept of trust and says that people are looking for brands that they can trust. They're making purchasing decisions around this. So how is your brand telling the story about how they're making a difference in the community and reinforcing trust? Whether that be through banking and PPP and helping small businesses, or if you're investing in minority groups and underserved populations.
Then we have the use of user-generated content. Are there influencers and other people that are trusted within your community that are talking about your product, that are talking about your service, that can further reach, engage and reinforce your brand?
-Jody Guetter, Chief Marketing Officer, Social Assurance
“It just goes against what we are as human beings to not be thankful for the business that you bring us. In this day and age, where there's alternative products and alternative services for everything and 100% price transparency and feature transparency, you could buy that widget on Amazon or you could buy one of 10,000 other widgets that do the exact same thing on Amazon. Be thankful that they chose you.
Our service, Handwrytten. Yes, we're the biggest in the world, we think we're the best, but certainly there's competitors. Be thankful to your clients for them choosing you and so many people don't do that simple step. And it's insane to me, because one of the most difficult things in business is attracting new clients, so why not retain the clients you already have?
You've already gone through that. You've already marketed to them, sold them on your business. So really just retaining your existing customers through being good people and appreciative and thankful, it cannot be overstated.”
“I believe that the core of great marketing is actually anchored on understanding customer wants and needs, and then helping our company deliver value that matches those needs.
In short, I'd argue that marketing as a discipline today is a little too caught up in automation and instrumentation and not nearly focusing enough on meeting customer needs and then delivering customer value. So I would say find your internal champion.
Make them successful, deliver value, promote that value. And the rest of the marketing is all mechanics, right? There's an art and a science to marketing, but at the end of the day, it is about helping customers achieve the value and promoting that value. And then you'll find that business comes and that's been the key to our growth in over the past 24 months.”
“Don't just try to sell them software, really listen to them and try to understand their pain points. What are they struggling with? How can we help you?
It's funny because we have one sales rep in particular who will have a conversation with a customer or do a discovery call and just really listen to their needs and at the end of it say "You know what, we're not a great fit for you." "I'm going to give you to my competitor." And that goes a long way.
And the reason that might sound counterintuitive is the legal industry is very niche and very small.
And what we're finding is people move companies. I think when you're honest and just forthcoming and say you know what, my solutions may be too robust or you need something like this. People are gonna respect that and honor that and then think of you the next go around.
So what we're experiencing now, just because Onit's been around 10 years is customers that have now gone to two or three other companies and since they've left are coming back to us. Because we had those kinds of conversations. To me it's about just building the long-term relationship and not just selling software.”
-Jill Black, VP of Marketing, Onit
“In crisis there is opportunity. When things seem bleak and it's discouraging because business has dried up and it's impossible to get the resources that you need to do what you think you need to do, there's always an answer. I think it's our role as a marketing person to help the organization navigate that and find creative solutions that will help brands grow.
I think if you are part of that solution and don't get caught up in some of the anxiety that is out there, you can really make a big difference in your organization. That's what I would tell people to focus on, because as bad as things might be right now, they can always get worse. But you can also, as bad as things might be, you can always find a way to make them better.”
-Jon Rice, Partner & CMO, Chief Outsiders
“One thing I saw recently was a stat on LinkedIn and it said that 99% of LinkedIn users don't ever post. And then it was something like 90% of LinkedIn users never comment.
And so I guess my piece of advice would be to get in the pool, right? If you want to have a successful career if you want to be recognized. Whatever you want, there is some amount or type of work that you have to be doing towards that, right?
If you want to be a great marketer, then you better be in marketing circles. You better go find marketers and go to lunch with them. You better be reading content for marketers. So I would say whatever it is, don't expect it to come to you if you don't put yourself in those circles and go be part of the 10%, that comments, and part of the 1% that posts.
And if you just apply that, take action, have a bias for action mentality. I think it will benefit you in all aspects of your life. Certainly, your career being one of those.”
“I think the other element at the end of the day, is that clients are human. When you're engaging with people, you have to remember that they are people and different people react and work in different ways.
You'll have some clients that are ultra focused on structure and documentation. Other clients will want to work it out over lunch. You need to be adaptable and able to read and understand quickly how that organization and the individuals within that organization like to operate and work, and then adjust your style accordingly to be successful. You've got to, as well, not take yourself too seriously.
At the end of the day, you have to be able to have a laugh with your customer - Show them your human side. And so when things are good and going well, you're able to celebrate that together and enjoy that success.”
- Tim Knoblanche, Chief Customer Officer at Coates Group
Learn more about Tim and Coates Group
“I always say that you need to be a partner to your customer. In IT sales that's a very essential thing, to be an expert in what you sell, understand better, it's your product, or it's your service. You need to understand technologies. You need to be up to date about all the cutting-edge things that are going on in your industry and you need to be able to consult your customer. Because if you won't build those partnerships between you and your customer. As a salesperson, you are a face of a company, you represent the company. So basically the level of advice or consultancy services you would provide is actually going to be treated as the level of expertise of a whole company.”
-Anna Vorobiova, Head of Sales and Business Development, NIX
“You can put a lot of money into marketing, you can create a ton of campaigns to get out there, but if you don't have that sales alignment that's going to see those leads come in, see them through to conversion, it's not going to work as effectively as you want it to.
I'm in a particularly lucky situation because my head of sales is someone I've worked with at a prior company.
This is our second time around doing this which is fun. We're at the point where we know each other's strategies. And I really think that whether you've worked with someone prior or not, having that collaboration at the leadership level is really critical.
You need to be the best role model you can for your teams. And I think because we have that good collaboration at our level you see that happen across the teams, which is really great.”
-Karen Parisi, SVP of Marketing, CentralReach
“I would just hope that they would take away from this that helping your customers achieve their goals should be one of your number one goals.
We have 2300 customers and every customer means something to us, they really do. And I see a lot of reports, I see a lot of conversations happening with us and the Real Green team, our culture, we try and spread that out to our customers as well.
I feel we have a very strong culture at Real Green, how we treat our employees but it also reflects how it goes to our customers as well. Always trying to be there for your customer, answer their questions and just not put them off to the wayside, really trying to assist them to achieve their goals, make them successful.
If you make one of your customers successful, they are going to love you for life. If they've achieved one of their goals that they were going after, you will be around forever. And then you set a new goal with them. Then you take them to the next level.”
-Brian Bacigalupo, Vice President of Sales, Real Green Systems
“I think if you break down what trust is, it really boils down to three things.
It's credibility, care, and congruence.
You stand behind what you say and the promises you make, you care about the customers, the impact that you're having on their lives. People don't buy hammers and nails or drills, they buy the picture that they're going to put on the wall and the experience that they're going to have in their home.
So I think just demonstrating that care is absolutely important. And the third is congruence and I think it's become even more important where we show congruence of values, beliefs, and purpose orientation and the soul of the company, the DNA of the company in terms of what it is that we stand for.
Because if you don't stand for anything, you essentially stand for nothing at all. So I think if you think about lifelong relationships and this doesn't even only apply to brands and customers, I think this is true for all of us. It boils down to those three things, which is demonstrating care, credibility, and congruence.”
-Niharika Shah, CEO, Clout, A TIFIN Group Company
“It's not about having happy years and trying to run a deal cycle, but really just doing genuine customer-centric discovery, where you are completely enabling them to go internally and figure stuff out.
And obviously, all these deals at an enterprise infrastructure level require different levels of champions and buyers and people that need to give you the green light, but something we're really focused on is how do you connect with the team that you're working with and how do you help them get to that next level? Because in AI and machine learning, these projects, they can get pushed back forever. I've met with an agriscience company the other day who's doing product life cycle planning for 2028 right now.
And it's a huge win for someone on that team. if you can get them to 2024. And so, how do you equip them to make that happen? The sooner you do that, the sooner your customer life cycle value goes up. There are a million things that you can track KPI-wise that say, okay, this is good for our business, but in terms of creating a customer for life, you really got to care about what's important for the person you're working with.”
-Thomas Hall, Head of Sales, Pachyderm
“Even remote, as we are now, it's still a people person kind of job. And if you don't want to deal with people, if you can't pick up a phone and call somebody and start a conversation almost out of the blue, maybe you have to practice that, because it's really about relating to people and helping them relate to you.
And when you're trying to get relationships with people and not everybody wants them, ask yourself why is it that you want this relationship? Is it going to be good for both companies? It's going to be work no matter what. It's a constant, you can't just say I want a relationship today and not show up tomorrow, it's showing up every day.
And then look at it from their side if you were that customer, why would you want a relationship with you? Why would you buy from yourself? Why would you want a relationship with your company? If you can't answer that from their perspective, you maybe need to step back and think about that and change some of your tactics. And then when you have a relationship, this is an area there.
You need to make sure that relationship doesn't just reside at you and the person, your counterpart. You've got to work to extend that down through the company. Engineer to engineer, quality to quality, your boss to his boss or her boss.”
-Paul Konrath, President of Custom Control Sensors
“Don't give up. It's going to be a grind every single day. There's gonna be something crazy thrown at you every day, whether it's an employee that quits or a pandemic that hits that shuts down your restaurant or your business or you don't get approved for a PPP loan.
There are so many things that can be thrown at you as a new starting business. And so if you're passionate about something and you love what you're going after, don't give up, man. There's going to be stuff that tries to stop you a million times, in a million different ways. And so that would be my first piece of advice.
Just go for it and don't give up and then, I'd say the other thing is to find a mentor, right? Find someone that you can trust and lean on other people because you can't do it all by yourself. And know that upfront that it's always okay to ask for help and reach out to other people and see how they can help you out.
And maybe you'll help them at the same time. So, I'd say those are two key points.”
-Jordan Boogaard, President of Sales, Eddy HR
“I think it's helpful to remember that there are humans that we're selling to here, and it sounds so simple and almost overly simplistic but when I was on the retail side, and even today, the businesses that I enjoy doing business with and will gladly continue to do business with are ones that treat me like Will and not like my customer number.
And I think we try to enable prospects and customers alike on our side. What are your goals for your career, right? What do you want to be doing? And not only how MessageGears the software can help you, but how can we help set you up and help you speak at a conference or help you get on a podcast or help you do something outside of this transactional relationship that further advances your career.
I've had businesses do that with me and put me on a customer advisory board or something like that and make lifelong contacts and lifelong friends there. I think it all just comes down to treating everybody and remembering that everybody you're selling to is, not a data point.
It's a person.”
“ If you want to build long-term success with a customer, the thing I learned most from IDG was to use research about your customer or your industry to help build your knowledge base, but also to build trust and confidence in your customers. So we would go to extreme lengths to field research across prospects to find out how many are in the market.
How big the opportunities might be, how fast the technology was changing and do that research and then come back to them and say this should inform you in your own sales activities, but more than that should help inform how you pitch your clients. And not only that in today's terms how you build out content. So, on your website, on PDFs you send out to customers, and so forth. Research, a lot of clients are very reluctant and don't have line-item budgets for specific research. If you can bring that to the table it means a lot in building trust and confidence in you because you know the market, the industry, you're close to them.
That's the value that you bring.”
-Mike Rogers, President/CEO, Prism Strategies Group
“What advice do you have to others that are listening?
So I don't like to put marketing in one bucket, because there are so many different aspects to marketing.
And what I would suggest for someone who's starting new in marketing is to try to find the marketing that best fits them and try different types of marketing, be it branding, brand marketing, advertising, research, digital marketing, social media marketing. So there's a plethora of marketing subsections. And there's not one advice that you could give someone other than to try them all, find what you like, and become an expert in that. And work hard for it. Working hard, trying, experimenting in marketing is very important. In everything you do, test it, experiment, try different options, try different ways.
And that's how you can optimize and get to where you want even in your career.”
-Eliana Daboul, VP Brand & Product Marketing, Instnt
“Act like an owner. Business first, practitioner second. So if you pretend, don't forget, we get knocked as marketers for two big things.
You don't know the product or business in tech, because it's oftentimes very complex and you spend money like water. You are a cost center marketing. Why are we spending all this money on ads or digital and all this? So the cautious rotations are always hard. Those are the two strikes anyone walks into in a CMO role or a marketing management role.
Because the stereotype is that we do that, which I have to admit we do, too much. So if you act like an owner, which means pretend you were the founder of that company, or even a CEO, and you're spending your own money on this marketing budget, would you really pay that much for that? You start making decisions differently. So if you act like an owner in that way and then put business first, practitioner second, where I'm going to think about the business and what we need to accomplish, what are our goals first?
And then say, as a marketing practitioner, I'm going to bring my technical skills in and achieve it that way, versus just being the liberal artists, which is, I want to put a pretty website up, pretty pictures, just some pretty content. It's really well wordsmithed, but it doesn't hit the right message to the right audience or your ICP.”
-Neil Wu Becker, Chief Marketing Officer, Behavox
“They need a solution? We will sell them the solution. If they ask for something that we do not have, and we are not planning to have it in the future, we will tell them that we don't have it. We won't tell them, "Hey, why do you need this?" or "Try this", if we realize that this is not what the customer needs.
Don't lie to customers, try to satisfy all their needs. Be nice, right? Be honest with your customer and he will stay with you.
And follow-ups. Once a month, you have to be in his email.”
-Denys Griga, Head of Sales, Protectimus
“In SaaS, when you sell a customer for the first time, that's actually when your sale is just starting. SaaS is a perpetually sales cycle. You're always trying to prove your value. You're delivering quarterly business results. That's a sales process in itself. So every new customer creates a whole other sales cycle because you're trying to get that renewal at the end of the day.
And one of the biggest mistakes I see a lot of these, a lot of companies make in general is not thinking that is a sales process. That once that first sale is made, you're done.
If you are constantly selling, if a user leaves, they're going to actually bring you into their new company, you're making them look good and you're making an impact. In Greenfly's case, that's one of the first calls people make when they switch companies is they'll call us and say, "Hey, I just switched companies. I'd love Greenfly to be part of my new company too." because then they look like they're making an impact immediately.”
-Tom Kuhr, Chief Marketing Officer, Greenfly
“As you probably know by now, I'm a very big fan of community-led growth. So I think a lot of companies have the opportunity to build a community for themselves, and it doesn't have to be a massive community. You can definitely start small with your biggest fan and really empower them to take ownership of the brand and really help craft the story together with your company. When you accept that loss of control, I think amazing things happen.
My advice is really to embrace that community and see what value you can provide to them and I'm sure you'll get a ton of value in return.”
-Victor Coisne, VP of Marketing, Strapi
“It's never about my glory. It's about how do I remove barriers for my sales team to be successful? How do I think about them being successful? Because they are the ones that sell the deals. Not me. I may be involved in deals, but I will never take credit for selling a deal because that is an account exec deal and an SDR who found it and a CS person who is going to enable it and run the relationship with them long term.
Those are the people who deserve the credit for wins and ongoing success. And so if you think about how can I spend every day of my working life, making their job easier, you have high morale. You have high retention. You have high-performance even, people want to perform in an organization that invests in their success and ensures that they can make money, right?
That's the easiest measuring stick. And, beyond that, how can you invest in them so that they can get better at their jobs so that they can then be promoted to the next job? Then the next job, and the next job and the next job.”
-Kyle Parrish, VP of Sales, Mixmax
“Yeah, I think there are a few key things that I really connect with over the last year.
One is that a little bit of coaching or training goes a long way. Even for experienced sales leaders, I know that we all get to a certain level of confidence of, “I don't need to prepare for an hour before my next sales call”, or “I don't even need to prepare five minutes”, or “I don't need a script” or what have you.
But an annual physical with a coach, I think can be really helpful. Share your pitch with an experienced sales coach. Share how you introduce your firm or you introduce your product. And get feedback. I think that's been one of the things that I did over the last year,, off of two, three hours of coaching, I got a lot of really useful feedback.
That's something that you should be doing with your teams too: An annual exam of what's going well, where can you make adjustments. And consider the fact that maybe there's a few different opportunities for your message to resonate a little better. “
-Robert Abramo
“I think honesty is pretty critical. Transparency.
Those are two key things that I think that you have to stay focused on to create those kinds of genuine relationships with your customers. Because in this day and age of marketing, there's no more powerful tool than word of mouth or influence from consumers. There's so much noise on digital channels.
And there's such a lack of trust with corporate marketing teams in terms of the content and messaging that comes from them. People really turn to who you trust, who your friends are, who your colleagues are. So it's so critical to create those relationships with your brand ambassadors, with your brand advocates, with your power users, whatever you want to call them.
***As soon as you burn them and don't let them into the conversation or give them that inside knowledge and access, the sooner they're going to turn away from you. And we've all seen that strong communities can make or break a successful brand”
-*Lincoln Hershberger
“We had to find out what was going on in our customer's minds.
On the other hand, we're also customers, right?
So we had some sense of what was happening because we're all a part of this too.
But we wanted to hear from the church and from individuals.
So we literally would go out to our customers and have conversations and interact with them.
We'd bring that back.
Then we have a weekly marketing meeting where we would just simply say, okay, what's going on in the US right now, how are people?
Are they afraid?
Is there fear?
***And then how do we take our content and adapt our message to what people are going through right now”
- *Geoff Dennis - VP of Sales at The Good Book Company
“Yeah I think, sometimes it's just mutual respect. I hope everyone listening is turning their cameras on when they're selling now. But for those of you who aren't, this was eight years ago when GoToMeeting first launched. I can't remember what they called it.
HD Video, I think, or HD Faces they called it. We were in a beta class of HD Faces. I forced one of my sales teams to use it on every single call. All of the prospects thought it was weird. None of them turn their cameras on, but we just left ours on anyway. And the other sales team didn't turn theirs on.
And we improved close rates, 44% on the team that had their camera on. Again, I guess just to, belabor my point, I think oftentimes we're focused too much on, what we need back to tell us that we're building a lifelong relationship. But really if we're just very purposeful about things we can build a lifelong relationship with somebody just by being human.”
“My second deployment to Afghanistan…
I was at a forward operating base.
So it was quite small and I was there for a couple of months and all of a sudden, all our supplies were cut off to the base.
So we're eating field rations for weeks.
The only thing brought to us with water by an airplane that would scream overhead at about 200 feet and then dump pallets of water bottles out the back and all of these great big parachutes, but it was so low that not all the parachutes would open.
***And then the water, we were talking a pallet like 5,000 pounds of water exploding onto the ground...
-*Andrew Weiss, Founder of Battle Brothers Shaving Co
“There's a 10,000 reps phenomenon.
You have to just go through the steps and the pieces, and there's no shortcut on the sales and marketing side.
There's a certain number of at-bats or attempts that you have to do.
Each one is valuable and could be valuable in the future.
It's important to number one, prepare to just take a lot of attempts at working with somebody and reaching out.
You have to build a big list and really just go at it. Number two is the research part is just as important, like spending time.
There's so much available information now and digesting it beforehand.
Everybody only has a finite amount of time these days. We're pushed and pulled in so many different directions.
Messaging has been minimized to 140 characters, and there are so many short interactions that they have to be meaningful.
You can eliminate the unmeaningful ones through research and be prepared to have good questions ahead of time in those many at-bats that you have to take.”
-Bob Spoljaric, COO & Partner, Method3
“I think it starts with how you build relationships with people. Because at the end of the day, yes, XYZ corporation is my customer, but it's really the VP of operations that's my customer, or the president of a division or something like that. And something I found really helpful is: ask a lot of questions.
I actually play a game when I go on customer calls with my salespeople or when I used to go with them for myself, I would try to talk as little as possible. And so I would ask really big, broad, wide open-ended or investigative questions. And you see how much can I get them going. My record is 11 minutes, so I asked one question and I got somebody to talk for 11 minutes straight.
The awesome part was he got all of that stuff off of his chest and he told me about the challenges that were going on in his business. And for me, I got to learn all about that in his business and it was then really easy to formulate a solution because he gave me all the ammunition I need.
I'm like, okay, I got this and this. All right. We put these two pieces together. Here we go. Here's how I can help you. I think that's the start: just listening to other people.”
-Eric Herrera, VP of Sales, Kolbe
“Again, we're going into, let's say for me, I'm local to Tampa, right? So again, if I'm in the financial solutions group, I walk into the city of Tampa. Hi, I'm here to help you do your indirect cost rates analysis. I'm here to help you look at additional fees that you guys may capitalize on.
And I don't just come in and walk out, do an analysis- and leave.
These cost allocation plans and things like that happen very regularly, depending on the client, on a regular cadence. So I'm there, I'm responsive. They get to know me, they trust me, they trust my work and it's also about performance.
So if I'm able to find even an additional bucket of a hundred thousand dollars that they didn't have prior it's a win, right? So I think it's twofold. It's being there, it's functioning seamlessly as an extension of a team and it's performing when you're asked to perform.”
“So it sounds like a lot of growth. And with that, I'm sure comes some challenge. What has been your greatest challenge this past year as you guys are growing so much?
Yeah, surely different challenges and they are connected with some obstacles that appeared. We were all sitting at home on lockdown and first of all, it's a managerial challenge.
So it's twice more difficult to motivate people to stay as active as they are when you are sitting not in the office when you do not have such a personal touch.
When you cannot just talk to them in the kitchen and to see what the person is really thinking of and to feel the person, yeah? But then we adapted to that. We found some tools that we gathered sometimes at home, we found some offices that were working and providing a space for one or two meetings per month, so we kept that.”
-Maxim Sidorenko, Head of Sales, Ein-Des-Ein
“It sounds like they use your product every day and it's an integral part of their business. How do you go about fostering those relationships?
Good question. I thrive off of relationships. It's actually what I do. I love people. So relationships are key and on top of that, I'm pretty competitive
And I think you need a little bit of both to be at the top of your game from a sales perspective.
Relationships give you an opportunity to earn that prize role of being a trusted advisor and to be looked at as potentially a confidant and having an opportunity to lead your clients in the right direction is amazing.
Being in a position to help clients determine a problem, find solutions, and have a role in helping them reach their goals is incredible. All while being present for the longevity of the partnership I don't ever go away. And having that goal in creating long-term relationships is what I carry through my career.”
-Alycia Anderson, VP of Sales, Knock
“If you can understand your customer journey, then you can understand how to sell to them. And so understanding that our customers and clients, we deal with an array of different titles or different people.
So our automation group might work with a plant manager. Who's in the building, working with the machines that need to work together. Whereas our outdoor utilities group might work with the building or facilities manager. It's the same company, but we might be working with two different clients.
So my goal in my position is to understand that this client's journey may look different than this client's journey. By understanding that we still are in a relationship with the same customer, those two individuals at that client may have different journeys.
By understanding that we can then build upon our relationships by adding an understanding that, "Hey, I work with Joe over here and I work with Bob over here. Let's have a meeting with both of them to understand that we do more than just what Joe and Bob are working on." That will allow us to facilitate long-term relationships.
They trust us enough that we are their employees almost. We're this close with them. Understanding that client journey is not just.. .It's someone who needs a new building. That's the client journey. There's a lot more to understanding the sales and marketing side of what our clients are looking for.”
“When we make a phone call or we talk to a customer, we need to forget about the end. We can't have some agenda of “I'm talking to this person because I need X, Y, Z at the end of this call”, we have to be able to communicate with them and have a real conversation just as if they're sitting right next to us on the couch. Or as if we're standing next to them in the elevator. In some of the books that I've read, some of the people call this commission breath, we can't have commission breath. We can't have whatever you want to call it.
That person that we're talking to is just Brad is just like Bart.
It's just a regular person just like us. And we need to treat them that way. And we feel that goes a long way to establishing relationships. We actually care about you and we want to hear about your dog and your pets. And I want to hear where you're from and we feel that gets us more joy in our job and helps our customers want to be with us for longer.”
-Bart Liechty, Chief Sales Officer, Kadince
“There's a standard distribution of companies, and the goal of any long-term startup strategy is to migrate towards a world where you're selling into the middle of that standard distribution - because that's where the most companies are.
That's where the largest budgets are. That's where the most money is.
But ultimately early on, you're working with a lot of brave clients.
It's like the Oregon Trail video game.
Your early clients are the most critical in terms of providing feedback on your product that is useful as you continue to build it, it's like the minimum viable product strategy.
They're also going to be a great source of lead referral as you continue to grow. They will be great reference clients.
As you sign your 10th or 20th client, they're going to want to talk to references.
So they comprise that, really early stage of very brave clients that are willing to work with you and your product and by your vision, even if your product isn't fully formed yet.
So they're helping you take your product and bring it to the mass market. Along the way, there are different phases that you go through on your way to reaching the middle of the standard distribution curve.
Those are really the most critical relationships that you build and maintain.
Ultimately, as you think about the long-term health of your business it really is going from that point where you have early-stage clients that are really bought in on the vision and are willing to accept the challenges inherent in your product to a world where you can become, more focused on the mass market.”
-Dylan Flye, VP of Sales, Simon Data
“Something I learned early on in my career when I was selling with the Pittsburgh Pirates is: I'm not going to win every single battle, even though I wanted to. I wasted a lot of time as a young seller trying to go after those clients that I probably had no business going after because they weren't going to do business with me, even if I paid them to. It's just, look for the types of clients that believe in what you believe in.
It's not necessarily being a baseball, loyalist or a hockey loyalist, but they believe in what sports does as an entity. For us really we're hospitality to connect people to one another, whether it's connecting with your kids, your spouse, your clients, your friends, or just connecting with the team. What happens on the ice?
Yes, it's great. When we win, we love to win a ring every single year, and when the Calder cup here every single year. But what we can guarantee is a platform and a venue for you to be able to better your life and better your relationships. Those are the things that we can control. Think when we go out and we self prospect. We look for new clients to come on board, we're hitting that home, getting away from the hockey a little bit, even though that is important. We certainly have our super fans here and we love them and they love us, but we can also be a fit for those that have other goals in mind as well, outside of just catching a great hockey game and being in an exciting venue.
It really comes down to knowing what your product can cater to and finding that consumer that really believes in what we do as an organization.”
-Adam Vogel Senior VP of Ticketing, Utica Comets, Utica City Football Club & Adirondack Bank Center
“We had a team that went out to Beaverton, Oregon to meet with a small company out there. And we spent an entire day in a workshop, we're building on technical credibility and working with their teams and working through what a proof of concept is going to look like. We have an unbelievable series of meetings with different technical folks, business folks, et cetera.
And that all was being wrapped up in the traditional pre-COVID way of let's go out to dinner and get some drinks and enjoy each other's company and get to know each other more personally. So, we sit down at this great Italian restaurant and me, I think at the time I was 29 or 30, trying to be this executive and I was like, Oh yeah, I'd love to see the wine list.
And so I start to order and the most senior person from the company that we're meeting with kind of puts his hand up like this in the middle of dinner and was like, “we will not be drinking that!” And I was like “I thought this was a decent wine. It was like the second or third cheapest on the list.” I thought I was doing right by our company as well.
He looked at me and he goes, Chris, we're not drinking a super Tuscan. We're in the Willamette Valley, which is known for the best Pinot Noirs in the world. We're going to drink Pinot Noir. And I was like, all right, done everybody at the table, just kind of picks their head up. And it's entirely silent. And certainly put me in my place, but I will tell you that I have now become a Pinot Noir drinker since.”
“What does it look like to be on the same side of the table versus different sides of the table?
***To give a really good example right now we're dealing with a sticky renewal and the engineering director who said "you guys are fantastic".I want to renew, we want a long-term relationship."
He's still on the same side of the table as us, but he's gone very quiet because obviously, we're in deep conversations with purchasing when negotiating with dotting I's and crossing T's.***
When you're on the same side of the table even in those contexts, you can rely on that person to pick up the phone, to purchasing and say, "call off the dogs this is the best deal you're going to get".
You can rely on that person to give you insight about the rest of the organization or make referrals.
It's about cultivating relationships to become a coach. Someone who is not just trying to use your product, but it's actually trying to coach you to sell better into their organization.
If you get that coaching relationship going then you know, you're on the same side of the table and you're gonna stick that way.”
-Ollie Rubens, VP of Sales, Undo
"One of the things that have helped not just internally, but also externally with clients is John Maxwell's leadership training. It's allowed me to reevaluate what I do as a leader myself.
How I interact with my internal team, how I interact with my clients, and how else can I push myself to be better for both of them. Because obviously, the internal relationships we have are equally as important as the relationships we have with our clients.
It's definitely been a good opportunity to be humbled and to think about how I can improve what I bring to the table with the people that I'm talking to every day.
Not just getting on the phone to get on the phone, to check in with them, how's the project going?
Or how is the candidate that we placed doing? I feel like sometimes we do those things out of obligation, but going through the training has made me question, what am I doing?
What value am I bringing during this call and if I can't bring the value for the call, should we be having it?
Or is there something else I can help them with?
Whether it's getting to know the internal team or my external clients. I always try to think about how I can help them.
That's one of the biggest things that John talks about in more than one of his books is everybody that you talk to throughout the day you're impacting them positive or negative.
Are you a plus in their day or a minus in their day? And that carries with me quite a bit. I try to take that into every client relationship." -Kaitlynn Thayer, Sales Director, Qualigence International
“What would the key takeaway be from you for other marketing leaders listening? What key advice should they take away from this?
I think a couple of things: One, you're a service-oriented individual, your focus needs to be the audiences that you serve. That's number one.
Number two, you have to have incredibly large ears. First to listen and to ask questions second and constantly ask questions.
I remember a time working at Intuit a little over a decade ago. And the CMO said we don't live in a who, what, where, when, why organizational culture.
It's a why, why, why, why, why, why? And then you can get to the other words. It's always asking why this, why that, and constantly probing and poking.”
*“Every time I've hired a salesperson, I told them roughly the same thing the first meeting is that, your job is to represent the customer in this building.
You need to fight for that customer. What I mean by that is that customer has to trust that you're doing that.
Our industry isn't a turn-and-burn industry. We're going to deal with people 10, 20, 30 years at times. I've had 30-year customers.
So know going into it that this isn't, I may not optimize this one transaction.
But over a lifetime, this is going to be a very loyal customer.
So showing grace when they need it certainly, and when I have my sales guys come in and argue with me, or try to represent their customer with me, then they're doing their job as a salesman.
I can communicate that to their customer saying “Hey, your guy’s fighting for you” instead of trying to screw you per se, he's actually representing you in this building.
Once you take that posture, then you're doing what's right for the customer and that's, what's great for the business because then we can grow.
That posture has been really helpful for us to build that lifelong customer.”*
-Doug Evans, VP of Sales North America, SDS2
“One of our clients had a setback. It was a problematic setback. A reporter called me. They had reached out to the client. The client was busy dealing with the setback.
They were on deadline. Deadlines are very tight, as we know with the postings and the e-newsletters.
So I reached out to the client. I really insisted and got some information for the reporter. I sent the reporting information.
It wasn't all positive, but it was what happened factually, what the client was doing to address it. As a result, the story wasn't positive, but it was a lot less negative than it could be.
As we all know, a lot of times our best stories aren't what appear in the media, but what doesn't appear in the media.
As a result of that interaction, the reporter viewed me as a trusted source to whom he now goes frequently for evergreen stories.
As opposed to hiding or not being responsive to the media, that's a kind of thing that can make a difference.
As a result, I can help other clients get positive stories because of that relationship that they probably won't be able to pitch as effectively themselves.”
-Laura Eppler, Chief Marketing Officer, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern PA
“What we do is run a series of experiments. It all comes down to:
Do you know who the audience is and where you can find them? What offer are you presenting to them and how are you presenting it? What channel are you presenting it through?
You have to figure out how you can make all of those things work.
It's a series of experiments. I'll give you a great example. One morning I woke up and we had dozens of sales appointments booked, starting at 4:00 AM, overnight.
I thought, oh great, our website has been hacked. Because this makes no sense.
I started looking into those appointments. And I realized, no, there's nothing obviously hacked here. These look like legitimate appointments.
It was a Saturday morning, but I called my colleague and left her a message. “As soon as you get up, we need to sort this out.” So when she got up, she started calling some of these people and we learned that some micro-influencer had posted somewhere that we give away free websites — which is not true.
By the time I turned off that form at noon, we had 150 sales appointments booked. Between 4:00 AM and noon!
We were scrambling like crazy to talk to these people. We ended up taking a lot of those sales calls. None of them ended up becoming customers.
We said, okay, wrong audience.
But very interesting offer. Apparently, a free website is going to get you a lot of sales calls right away. Obviously, we can't do free websites forever, but it really gets you thinking, how can free be used as a marketing incentive or a way to get people in the door?
And then in terms of channel: micro-influencers.
It's a process of learning, figuring out what works, what doesn't work, taking the things that do work (in this case, the idea of free) and see if there's anything you can do to build on that.”
-Dawn Verbrigghe, CEO of Jottful
“Never in my life have I ever heard anybody in a boardroom or in a locker room say we have too many good leaders. There's not just one.
You don't have to be a leader just because you're a quarterback.
There's guys that are leaders in the wide receiver room, just like there's leaders that are in the ops department that may not have a title of executive vice president or chief operating officer or anything like that.
Leadership is a skill that is needed in all facets of organizations and the best teams that I've been around both athletically and in business have had different layers of them.
They've always constantly tried to develop those skills because, you're either getting better or you're getting worse.
The same holds true in business and in those organizations that get it that understand that it's not just hey, we had a good month or, hey, we had a good five years.
They're always constantly trying to get better. And that's just one component.
There's all different components of business.
Leadership is just one component of it, but I think it's really the gas that makes the car go.”
-Tyler Palko, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Solutions 21
"Be real and human. We all want to be perfect and not make a mistake and not drop the ball. We work very hard to provide excellent service to our customers, but things will invariably go wrong.
So when they do how you handle that will really make or break how long you have this relationship with the customer.
So if you say, listen, I'm sorry, I screwed up, let's try to figure out what happened and then let's build off that so this won't happen again.
If we can be honest and transparent about those things, that really builds a lot of equity with that customer, with that person.
They learn to trust you because you've been real. Things happen. We try to set forth as to have perfect implementations and migrations, but sometimes something happens.
And so when that does it's, if we're real about it and trust me, we don't like to make mistakes, so it bothers us when we do so if we don't delight a customer, if we own up to it, I think that helps.
It's not about you, it's about your customer." -Carrie Borchers, Regional VP of Sales, US Signal
"My favorite quote that stuck with me ever since I really got into this business was from Simon Sinek.
He's always said people don't buy what you do. They buy why you do it. Let that kind of sink in. I share that with everybody I work with, why do you, what do you do what you do?
Customers don't just want to buy a product. They want to buy the reason that you're doing it, the purpose. Stay authentic and who you are and what you do, because that really does matter. It mattered to those customers that day that I took them on the tour.
They had bought from us in the past, but now they're one of our top customers. It wasn't because I took them on an apple tour by any means. It was because they got to truly hear about Bell Harvest and Michigan Fresh and why we do what we do and why I'm even here.
***If you can continuously prove that to your customers, what your purpose is and what you believe in, they're going to stay with you. They're going to know very clearly who your company is."
-*Angela Sommers, Director of Marketing, Belle Harvest
“One in particular it's one of my very favorite sales stories. It actually happened fairly early on in my career and it's just burned into my brain.
I live in Colorado. I was down in Texas doing a lot of traveling and it was December. It was about this time of year.
I had a meeting that didn't go well. And I wasn't going to make my sale.
I went down there to really work through some stuff and wasn't going to make my sale. So I was heading back to the airport. It was later in the day. And I got a call from one of our marketing people.
She said she had a lead that just came in, somebody that was really anxious to talk to us and they were in Dallas.
And so I thought I was this close to saying, no, I'll just call him, make it another day. But I called them and it was just the nicest woman. She understood my situation, but she was like, I've got everybody here.
Can you come by right now? Everybody's ready. And she did.
I walked into the room and there were 10 people ready to meet. And I was able to push out my flight to the next flight.
So I left late that night instead. Long story short, it ended up being the biggest sale of my career to that point.
And yeah, it really is. And I just, I love that story because, like I said, I was. So close to just saying I'll call tomorrow or I'll do something to do it set it up for after the first of the year.
But they bought like really fast and it pushed me over my quota and it's just one of my favorite stories.”
-Ken Ballard, VP of Sales, Xyleme
"I've seen a lot of sales professionals get their canned presentation and they want to hit every point to make sure that they communicate everything you guys have to provide.
I've scrapped that. I'm jokingly the queen of the 17-minute pitch because. I listen to what their problem is. I listen to what solution they're looking for and I can hear what their pain points are.
I only address those pain points. I don't need them to know about something that we offer that they're never going to care about.
Every single sales professional, especially this year, but always, has to listen.
What do you need? There's no bigger turn off when you're being sold and someone's trying to talk to you about something you could care less about.
You're like, I don't have time for this. That's not what I asked for. That is my greatest advice is to listen. Start off every sales call with that question...
What is it that I can help you with today?
A lot of sales professionals are doing that... here's how I can help you today.
I'm not sure that's the best solution right now.
We really need to hear how people are struggling and what it is. That's in my industry in any industry, what is your pain point? How can I help you?" - Vicki Dean, Vice President, The Santa Fe Group
“I start my day with a free flow writing. So I asked myself a question every morning and it's only five-minute exercise.
I tap it at five minutes, but to actually put pen to paper, not on the keyboard, I take five minutes before I start my day and really answer one simple question is how am I going to approve upon yesterday?
I could answer it in a multitude of different directions.
It could be purely a professional one going to be a better leader. Can I be a better coach for my team?
How are we going to make my customers better? It could be a personal one I'm not going to work out more.
It could be, how do I be a better husband, better father. It's a five-minute question that I write down.
Rather than tasks that I'm crossing out for the day, I actually set my mindset to try to do something in that arena.
It forces me to actually make those small changes. Then at the end of the day, I reflect on that, making sure that I did do something and improve my ways of working.
The writing triggers my actions and then the reflection actually makes me a better person.”
-Bryan Danek, Sales Director Smart Materials, Croda
"I think everybody goes through seasons in their career where they study different things and they learn and they innovate and we tried to do that.
The one thing that's always been consistent though, having knowledge and now at face value, I think that's a very simple thing to say, but knowledge, not only about what you do, but about business in general, do you understand a general ledger book, how to read it?
Do you understand your position in the industry? Most importantly, do you understand your customer's position? And their goals and what they're trying to achieve. We want to make sure that we're touching all of that so that we can at the end of the day, provide the best piece of equipment possible, but more importantly, make that experience from beginning to end as enjoyable as possible so that what they're getting really ends up being what it was in their mind to begin with.
And I think that is the most important thing for us is knowledge in, in making sure I feel what your investors are looking to you for. I need to know, I need to understand, we need to understand what you're trying to accomplish them and what you're tasked with. And then if we have that knowledge of the industry, we can be relevant in our messaging and our conversations and ultimately build a better piece of equipment.-Joe Carlisle, Director of Sales, Paramount Tool
“The biggest challenge is holding their attention and having that kind of impact.
So to try to get the audience to engage versus all the distractions that we all have from working from home, noise dogs, kids we're also stuck at home and homeschooling and let's call it the new co-worker of the world.
AKA your spouse.
Who's having a remote meeting at the very same time you are in sharing your limited office space. I'll tell you something we do at Jolt is the sales team has a monthly book club.
We let the sales folks pick the book that we want to review. We've read everything from your strategic selling, and spin selling. good to great, the normal, typical books you'd find in a sales organization.
One of our guys suggested for our last book club because in school he took a presentation class and he remembered reading a book called the exceptional presenter.
He had discovered a newer version of this book called the exceptional presenter goes virtual. We did that last week.
We did our book review in it and had some interesting things to consider as you're hosting a virtual presentation.
Really boiled down to a lot of planning and recognizing that you're working with a small space in the camera and how do you hold your hands so you don't go out of camera range.
So there's a lot of really good tidbits of information to help you go virtual.”
-Digital Food Safety & Employee Performance Sales Insights
With Jeff Pinc, SVP Global Sales & Marketing, Jolt
"I've had a lot of conversations with younger marketing folks about this is just be who you are.
Don't try to be anybody else. When I was working at an organization, there were these phenomenal speakers that would do customer presentations. And you'd hear these marketing people go, I'm going to be just like that person. And I would smile and go you're absolutely going to fail because you're not that person.
You don't have that experience. You don't have those stories. So I think the older you get, the more you realize that, you can add value for who you are. You don't have to try to be somebody that you're not, your experiences and the way that you see the world is just as important as the person next to you.
It's a lot easier to be yourself every day than trying to be somebody else. So to give any advice for the younger folks. I would say that, be true to who you are, be, who you are, and know that you can add value exactly the way that you are."
-Katie Ostreko, VP of Sales & Marketing, Quality Edge
I was a baseball player.
90% of what I learned in college was on the field with my teammates and 10% was in the classroom.
I just think, the leadership learnings and the comradery and working through hard times and getting your tail kicked.
Having to turn around and play again the same guys the next day, and being able to beat them.
There's just so much there and that's really what I carry, leadership hard work grit.
I saw a really cool Ted talk and I don't remember who the speaker was, but she talked about grit and it's something you can't even really define.
It's hard to measure...
-Mike Sudbury, Vice President of Sales, Hemp Well
"If you're confident, it's going to show and it gives them a little bit more ease.
I've had people walking in the restaurant bar that I worked at and just didn't seem confident.
I was like, what do I want to buy this?
If you're not confident with it, you don't give me that fuzzy feeling about it.
That's the big thing, know your product and make sure you know what you're doing as far as what you're trying to sell.
That will translate into how you approach your sale..." - Michael Biddick, Sales Director, Saugatuck Brewing Company
Episode Highlight:
“One strategy that always works. That definitely works for me, but you can try it yourself...
Is if you repeat the last three words of someone's sentence, they'll want to keep talking.
And it's just that part of that active listener where you can just keep someone engaged, obviously talking about themselves.
You can always ask someone a question about themselves, but if you just keep them engaged, people want to be listened to.
So when I run into people in the community, usually on the weekend with my kids or something.
If I bump into somebody 95% of the time, I'm just listening.”